A carbon-lite atmosphere could be a sign of water and life on other terrestrial planets, MIT study finds
A low carbon abundance in planetary atmospheres, which the James Webb Space Telescope can detect, could be a signature of habitability.
ILLUMA-T launches to the International Space Station
This laser communications terminal, developed at Lincoln Laboratory, aims to transmit data at high rates from the ISS to ground stations via NASA’s first two-way laser communications relay system.
Bright flash leads astronomers to a heavy-metal factory 900 million light years away
Using multiple observatories, astronomers directly detect tellurium in two merging neutron stars.
Newly discovered planet has longest orbit yet detected by the TESS mission
The frosty gas giant was discovered in a system that also hosts a warm Jupiter.
Study: The ocean’s color is changing as a consequence of climate change
The color changes reflect significant shifts in essential marine ecosystems.
Studying rivers from worlds away
A new technique uses remote images to gauge the strength of ancient and active rivers beyond Earth.
3Q: Exploring the universe’s “first light”
After the James Webb Space Telescope’s first year in service, astronomers are awash in new observations that illuminate the oldest stars and galaxies.
A telescope’s last view
Astronomers discover the last three planets the Kepler telescope observed before going dark.
George Clark, professor emeritus and X-ray astronomy leader, dies at 94
Longtime MIT faculty member led investigations into cosmic-ray physics and gamma-ray and X-ray astronomy.
In a first, astronomers spot a star swallowing a planet
Earth will meet a similar fate in 5 billion years.
Astronomers detect the closest example yet of a black hole devouring a star
The event was spotted in infrared data — also a first — suggesting further searches in this band could turn up more such bursts.
Scientists map gusty winds in a far-off neutron star system
The 2D map of this “disk wind” may reveal clues to galaxy formation.
A portfolio that’s out of this world
Following an influential career at NASA, Ezinne Uzo-Okoro SM ’20, PhD ’22 now shapes space policy as a top White House advisor.
Planet hunting and the origins of life
George Ricker and his team at the MIT Kavli Institute are mapping the entire sky for signs of life.