Assuming our solar system’s newest interstellar object isn’t an alien mothership sent here to menace us, humankind still hasn’t spotted any signs of extraterrestrial life, let alone intelligence — ...

The search for intelligent life in our galaxy is shifting from abstract speculation to detailed cartography, as researchers try to sketch where alien societies might arise, thrive and vanish inside ...

Exoplanet observations reveal that Earth-like rocky planets require a certain concentration of those heavier elements.

Astrobiology: New supercomputer simulations of the universe reveal that the Milky Way provides the safest and most hospitable ...

New supercomputer simulations suggest the Milky Way could be surrounded by dozens more faint, undetected satellite galaxies—up to 100 more than we currently know. These elusive "orphan" galaxies have ...

The Milky Way may have undergone a dramatic change in orientation during its history, according to new research that helps explain a long-standing mystery about our galaxy. Using supercomputer ...

Scientists suspect a black hole lurks at the center of most galaxies. The Milky Way’s black hole is called Sagittarius A*. (A* is scientist-code for “A-star.”) Its gravity, or attractive force, is so ...