Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 05, 2025
A team at the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has directly measured the masses of the short lived nuclei phosphorus-26 and sulfur-27, providing data needed to determine a key nuclear reaction rate in Type I X ray bursts on neutron stars. The study reports high precision mass measurements of these proton rich nuclei, which are important for modeling the rapid

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 05, 2025
The Sun is not just a glowing ball in the sky. From large magnetic loops hundreds of times larger than Earth, to tiny features that blink in and out of existence, our home star is far more dynamic than most of us realize. According to Krzysztof Barczynski, a solar physicist who worked on this research while at ETH Zurich and is now at PMOD/WRC in Davos, "the Sun is an incredibly active and dynam

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 05, 2025
Astronomers using the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii have identified a massive planet and a brown dwarf orbiting distant stars, marking the first discoveries from the Observing Accelerators with SCExAO Imaging Survey (OASIS). The program combines precision space astrometry with Subaru's high-contrast imaging to reveal companions that are otherwise hidden in the glare of their host stars. These resul

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 05, 2025
A team of astronomers using several ground and space-based observatories, including the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, has produced one of the most precise independent measurements yet of the universe's current expansion rate, intensifying the long-running Hubble tension in cosmology. The researchers drew on data from Keck's Cosmic Web Imager together with observations from NASA's Jam

Washington DC (SPX) Dec 05, 2025
NASA has selected two science instruments for astronauts to deploy on the lunar surface during the Artemis IV mission to the Moon's south polar region, with the goal of improving understanding of the local environment to support future human and robotic exploration to the Moon and on to Mars. Nicky Fox, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Was

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 05, 2025
Expedition 73 will swap commanders this weekend before three crew members return to Earth on Monday. Expedition 74 will begin once the home bound trio undocks from the Rassvet module inside the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft the following day. Veteran Roscosmos cosmonaut and station Commander Sergey Ryzhikov will hand over a symbolic key representing command of the orbital outpost to four-time spa

Week in images: 01-05 December 2025

Discover our week through the lens

Image:

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reobserved interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on 30 November with its Wide Field Camera 3 instrument. At the time, the comet was about 286 million km from Earth. Hubble tracked the comet as it moved across the sky. As a result, background stars appear as streaks of light.

Hubble previously observed 3I/ATLAS in July, shortly after its discovery, and a number of observatories have since studied the comet as well. Observations are expected to continue for several more months as 3I/ATLAS heads out of the solar system.

For the latest updates and FAQs related to comet 3I/ATLAS, see 

Image: This Copernicus Sentinel-1 image features part of the Badain Jaran Desert in northwestern China.