A jet bent by a stellar wind in the black hole X-ray binary Cygnus X-1 - Nature Astronomy An 18-year high-resolution radio image dataset of Cygnus X-1 has revealed that its radio jets are bent by the stellar wind. Modelling of jet–wind interactions strongly supports the standard assumptions of an accreting black hole in cosmological simulations.

One of our top-rated posts on @altmetric.com this past week was published open access in @natastron.nature.com. You can read 'A jet bent by a stellar wind in the black hole X-ray binary Cygnus X-1' here: spklr.io/63321EJ2Yl

Asteroid Hosts All Ingredients for DNA and RNA Samples collected from asteroid Ryugu contain the four genetic “letters” of DNA, reinforcing the hypothesis that the chemical origins of life were present when the solar system began.

Many researchers now think many of the molecules necessary for life were already present in the nebula that grew into our solar system, which would mean the components for all living things came from space. A recent study provides strong new support for that hypothesis.

eos.org/articles/ast...

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The Moon belongs to all of us — not just countries that can afford to reach it As humanity blasts off into a new space race, we need a model of exploration that emphasizes stewardship of other worlds, not exploitation.

http://dlvr.it/TRr6jr #astronomy #planetsci

What do you think about the Artemis II mission? Enthused? Apathetic? Let us know.

Screenshot of fiery liftoff of Artemis II to the Moon, April 2026

LIFTOFF of #Artemis II on 1 April 23:35 BST/00:35 CEST 2 April 2026 from Kennedy Space Center, carrying the second Orion spacecraft with its ESA European Service Module! #ForwardToTheMoon @exploration.esa.int

Modern science is so deeply woven into everyday life that its presence is often taken for granted. But Peter Dear, in a new book The World As We Know It: From Natural Philosophy to Modern Science, takes time to tease out the threads. Deyan Mihaylov reviews: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A broad perspective on Galactic life - Nature Astronomy Scientists asking whether we are alone now see promising habitats in Earth-like worlds orbiting small stars and in deep oceans under thick ice layers, hinting that life may be common and that our old ...

Are we alone in the Universe? We don't yet know for sure, but we are developing a clearer idea of where to look, should life be out there. Gibor Basri ruminates on promising environments: www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🔭

The observation of Earth-like exoplanets with ground-based telescopes and a shared orbiting starshade - Nature Astronomy Assuming that it could be launched or constructed in situ, a 99-m-diameter starshade in orbit around Earth, coupled with ground-based extremely large telescopes and their adaptive optics systems, coul...

If you could couple the current generation of Extremely Large Telescopes with a manoeuverable 99-m diameter starshade in orbit, you could image planets in the habitable zones of nearby stars, demonstrate Ahmed Soliman et al.: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Worlds between Earth and Neptune defy a simple story - Nature Astronomy Spectra of temperate sub-Neptunes reveal strikingly different atmospheric chemistries, hinting at diverse origins and interiors.

The diversity of sub-Neptunes is something that has been puzzling exoplanet astronomers. Caroline Morley summarises current understanding in a News & Views article: www.nature.com/articles/s41... ☄️

Exascale computing to accelerate discoveries in astrophysics and space plasma physics - Nature Astronomy From early particle calculations to today’s models, numerical simulations have reshaped the way physicists investigate the Universe. This overview examines how the next generation of high-performance ...

Exascale computing is now becoming available to researchers. Nitin Shukla and colleagues discuss the benefits to science in a Comment: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

An image of the night sky as seen through a telescope, but severely affected by satellite streaking.

The newly constructed Timau Observatory in the East Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia and the indigenous communities in the area are already experiencing the pollution of the night sky inflicted by nations on the other side of the globe. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Our March Editorial discusses recent and growing threats to astronomy that have both global and local repercussions. Our political representatives need to be reminded about the benefits that astronomy brings to society, and the need to preserve it.

Nature Astronomy - Imaging a nearby habitable world from the ground With a manoeuvrable occulting disc in orbit — roughly the size of the International Space Station — and the extremely large ground-based...

Our March issue is now here! The visionary cover image represents a concept for imaging habitable-zone worlds presented by Ahmed Soliman, Stuart Shaklan, John Mather and team in the issue. Created by Keith Miller & Bethany Vukomanovic. http://dlvr.it/TRkhQJ ☄️

Congrats KISS study leads Ahmed Soliman & Stuart Shaklan of @nasajpl.bsky.social, John Mather of NASA Goddard, & team whose work on hybrid space-ground observatories is the @natastron.nature.com cover! Thanks Keith Miller @caltechipac.bsky.social for visualizing!
Read: www.nature.com/natastron/vo...

A complete set of canonical nucleobases in the carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu - Nature Astronomy Samples returned from the asteroid Ryugu contain all five canonical nucleobases (A, G, C, T and U). Their presence in Ryugu and Bennu supports the hypothesis that carbonaceous asteroids contributed to the prebiotic chemical inventory of early Earth.

The complete set of nucleobases found in terrestrial DNA and RNA — adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil — have been detected in samples returned from the asteroid Ryugu, according to research published in @natastron.nature.com: spklr.io/63324EHjho

🔭 #astronomy

Volatile-rich evolution of molten super-Earth L 98-59 d - Nature Astronomy Planet-evolution models explain JWST data for L 98-59 d through a new scenario: while cooling and escape shrank this planet, a permanent magma ocean supplies sulfur to its atmosphere, in which SO2 is produced by photochemistry.

Harrison Nicholls and colleagues suggest that exoplanet L 98-59 d could be entirely composed of molten lava: a magma ocean covering a mushy core. http://dlvr.it/TRWtfm ☄️@nichollsh.bsky.social

A complete set of canonical nucleobases in the carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu - Nature Astronomy Samples returned from the asteroid Ryugu contain all five canonical nucleobases (A, G, C, T and U). Their presence in Ryugu and Bennu supports the hypothesis that carbonaceous asteroids contributed to the prebiotic chemical inventory of early Earth.

Samples returned from the asteroid Ryugu contain all five canonical nucleobases (A, G, C, T, U). Their presence in Ryugu and Bennu supports the hypothesis that carbonaceous asteroids contributed to the prebiotic chemical inventory of early Earth. http://dlvr.it/TRWtVp ☄️

Enrichment by the first stars in a relic dwarf galaxy - Nature Astronomy A star in a primordial dwarf galaxy has preserved the elements produced by the first generation of stars. The star lacks heavy elements but exhibits an extreme amount of carbon, suggesting that low-energy explosions can seed the initial chemistry of early galaxies.

A star in a relic dwarf galaxy has preserved the elements produced by the first stars. The star shows a lack of heavy elements but an extreme amount of carbon, indicating low-energy explosions can seed the initial chemistry of early galaxies. http://dlvr.it/TRWt1D ☄️

The dramatic transition of the extreme red supergiant WOH G64 to a yellow hypergiant - Nature Astronomy Massive stars usually evolve gradually over millennia, but here one has been caught in the act. Extreme star WOH G64 shifted from red to yellow in just a year, prompting the question of whether this is due to intrinsic instability or interaction with a hidden companion.

One of the largest known stars in the Universe, WOH G64, may have transitioned into a yellow hypergiant between 2013–2014, says research in @natastron.nature.com. This change offers a rare opportunity to observe stellar evolution in real time: spklr.io/63326DaQWM

🔭 #astronomy #astro

The dramatic transition of the extreme red supergiant WOH G64 to a yellow hypergiant - Nature Astronomy Massive stars usually evolve gradually over millennia, but here one has been caught in the act. Extreme star WOH G64 shifted from red to yellow in just a year, prompting the question of whether this is due to intrinsic instability or interaction with a hidden companion.

Massive stars usually evolve gradually over millennia, but here one has been caught in the act of transformation. Extreme star WOH 64 shifted from red to yellow in just a year, prompting questions about its stability and fate. Muñoz-Sanchez+: http://dlvr.it/TR6kTM ☄️

Dense gas linked to star-forming regions photoionized by embedded gamma-ray bursts - Nature Astronomy X-ray absorption has enabled a probe of the photoionized gas close to seven gamma-ray bursts, revealing their origin in star-forming regions and providing further evidence that long gamma-ray bursts originate in collapsars.

X-ray absorption has enabled a probe of the photoionised gas close to seven gamma-ray bursts, revealing their origin in star-forming regions and providing additional evidence that long GRBs originate in collapsars. Thakur et al.: http://dlvr.it/TR10f4 #astrosci

Abundant hydrocarbons in a buried galactic nucleus with signs of carbonaceous grain and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon processing - Nature Astronomy JWST observations uncover rich hydrocarbon chemistry in an extragalactic source, indicating that the fragmentation of cosmic dust and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons occurs in deeply buried galactic nuclei.

JWST observations uncover rich hydrocarbon chemistry in an extragalactic source, suggesting fragmentation of cosmic dust and PAHs in deeply buried galactic nuclei. @igbernete.bsky.social et al.: http://dlvr.it/TQs1Yy #astronomy

The composite spectrum of little red dots from a standard inner disk and an unstable outer disk - Nature Astronomy The combined spectrum of an inner standard disk and a gravitationally unstable outer disk surrounding a supermassive black hole can potentially explain the V-shaped spectra of little red dots, without invoking strong dust extinction.

The combined spectrum of an inner standard disk and a gravitationally unstable outer disk surrounding a supermassive black hole can potentially explain the V-shaped spectra of Little Red Dots, without invoking strong dust extinction. http://dlvr.it/TQs1CN #astronomy

The chemical habitability of Earth and rocky planets prescribed by core formation - Nature Astronomy A narrow ‘Goldilocks zone’ of oxidation levels during exoplanetary core formation allows both nitrogen and phosphorus to remain in the mantle. Earth lies within this zone, but more oxidized or reduced exoplanets may lock these elements in their cores, limiting habitability.

A narrow ‘Goldilocks zone’ of oxidation levels during exoplanetary core formation allows both N and P to remain in the mantle. Earth lies in this zone, but some exoplanets may lock these elements in their cores, limiting habitability. http://dlvr.it/TQs0wd #astronomy

Jupiter-like uniform metal enrichment in a system of multiple giant exoplanets - Nature Astronomy JWST imaged three of the gas giants orbiting the star HR 8799 to study their atmospheres. The uniform enrichment of heavy elements, including sulfur, indicates that they formed like Jupiter and Saturn by accreting a lot of icy and rocky solids.

JWST imaged three of the gas giants orbiting the star HR 8799 to study their atmospheres. The uniform enrichment of heavy elements, including sulfur, suggests that they formed like Jupiter and Saturn, by accreting icy and rocky solids. http://dlvr.it/TQs0bS #astronomy

An interstellar energetic and non-aqueous pathway to peptide formation - Nature Astronomy The formation of glycylglycine, a simple peptide molecule, is possible under non-aqueous interstellar conditions, according to laboratory experiments. Thus, complex organics with biological relevance may predate planetary accretion.

The formation of glycylglycine, a simple peptide molecule, is possible under non-aqueous interstellar conditions, according to laboratory experiments. Thus complex organics with biological relevance may pre-date planetary accretion. http://dlvr.it/TQnQwJ #astrosci

A binary model of long-period radio transients and white dwarf pulsars - Nature Astronomy Long-period radio transients emit periodic radio pulses of unknown origin. The longest-lived source, GPM J1839−10, has a 21-min spin and 9-h orbit, resembling the more rapid white dwarf pulsars that are powered by binary interaction, potentially linking the classes.

Long-period transients emit mysterious periodic radio pulses. The longest-lived LPT has a 21 min spin period and is in a 9 hr orbit. It behaves like the more rapid white dwarf pulsars, potentially linking the classes. Horváth et al.: http://dlvr.it/TQnQjh #astronomy

The size and shape of Jupiter - Nature Astronomy Juno radio occultations precisely redefine Jupiter’s shape, measuring a polar diameter of 66,842 km and an equatorial diameter of 71,488 km, both smaller than long-used values, bringing models of the planet’s interior into better agreement with observations.

Juno radio occultations precisely redefine Jupiter’s shape: polar diameter = 66,842 km and equatorial = 71,488 km, both smaller than long-used values, bringing models of the planet’s interior into better agreement with observations. http://dlvr.it/TQnQD3 #astronomy

Direct detection of cosmic-ray-excited H2 in interstellar space - Nature Astronomy The famous nebula Barnard 68 has been used as a giant cosmic-ray detector: cosmic-ray-excited vibrational H2 emission has been observed by JWST, giving a direct measurement of the CR ionization rate.

The famous nebula Barnard 68 has been used as a giant cosmic-ray detector: cosmic-ray-excited vibrational H2 emission has been observed by JWST, giving a direct measurement of the CR ionisation rate. Bialy et al.: http://dlvr.it/TQnPjn #astronomy