Phys.org Astronomy and Space

• Venus cloud research highlights value of combining light and polarization measurements

  A research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has advanced the characterization and retrieval capability evaluation of microphysical properties of Venusian clouds and haze.

• The Star of Bethlehem might have actually been a comet described in an ancient Chinese text

  Many researchers have spent decades attempting to decode biblical descriptions and link them to verifiable historical events. One such description is that of the Star of Bethlehem—a bright astronomical body that was said to lead the Magi to Jesus shortly after his birth.

• Video: Fly through Webb's cosmic vistas

  On the launch anniversary of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, ESA presents a unique compilation of zooms into stunning cosmic views.

• Are we the Martians? The intriguing idea that life on Earth began on the red planet

  How did life begin on Earth? While scientists have theories, they don't yet fully understand the precise chemical steps that led to biology, or when the first primitive life forms appeared.

• Before we build on the moon, we have to master the commute

  Even most rocket scientists would rather avoid hard math when they don't have to do it. So when it comes to figuring out orbits in complex three-body systems, like those in cis-lunar space, which is between Earth and the moon, they'd rather someone else do the work for them.

• Turning structural failure into propulsion

  Solar sails have some major advantages over traditional propulsion methods—most notably, they don't use any propellant. But, how exactly do they turn? In traditional sailing, a ship's captain can simply adjust the angle of the sail itself to catch the wind at a different angle. But they also have the added advantage of a rudder, which doesn't work when sailing on light. This has been a long-standing challenge, but a new paper available on the arXiv preprint server by Gulzhan Aldan and Igor Bargatin at the University of Pennsylvania describes a new technique to turn solar sails—kirigami.

• What was the Christmas star? Astronomy might hold the answer

  In the run up to Christmas, carols fill the air. Many have an astronomical twist, singing of the "Christmas Star" from the story of the nativity. Described in the Gospel of Matthew, the star guided the three wise men to the cradle of the young baby Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem.

• Rethinking how we end a satellite's mission

  At the end of their lives, most satellites fall to their death. Many of the smaller ones, including most of those going up as part of the "mega-constellations" currently under construction, are intended to burn up in the atmosphere. This Design for Demise (D4D) principle has unintended consequences, according to a paper published in Acta Astronautica by Antoinette Ott and Christophe Bonnal, both of whom work for MaiaSpace, a company designing reusable launch vehicles for the small satellite market.

• Veritas explores the nature of a mysterious gamma-ray emitter

  Astronomers have employed the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) to observe a mysterious gamma-ray emitting source designated HESS J1857+026. Results of the observational campaign, published December 19 on the pre-print server arXiv, shed more light on the nature of this source.

• The moon and sun figure big in the new year's lineup of cosmic wonders

  The moon and sun share top billing in 2026.

• ALMA datasets elucidate nearby galaxy NGC 1266's massive molecular outflow

  By analyzing the archival data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international team of astronomers has inspected the outflow of a nearby galaxy known as NGC 1266. Results of the new study, presented Dec. 11 on the arXiv pre-print server, could help us better understand the nature of this galaxy.

• Ultra-hot lava world has thick atmosphere, upending expectations

  A Carnegie-led team of astronomers detected the strongest evidence yet of an atmosphere around a rocky planet beyond our solar system. Their work, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, used NASA's JWST to reveal an alien atmosphere in an unexpected place—an ancient, ultra-hot super-Earth that likely hosts a magma ocean.

• Gemini and Blanco telescopes unlock clues to origin of longest gamma-ray burst ever observed

  Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are among the most powerful explosions in the universe, second only to the Big Bang. The majority of these bursts are observed to flash and fade within a few seconds to minutes. But on 2 July 2025, astronomers were alerted to a GRB source that was exhibiting repeating bursts and would end up lasting over seven hours. This event, dubbed GRB 250702B, is the longest gamma-ray burst humans have ever witnessed.

• Flaring black hole whips up ultra-fast winds

  Leading X-ray space telescopes XMM-Newton and XRISM have spotted a never-seen-before blast from a supermassive black hole. In a matter of hours, the gravitational monster whipped up powerful winds, flinging material out into space at eye-watering speeds of 60,000 km per second.

• Astronomers explore the double nucleus of galaxy NGC 4486B

  Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international team of astronomers has observed an elliptical galaxy known as NGC 4486B. Results of the observational campaign, published Dec. 16 on the arXiv preprint server, deliver important insights into the properties of the double nucleus of this galaxy.

• Supernova from the dawn of the universe captured by James Webb Space Telescope

  An international team of astronomers has achieved a first in probing the early universe, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), detecting a supernova—the explosive death of a massive star—at an unprecedented cosmic distance.

• Saturn's icy moon Enceladus is an attractive target in the search for life—new research

  A small, icy moon of Saturn called Enceladus is one of the prime targets in the search for life elsewhere in the solar system. A new study strengthens the case for Enceladus being a habitable world.

• Observations catch galaxy cluster in the process of merging

  Astronomers have used the Keck Observatory's DEIMOS multi-object spectrograph to observe a nearby galaxy cluster designated RXC J0032.1+1808. As a result, they found that the cluster undergoes a major merging event. The finding was presented in a research paper published December 16 on the pre-print server arXiv.

• Radio black hole trio lights up in rare galaxy merger

  Astronomers have confirmed the first known triple system in which all three galaxies host actively feeding, radio-bright supermassive black holes.

• India space agency launches its heaviest satellite

  India's space agency launched its heaviest ever payload on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling the deployment "a significant stride" for the space sector.

• Meet NASA's Artemis Closeout Crew, tasked with securing astronauts in their spacecraft

  For most, getting into a car is a task that can be done without assistance. Yet for those whose destination is the moon, the process of getting inside and secured—in this case, in NASA's Orion spacecraft—requires help. That's the role of the Artemis closeout crew.

• SpaceX defends airspace safety ahead of Florida Starship launch plans

  With plans to launch the massive Starship from Florida next year, SpaceX defended its commitment to airspace safety after a Wall Street Journal article claimed an explosive mission in early 2025 was a greater danger to some flights than previously reported.

• Webb spots the 'smoke' from crashing exocomets around a nearby star

  The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was involved in yet another first discovery recently available in pre-print form on arXiv from Cicero Lu at the Gemini Observatory and his co-authors. This time, humanity's most advanced space telescope found UV-fluorescent carbon monoxide in a protoplanetary debris disk for the first time ever. It also discovered some features of that disk that have considerable implications for planetary formation theory.

• Russia's plans for a space station include 'recycling' its ISS modules

  With the International Space Station (ISS) set to retire in 2030, several nations and commercial space companies have plans to deploy their own successor stations. This includes China, which plans to double the size of its Tiangong space station in the coming years, and the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), with the first module targeted for launch by 2028. Then you have private ventures like Blue Origin's Orbital Reef, Airbus' LOOP, the Axiom Station, Vast's Haven-1, and Starlab Space's station.

• The chaotic 'Dracula's Chivito': Hubble reveals largest birthplace of planets ever observed

  Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have imaged the largest protoplanetary disk ever observed circling a young star. For the first time in visible light, Hubble has revealed the disk is unexpectedly chaotic and turbulent, with wisps of material stretching much farther above and below the disk than astronomers have seen in any similar system. Strangely, more extended filaments are only visible on one side of the disk.

• Scientists crack ancient salt crystals to unlock secrets of 1.4 billion-year-old air

  More than a billion years ago, in a shallow basin across what is now northern Ontario, a subtropical lake much like modern-day Death Valley evaporated under the sun's gentle heat, leaving behind crystals of halite—rock salt.

• The universe may be lopsided, new research suggests

  The shape of the universe is not something we often think about. My colleagues and I have published a new study that suggests it could be asymmetric or lopsided, meaning not the same in every direction.

• A dance of galaxies: JWST captures interacting dwarf galaxies

  NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured two nearby dwarf galaxies interacting with each other in this image released on Dec. 2, 2025.

• Supermassive black holes show selective feeding habits during galaxy mergers

  Black holes are notorious for gobbling up everything that comes their way, but astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have discovered that even supermassive black holes can be picky eaters, and this can have a significant impact on their growth.

• Engineering the first reusable launchpads on the moon

  Engineers need good data to build lasting things. Even the designers of the Great Pyramids knew the limestone they used to build these massive structures would be steady when stacked on top of one another, even if they didn't have tables of the compressive strength of those stones.