Pluto's thin haze of organic particles, confirmed by JWST’s mid-infrared observations, plays a crucial role in both cooling its mesosphere and launching methane into space. This methane escapes Pluto’s gravity, landing on Charon’s poles where radiation transforms it into reddish tholins. The study highlights how Pluto’s haze shapes not only its own atmospheric balance but also alters the surface chemistry of its moon. This dynamic exchange between a dwarf planet and its satellite offers rare insight into planetary climate processes across the Solar System.

Scientists have discovered that Earth’s deep mantle may have stored an ocean’s worth of water during the planet’s earliest years. New experiments show that bridgmanite, a dominant mantle mineral, can hold much more water under extreme heat, offering fresh insight into how Earth retained water and became habitable.

Comet 3I/ATLAS, a rare interstellar visitor from beyond the solar system, is putting on a striking celestial show as it nears Earth. After passing perihelion in October, the comet brightened nearly tenfold and shifted from red to green due to glowing carbon molecules. Tracked closely by astronomers worldwide, this ancient object offers a unique opportunity to study the chemistry and origins of material formed around distant stars in the Milky Way.

A spider-like scar on Jupiter’s moon Europa may indicate briny water beneath its icy crust. Researchers suggest impact-driven flows of salty liquid created starburst patterns resembling Earth’s lake stars. Future observations by NASA’s Europa Clipper mission could confirm these features, offering new insights into Europa’s subsurface oceans and potential habitability.

Scientists have identified a hidden rainfall pattern that could reshape global farming. Research shows crops suffer greater drought stress when rain comes mainly from land rather than oceans. The findings highlight rising risks in the U.S. Midwest and East Africa and suggest that forest conservation and better land management could help protect rainfall and food security.

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered compelling evidence of a thick atmosphere surrounding TOI-561 b, an ultra-hot rocky exoplanet orbiting its star every 11 hours. Despite extreme radiation and molten surface conditions, the planet appears cooler than expected, suggesting heat-redistributing atmospheric winds and volatile gases. The finding challenges long-standing theories of planetary evolution and shows that even the most hostile worlds may sustain dynamic atmospheres.

Scientists have directly observed solar neutrinos altering matter for the first time, confirming a decades-old prediction in particle physics. This landmark result provides the lowest-energy measurement of a neutrino–nucleus interaction ever recorded and opens a powerful new way to study elusive neutrinos, nuclear reactions, and the inner workings of the Sun and the wider universe.

Uranus and Neptune may not be true ice giants after all. New research using advanced hybrid simulations suggests the distant planets could be dominated by rocky material rather than water-rich ices. The findings challenge decades of planetary models and may help explain the planets’ unusual, non-dipolar magnetic fields. Scientists say future dedicated spacecraft missions will be essential to confirm what truly lies beneath the blue atmospheres of these mysterious outer worlds.

More than 6,000 exoplanets (planets orbiting other stars), one of the most rapidly expanding frontiers in science, have now been confirmed by astronomers. Their search of other worlds has been transformed within a span of thirty years, which started as a form of speculation, to accurate detection. However, in the midst of this wave of discoveries, scientists believe that the most exciting period is ahead. The following decade might not only change the exoplanet study to counting planets, but also analysing their atmospheres - and possibly even, their habitability.

Rocket Lab has completed final qualification tests on its innovative “Hungry Hippo” fairing for the Neutron rocket, a reusable design that stays attached during flight and closes again for recovery. This breakthrough brings the company closer to Neutron’s planned 2026 debut and marks a major step in reducing launch costs in an increasingly competitive space industry.

Astronomers have detected a remarkable wobble in the orbit of a star being torn apart by a black hole, offering one of the clearest confirmations yet of Einstein’s frame-dragging effect. By tracking repeating X-ray and radio signals every 20 days, researchers captured spacetime twisting around a rapidly spinning black hole—revealing powerful insights into extreme gravity.

Astronomers using ESA’s Euclid telescope and AI analysis have found that merging galaxies are significantly more likely to host active supermassive black holes. The gravitational chaos of a collision drives gas toward the galactic core, igniting AGN activity. This discovery strengthens the link between galaxy interactions and the energetic processes that shape galactic evolution.

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected the oldest supernova ever recorded, tied to gamma-ray burst GRB 250314A. Occurring when the universe was only 730 million years old, the explosion provides a rare glimpse into the first generations of stars and early galaxy growth, highlighting Webb’s unmatched ability to study the distant cosmos.

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has released stunning colour-coded galaxy cluster images that reveal shock waves, cooling gas, and cavities carved by supermassive black holes. By separating X-ray light into different energy bands, astronomers can now visualise hidden cosmic processes that shape the universe’s largest structures and control how galaxies grow over billions of years.

Blue Origin’s upcoming NS-37 mission marks a historic first: sending aerospace engineer Michaela “Michi” Benthaus, a wheelchair user, into space aboard New Shepard. Scheduled for Dec. 18, the flight will take six passengers past the Kármán line for a few minutes of weightlessness, highlighting growing accessibility and inclusion in private spaceflight.

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has released stunning colour-coded galaxy cluster images that reveal shock waves, cooling gas, and cavities carved by supermassive black holes. By separating X-ray light into different energy bands, astronomers can now visualise hidden cosmic processes that shape the universe’s largest structures and control how galaxies grow over billions of years.

Physicists now believe that massive neutrino detectors—built to observe rare solar and cosmic particles—could also detect extremely light dark matter that traditional experiments miss. By monitoring subtle annual variations in their background signals, observatories like JUNO and Borexino may open a new frontier in uncovering the universe’s most elusive and abundant hidden matter.

A new analysis challenges decades-old assumptions about Uranus and Neptune, revealing that both planets may contain far more rock than icy materials. These findings help explain their strange magnetic fields and show that traditional "ice giant" models may be incomplete. Scientists say only dedicated future missions can uncover the true interior makeup of these distant worlds.

China made spaceflight history by launching three Long March rockets within just 19 hours, setting a national record. The missions expanded broadband satellite networks and deployed new military and communications spacecraft, highlighting the country’s rapidly growing launch capabilities and ambitious space expansion efforts.

Astronomers have witnessed an extraordinary black hole outburst in the galaxy NGC 3783, where material was blasted into space at nearly 20% the speed of light. Triggered by an intense X-ray flare, the ultra-fast winds reveal how supermassive black holes can violently shape their surroundings and influence the evolution of entire galaxies.

Researchers in South Korea have developed a carbon-titanium composite that significantly enhances the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. By embedding titanium monoxide nanoparticles into nitrogen-doped porous carbon, the team created a honeycomb electrode that improves conductivity, stabilizes sulfur, and prevents energy-sapping chemical losses. The new design delivers higher capacity and longer battery life, making lithium-sulfur cells more practical for electric vehicles, drones, and portable electronics. This breakthrough could lead to lighter batteries with faster charging and lower production costs.

The TRAPPIST-1 planetary system, located about 39 light-years from Earth, hosts seven rocky worlds orbiting a cool red dwarf star. While several of these Earth-sized planets lie in the star’s habitable zone, new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest their atmospheres may be too thin to support life. Earlier hints of methane around TRAPPIST-1e now appear to be background noise, strengthening the case that intense stellar radiation has likely stripped these planets of the gases needed to maintain surface water.

A powerful gamma-ray burst detected in July 2025 has stunned astronomers by lasting nearly seven hours, making it the longest GRB ever recorded. Named GRB 250702B, the event produced repeated pulses and unusual afterglows, raising theories about rare “middleweight” black holes tearing apart stars in deep space.

A massive sunspot complex has appeared on the Sun, covering an area comparable to the legendary Carrington Event region. Known as AR 4294-96, the active cluster features highly tangled magnetic fields that could unleash powerful solar flares and geomagnetic storms, potentially disrupting satellites, power grids, and global communications if Earth-directed eruptions occur.

Engineers at UC Santa Barbara have developed a revolutionary display that allows users to physically feel digital images in real time. The system uses optotactile pixels that expand when struck by light, forming raised bumps that match visual content. This wire-free design relies on heat-activated air pockets, opening new possibilities for interactive screens in smartphones, vehicles, virtual reality, and smart architectural surfaces where touch and vision seamlessly merge.

SpaceX has launched 29 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit from California, expanding its broadband constellation to more than 9,100 active spacecraft. The reusable Falcon 9 booster completed its 12th mission with a successful ocean landing, highlighting SpaceX’s push toward rapid, low-cost, global internet coverage.

NASA has successfully completed the full assembly of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, marking a major milestone for the next-generation infrared observatory. With its powerful wide-field camera and advanced coronagraph, Roman is expected to transform our understanding of dark energy, galaxy formation, and exoplanets once it launches later this decade.

A University at Buffalo team has redesigned the truncated Wigner approximation into an easy, plug-and-play template that lets scientists run complex quantum simulations on everyday laptops. The method works for open systems, slashes computing demands, and helps free supercomputers for the hardest quantum problems.

A new global map of glacier speeds, built from nearly a decade of satellite observations, shows that glaciers consistently move faster in summer and slower in winter. Meltwater acts as a natural lubricant, accelerating flow during warm months. Scientists warn that glaciers with strong seasonal shifts are likely to speed up long-term, adding to future sea-level rise.

Engineers have transformed discarded crustacean shells into functional biohybrid robots by softening the shell segments, adding elastomers, and attaching motors. These recycled structures can lift weight, grasp delicate items, and even propel small swimmers. The project demonstrates how food waste can become a sustainable robotics resource, though challenges remain with natural shell variability.

A powerful X5.1 solar flare on November 11, 2025, sent high-speed protons toward Earth, producing the strongest radiation spike detected in nearly two decades. The event caused a rare ground-level enhancement, briefly raising radiation at flight altitude to ten times normal. While not dangerous this time, scientists warn larger flares could threaten avionics and communication systems.

SpaceX successfully launched 28 Starlink satellites on December 4, 2025, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Falcon 9 lifted off at 12:42 pm PST and completed a smooth drone-ship landing just 8.5 minutes later, marking the booster’s fourth flight. This mission represents SpaceX’s 156th Falcon 9 launch of the year, continuing the rapid expansion of the Starlink network, which already includes thousands of satellites designed to deliver global, high-speed broadband connectivity.

Astronomers studying the dwarf-star system TOI-3884b have uncovered a striking anomaly: the planet’s orbit is sharply misaligned with its star’s rotation. Using multicolour transit observations, researchers detected repeated starspot-crossing events that revealed the planet passes over cooler regions on the stellar surface. Follow-up monitoring showed the star rotates every 11 days, allowing scientists to reconstruct the system’s geometry.

Researchers are using classical Indian dance, especially Bharatanatyam mudras, to improve robotic hand dexterity. By analysing 30 structured mudras, scientists found they offer more versatile motion patterns than everyday grasps. These dance-derived synergies could enhance prosthetics, assistive robots, gesture-based rehabilitation and future humanoid systems needing refined, expressive hand control.

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope’s final polarisation maps reinforce the long-standing Hubble tension, confirming a slower early-universe expansion rate similar to Planck’s findings. By ruling out several proposed fixes, the new data intensifies the mystery and suggests current cosmological models may be missing key physics.

Astronomers have identified a 50-million-light-year-long cosmic filament in which 14 gas-rich galaxies all rotate in sync with the structure itself. The filament, mapped about 140 million light-years away, appears young, cold and shaped by slow cosmic flows. Galaxies on opposite ends move in opposite directions, suggesting the entire filament is spinning.

Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have observed a massive helium cloud escaping from the super-puff exoplanet WASP-107b, marking the first direct detection of such atmospheric loss. Webb’s infrared data reveal an enormous exosphere nearly ten times the planet’s radius, with helium streaming both ahead of and behind the planet in its orbit. The findings show how extreme stellar radiation strips away WASP-107b’s outer layers, offering new insight into how low-density gas giants evolve under intense heat.

A new study suggests that icy moons such as Mimas and Enceladus may host boiling subsurface oceans triggered by thinning ice shells and falling pressure. This low-temperature boiling could still support life beneath the surface. The research also explains geological features on larger icy moons and strengthens their potential as sites for finding extraterrestrial life.

China’s private launch company, LandSpace, successfully sent its Zhuque-3 rocket to low Earth orbit on its maiden flight, delivering its payload with an expendable upper stage. But the mission took a dramatic turn during recovery when one of the booster’s engines stalled in the landing burn, causing the stage to erupt in flames just meters from the pad. Despite the explosive failure, LandSpace says the flight validated key systems and provided crucial data to advance China’s reusable-rocket development.

Blue Origin’s NS-37 mission is set to make history as Michi Benthaus, an ESA engineer and wheelchair user, becomes the first person with a mobility disability to travel to space. She will join Hans Koenigsmann and four other civilians on the suborbital flight. The mission underscores a growing push toward inclusive space tourism, as agencies and advocacy groups work to expand access to the final frontier for people of all abilities.

New research shows that shifting Antarctic circulation after the last Ice Age released ancient deep-ocean carbon into the atmosphere. Using Southern Ocean sediment cores, scientists traced how expanding Antarctic Bottom Water mixed long-isolated, carbon-rich waters upward. The findings reveal a major but underappreciated driver of early Holocene warming.

A new study by NIST physicists shows that clocks on Mars run about 477 microseconds faster per day than identical clocks on Earth. The difference comes from Mars’s weaker gravity, orbital eccentricity, and gravitational influences across the solar system. Though tiny, this daily time lead will pose challenges for future Mars navigation and communication networks, requiring precise synchronisation between Earth- and Mars-based systems for mission safety and timing accuracy.

The 2025 Geminid meteor shower peaks on December 13–14, offering bright, frequent meteors under dark skies thanks to a thin crescent Moon. Originating from asteroid 3200 Phaethon, the Geminids can produce over 100 meteors per hour. Best viewing is after midnight from clear, dark locations.

A new analysis of Apollo samples and Earth rocks suggests that a nearby rocky planet, not a distant object, collided with early Earth and formed the moon. The study argues that this lost planet, Theia, originated in the inner solar system and shared Earth’s early neighbourhood, offering fresh insight into one of the most important events in our planet’s history.

In December 2025, the ISS reached a historic milestone with eight visiting spacecraft docked simultaneously for the first time. The lineup included Soyuz crew vehicles, Progress cargo ships, Japan’s HTV-X1, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus, and two SpaceX Dragons. The rare configuration highlighted intense crew rotation operations and the ISS’s role as a global hub for international space cooperation.

SpaceX successfully launched 29 new Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on December 2, 2025. The satellites were deployed about 65 minutes after liftoff, pushing the operational constellation past 9,100 units. The Falcon 9’s first-stage booster also completed its 25th landing on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. The mission marks another step toward SpaceX’s goal of building a global broadband network.

NASA’s Perseverance rover has captured the first confirmed mini-lightning sparks in Mars’ dusty atmosphere. Using its sensitive microphone, the rover recorded 55 tiny electrical discharges during dust storms over two Martian years. These sparks generate reactive chemicals that can break down organic molecules, affecting future life-detection efforts. The discovery also highlights potential risks to spacecraft electronics and the need for better monitoring of Martian electric fields.

Europe has secured its first astronaut seat to orbit the Moon through NASA’s Artemis program, marking a historic milestone for ESA. Director General Josef Aschbacher confirmed that a German astronaut will take the inaugural European lunar-orbit mission, enabled by Europe’s contributions to Orion’s service module and the Lunar Gateway. Veteran astronauts Matthias Maurer and Alexander Gerst are leading candidates for the Artemis flights planned for 2028–2030.

Astronomers in India have identified 53 previously unknown giant radio quasars powered by supermassive black holes, each releasing enormous plasma jets reaching up to 7.2 million light-years—nearly 50 times the Milky Way’s diameter. Using GMRT data, the team expanded the catalog of known giant quasars and offered valuable clues about how black holes grow, merge, and influence the intergalactic medium across vast cosmic distances.

New modelling suggests the Southern Ocean could one day release the vast heat it has stored from greenhouse gas pollution. If CO₂ levels were pushed to net-negative, deep convection may trigger a sudden “thermal burp” that warms the planet for decades. Though idealised, the study shows how Antarctica’s surrounding seas could shape long-term climate outcomes.

Scientists have spotted an unusual gravitational-wave signal that may reveal the universe’s first primordial black holes—tiny relics dating back to the Big Bang. Recorded by LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA in November 2025, the event involves an object far lighter than any known stellar remnant. If verified, it could reshape theories of black holes and dark matter.