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The Sky Today on Tuesday, January 13: Ganymede’s turn to transit

The Sky Today on Tuesday, January 13: Ganymede’s turn to transit

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  January 12: Io’s post-opposition transit Point your telescope at bright Jupiter in Gemini to catch a transit of the large moon Ganymede overnight tonight. You’ll want to be ready to go with your telescope trained on the gas giant around midnight in Continue reading "The Sky Today on Tuesday, January 13: Ganymede’s turn to transit" The post The Sky Today on Tuesday, January 13: Ganymede’s turn to transit appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .

Next-door nebula

Next-door nebula

Nicholas Clarke from Cohuna, Victoria, Australia NGC 1769 is an emission nebula that lies not in our home Milky Way Galaxy but in one of the next galaxies over — the Large Magellanic Cloud, some 160,000 light-years away. This nebula is also part of the larger NGC 1763 star-forming complex. This imager used a 17-inch Continue reading "Next-door nebula" The post Next-door nebula appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .

Scientists discover how the uterus knows when to push during childbirth

Scientists discover how the uterus knows when to push during childbirth

Childbirth depends not just on hormones, but on the uterus’s ability to sense physical force. Scientists found that pressure and stretch sensors in uterine muscles and surrounding nerves work together to trigger coordinated contractions. When these sensors are disrupted, contractions weaken and delivery slows. The discovery helps explain stalled labor—and could one day lead to better ways to manage childbirth.

Spacecraft capture the Sun building a massive superstorm

Spacecraft capture the Sun building a massive superstorm

Scientists have pulled back the curtain on one of the most extreme solar regions seen in decades, tracking it almost nonstop for three months as it unleashed powerful space weather. By combining views from two spacecraft—one near Earth and one orbiting the Sun—researchers followed a massive active region as it grew, twisted, and ultimately triggered the strongest geomagnetic storms since 2003.

This strange form of water may power giant planets’ magnetic fields

This strange form of water may power giant planets’ magnetic fields

At extreme pressures and temperatures, water becomes superionic — a solid that behaves partly like a liquid and conducts electricity. This unusual form is believed to shape the magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune and may be the most common type of water in the solar system. New high-precision experiments show its atomic structure is far messier than expected, combining multiple crystal patterns instead of one clean arrangement. The finding reshapes models of icy planets both near and far.

Extreme heat is breaking honey bees’ natural cooling system

Extreme heat is breaking honey bees’ natural cooling system

Honey bees can normally keep their hives perfectly climate-controlled, but extreme heat can overwhelm their defenses. During a scorching Arizona summer, researchers found that high temperatures caused damaging temperature fluctuations inside hives, leading to population declines. Smaller colonies were hit hardest, experiencing the most severe swings. As global temperatures rise, heat waves could pose a growing threat to bees and the pollination they provide.

Scientists discover what’s linking floods and droughts across the planet

Scientists discover what’s linking floods and droughts across the planet

Scientists tracking Earth’s water from space discovered that El Niño and La Niña are synchronizing floods and droughts across continents. When these climate cycles intensify, far-apart regions can become unusually wet or dangerously dry at the same time. The study also found a global shift about a decade ago, with dry extremes becoming more common than wet ones. Together, the results show that water crises are part of a global pattern, not isolated events.

This new sugar tastes like the real thing without the usual downsides

This new sugar tastes like the real thing without the usual downsides

Scientists at Tufts have found a way to turn common glucose into a rare sugar that tastes almost exactly like table sugar—but with far fewer downsides. Using engineered bacteria as microscopic factories, the team can now produce tagatose efficiently and cheaply, achieving yields far higher than current methods. Tagatose delivers nearly the same sweetness as sugar with significantly fewer calories, minimal impact on blood sugar, and even potential benefits for oral and gut health.

MIT’s smart pill confirms you took your medicine

MIT’s smart pill confirms you took your medicine

MIT engineers have developed a pill that can wirelessly report when it’s been swallowed. Inside the capsule is a biodegradable antenna that sends a signal within minutes of ingestion, then safely dissolves. The system is designed to work with existing medications and could help doctors track adherence for high-risk patients. Researchers hope it will prevent missed doses that can lead to serious health consequences.