Astronomers

Astronomer’s name deciphered from ancient Mayan ruins for first time: “White-chested Fox”

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Archaeologists have transcribed mural symbols from Mayan ruins to learn the name of an astronomer and mathematician from the ancient civilization for the first time, Guatemala’s Ministry of Culture said Monday. The name “White-chested Fox” was found in drawings dating from 400 BC to 900 AD at the San Bartolo-Xultun archaeological site on the Mexican … Read more

Astronomers discover sugar in space that’s also found in raspberries: “Just floating out in the galaxy”

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The space between stars just got a little sweeter. Astronomers have detected a type of sugar in space that’s also found in raspberries and self-tanners. The sugar, called erythrulose, lurks in what’s called the interstellar medium: thin clouds of gas and dust littered between stars. Sugar does more than sweeten tea and powder doughnuts. Different … Read more

Astronomers find 2 gigantic planets lighter than cotton candy:

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Astronomers have uncovered a pair of giant planets that are lighter than cotton candy — super-puffs the size of Jupiter. The featherweight pair — orbiting a star 1,110 light-years away — are the biggest exoplanets found to have less density than cotton candy. That makes them the lightest known planets of their size, said the … Read more

Interstellar comet that zoomed past Earth could be oldest and coldest object ever seen in solar system, astronomers say

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An interstellar comet that blazed past the sun and swung by Earth last year could be nearly three times older than our solar system and is unlike anything ever before seen in our cosmic backyard, astronomers said Monday. The comet 3I/ATLAS is just the third visitor from beyond our solar system that humanity has ever … Read more

Mysterious world beyond Pluto may have an atmosphere, astronomers say

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A new study suggests that a tiny, icy world beyond Pluto harbors a thin, delicate atmosphere that may have been created by volcanic eruptions or a comet strike. Just 300 miles or so across, this mini Pluto is thought to be the solar system’s smallest object yet with a clearly detected global atmosphere bound by … Read more

Astronomers measure the mind-blowing power and speed of black hole jets for the first time

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — For the first time, scientists have measured the instantaneous mind-blowing power of jets blasting from a black hole. The jet power from this relatively close black hole-star system is equivalent to 10,000 suns, an international research team reported Thursday. They also tracked the jet speed: roughly 355 million mph (540 million … Read more