Space

When giant stars eat giant planets, their starlight may shine a bit less brightly. That dimming could affect how astronomers measure distances across the universe — and possibly even put past measurements in doubt. “You would think the planet would be a small perturbation to the star,” says astrophysicist Licia Verde. “It turns out that […] More

Saturn’s auroras may heat its atmosphere like an electric toaster. Measurements from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft’s final orbits show that Saturn’s upper atmosphere is hottest where its auroras shine, a finding that could help solve a long-standing mystery about the outer planets. Saturn’s upper atmosphere is much hotter than scientists first expected based on the planet’s […] More