AAS Press Office
@press.aas.org
Astronomy news curated by the Press Office of the American Astronomical Society. Note: Posting is not endorsing, only informing. aas.org/press Header Image: https://shorturl.at/vb7A1
NASA: JWST Detects Thick Atmosphere Around Broiling Lava World science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
NASA’s Webb Detects Thick Atmosphere Around Broiling Lava World - NASA Science
Researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have detected the strongest evidence yet for an atmosphere on a rocky planet outside our solar system, as NASA leads the world in exploring the univ...
science.nasa.gov
December 12, 2025 at 6:10 PM
NASA: JWST Detects Thick Atmosphere Around Broiling Lava World science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian: Astronomers Create First Map of the Sun's Outer Boundary www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/astrono...
Astronomers Create First Map of the Sun's Outer Boundary | Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Cambridge, MA (December 11, 2025)— Astronomers have produced the first continuous, two-dimensional maps of the outer edge of the Sun’s atmosphere, a shifting, frothy boundary that marks where solar wi...
www.cfa.harvard.edu
December 12, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian: Astronomers Create First Map of the Sun's Outer Boundary www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/astrono...
Royal Astronomical Society: Astronomers Challenge 50-Year-Old Quasar Law ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...
Astronomers challenge 50-year-old quasar law
Compelling evidence that the structure of matter surrounding supermassive black holes has changed over cosmic time has been uncovered by an international
team of ast...
ras.ac.uk
December 12, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Royal Astronomical Society: Astronomers Challenge 50-Year-Old Quasar Law ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...
Royal Astronomical Society: How to See the Geminid Meteor Shower ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...
How to see the Geminid meteor shower
One of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year reaches its peak this week – giving skywatchers the chance to see up to 100 'shooting stars' an hour
under p...
ras.ac.uk
December 10, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Royal Astronomical Society: How to See the Geminid Meteor Shower ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...
Royal Astronomical Society: Mining Asteroids for Water and Metals Explored ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...
Mining asteroids for water and metals explored
The potential for space mining – including identifying asteroids close to Mars and Jupiter best suited for extracting precious metals and water – has
been explor...
ras.ac.uk
December 10, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Royal Astronomical Society: Mining Asteroids for Water and Metals Explored ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...
Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE): K-DRIFT Pathfinder: A Compact Telescope for Observing Faint Galactic Structures spie.org/news/k-drift...
spie.org
December 10, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE): K-DRIFT Pathfinder: A Compact Telescope for Observing Faint Galactic Structures spie.org/news/k-drift...
University of Portsmouth: Astronomers Find First Direct Evidence of “Monster Stars” from the Cosmic Dawn www.port.ac.uk/news-events-...
Astronomers find first direct evidence of “Monster Stars” from the cosmic dawn
www.port.ac.uk
December 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
University of Portsmouth: Astronomers Find First Direct Evidence of “Monster Stars” from the Cosmic Dawn www.port.ac.uk/news-events-...
Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON): Black Hole Outburst Observed Similar to Outbursts on the Sun www.sron.nl/en/actueel/e...
Black hole outburst observed similar to outbursts on the Sun - SRON | Space Research Organisation Netherlands
A team of astronomers, led by SRON, has observed a sudden outburst of matter near the supermassive black hole NGC 3783 at speeds reaching up to 20% of the speed of light.
www.sron.nl
December 10, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON): Black Hole Outburst Observed Similar to Outbursts on the Sun www.sron.nl/en/actueel/e...
University of Geneva: JWST Reveals Spectacular Atmospheric Escape www.unige.ch/medias/en/20...
Webb telescope reveals spectacular atmospheric escape - Medias - UNIGE
www.unige.ch
December 10, 2025 at 3:55 PM
University of Geneva: JWST Reveals Spectacular Atmospheric Escape www.unige.ch/medias/en/20...
AAS/S&T: Get Ready for the Geminid Meteor Shower skyandtelescope.org/press-releas...
Get Ready for the Geminids
It’s December and that means one of the best celestial events will grace the skies. The Geminid meteor shower should peak between Saturday night and Sunday morning, December 13–14.
skyandtelescope.org
December 9, 2025 at 8:15 PM
AAS/S&T: Get Ready for the Geminid Meteor Shower skyandtelescope.org/press-releas...
Chandra X-ray Center/NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center: Painting Galaxy Clusters by Numbers (and Physics) chandra.si.edu/photo/2025/xa/
Chandra :: Photo Album :: X-ray Arithmetic :: December 9, 2025
chandra.si.edu
December 9, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Chandra X-ray Center/NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center: Painting Galaxy Clusters by Numbers (and Physics) chandra.si.edu/photo/2025/xa/
National Academies: Search for Life Should Be Top Science Priority for First Human Landing on Mars, Says New Report www.nationalacademies.org/news/search-...
Search for Life Should Be Top Science Priority for First Human Landing on Mars, Says New Report
When astronauts set foot on Mars, it will be one of humanity’s greatest milestones, marking the start of a new era of discovery on another planet. A new National Academies report identifies the highes...
www.nationalacademies.org
December 9, 2025 at 4:15 PM
National Academies: Search for Life Should Be Top Science Priority for First Human Landing on Mars, Says New Report www.nationalacademies.org/news/search-...
Space Telescope Science Institute: NASA’s JWST Identifies Earliest Supernova to Date, Shows Host Galaxy science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
NASA’s Webb Identifies Earliest Supernova to Date, Shows Host Galaxy - NASA Science
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has observed a supernova that exploded when the universe was only 730 million years old — the earliest detection of its kind
science.nasa.gov
December 9, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Space Telescope Science Institute: NASA’s JWST Identifies Earliest Supernova to Date, Shows Host Galaxy science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
NASA: Two Instruments Selected for Artemis IV Lunar Surface Science science.nasa.gov/missions/art...
NASA Selects 2 Instruments for Artemis IV Lunar Surface Science - NASA Science
NASA has selected two science instruments designed for astronauts to deploy on the surface of the Moon during the Artemis IV mission to the lunar south polar
science.nasa.gov
December 9, 2025 at 4:05 PM
NASA: Two Instruments Selected for Artemis IV Lunar Surface Science science.nasa.gov/missions/art...
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Record-Breaking Cosmic Explosion Challenges Astronomers’ Understanding of Gamma-Ray Bursts uncnews.unc.edu/2025/12/08/u...
Record-Breaking Cosmic Explosion Challenges Astronomers’ Understanding of Gamma-Ray Bursts - UNC News
Astronomers at UNC studied the longest gamma-ray burst ever recorded, uncovering clues about a cosmic explosion that defies existing models.
uncnews.unc.edu
December 9, 2025 at 4:04 PM
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Record-Breaking Cosmic Explosion Challenges Astronomers’ Understanding of Gamma-Ray Bursts uncnews.unc.edu/2025/12/08/u...
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center: NASA-JAXA XRISM Finds Elemental Bounty in Supernova Remnant science.nasa.gov/missions/xri...
NASA-JAXA XRISM Finds Elemental Bounty in Supernova Remnant - NASA Science
For the first time, scientists have made a clear X-ray detection of chlorine and potassium in the wreckage of a star using data from the Japan-led XRISM
science.nasa.gov
December 9, 2025 at 4:02 PM
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center: NASA-JAXA XRISM Finds Elemental Bounty in Supernova Remnant science.nasa.gov/missions/xri...
University of Montreal: JWST Reveals Double Helium Tails Escaping from a “Hot Jupiter” nouvelles.umontreal.ca/en/article/2...
Webb telescope reveals double helium tails escaping from a “hot Jupiter”
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope observe a giant planet accompanied by two immense tails of gas extending into space around it, the result of the continuous loss of its atmosphere.
nouvelles.umontreal.ca
December 9, 2025 at 3:59 PM
University of Montreal: JWST Reveals Double Helium Tails Escaping from a “Hot Jupiter” nouvelles.umontreal.ca/en/article/2...
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI): SwRI-Led Study Provides Insight into Oscillations in Solar Flares www.swri.org/newsroom/pre...
SwRI-led study provides insight into oscillations in solar flares | Southwest Research Institute
New SwRI-led paper links solar flare QPPs to oscillatory magnetic reconnection
www.swri.org
December 9, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI): SwRI-Led Study Provides Insight into Oscillations in Solar Flares www.swri.org/newsroom/pre...
Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics: Around 2.2 Million Euros to Open a New Window on the Universe www.aei.mpg.de/1359867/erc-...
Around 2.2 million euros to open a new window on the Universe
www.aei.mpg.de
December 9, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics: Around 2.2 Million Euros to Open a New Window on the Universe www.aei.mpg.de/1359867/erc-...
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH): UAH Student Researcher Leads Discovery of Fastest Gamma-Ray Burst Ever Recorded www.uah.edu/news/items/u...
UAH | News | The University of Alabama in Huntsville
www.uah.edu
December 9, 2025 at 3:53 PM
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH): UAH Student Researcher Leads Discovery of Fastest Gamma-Ray Burst Ever Recorded www.uah.edu/news/items/u...
Rutgers University: Astrophysicist Helps Decode One of the Universe’s Strangest Explosions www.rutgers.edu/news/astroph...
Astrophysicist Helps Decode One of the Universe’s Strangest Explosions
www.rutgers.edu
December 9, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Rutgers University: Astrophysicist Helps Decode One of the Universe’s Strangest Explosions www.rutgers.edu/news/astroph...
Texas Tech University: Texas Tech Astronomy Professor Leads Innovative Study on Stellar Explosions www.ttu.edu/now/posts/20...
Texas Tech Astronomy Professor Leads Innovative Study on Stellar Explosions | December 2025 | Texas Tech Now | TTU
www.ttu.edu
December 9, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Texas Tech University: Texas Tech Astronomy Professor Leads Innovative Study on Stellar Explosions www.ttu.edu/now/posts/20...
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: LUX-ZEPLIN Sets a World’s Best in the Hunt for Galactic Dark Matter and Gets a New Look at Neutrinos from the Sun’s Core newscenter.lbl.gov/2025/12/08/l...
LZ Sets a World’s Best in the Hunt for Galactic Dark Matter and Gets a New Look at Neutrinos from the Sun’s Core
The LUX-ZEPLIN experiment analyzed the largest dataset ever collected by a dark matter detector, reaching unmatched sensitivity.
newscenter.lbl.gov
December 9, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: LUX-ZEPLIN Sets a World’s Best in the Hunt for Galactic Dark Matter and Gets a New Look at Neutrinos from the Sun’s Core newscenter.lbl.gov/2025/12/08/l...
European Space Agency: Flaring Black Hole Whips Up Ultra-Fast Winds www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
Flaring black hole whips up ultra-fast winds
Leading X-ray space telescopes XMM-Newton and XRISM have spotted an extraordinary blast from a supermassive black hole. In a matter of hours, the gravitational monster whipped up powerful winds, fling...
www.esa.int
December 9, 2025 at 3:18 PM
European Space Agency: Flaring Black Hole Whips Up Ultra-Fast Winds www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab): Gemini and Blanco Telescopes Unlock Clues to Origin of Longest Gamma-Ray Burst Ever Observed noirlab.edu/public/news/...
Gemini and Blanco Telescopes Unlock Clues to Origin of Longest Gamma-ray Burst Ever Observed - Data acquired with multiple NSF NOIRLab facilities indicate gamma-ray burst lasting over seven hours resi...
Astronomers have observed the longest-ever gamma-ray burst — a powerful, extragalactic explosion that lasted over seven hours. Rapid follow-up observations with the U.S. Department of Energy-fabricate...
noirlab.edu
December 8, 2025 at 9:05 PM
NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab): Gemini and Blanco Telescopes Unlock Clues to Origin of Longest Gamma-Ray Burst Ever Observed noirlab.edu/public/news/...