The Kardashev Scale: Measuring Alien Power Levels
In the quiet of a clear night, when you look up at the stars, it’s hard not to feel a sense of wonder. Each tiny point of light is a…
Alien Megacities — What They Might Look Like
For thousands of years, we have looked up at the stars and wondered if we are alone. We have imagined other worlds with strange landscapes and even stranger life. But…
Could Aliens Evolve Beneath Ice Oceans?
For a long time, when we imagined aliens, we pictured beings living on a world much like our own. They might be on a planet with warm sunshine, green land,…
What Life Might Be Like on a Planet with Two Suns
For most of human history, we’ve lived under the gentle, reliable rhythm of a single sun. It rises in the east, sets in the west, and gives us our days,…
What is the Strangest Exoplanets Ever Found
For most of human history, we only knew about the planets in our own solar system. We learned about the rocky worlds like Mars and the giant gas balls like…
How Many Civilizations Could Exist in the Milky Way?
Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is a vast and beautiful collection of stars, gas, and dust. On a clear, dark night, you can see a faint, milky band of light…
Could Alien Life Survive Without Water?
For as long as humans have looked up at the stars, we have asked one powerful question: are we alone? We send rovers to Mars to scratch at its dusty…
What Skies on Alien Planets Might Look Like
There’s something special about looking up at the sky. On a clear day, we see a beautiful blue ceiling stretching above us. At night, it becomes a dark canvas dotted…
How Scientists Detect Life on Distant Worlds
The night sky is a vast, dark canvas dotted with tiny points of light. Each one is a star, and many of those stars are suns, just like our own.…
The Most Earth-Like Planets Discovered So Far
For most of human history, we could only look at the stars and wonder. Are there other worlds out there? Is our Earth, teeming with life and covered in blue…