Neutron stars are already among the most extreme objects in space, but some are even more unusual. These objects are called magnetars, and they have the strongest magnetic fields known in the universe. Although they are only about the size of a city, their magnetic power and violent bursts of energy make them some of the most fascinating stellar remains astronomers have discovered. A magnetar forms after a massive star reaches the end of its life and explodes as a supernova.

Not every object in space fits neatly into the category of a star or a planet. Some exist somewhere in between. These unusual objects are called brown dwarfs, and they are often described as “failed stars” because they form like stars but never become hot enough to shine in the same way. Brown dwarfs usually form when clouds of gas and dust collapse under gravity. This is similar to how ordinary stars are born. However, a brown dwarf does not gather enough mass for its core t

Some of the brightest objects in the universe are powered by something that produces no light of its own: a black hole. These extraordinary objects are called quasars, and they can shine more brightly than entire galaxies despite coming from a relatively small region at a galaxy’s centre. A quasar is a particularly powerful type of active galactic nucleus, meaning an unusually bright and energetic centre of a galaxy. At the heart of it is a supermassive black hole containing

Most planets, including Earth, orbit a star. Their stars provide light, heat, and the gravitational pull that keeps them moving along a stable path. However, not every planet belongs to a solar system. Some worlds travel through space alone, without orbiting any star at all. These mysterious objects are known as rogue planets. Rogue planets, sometimes called free-floating planets, move through the darkness between stars. Because they do not receive regular light from a nearby

Movies often show spacecraft exploding with a loud boom or lasers making dramatic noises as they travel through space. In reality, outer space is almost completely silent. This is because sound cannot travel through a vacuum. Sound is created by vibrations. When an object vibrates, it pushes against nearby particles, causing them to move and pass the vibration along. On Earth, sound usually travels through air, but it can also move through liquids and solids. For example, sou

Sending humans to another planet is extremely difficult, expensive, and risky. Because of this, scientists often send robotic vehicles called rovers instead. Rovers can travel across the surface of another world, take photographs, study rocks and soil, and send their findings back to Earth. They act as mobile laboratories, allowing scientists to explore places that humans cannot yet safely reach. Perseverance Rover on Mars (NASA Science) Before a rover can begin exploring, it

Sleeping in space may sound peaceful, but it is very different from sleeping on Earth. Astronauts do not have beds, pillows, or gravity holding them in place. Instead, they sleep in specially designed sleeping bags attached to the walls of their spacecraft or space station. In microgravity, astronauts float rather than lie down. Because there is no clear “up” or “down,” they can sleep in almost any position. Their sleeping bags are secured so they do not drift around and bump

For most of history, astronomers studied the universe by observing light. Telescopes allowed scientists to examine stars, planets, and galaxies using visible light and other forms of radiation. However, there is another way to study the universe: by detecting tiny ripples in the structure of space itself. These ripples are known as gravitational waves. Gravitational waves are disturbances in space-time, which is the combination of space and time into one connected structure.

Europa, one of Jupiter’s largest moons, has become one of the most interesting places in the solar system when it comes to the search for life. At first glance, it may not seem very promising, as its surface is covered in ice, and it is extremely cold. However, beneath this frozen exterior, scientists believe Europa may hide something extraordinary: a vast ocean of liquid water. This subsurface ocean is the main reason Europa is considered a possible place where life could ex

Galaxies are enormous systems of stars, gas, dust, dark matter, and planets, all held together by gravity. They may seem fixed and separate when we look at the night sky, but galaxies are actually moving through space. Over very long periods of time, some of them come close enough to affect each other gravitationally, and in some cases, they even collide. The main reason galaxies collide is gravity. Every galaxy has mass, and that mass creates a gravitational pull. When two g

The James Webb Space Telescope, often called JWST or simply Webb, is one of the most important space telescopes ever built. Since beginning its science mission, it has given astronomers new views of the universe and helped answer questions that older telescopes could not fully solve. From the earliest galaxies to the atmospheres of distant exoplanets, Webb is changing astronomy by allowing scientists to see more deeply and more clearly into space than ever before. James Webb

The words meteor, meteorite, and meteoroid are often used as if they mean the same thing, but they actually refer to different stages of the same object, and because they sound so similar, it is easy to confuse them. However, once you understand the difference, the terms become much easier to remember. A meteoroid is the object while it is still in space. Meteoroids are usually small pieces of rock or metal that travel through the solar system. Some come from comets, while ot

The Moon is one of the most familiar objects in the night sky, yet its changing shape has fascinated people for centuries. Sometimes it appears as a thin crescent, sometimes as a bright full circle, and sometimes it seems to disappear almost completely. These changing appearances are called the Moon’s phases, and they happen because of the Moon’s position relative to Earth and the Sun. A common misunderstanding is that the phases are caused by Earth’s shadow. In reality, that

When people think of planetary rings, Saturn is usually the first planet that comes to mind. Its bright, wide rings make it one of the most recognizable planets in the solar system. However, Saturn is not the only planet with rings. Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune also have ring systems, although theirs are much fainter, less obvious, and less dramatic than Saturn's rings. This raises an interesting question: why do some planets have rings at all? Saturn (NASA Science) Planetary

Some of the most powerful objects in the universe are not the largest, but the smallest. Neutron stars are a perfect example of this. Even though they are only about the size of a city, they contain more mass than the Sun and have some of the most extreme conditions known in space. This is why they can be thought of as the tiny giants of the universe. A neutron star forms when a very massive star reaches the end of its life and explodes in a supernova. After the explosion, th

At first, it seems like Mercury should be the hottest planet in the solar system because it is the closest to the Sun. However, the hottest planet is actually Venus. This may sound surprising, but the answer has to do less with distance and much more with atmosphere. Mercury is closer to the Sun than Venus, so it does receive more solar energy. But Mercury has almost no real atmosphere to trap heat. This means that when sunlight hits its surface, the planet becomes extremely

When people think about careers related to space, they often imagine astronauts, astrophysicists, or aerospace engineers. While these are certainly important, the space sector actually depends on a much wider range of professions than many people often realize. As space exploration becomes more advanced, people from many different fields are needed to help make deep-space exploration possible. In other words, you do not have to become an astronaut to have a career connected t

Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is not standing still. Like all galaxies, it is moving through space. But astronomers discovered something surprising: the Milky Way, along with many nearby galaxies, seems to be drifting toward a particular region of the universe. This mysterious pull is linked to something known as the Great Attractor. (Britannica - "Milky Way Galaxy") The Great Attractor is not a single object like a planet, star, or a galaxy. Instead, it is a region of space con

Today, the universe is filled with light from stars, galaxies, and other glowing objects. But this was not always the case. In the beginning, the universe went through a period often called the cosmic dark ages, when no stars had formed yet and space was filled mostly with hydrogen gas. So how did the universe go from darkness to light? The answer lies in a period known as the cosmic dawn. The cosmic dawn refers to the time when the first stars and galaxies began to form. Aft

The idea of a multiverse is one of the most fascinating and controversial ideas in modern science. Put simply, a multiverse is the theory that our universe may not be the only one. Instead, there could be many universes, each with its own laws of physics, particles, or even versions of reality. This sounds like science fiction, but some real scientific theories have led physicists to seriously consider the possibility. (NBC News) One reason the multiverse idea appears in scie