All the life we know of in the entire universe is squeezed onto a tiny rock, floating in a minor arm of the Milky Way. There are billions of other planets with the potential to support life. But what ...

Each summer, I look forward to seeing Orion return to the morning sky. Hidden by daylight from May through early August, we share nights instead with the Summer Triangle crew and favorite sky animals ...

We know Earth’s exact spot in the universe thanks to a mix of astronomy and technology. First, we figured out we’re the third planet orbiting the Sun, which is part of the Milky Way galaxy—a giant ...

Catch a glimpse of the Andromeda Galaxy as it hangs high in the October night sky. Late October presents a perfect ...

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their ...

AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University’s Martin Pohl is part of a research team that has developed the first complete map of the Milky Way galaxy’s spiral arms. The map shows the inner part of the Milky ...

Spiral Galaxy from Kirkland et al. CREDIT Chris Kirkland and colleagues. A new study of zircon crystals from two of Earth’s oldest continents indicates that the formation of Earth’s continental crust ...

Earth’s journey through the Milky Way’s dense spiral arms might have churned up the planet’s surface 1. As the Solar System spins around the Milky Way’s centre, it passes through ripples of ...