Nola Taylor Tillman is a science writer with a focus on space and astronomy.
‘Modified’ Gravity May Make Planet Nine Disappear
Strange patterns in the orbits of small objects in the outer solar system could be explained by gaps in our understanding of gravity rather than an as-yet-unseen new world
Jupiter’s Hot Youth May Have Melted Its Icy Moons
A gas giant planet’s youthful glow could explain major differences between its four largest satellites
New Planet-Hunting Technique Finds Worlds We Can See Directly
A promising combination of exoplanet-finding methods pinpoints details about its first world
Astronomers Reveal New Details of How Stars Devour Planets
Surprisingly, some worlds can survive being engulfed by a sunlike star when it swells to become a red giant
‘Auroral’ Exoplanets Could Help Boost Searches for Alien Life
Four candidate worlds found via flashes of radio emission may be the first of many revealed by a new planet-hunting technique
Suborbital Scientists Prepare to Storm the Heavens
Pluto pioneer Alan Stern and other researchers are on the cusp of flying to space alongside their experiments
Rogue Rocky Planet Found Adrift in the Milky Way
The diminutive world and others like it could help astronomers probe the mysteries of planet formation
‘Supernova Slice’ Simulates Blasts of Dying Stars
A door-sized experiment models massive star explosions
Jupiter’s Ocean Moons Raise One Another’s Tides
Gravitational interactions among the moons could offer new insights on the liquid layers lurking in their depths
Astronomers Get Earliest Ever Glimpse of Ancient Giant Galaxy
The disk of gas and stars resembles our own Milky Way but somehow formed when the universe was only about 10 percent of its current age
Scientists Trace Neutron Star Crash That Helped Form Our Solar System
The collision helped seed Earth with its precious metals
Meet “Spikey,” a Possible Pair of Merging Supermassive Black Holes
A flare predicted for this spring could confirm the object is indeed two monstrous black holes coming together
Did Astronomers Just Discover Black Holes from the Big Bang?
Gravitational waves attributed to the collision of two neutron stars could have been produced by something much stranger
Midsize Black Holes May Explain the Milky Way’s Speediest Stars
Some stars moving fast enough to escape the galaxy likely come from a never before seen class of intermediate-mass black holes
Cool Gas Circles the Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole
A new study reveals surprising new details about our galaxy’s shadowy core
Hyperactive Comets Hint at Origins of Earth’s Oceans
A new study suggests primordial seawater may lurk hidden at the hearts of many comets
‘Oumuamua-Like Objects Might Supercharge Planet Formation
Showers of interstellar debris could speed up the assembly of worlds around young stars
New “FarFarOut” World Is the Most Distant Solar System Object Known
Pinning down the object’s orbit could reveal it to be a crucial clue in the search for undiscovered planets—or just another frozen space rock
Tilted Exoplanets May Explain Decade-Old Astronomical Mystery
A tug-of-war between the forces behind a planet’s orbit and its spin can throw entire worlds off-kilter
Comet-Blasted Star May Be a Rerun of the Solar System’s Birth
Far beyond our sun, astronomers have discovered comets bombarding a young solar-type star—and possibly its inner planets
Have Astronomers Found Another “Alien Megastructure” Star?
Scientists now have a second example of a strange stellar phenomenon speculatively linked to extraterrestrial intelligence in 2015
Where Are the “Hotspots” for Europa’s Purported Plumes?
Scientists are seeking—and not finding—thermal evidence for geysers on the Jovian moon
Oxygen-Rich Liquid Water May Exist on Mars
Brines suffused with the life-giving gas could offer hope for past and even present microbes on the Red Planet, according to a new study
Missing Tape Discovery Solves 40-Year Lunar Mystery
Traces of the Apollo astronauts’ presence lingered long after they left