Cosmic Evolution

Axial tilt and tidal locking also matter in a planet's habitability.

More than halfway across the universe, an enormous blue star nicknamed Icarus is the farthest individual star ever seen.

For the first time, astronomers have detected a signal from stars emerging in the early universe.

A team of scientists has solved an important puzzle in astrochemistry: how to measure magnetic fields in space using methanol, the simplest form of alcohol.

When scientists searching for exoplanets first spotted patterns in disks of dust and gas around young stars, they thought newly formed planets might be the cause.

Astronomers are hopeful that the powerful infrared capability of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will resolve a puzzle as fundamental as stargazing itself — what IS that dim light in the sky?

Astronomers have taken a fresh look at the nearby Alpha Centauri star system and found new ways to narrow the search for habitable planets there.

Visionary model builds on the legacy of Carl Sagan's explanation for the 'faint young Sun paradox'.

An international team of astronomers has made a bizarre discovery -- a star that refuses to stop shining.

New ALMA observations reveal emission from clouds of cold cosmic dust surrounding Proxima Centauri.