Science

A large international study suggests today’s hip replacements may last much longer than previously thought. Hip replacement surgery has become so successful that more people are receiving new hips at younger ages than ever before. That success has also raised an important question: can today’s artificial joints keep pace with decades of active living? A [...]

A swallowed fish bone can be far more dangerous than a brief choking scare. For Shirley Ballas, a meal turned frightening when a fish bone stuck in her throat and left her struggling to breathe. The Strictly Come Dancing judge later said she’d “thought that was it” during the 20-minute ordeal, before her hair and [...]

A modest daily glass of orange juice may influence inflammation, blood flow, and other markers tied to long-term heart health. Orange juice is often treated as a familiar breakfast drink, not something that might alter what is happening inside immune cells. But emerging research suggests that regular intake may influence biological pathways tied to inflammation, [...]

Artist’s concept of a quasar. Quasars are some of the most luminous events in the universe. They are the result of black holes in the early universe undergoing feeding frenzies. Of the 31 newly discovered quasars by the Euclid space telescope, 2 are the most ancient quasars yet found. Image via ESA. EarthSky isn’t powered by billionaires. We’re powered by you. Support EarthSky’s 2026 Donation Campaign and help keep science accessible. Euclid finds the most ancient quasars in the univ

The magnets powering electric cars and wind turbines come with a hidden environmental cost. Swedish researchers are working on a cleaner alternative. The global transition to clean energy depends on a handful of materials that most people never see. Rare earth magnets power everything from electric vehicles and offshore wind turbines to smartphones and advanced [...]

View larger. | Artist’s concept of Gaia23bra b, a super-Jupiter exoplanet that is 40,000 light-years away. Astronomers discovered it thanks to the warping of the fabric of the universe. Find out how warped spacetime can reveal new worlds below. Image via NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center/ University of New Mexico. Gaia23bra b is a super-Jupiter exoplanet orbiting an orange dwarf star. It orbits farther out from its star than most exoplanets found so far. NASA’s TESS space telescope

New observations show that the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way does not consume nearby dust objects as previously thought. Near the heart of the Milky Way, where the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* bends nearby space with immense gravity, astronomers have been watching several strange dusty objects for signs of [...]

A black hole shredded a massive star in a record-breaking explosion, but what astronomers discovered afterward may be even more remarkable. Black holes are among the most destructive objects in the universe, but astronomers have now witnessed one carrying out an act of cosmic violence unlike anything seen before. A newly discovered event appears to [...]

Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, with its brightest star Alphecca. Read more about the Northern Crown below. Image via Fred Espenak/ AstroPixels. Used with permission. On June, July and August evenings, look for the constellation Corona Borealis, also known as the Northern Crown. It’s a faint constellation, but a dark sky will reveal a distinctive C shape of stars in the night sky. In the middle of the C is a white jewel of a star. This star, the brightest light in the Northern Crown,

Scientists discovered that building a healthy brain involves an unexpected step: young neurons routinely break and rapidly repair their own DNA. As the brain develops, newly formed nerve cells must travel through tightly packed tissue to reach the locations where they will become part of the brain’s neural networks. That demanding journey turns out to [...]

Experts say the future of obesity treatment will extend far beyond GLP-1 drugs by combining medications with personalized therapies and advanced procedures. The arrival of GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic, Rybelsus) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) has dramatically changed how obesity is treated. But while these drugs have produced impressive results, experts say they [...]

Researchers have developed a way to grow and genetically engineer progenitor cells that produce macrophages, first responder immune cells with potential for new immunotherapies against cancer and other diseases. Macrophages look almost built for the hardest parts of cancer therapy. They can push into tumors, swallow dangerous cells, and help alert the wider immune system. [...]

A five year survey by the South Pole Telescope has produced a catalogue of more than seven thousand galaxy clusters, some dating back nearly eight billion years, giving astronomers their most detailed map yet of the universe's largest structures. Hidden inside the data is something even the researchers did not expect, a discovery that is quietly reshaping how we think star formation unfolded across the history of the universe.

A simple twist of ultra-thin material gave scientists surprising control over quantum light, bringing future quantum technologies closer to reality. University of Technology Sydney researchers have discovered a new way to control tiny quantum light sources by twisting ultra-thin layers of hexagonal boron nitride, a breakthrough that could help move quantum technologies closer to real-world [...]

Powerful winds from supermassive black holes may explain why some of the universe’s largest galaxies stopped making as many stars as expected. Astronomers are gaining new insight into one of the universe’s biggest puzzles thanks to the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM). Researchers at the University of Michigan have uncovered evidence that powerful winds [...]

The Outer Space Treaty from 1967 prohibits weapons in space. But a satellite launched by Russia has generated suspicion. Despite claims that it's a normal satellite, some things about it suggest otherwise. New research proposes a way to detect atomic weapons in space, helping enforce the treaty.

A new plasma chemistry breakthrough could help manufacturers build the next generation of smaller, faster, and more powerful computer chips. Modern computer chips contain billions of silicon transistors, but silicon is nearing the limits of how small and powerful it can become. To keep improving electronics, scientists are investigating ultrathin materials that could work alongside [...]

A new result using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory shows that the outer spiral arms in the Milky Way galaxy may reach wider than previously thought. This finding may lead astronomers to adjust their understanding of our home galaxy’s structure.

With its ability to observe the red-shifted light from early galaxies, the JWST has revealed some surprises. Many massive galaxies in the early Universe had ceased star formation and were already quenched hundreds of millions of years sooner than thought. By examining their morphology, new research shows that mergers that were previously hidden from view are responsible.

Here's an observing guide to both familiar and lesser-known deep-sky objects that inhabit our galaxy's equatorial zone. The post Steamy Nights at the Galactic Equator appeared first on Sky & Telescope.