recent research topics in astronomy

Every print subscription comes with full digital access

Science News

Separating science fact from fiction in Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ 

Real science underpins much of the action in the show — along with a hefty dose of artistic liberty.

How a sugar acid crucial for life could have formed in interstellar clouds

How a 19th century astronomer can help you watch the total solar eclipse, more stories in astronomy.

A new image reveals magnetic fields around our galaxy’s central black hole

Astronomers have captured polarized light coming from the Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole, giving insight into its magnetic fields.

Did the James Webb telescope ‘break the universe’? Maybe not

There’s no need for strange new physics to explain anomalously bright, massive galaxies seen by JWST, Hubble data suggest.

JWST spies hints of a neutron star left behind by supernova 1987A

Signs of highly ionized atoms in dusty clouds at SN 1987A’s explosion site suggest a powerful source of X-rays — likely a neutron star — lurks within.

How to build an internet on Mars

Future Red Planet inhabitants will need new ways to connect, including improved relay networks and an offshoot internet.

Astronomers have snapped a new photo of the black hole in galaxy M87

The Event Horizon Telescope image shows material around the black hole has moved, but other aspects remain the same, proving Einstein is right again.

Astronomers are puzzled over an enigmatic companion to a pulsar

The strange entity has a mass between that of a neutron star and a black hole. It’s either one or the other or something else entirely.

The strongest known fast radio burst has been traced to a 7-galaxy pileup

The galactic smashup, located 11 billion light-years from Earth, could have triggered star formation and also odd flares like the fast radio burst.

Salt may have carved out Mercury’s terrains, including glacierlike features

Mercury may contain a planetwide cache of salt that has sculpted chaotic terrain and possibly even habitable niches.

In 2023, space missions explored the moon, asteroids and more

This year, spacecraft landed on the moon, dropped off asteroid samples to Earth and started a journey to Jupiter's icy moons.

Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions.

Not a subscriber? Become one now .

Research Topics

Scientists and engineers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian collaborate across a broad variety of scientific disciplines, from astronomy and astrophysics to related areas of physics and geophysics, in advancing humanity’s understanding of the universe. Learn more about the full spectrum of research covered at the CfA.

Last update: Jun 7, 2024

Astronomy news

• Date 6 hours 12 hours 1 day 3 days all
• Rank Last day 1 week 1 month all
• LiveRank Last day 1 week 1 month all
• Popular Last day 1 week 1 month all

A mission to Uranus could also be a gravitational wave detector

Despite being extraordinarily difficult to detect for the first time, gravitational waves can be found using plenty of different techniques. The now-famous first detection at LIGO in 2015 was just one of the various ways ...

Jun 7, 2024

Hubble examines a barred spiral's light

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the barred spiral galaxy NGC 3059, which lies about 57 million light-years from Earth. Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 collected the data in May 2024 as part of an observing ...

NASA, global astronomers await rare nova explosion

Around the world this summer, professional and amateur astronomers alike will be fixed on one small constellation deep in the night sky. But it's not the seven stars of Corona Borealis, the "Northern Crown," that have sparked ...

Researcher suggests that gravity can exist without mass, mitigating the need for hypothetical dark matter

Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter that is implied by gravitational effects that can't be explained by general relativity unless more matter is present in the universe than can be seen. It remains virtually as mysterious ...

JWST discovers large variety of carbon-rich gases that serve as ingredients for future planets around very low-mass star

Planets form in disks of gas and dust, orbiting young stars. The MIRI Mid-INfrared Disk Survey (MINDS), led by Thomas Henning from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg, Germany, aims to establish a ...

Jun 6, 2024

It's time for hardworking Hubble to slow down a little

Thirty-four years is a long time for a telescope. Yet, that is how long the veteran workhorse of NASA's space telescope fleet has been operating. Admittedly, Hubble was served by several repair missions during the space shuttle ...

New instrument to search for signs of life on other planets

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has signed an agreement for the design and construction of ANDES, the ArmazoNes high Dispersion Echelle Spectrograph.

Earliest detection of metal challenges what we know about the first galaxies

Astronomers have detected carbon in a galaxy just 350 million years after the Big Bang, the earliest detection of any element in the universe other than hydrogen.

Primordial black holes can only explain a fraction of dark matter, research suggests

What is dark matter? That question is prominent in discussions about the nature of the universe. There are many proposed explanations for dark matter, both within the Standard Model and outside of it.

The JWST is rewriting astronomy textbooks

When the James Webb Space Telescope was launched at the end of 2021, we expected stunning images and illuminating scientific results. So far, the powerful space telescope has lived up to our expectations. The JWST has shown ...

Gaia: Milky Way's last major collision was surprisingly recent

Our galaxy has collided with many others in its lifetime. ESA's Gaia space telescope now reveals that the most recent of these crashes took place billions of years later than we thought.

New rare 'green bean' galaxy discovered

Astronomers from New Mexico State University (NMSU) and elsewhere report the discovery of a new galaxy of a rare class, dubbed "green bean." The finding, made with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), was presented ...

A strange intermittent radio signal from space has astronomers puzzled

When astronomers turn our radio telescopes out towards space, we sometimes detect sporadic bursts of radio waves originating from across the vast expanse of the universe. We call them "radio transients": some erupt only once, ...

Jun 5, 2024

Astronomers have a new way to bypass Earth's atmosphere

Radio telescopes have an advantage over optical telescopes, in that radio telescopes can be used even in cloudy conditions here on Earth. That's because the longer wavelengths of radio waves can pass through clouds unhindered.

New approach leverages planetary magnetospheres to detect high-frequency gravitational waves

A new method of detecting high-frequency gravitational waves (HFGWs) has been proposed by a research team led by Prof. Tao Liu, Associate Professor from the Department of Physics at the Hong Kong University of Science and ...

Astronomers investigate giant molecular clouds in the galaxy NGC 613

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA), an international team of astronomers has performed high-resolution observations of a nearby galaxy known as NGC 613. Results of the observational campaign, published ...

Most collapsed stars fully rotate in seconds: This one takes nearly an hour

Australian scientists from the University of Sydney and Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, have detected what is likely a neutron star spinning slower than any other ever measured.

Hubble trouble: Veteran space telescope forced to take it easy

The venerable Hubble Space Telescope, which has revolutionized astronomical discovery since its launch in 1990, will ease into retirement with a scaled-back observing schedule, NASA officials said Tuesday.

With Solar Cycle 25 still peaking, what sights, threats experts expect

In May, powerful solar storms delivered stunning auroras to latitudes that rarely experience them. Light shows were seen as far south as Florida and Texas, while more northerly areas of the United States were treated to spectacular ...

Jun 4, 2024

Suppressing starlight: How to find other Earths

One underappreciated aspect of the current flood of exoplanet discoveries is the technical marvels that enable it. Scientists and engineers must capture and detect minute signals from stars and planets light years away. With ...

• Last Comments

New method could allow multi-robot teams to autonomously and reliably explore other planets

14 hours ago

Virgin Galactic completes final spaceflight before two-year pause

18 hours ago

Who's better off and who's worse off four years on from the outbreak of COVID? The financial picture might surprise you

9 hours ago

Scientists have traced the origin of the modern horse to a lineage that emerged 4,200 years ago

10 hours ago

How studying (robot) pigeon navigation changed my mind about their intellect

Eight new millisecond pulsars discovered with FAST

Swarm satellites help aurora chasers discover Steve's long-lost twin

Hubble equipment failure means fewer observations, NASA officials say

Study unveils impact of mergers on star formation in dwarf galaxies

Hubble views broad and sweeping spiral galaxy NGC 4731

Study investigates a massive 'spider' pulsar

The universe's biggest explosions made elements we are composed of, but there's another mystery source out there

Webb telescope finds most distant galaxy ever observed, again

Dark matter could make our galaxy's innermost stars immortal

X-ray binary Swift J1727.8-1613 has a large relativistic jet, observations show

News from 'El Gordo': Study suggests dark matter may have collisional properties after all

AI helps scientists understand cosmic explosions

Astronomers find most distant galaxy using James Webb Space Telescope

Astronomers explore the properties of a peculiar stellar stream

Simulations demonstrate potential mechanisms of intermediate-mass black hole formation in globular clusters

Image: James Webb Space Telescope spots starburst galaxy

The rush to return humans to the moon and build lunar bases could threaten opportunities for astronomy

Astronomy generates mountains of data—that's perfect for AI

Black Holes: Why study them? What makes them so fascinating?

Chandra X-ray Observatory's clear, sharp photos help astrophysicist study energetic black holes

Nonreciprocal quantum batteries exhibit remarkable capacities and efficiency

Study finds fresh water and key conditions for life appeared on Earth a half-billion years earlier than thought

Saturday Citations: Praising dogs; the evolution of brown fat; how SSRIs relieve depression. Plus: Boeing's Starliner

New method optimizes lithium extraction from seawater and groundwater

Study suggests evolutionary basis for male risk-taking behaviors

Rare 7-foot fish washed ashore on Oregon's coast garners worldwide attention

Cascadia Subduction Zone, one of Earth's top hazards, comes into sharper focus

Research team uses CRISPR/Cas9 to alter photosynthesis for the first time

Quantum chemistry and simulation help characterize coordination complex of elusive element 61

Cutting-edge mathematics provides new tool for particle collision puzzle

New research finds lake under Mars ice cap unlikely

Scientists create world's strongest iron-based superconducting magnet using AI

A protein that enables smell in ants—and stops cell death

California wildfire pollution killed 52,000 in a decade: study

Mapping noise to improve quantum measurements

First ever report of two ancient ape species cohabiting in Miocene Europe 11 million years ago

Researchers discover Earth and space share the same turbulence

Perturbations simplify the study of 'super photons'

Travel through data from space in new 3D Instagram experiences

Sun releases strong solar flare

New model aims to explain the lack of miniature black holes in the early universe

Starless and forever alone: More 'rogue' planets discovered

First detection of magnetic massive stars outside our galaxy

Detecting 'Hawking radiation' from black holes using today's telescopes

The death of Vulcan: Study reveals planet is actually an astronomical illusion caused by stellar activity

Mystery of 'slow' solar wind unveiled by Solar Orbiter mission

Sloshing cold front detected in a massive galaxy cluster

Rethinking the sun's cycles: New physical model reinforces planetary hypothesis

QUIET: A place to study qubits shielded from the effects of cosmic rays

Basic income can double global GDP while reducing carbon emissions, analysis suggests

Tree hidey-holes key to helping slow declines of small mammals

DNA in the feces of snow leopards shows alpine cats eat plants

Untapped power: Logical operations using RNA droplets

Machine learning helps find advantageous combination of salts and organic solvents for easier anti-icing operations

Study adds new sea cucumber species to the research toolbox

Ancient crustal weaknesses contribute to modern earthquakes in West Africa, study finds

Researchers engineer new approach for controlling thermal emission

Wildfire smoke reached 99% of US lakes in 2019–2021: Study introduces 'lake-smoke day' metric

E-mail newsletter.

• Update Location

Astronomy & Observing News

This is your portal to the latest astronomy news, the celestial reports and observing tips that make you say, “wow!” Here you’ll learn about the latest astronomical discoveries, such as first black hole image or the hijinks of Betelgeuse . Find out why the detection of gravitational waves have heralded a new era of astronomy, and why the mysteriously quiet Sun has astronomers scratching their heads. And this is the place to be if you’re seeking the best meteor showers of the year or glimpses of the most recent comet to grace our skies.

Hubble to Transition to New Observing Mode, Will Continue Science

NASA engineers are working to extend operations for the venerable space telescope. Observations are expected to continue by mid-June.

By: David Dickinson June 7, 2024

This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 7 – 16

The waxing Moon reenters the sky as an evening crescent. Pollux and Castor keep it company. The Big Dipper hangs straight down. And can you still catch wintry Capella? The colder your latitude the better your chance.

By: Alan MacRobert June 7, 2024

Webb Telescope Finds Strangely Bright Galaxies at Cosmic Dawn

Another record-breaker: Two galaxies date to only 300 million years after the Big Bang. How did they grow so big and bright so quickly?

By: Arwen Rimmer June 6, 2024

Comet 13P/Olbers Juices Up June Skies

June brings heat and bugs but also a moderately bright, early-evening comet that returns every 69 years.

By: Bob King June 5, 2024

Whirlwind Chang’e 6 Mission Collects Lunar Samples, Heads Back Home

China Chang’e 6 mission has landed on the Moon and is now set to perform another first: a sample return from the lunar farside.

By: David Dickinson June 3, 2024

Astronomers Discover New Earth-size World Only 40 Light-Years Away

This nearby terrestrial world might just reveal the secrets of atmospheric composition and habitability for planets like Earth and Venus.

By: Arielle Frommer June 3, 2024

June Podcast: Spotting the Serpent Charmer

Listen to this tour of the stars and planets that you’ll see overhead during June. Learn how to spot three planets before dawn, and to track down a snake-handler in the early summer sky. Grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour.

By: J. Kelly Beatty June 1, 2024

Voyager 1 (and Half Its Instruments) Are Back Online

Voyager 1 is once again returning data from two of four science instruments onboard.

By: David Dickinson May 31, 2024

This Week's Sky at a Glance, May 31 – June 9

Arcturus and Vega highlight the evening, The Big Dipper quickly pivots. And sorry, tell your friends and family who ask that no "dazzling Parade of Planets" is blazing across the sky. Who makes this stuff up??

By: Alan MacRobert May 31, 2024

NASA's Lucy Mission Reveals Asteroid's Strange Moon

The asteroid Dinkinesh surprised NASA’s Lucy mission when it turned out to have a moon. Now, scientists are taking a closer look at the pair’s formation.

By: Jeff Hecht May 29, 2024

Euclid’s Revolutionary New Images

The Euclid mission has released five new panoramas of celestial objects that are stunning in both their breadth and depth.

By: Ivan Farkas May 28, 2024

Venus’s Volcanoes Live

The evidence is in: Venus is volcanically active.

By: Camille M. Carlisle May 27, 2024

Did This Black Hole Form Without a Supernova?

Some massive stars may collapse completely into black holes — without the fanfare of a supernova.

By: Colin Stuart May 24, 2024

This Week's Sky at a Glance, May 24 – June 2

The Big Dipper twists around fast near the zenith, Arcturus almost claims the zenith, the Coma Star Cluster not far away can't quite hide, and T Cor Bor simmers ominously dim.

By: Alan MacRobert May 24, 2024

Webb Telescope Finds Most Distant Black Hole Merger

A new JWST study has found evidence of two galaxies colliding 740 million years after the Big Bang.

By: Arwen Rimmer May 22, 2024

Why Did Galileo Get Such a Puny Crater?

Galileo was one of the first people to study the Moon through a telescope. You'd think he'd get more than 10-mile-wide crater for his efforts. But of course, there's more to the story.

By: Bob King May 22, 2024

Astronomers Reopen the Mystery of a Planet That Shouldn’t Exist

New research may have revived the mystery of 8 Ursae Minoris b, a seemingly doomed exoplanet that shouldn’t exist.

By: AAS Nova May 20, 2024

This Week's Sky at a Glance, May 17 – 26

This week the Moon occults Beta Virginis, then Antares. The last star of the Summer Triangle finally rises before bedtime. On the other side of the sky, the Arch of Spring sinks low.

By: Alan MacRobert May 17, 2024

Cosmic "Hand" Reaches for the Stars

This oddly shaped cloud of dusty gas is shaped by the winds and radiation from nearby stars.

By: Monica Young May 17, 2024

Planet Candidate Could Be Incandescent with Lava Flows

A new planet candidate discovered in data from NASA's TESS mission could be an extreme lavaworld, pushed and pulled by the gravity of its own star and two other close-in planets.

By: Colin Stuart May 15, 2024

To provide the best experiences, we and our partners use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us and our partners to process personal data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site and show (non-) personalized ads. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.

Click below to consent to the above or make granular choices. Your choices will be applied to this site only. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by using the toggles on the Cookie Policy, or by clicking on the manage consent button at the bottom of the screen.

• June 9, 2024 | Mayo Clinic Study Reveals Startling Connection Between Energy Drinks and Sudden Cardiac Arrest
• June 9, 2024 | Quantum Theory Unveils Surprising Black Hole Shortage
• June 9, 2024 | Cracking the Code: Scientists Solve Reynolds’ Century-Old Fluid Flow Mystery
• June 9, 2024 | A Sustainable Solution to Fighting Global Warming – New Catalyst Efficiently Converts CO2 to Natural Gas
• June 9, 2024 | Beware the Rise of Superweeds: Mowing’s Unintended Consequences

Find all the latest space news right now on SciTechDaily, your ultimate gateway to the cosmos and its countless wonders. We provide you with up-to-date information on the latest discoveries, innovations, and research in space exploration, astronomy, and astrophysics.

Our expertly curated content covers a diverse range of topics, from the mysteries of black holes and exoplanets to advancements in space technology and international space missions. Join us as we venture beyond Earth’s boundaries, delving into the secrets of the universe and uncovering the groundbreaking achievements that continue to push the limits of human knowledge and ingenuity.

Embark on an interstellar journey of discovery and inspiration with SciTechDaily. Discover the current news on space exploration, astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, and more out of places like NASA, JPL, ALMA, and ESA. View incredible new space images from sources like Hubble, Kepler,  James Webb space telescopes. Hot sub-topics include Astronomy ,  NASA , Astrophysics , Black Holes ,  Cosmology , Exoplanets , Hubble , Goddard Space Flight Center , Mars , Cassini-Huygens , James Webb Telescope , Juno , Gravitational Waves , ESA , and Dark Energy .

Space June 9, 2024

Quantum Theory Unveils Surprising Black Hole Shortage

Quantum field theory reveals potential flaws in models predicting numerous primordial black holes, suggesting fewer exist, which may impact theories of dark matter and the…

Life Beyond Earth: Webb’s Spectroscopic Hunt for Earth-Like Planets

Twin Moons of Dinkinesh: NASA’s Lucy Unveils a Surprising Discovery

Beyond Einstein: Groundbreaking Map of the Universe Redefines Cosmic Models

Io’s Fiery Secrets: Unveiling Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon With New Imaging Tech

Record-Breaking Galactic Discovery: Webb Space Telescope’s Glimpse of Cosmic Dawn

Phoenix Rises: ‘Weird’ New Planet Defies Expectations

Webb Telescope Uncovers a Mysterious Carbon Treasure Trove Around Young Star

9 Astronauts, 1 Starliner, and Zero Gravity: New Crew Adjusts to Living Aboard the Space Station

Space June 7, 2024

First Detection of Magnetism in Massive Stars Beyond Our Galaxy

New findings reveal magnetic fields in three massive stars in the Magellanic Clouds, shedding light on the influence of magnetism on stellar evolution and the…

At the Dawn of Time: MIT Physicists Link Dark Matter to “Super-Charged” Microscopic Black Holes

In the first quintillionth of a second, the universe may have sprouted microscopic black holes with enormous amounts of nuclear charge, according to MIT physicists….

The Physics of Failure: Analyzing Hubble’s Gyroscope Malfunction

The Hubble Space Telescope is currently in safe mode due to gyroscope problems, suspending its science activities. However, NASA remains optimistic about its future contributions…

Helium Leaks and Thruster Fails: Boeing Starliner’s High-Stakes Docking Drama

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard the Starliner spacecraft docked successfully at the ISS after overcoming challenges like helium leaks and thruster failures. The…

Space June 6, 2024

James Webb Unmasks the Carbon-Rich Secrets of Protoplanetary Disks

James Webb Space Telescope discovers a large variety of carbon-rich gases that serve as ingredients for future planets around a very low-mass star. MINDS research…

Liftoff! NASA Astronauts Pilot First Boeing Starliner Crewed Mission to Space Station

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are orbiting aboard Boeing’s Starliner on its inaugural crewed flight to the ISS, where they will conduct system…

Space June 5, 2024

Astrophysicists Unleash Planetary Power To Probe the Universe’s Deepest Mysteries

Researchers have introduced an innovative gravitational wave detection method using astronomical telescopes to convert gravitational waves into electromagnetic signals within planetary magnetospheres, facilitating the study…

Don’t Miss: Planets Dominate the Morning Sky

Planets rule the a.m., and what’s that bright light? Saturn and Mars continue to dominate the morning sky, but they’re joined by Jupiter as the…

Starliner’s Stellar Liftoff: NASA Astronauts Embark on Historic Journey to ISS

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, launched carrying astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station. We…

We have completed maintenance on Astronomy.com and action may be required on your account. Learn More

• Login/Register
• Solar System
• Exotic Objects
• Upcoming Events
• Deep-Sky Objects
• Observing Basics
• Telescopes and Equipment
• Astrophotography

Space Exploration

• Human Spaceflight
• Robotic Spaceflight
• The Magazine

News from Astronomy

Your source for the latest news on planets, stars, galaxies, cosmology, observing events, space missions, and more., latest astronomy news.

View All News

2024 Full Moon calendar: Dates, times, types, and names

William Anders, NASA Astronaut and US Air Force Major General, dies at 90

The People’s Spaceship: NASA, the Shuttle Program, and Public Engagement after Apollo

A weird, repeating radio signal from space stumps astronomers

Browse by category.

Explore the science of space, from the astrophysics of stars to the ultimate fate of the universe.

Explore Topic

Learn about upcoming observing events such as eclipses, meteor showers, comets, conjunctions, and more.

Human and robotic missions are helping humanity explore our solar system and beyond.

• Can we catch an interstellar interloper?
• Edmond Halley: The man behind the comet
• How to photograph nightscapes
• We review Celestron’s new StarSense AutoGuider

Sky This Week

The Sky This Week from June 7 to 14: Spot some sporadic meteors

Sky this month.

Sky This Month: June 2024

Picture of the day.

See All Photos

Stars and starfish

Rob Lyons, from Vancouver, British Columbia

The imager tells how he got this spectacular shot:

I have attempted to take this photograph for three years during my annual trips to Tofino, British Columbia. The first year, I couldn’t find any starfish at all. In the second year, I found some and made an image, but the starfish were so small that you would need a telescope to see them. This past year, after a week of searching, I found a few on my last night of the trip. These starfish were attached to a rock that is at a popular surfing spot, so the waves are very active. To get the foreground, I shot at blue hour and used my Sony A7R camera with a 20mm f/1.8 lens to get up close to the starfish. The tide was coming in fast, and the starfish was already half submerged, so I worked fast to get the shot. I then set up my star tracker on the safety of the rocky cliffs nearby, shot 15 images of the Milky Way [with a Kolari Vision UV/IR-cut and Hα-pass filter], and stacked them together. The two shots were then combined.

Product Recommendations

New arrivals

Wrap Around Solar Eclipse Glasses

Books & DVDs

Observing with Small Telescopes

Globes & Maps

6" Saturn Globe

Gifts & Toys

The Planet Mug

Campo del Cielo Meteorite

Constellation Flashcards

2024 Eclipse Tour Shirt

Astronomy 40° North Planisphere

Fisher Original Astronaut Space Pen

• Author Tools
• About AAS Journals

•   ❯  
• News Archive

The Current State of Astronomy Research, Summarized in 573 Papers

5 June 2019

What are the big topics in astronomy research that we’ll be working to address in the next decade? No need to pull out a crystal ball … astronomers have a pretty good guess, and they’ve shared what they think in  a series of white papers  that are part of the 2020 Decadal Survey.

What’s a Decadal Survey?

The  Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics (otherwise known as Astro2020)  is a process that occurs once every 10 years under the oversight of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. During this process, the astronomy community comes together to summarize the current state of the field and identify key priorities for the upcoming decade. These recommendations then serve as a guide for scientists, policy makers, and funding agencies over the next 10 years.

How Does It Work?

Astro2020 begins with various calls for “white papers”, brief write-ups to be submitted by individuals or collaborations within the astronomy community. These white papers are next reviewed by a  steering committee  made up of prominent members of the astronomy community. Finally, the committee — with input from topical panels, subcommittees, town halls, and more — composes a report that describes the current state of the field, identifies research priorities, and makes recommendations for the next decade.

What’s Happening Now?

The  first Astro2020 white-paper call  closed in March. The assignment:  “succinctly identify new science opportunities and compelling science themes, place those in the broader international scientific context, and describe the key advances in observation, experiment, and/or theory necessary to realize those scientific opportunities within the decade 2020-2030.”

The result? A  collection of 573 white papers  from the community that beautifully summarizes the most interesting research questions that are driving the field forward at this time. Want a glimpse of what’s interesting in astronomy right now? All you have to do is look through these papers to get a very good idea.

This Decadal Survey, for the first time, the American Astronomical Society is collecting the submitted white papers and making them available in a central location: the  Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society . A list of all 573 science white papers has been published there, with titles, authors, and the paper PDFs (for those authors who did not opt out of publication). Each paper is also indexed in the SAO/NASA  Astrophysics Data System  so that it can be found and cited in the future.

How About a Brief Sample?

Astronomy is an enormous field, and these white papers prove it. Below is a tiny sample of papers covering each of the eight primary thematic science areas (plus two bonus interdisciplinary ones).

• Interdisciplinary •  Astrophysical Science enabled by Laboratory Astrophysics Studies in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Physics •  The Next Decade of Astroinformatics and Astrostatistics

What Comes Next?

We’re nowhere near done yet! The papers published now were submitted to the call for science white papers in March. At present, there’s another call open for white papers on activities, projects, and the state of the profession, with a deadline of 10 July. All of these white papers will be included in the BAAS as well. Check back for those later this year, and keep an ear to the ground as the year progresses for more news from Astro2020.

The full set of Astro2020 science white papers can be found on the  BAAS website .

Originally published by Susanna Kohler at https://aas.org/posts/news/2019/06/current-state-astronomy-research-summarized-573-papers

Policy News

Read more about the AAS journals ethics policy.

AAS | IOP Astronomy

The American Astronomical Society (AAS) have partnered with IOP Publishing to create an exciting new collection of astronomy and astrophysics ebooks to further the AAS mission: "to enhance and share humanity's scientific understanding of the universe."

Announcement

AAS Journals Fully Open Access in 2022

In keeping with our mission, the entire AAS journals portfolio was made freely accessible as of 1 January 2022. Read more.

Research Topics

Science fields.

Research at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian ranges across many disciplines, from astronomy and astrophysics to improving life on Earth through science education, climate research, and technology development. Scientists and engineers at CfA are involved in international collaborations to create the next generation of observatories and advance humanity's knowledge of the Universe we inhabit.

Exoplanets and the Giant Magellan Telescope

The Giant Magellan Telescope, or GMT, is a massive ground-based observatory with a resolving power 10 times greater than the Hubble Space Telescope. The Center for Astrophysics is developing the tools and frameworks needed for the GMT to see exoplanets – planets orbiting distant stars – with greater clarity than ever before.

Scientists and engineers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian collaborate across a broad variety of scientific disciplines, from astronomy and astrophysics to related areas of physics and geophysics, in advancing humanity’s understanding of the universe. Learn more about the full spectrum of research covered at the CfA.

Research at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian covers a broad range of fields, from theory to laboratory astrophysics and observation. Learn more about the specific fields of science that our researchers and engineers focus on in their pursuit of asking, testing, and answering the greatest unresolved questions about our Universe.

This content requires JavaScript. See how to enable JavaScript in your browser or view an alternate version of this content .

• A-Z Publications

Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics

• Navigate this Journal
• Early Publication
• Previous Volumes
• Editorial Committee

AIMS AND SCOPE OF JOURNAL: The Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics covers the significant developments in the field of astronomy and astrophysics, including: the sun; solar system and extrasolar planets; stars; the interstellar medium; galaxy and galaxies; active galactic nuclei; cosmology; and instrumentation and techniques, and the history of the development of new areas of research.  

Latest Articles Lasest articles RSS feed

Galactic dynamos, circumbinary accretion: from binary stars to massive binary black holes, hydrodynamical simulations of the galaxy population: enduring successes and outstanding challenges, new insights from imaging spectroscopy of solar radio emission, quasars and the intergalactic medium at cosmic dawn, gaussian process regression for astronomical time series, protoplanetary disk chemistry, advances in optical/infrared interferometry, the interstellar interlopers, key physical processes in the circumgalactic medium, most read this month, most cited most cited rss feed, the chemical composition of the sun, star formation in galaxies along the hubble sequence, h i in the galaxy, smoothed particle hydrodynamics, unified models for active galactic nuclei and quasars, coevolution (or not) of supermassive black holes and host galaxies, cosmic star-formation history, embedded clusters in molecular clouds, luminous infrared galaxies, star formation in the milky way and nearby galaxies.

• Theoretical Astrophysics and Cosmology

Calculating and modeling the physics of the cosmos. First objects in the universe, relativistic astrophysics, neutron stars, black holes, inflation, cosmic evolution and structure.

Current research in theoretical astrophysics and cosmology at Stanford explores a wide range of critical questions. Major topics include numerical simulations of the formation of structure from small scales (first stars) to large scales (dark matter structure), galaxy formation, black holes (evolution, jets, accretion disks and orbiting objects), neutron stars (pulsars, magnetars), particle acceleration (relativistic shocks, origin of cosmic rays), gravitational lensing, and the very early universe (inflation).

See the section on  Observational & Experimental Astrophysics and Cosmology  for a description of how scientists at Stanford are probing many of these questions with experiments and telescopes.

The  Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology , housed in the the Fred Kavli Building at  SLAC  and the Physics & Astrophysics Building and the Varian Physics Laboratories on campus, hosts much of the research in astrophysics and cosmology at Stanford and SLAC. Scientists meet through twice-weekly  Tea Talks , a weekly  Cosmology Seminar  and a weekly  Astrophysics Colloquium . There are also close ties with the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics ( SITP ) and the  SLAC Theory Group .

Related Faculty

Roger Blandford

Susan E. Clark

• Cosmic Magnetism & Interstellar Physics Group
• Experimental and Observational Astrophysics and Cosmology

Andrei Linde

• List of publications on inSPIRE
• List of publications in Google Scholar
• Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics

Vahe Petrosian

• ADS abstracts
• arXiv astro-ph

Roger Romani

Eva Silverstein

• ArXiv papers

Risa Wechsler

• Galaxy Formation & Cosmology Group

Related News

Andrei Linde awarded Isaac Pomeranchuk Prize

Press Release of the International Award Committee of the Isaac Pomeranchuk Prize 

An artist's rendering of the LSST Camera showing its major components including lenses, sensor array, and utility trunk. (Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator ...

SLAC completes construction of the largest digital camera ever built for astronomy

Risa Wechsler, a cosmologist who directs the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and…

Heaviest pair of supermassive black holes ever measured will someday collide, astronomers report

Source: Salon

Black holes are some of the most powerful, destructive and massive objects…

Susan Clark Named As 2024 Sloan Research Fellow

Six Stanford faculty members are among the recipients of 2024 Sloan Research Fellowships,…

Elmo’s Mysterious Birthday Explained by Physicists

Source: Gizmodo

“My first thought is Elmo is experiencing gravitational time dilation,”…

Final supernova results from Dark Energy Survey offer unique insights into the expansion of the universe

In the culmination of a decade’s worth of effort, the DES collaboration of scientists analyzed…

Related Events

KIPAC Lunar Eclipse Viewing Party

• From the Director
• Values and Code of Conduct
• Equity and Inclusion
• Annual Reports
• Scientific Staff
• Postdoctoral Fellows
• Graduate Students
• Research Professionals
• Institute Staff
• Cosmic Structure
• Extreme Astrophysics
• Physics of the Universe
• Stellar, Interstellar and Planetary Astrophysics
• Research Interests of Senior Members
• Publications
• Events Calendar
• Upcoming Events
• Astrophysics Colloquium
• Cosmology Seminar
• Public Lectures
• Opportunities
• Postdoctoral opportunities
• Prospective Graduate Students
• Post-baccalaureate Fellowship
• Undergraduate Research
• Request a Tea Talk
• Getting Here
• Lecture Archive
• Latest from KIPAC
• Research Highlights
• In the News
• Newsletters
• New to the KIPAC Community?
• COVID Protocols

Research topics

Astrophysical magnetism and the interstellar medium.

What fills the space between the stars? In addition to stars, planets, and dark matter, galaxies are home to vast reservoirs of gas and dust, high-energy particles, and magnetic fields. This is the interstellar medium (ISM): the stuff between the stars. The interstellar medium is the material from which new stars are born.

Black Holes

Cosmic Microwave Background

Dark Energy

One of the most important and surprising scientific discoveries of the twentieth century is that the expansion of space is not slowing down, but speeding up—contrary to what we expect the gravitational pull of all the matter in the Universe to do. The driver of this accelerating expansion has been labeled "dark energy," but there is much about the phenomenon that researchers don’t understand.

Dark Matter

First Stars and Galaxies

Roughly 400,000 years after the Big Bang, the Universe—bathing in the afterglow of radiation that we see today as the cosmic microwave background—began to enter the cosmic “dark ages,” so named because the luminous stars and galaxies we see today had yet to form.

Galaxy Clusters

Galaxy Formation

Gravitational Lensing

Neutron Stars and Pulsars

Optical Surveys

In the traditional model of astronomical observation, individual or small teams of astronomers study a select class of objects in a small region of sky. However, some of the most exciting cosmological and astrophysical results in recent years have required the study of millions of galaxies over thousands of square degrees of sky.

Particle Acceleration

Scientific Visualization and Data Analysis

KIPAC's visualization and data analysis facilities provide hardware and software solutions that help users at KIPAC and SLAC to analyze their large-scale scientific data sets.

Solar Physics

Space is a seemingly infinite world of wonder and discovery, filled with mysterious black holes , stunning solar flares , elusive exoplanets and countless cosmic oddities . Our team of expert science writers and editors are ready to hold a James Webb Space Telescope -size lens beyond Earth, keeping those on this planet up to date with the latest space news, articles and features. 

Explore Space

Extraterrestrial life, space exploration, editor's picks.

Latest about Space

Space photo of the week: James Webb and Chandra telescopes spot a 'lighthouse' pointed at Earth

By Jamie Carter published 9 June 24

Images from the James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory have been combined to reveal how the Crab Nebula's neutron star is changing.

What could aliens look like?

By Sarah Wells published 8 June 24

The search for alien life is one of humanity's greatest missions, but it may look nothing like anything we've seen on Earth.

James Webb telescope finds carbon at the dawn of the universe, challenging our understanding of when life could have emerged

By Ben Turner published 7 June 24

The James Webb Space Telescope has found carbon in a galaxy just 350 million years after the Big Bang. That could mean life began much earlier too, a new study argues.

Explosive 'devil comet' grows seemingly impossible 2nd tail after close flyby of Earth — but it's not what it seems

By Harry Baker published 7 June 24

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as the devil comet, recently made its closest approach to Earth for more than 70 years. During this close encounter, astrophotographers spotted a seemingly impossible "anti-tail" coming off the comet thanks to an extremely rare optical illusion.

New contest lets you name Earth's 1st 'quasi-moon' for free. Here's how to enter.

A new public competition will allow a lucky astronomy enthusiast to name one of Earth's tiny "quasi-moons." Here's everything you need to know about how to enter the competition for free.

2 new helium leaks discovered on Boeing's Starliner — forcing NASA astronauts to skip sleep to fix them

By Ben Turner published 6 June 24

Two helium leaks appeared on the spacecraft en route to the International Space Station, in addition to a leak engineers knew about prior to launch. The crew are not thought to be in any danger.

A telescope on Earth just took an unbelievable image of Jupiter's moon

By Sharmila Kuthunur published 6 June 24

Astronomers using the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona have taken a close-up picture of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io that rivals similar photos taken from space.

Best star projectors 2024: Bring the cosmos indoors

By Tantse Walter last updated 6 June 24

BUYING GUIDE The best star projectors let you experience the beauty of the cosmos from your sofa and flood your space with nebula-inspired colors and shapes.

Which way does Earth spin? What about the other planets?

By Hannah Loss published 6 June 24

While Earth spins in the same direction as the sun, that's not the case for every planet in the solar system.

10 'breathtaking' photos of our galaxy from the 2024 Milky Way Photographer of the Year contest

By Elise Poore published 5 June 24

From dangerous lion reserves to high mountain peaks, photographers go all out to capture the most spectacular images of our galaxy in this year's Milky Way Photographer of the Year competition.

Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now

Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

• 2 Why did Homo sapiens emerge in Africa?
• 3 'The difference between alarming and catastrophic': Cascadia megafault has 1 especially deadly section, new map reveals
• 4 100-foot 'walking tree' in New Zealand looks like an Ent from Lord of the Rings — and is the lone survivor of a lost forest
• 5 Shigir Idol: World's oldest wood sculpture has mysterious carved faces and once stood 17 feet tall
• 2 Rare fungal STI spotted in US for the 1st time
• 3 James Webb telescope finds carbon at the dawn of the universe, challenging our understanding of when life could have emerged
• 4 Shigir Idol: World's oldest wood sculpture has mysterious carved faces and once stood 17 feet tall
• 5 What could aliens look like?

Space Exploration

Explore space exploration, human spaceflight, launches & spacecraft, private spaceflight, search for life, latest about space exploration.

On this day in space! June 9, 1952: Abee meteorite falls in Canada

By Hanneke Weitering last updated 9 June 24

On June 9, 1952, the Abee meteorite fell in Alberta, Canada, at 11:05 p.m. at night.

Astronauts test SpaceX Starship hardware and spacesuits for Artemis 3 moon mission (photos)

By Sharmila Kuthunur published 9 June 24

Two astronauts performed tests inside full-scale mock ups of SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System to test spacesuits and other hardware for NASA's Artemis 3 moon mission.

Virgin Galactic launches VSS Unity space plane on final suborbital spaceflight with crew of 6 (photos)

By Meredith Garofalo last updated 8 June 24

Virgin Galactic launched its seventh commercial spaceflight mission on June 8 during the final flight of its VSS Unity suborbital spaceplane.

At long last: Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket set to debut on July 9

By Samantha Mathewson published 8 June 24

Europe's new Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket is set to launch for the first time on July 9 after a series of delays.

SpaceX wants to build 1 Starship megarocket a day with new Starfactory

By Meredith Garofalo published 8 June 24

During a successful fourth flight test of Starship this week, SpaceX stated another big goal: Building one megarocket a day at its new Starfactory.

Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders, who captured 'Earthrise,' killed in plane crash

By Robert Z. Pearlman published 8 June 24

Bill Anders, who as an Apollo 8 astronaut was one of the first people to fly to the moon in 1968, was killed on June 7 when the vintage plane he was piloting crashed off the coast of Washington.

SpaceX lands Falcon 9 rocket for 300th time (video)

By Mike Wall last updated 8 June 24

SpaceX landed one of its Falcon 9 rockets for the 300th time tonight (June 7), notching the milestone during a Starlink satellite launch.

NASA wants new ideas for its troubled Mars Sample Return mission

By Brett Tingley published 7 June 24

NASA's Mars Sample Return mission has faced quite a few hurdles, and the agency has selected ten studies to try and find more affordable and quicker means of going about the project.

Boeing Starliner 1st astronaut flight: Live updates

By Elizabeth Howell, Tariq Malik last updated 7 June 24

Boeing moving toward a June 1 launch of its first-ever Starliner astronaut mission for NASA.

US military test launches 2 unarmed intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2 days

The United States Air Force and U.S. Space Force conducted two routine test launches of unarmed intercontinental ballistic missiles this week from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Get the Space.com Newsletter

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

• 2 What is the 3-body problem, and is it really unsolvable?
• 3 Astronauts test SpaceX Starship hardware and spacesuits for Artemis 3 moon mission (photos)
• 4 'Stellar Dreams' project gifting 100 telescopes to 100 families (exclusive)
• 5 At long last: Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket set to debut on July 9

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

• View all journals

Cosmology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Cosmology is the study of the universe; its birth, evolution, and ultimate fate. This includes further developing and refining the prevailing model, the Big Bang theory, investigating the universe’s rate of expansion, and measuring radiation left over from the Big Bang, the so-called cosmic microwave background.

Latest Research and Reviews

Extracting high-order cosmological information in galaxy surveys with power spectra

Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) are formed in the early universe and can be measured galaxy redshift survey to probe dark energy, but this feature is degraded with galaxy structure evolution. The authors propose a method that simultaneously use pre- and post-reconstruction power spectra to extract higher order information for surveys to constrain cosmological models.

• Yuting Wang
• Gong-Bo Zhao

Partial Ly \(\alpha\) thermalization in an analytic nonlinear diffusion model

• Georg Wolschin

The accretion of a solar mass per day by a 17-billion solar mass black hole

A black hole at the centre of a quasar at a redshift of z  = 4 is accreting the mass of the Sun every day. The quasar’s extreme luminosity is equivalent to 50,000 times that of the Milky Way. Its broad-line region should be resolvable observationally and will provide an important test for broad-line region size–luminosity relationships.

• Christian Wolf
• Rachel L. Webster

A massive galaxy that formed its stars at z ≈ 11

A massive galaxy observed with the JWST indicates that the bulk of its stars formed within the first 500 million years of the Universe.

• Karl Glazebrook
• Themiya Nanayakkara
• Angel Chandro-Gomez

A younger Universe implied by satellite pair correlations from SDSS observations of massive galaxy groups

A comparison of observations and simulations of satellite galaxies around massive galaxy groups reveals significant differences, including correlated motions of pairs of satellite galaxies, which challenge the standard model of cosmology.

Weak-lensing detection of intracluster filaments in the Coma cluster

Researchers have detected the elusive dark matter component of cosmic filaments near the Coma galaxy cluster using gravitational lensing. This supports the idea that galaxy clusters grow at the intersection of cosmic filaments, shedding light on the structure of our universe.

• Kim HyeongHan
• M. James Jee
• Hyejeon Cho

News and Comment

Dark energy is tearing the Universe apart. What if the force is weakening?

The first set of results from a pioneering cosmic-mapping project hints that the repulsive force known as dark energy has changed over 11 billion years, which would alter ideas about how the Universe has evolved and what its future will be.

• Davide Castelvecchi

Dance of the galaxy pairs

Computer simulations based on the prevailing cosmological model, ΛCDM, reproduce many observed properties of our Universe. But a study of coherent satellite motions in galaxy clusters yields discrepancies that challenge the definition of ‘today’.

• Tereasa Brainerd

Hints of a physical origin for the S 8 tension

• Morgan Hollis

Could JWST solve cosmology’s big mystery? Physicists debate Universe-expansion data

Results from the telescope could help to end a long-standing disagreement over the rate of cosmic expansion. But scientists say more measurements are needed.

‘Best view ever’: observatory will map Big Bang’s afterglow in new detail

The Simons Observatory will search for signs of gravitational waves that originated from the Big Bang.

Do black holes explode? The 50-year-old puzzle that challenges quantum physics

Stephen Hawking’s paradoxical finding that black holes don’t live forever has profound, unresolved implications for the quest for unifying theories of reality.

Quick links

• Explore articles by subject
• Guide to authors
• Editorial policies