Astronomy

“Keep your eye on the ball” is a motto for many athletes—and for astronomers trying to find Earth-threatening space rocks

A newly confirmed exoplanet around a nearby sunlike star might be astronomers’ best chance yet to look for life beyond the solar system—but it’s still no place like home

The possibility of the asteroid 2024 YR4 impacting our planet might not be ruled out until 2028, raising the prospect we’ll need to prepare for the worst

The number of planets that orbit the sun depends on what you mean by “planet,” and that’s not so easy to define

Observatories in Chile’s Atacama Desert, including the world’s largest optical telescope, could be blinded by light pollution and other unwanted side effects from the proposed construction of a renewable energy megaproject

A rundown on what’s at stake for global health if the U.S. withdraws from the World Health Organization and an update on bird flu are in this week’s science news roundup.

This year, from Earth’s perspective, Saturn’s rings will appear nearly edge on, making them almost invisible

The best view yet of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant reveals new secrets

Strange x-ray pulses hint at a surprisingly long-lived white dwarf orbiting precariously close to a supermassive black hole

A little-known chapter of the Hubble Space Telescope’s history is a reminder of the risks of looking at the sun

The heavens will provide a bounty of viewing treasures in the coming year

Pluto was unseated as the ninth planet in our solar system. Will we find a real Planet Nine?