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This artist's illustration shows a supermassive black hole (SMBH) tearing apart a star that got too close in a tidal disruption event. These events flare brightly, making otherwise invisible black holes visible. Astrophysicists want to find more of these events across cosmic time so they can understand how SMBH have become so massive. The upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will find many more of them. Image Credit: NASA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)

Roman Space Telescope Could Reveal Ancient Black Holes Through Stellar Destruction

A new forecast study says Roman could detect many more tidal disruption events across the universe.
Those flares can reveal lower-mass supermassive black holes that are otherwise difficult to detect.
A larger TDE sample could help test models of early black hole seeding and growth.

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DT Editorial Team·Jul 17, 2026·via universetoday.com

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An artist's conception of Eärendil-1 in orbit. Credit: Reflect Orbital.

FCC clears first test launch for orbital reflector satellite

Reflect Orbital received FCC approval for its first reflector-satellite test launch.
The approval concerns radio spectrum use, not the reflector’s full societal impact.
The company plans three early test satellites and ultimately envisions a massive constellation.
Astronomers have raised concerns about the night-sky effects of bright orbital mirrors.

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DT Editorial Team·Jul 17, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Scientists Say We Should Nuke Dangerous Asteroids—Just Not the Way You Think

China Study Proposes Burying Nukes in Asteroids for Planetary Defense

Chinese scientists propose burying nuclear warheads inside asteroids for destruction or deflection.
Two methods: direct surface impact and pre-excavation burial for deeper detonation.
Effective for asteroids around 330 feet (100 meters) wide.
Kinetic impact (DART) may not work for larger asteroids on short notice.

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DT Editorial Team·Jul 9, 2026·via gizmodo.com

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This is a 1.7 gigapixel image of stars in the constellation Lupus from the VRO and its LSST Camera. This is the largest digital camera in the world, and with it, the VRO can capture wide images of the sky in extreme detail. The VRO's long-awaited 10-year survey of the sky has now begun. Image Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA

Vera Rubin Observatory begins decade-long LSST sky survey

The Vera Rubin Observatory has started the 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time.
The survey will repeatedly image the southern sky, looking for objects that change brightness, position, or both.
Researchers can receive nightly automated alerts, enabling rapid follow-up observations by other telescopes.

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DT Editorial Team·Jul 1, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Artist's portrayal of a black hole in the Milky Way Galaxy (Credit : Ute Kraus)

Black holes can flare again years after swallowing a star

A team monitored 31 tidal disruption events with the Very Large Array.
Some black holes produced delayed radio flares months or years after the original stellar disruption.
The radio glow likely comes from expelled material colliding with surrounding gas.
Researchers may be able to predict later radio activity from earlier visible-light differences.

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 29, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 29, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 28, 2026·via livescience.com

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 28, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 26, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 24, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 23, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 22, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 20, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 19, 2026·via newscientist.com

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 18, 2026·via spaceflightnow.com

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 17, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 17, 2026·via science.nasa.gov

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 15, 2026·via nasa.gov

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 15, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DT Editorial Team·Jun 13, 2026·via science.nasa.gov

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An artist's conception of the evolution of a galaxy. The process of star formation not only creates new stars, but introduces interesting new effects that eventually shape the galaxies where they live. Credit: Getty Images/OSU

Study Links Young Star Feedback to How Galaxies Change

Researchers studied 18,000 star-forming regions in nearby spiral galaxies using PHANGS survey data.
The work used observations from Hubble, JWST, and ALMA to examine gas, radiation, and galactic structure.
The study suggests pressure from ionized gas around young stars helps drive changes that influence galaxy evolution.

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An illustration of a glowing sun surrounded by red glowing gas.

New models suggest Earth might avoid the sun’s final engulfment

A new study suggests Earth may not be certain to be engulfed when the sun enters its giant phases.
Researchers describe a balance between inward tidal drag and outward orbital expansion from solar mass loss.
The work was published June 19 in Astronomy & Astrophysics and draws on updated models plus observations of a nearby dying star.

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Polarised emission of the black hole at the heart of M87. The lines mark the orientation of polarisation, which is related to the magnetic field around the shadow of the black hole (Credit : EHT Collaboration)

Black hole merger signal offers a new view of the event horizon

Researchers used the unusually strong gravitational-wave event GW250114 to analyze black hole physics near the event horizon.
The team says it isolated faint “direct waves” that carry information from the final instant before the merger completed.
The analysis reportedly yielded estimates of the remnant black hole’s spin and surface gravity strength.
If replicated, the method could turn future gravitational-wave detections into stronger tests of gravity in extreme conditions.

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MXDFz4.4 has helped a team of astronomers to understand a little more about the evolution of the universe (Credit : NASA)

Hubble Spots Early Galaxy That May Have Helped Clear Cosmic Fog

Astronomers detected ionising light from galaxy MXDFz4.4 as it appeared 1.4 billion years after the big bang.
The observation pushes earlier the known frontier for galaxies seen leaking radiation that can ionise hydrogen.
Researchers describe the galaxy as much smaller than the Milky Way but forming stars far faster.
Hubble, JWST and the Very Large Telescope were used together to identify and characterize the object.

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Scientists have known about the hydrothermal system created by the Chicxulub impact. These types of systems could be where prebiotic chemistry got a boost, leading to the appearance of the first simple life. But for that to happen, the system needed to last for a long time. New research says it lasted 8 million years, much longer than previous estimates. Image Credit: Victor O. Leshyk

Chicxulub’s heat may have kept a life-friendly underground system active for 8 million years

Researchers say the Chicxulub impact generated a hydrothermal system active for about 8 million years.
A longer-lived system increases the time available for prebiotic chemistry and possible microbial colonization.
The findings strengthen the case for studying impact craters as potential habitable environments on Earth and other worlds.

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First ever image of a black hole, taken by the Event Horizon Telescope. Credit - EHT Collaboration

Solar Gravitational Lens Study Expands Targets Beyond Exoplanets

A new arXiv preprint says the Solar Gravitational Lens could study bright compact objects, not just exoplanets.
The paper highlights white dwarfs and black holes as targets less constrained by photon starvation.
Broadening the target list could strengthen the scientific case for a future SGL mission.

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Image of the Gamma Ray Sky according to the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Credit - NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration

Gamma-Ray Background Study Tightens the Case Against Asteroid-Mass Primordial Black Holes

Researchers modeled the gamma-ray signature expected from asteroid-mass primordial black holes.
The analysis compares that prediction with the diffuse extragalactic gamma-ray background.
The reported result narrows the case for this mass range as a dark matter candidate.

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A new method could enable the low-cost production of medicines for missions operating far from Earth. Credit: Sierra Space

Plants Could Let Astronauts Make Medicine in Space

UC San Diego researchers described a plant-based method for producing and repeatedly harvesting a therapeutic virus in microgravity.
The approach aims to reduce waste and preserve plants, making pharmaceutical production more practical on long-duration missions.
The work supports a broader push toward self-sufficiency for lunar and Mars exploration.

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We've found a mysterious substance on Titan and Pluto

Mystery Compound on Titan and Pluto Points to Shared Chemistry

JWST observations found an unexplained absorption feature on Titan and Pluto.
The two worlds are physically different but both have nitrogen- and methane-rich atmospheres.
Known compounds and likely surface ices did not fully match the spectral signal.
Identifying the material could improve understanding of Titan’s chemistry and astrobiological potential.

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Arianespace lofts its heaviest payload yet on Amazon Leo mission

Arianespace lofts its heaviest payload yet on Amazon Leo mission

Arianespace launched 36 Amazon Leo satellites on the Leo Europe 03 mission.
The flight was the heaviest payload ever launched by an Ariane vehicle.
It also debuted the longer, more powerful P160C solid rocket boosters on Ariane 64.

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Artist's illustration of 55 Cnc e. (Credit: NASA)

JWST suggests 55 Cancri e has a hydrogen-rich, changing atmosphere

JWST observed five eclipses of 55 Cancri e, a super-Earth 41 light-years away.
Researchers say the planet likely has a hydrogen-rich atmosphere with large amounts of carbon monoxide.
Variation across the observations could point to active outgassing and temporary cloud formation.

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NASA’s Webb Catches Exoplanet Getting Roasted

Webb tracks a giant exoplanet as it heats up in real time

NASA says Webb observed HD 80606 b heating dramatically during a close pass by its star.
The exoplanet’s temperature rises by about 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Researchers are using the system to study fast atmospheric changes on a hot Jupiter.

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Experience the Launch of NASA’s Roman Space Telescope

NASA opens applications for Roman launch creator event

NASA says the Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch on August 30, 2026.
The mission will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center.
NASA is selecting up to 50 digital creators for a two-day launch event.

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Webb's view of galaxy cluster Abell S1063, whose gravity magnifies the little red dot GLIMPSE-17775 (boxed, lower right). The curved red arcs are lensed background galaxies (Credit : NASA, ESA, CSA, Vasily Kokorev (UT Austin); Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI))

JWST may have solved the little red dots mystery

Webb observed little red dot GLIMPSE-17775 with the deepest spectrum yet for this class.
Gravitational lensing by Abell S1063 boosted the effective observing power.
The data support a model of a growing black hole hidden inside dense gas.

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hubble

Hubble captures a galaxy cluster that doubles as a cosmic lens

Hubble imaged galaxy cluster MACS0329-0211 in visible and infrared light.
The cluster contains multiple galaxy types and faint lensed arcs.
Its mass bends and magnifies light from more distant background galaxies.

More in Space→