Space & Aviation

The findings could more than double our current database of worlds that loop around binary star systems. But researchers need to analyze more data before they can officially celebrate a new trove of far, far away exoplanets.

This annual event, which peaks on the night of May 5 into the next morning, comes from the trail of debris left by Halley’s comet. It’s best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere, but skywatchers in the north can catch a glimpse.

Fish have abilities that might seem like they belong in science fiction. Some, like the tuna, can sense the Earth’s magnetic field, using it as a built-in map to guide them across thousands of miles of open ocean.

Researchers successfully grew and harvested chickpeas in simulated moon dirt—with a little help from worm poop and a beneficial fungus. However, they’re still testing whether the legumes are safe to eat.

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument spent five years observing the sky from Arizona. Now, researchers have a trove of data to study how the universe has evolved over billions of years.

This image of a special object, dubbed the “X-ray dot,” represents a discovery from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory that could help explain the nature of a mysterious class of sources in the early Universe.

Astronomers analyzed the vapors coming off the comet when it neared the sun and found it had a lot of “heavy” water. That hints it grew up in a frigid planetary system, possibly before its home star formed.

The probe launched almost 50 years ago and is the farthest human-made object from Earth. Shutting down one of its scientific devices will help it conserve energy and continue traveling toward the edge of the solar system.