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Could desert lichen survive on other worlds?

2 days ago | earthsky.org | Kelly Kizer Whitt

Space Astrobiology is the study of life in our universe. The only life we currently know of resides on Earth. So scientists look at exoplanets – worlds around other stars – that might have similar conditions as Earth and, thus, be conducive to life. Many of the exoplanets we’ve discovered orbit stars with radiation stronger than that of our sun.
Dark galaxy spotted with the help of globular clusters

3 days ago | earthsky.org | Kelly Kizer Whitt

Space When you look at the night sky, all the light you see is what astronomers call ordinary matter. It represents only 15% of the matter (mass) in the universe. A mysterious substance called dark matter makes up . So when you look at a galaxy through a telescope, all the light you see is ordinary matter. But is it possible to have a galaxy made out of dark matter?
1st look from the Vera Rubin Observatory! Watch here

6 days ago | earthsky.org | Kelly Kizer Whitt

Space The much-anticipated 1st look from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, starring our universe, is coming Monday. Watch in the player above or on YouTube. Get ready for the newest worldwide premiere, starring our universe! The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile is poised to scan the sky – smoothly, rapidly, nightly – for the coming 10 years. And we’ll get our first look at the images from the Rubin Observatory at 10 a.m. CDT (15 UTC) on June 23, 2025.
New study reveals hidden Mars volcano near NASA Rover

6 days ago | earthsky.org | Paul Scott Anderson

Space Jezero Mons is a mountain sitting on the edge of Jezero crater on Mars. NASA’s Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater in 2021. The mountain might actually be a volcano “hiding in plain sight,” according to some scientists. Is it? A new study using data from both orbiters and Perseverance said yes. The findings explain the unexpected volcanic rocks Perseverance found.
Sculptor galaxy pops in most detailed thousand-color image

1 week ago | earthsky.org | Kelly Kizer Whitt

Today's Image On June 18, 2025, astronomers shared a thousand-color image of the Sculptor galaxy from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). The rich colors of the galaxy come alive in this image, which took more than 100 exposures and 50 hours of observations. The details in the color help astronomers understand what is happening inside the galaxy, which lies 11 million light-years away.
2 of Uranus’ largest moons have surprising dark sides

1 week ago | earthsky.org | Paul Scott Anderson

Space Titania and Oberon are two of Uranus’ largest moons. Scientists expected them to be darker in color on their trailing hemispheres, due to being hit by radioactive particles. New observations by the Hubble Space Telescope, however, show they are darker on their leading hemispheres instead. Why? Dust from smaller “irregular” moons is coating the moons’ leading hemispheres and making them darker, a new study suggested.
Cosmic Dawn, a NASA documentary, in Media We Love

1 week ago | earthsky.org | Kelly Kizer Whitt

Human World Watch Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope in the player above. On June 11, 2025, NASA released a new documentary called Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope. You can watch the 96-minute show in the player above. This is the story of how the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) came to life, bringing us some of the deepest glimpses into the universe we’ve yet seen. Much of the documentary focuses on the engineering challenges.
Here’s Webb’s new image of cold exoplanet in weird orbit

1 week ago | earthsky.org | Paul Scott Anderson

Space 14 Herculis c is a huge exoplanet 60 light-years from Earth. Its orbit around an almost sunlike star is highly elongated. The planet is about seven times more massive than Jupiter. NASA’s Webb space telescope took direct images of 14 Herculis c. With a temperature of 26 degrees Fahrenheit (-3 degrees Celsius), it is one of the coldest exoplanets that astronomers have imaged to date. The system also contains one other known planet.
Supernovas might be linked to past climate shifts

2 weeks ago | earthsky.org | Kelly Kizer Whitt

Earth Massive stars end their lives in powerful supernova explosions, ejecting high-energy radiation across the galaxy. A galaxy like our Milky Way should have a supernova explosion about every 50 years. The Milky Way spans 100,000 light-years, and studies have shown that for a supernova to impact Earth, it would have to be about 100 light-years away.
How Saharan dust impacts hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean

2 weeks ago | earthsky.org | Rachel Duensing

Earth During June 2025, dust from the Sahara Desert has been emerging off the coast of Africa over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. While this is a phenomenon that happens every year, it has an impact on tropical storm and hurricane development, temperatures and the look of sunsets and sunrises. Saharan dust, or the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) is exactly what it sounds like: dry, dusty air from the Sahara Desert. This Saharan dust develops during from spring through early fall.