EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Global Astronomy Month

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

In honor of Global Astronomy Month, we’re exploring the science of space. Learn how astronomy connects us through curiosity, discovery, and a shared wonder for what lies beyond.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-Jul-2025 12:11 ET (31-Jul-2025 16:11 GMT/UTC)

2-Apr-2025

Earth observation and advanced modelling to improve climate predictions: The CONCERTO Project is launched

Pensoft Publishers
Business Announcement

Terrestrial carbon cycle dynamics remain one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in climate projections, with diverging estimates of ecosystem carbon uptake, affecting the accuracy of Earth system models.

To address these challenges, CONCERTO (Improved CarbOn cycle represeNtation through multi-sCale models and Earth obseRvation for Terrestrial ecOsystems), was launched in January 2025.

2-Apr-2025

Asteroid impact threat estimates improved for the Earth and the Moon

University of Helsinki
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international team is currently closely tracking the near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4. The impact probability estimates for the year 2032 has been reduced from a peak of 3 percent to below 0.001 percent.

2-Apr-2025

A new path to understanding black holes

University of Southern California
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The new insight could lead to a deeper understanding of black-hole microstructure in theoretical physics by redefining the conception of a black hole by mapping out their detailed structure.

Journal: Journal of High Energy Physics
Funder: European Research Council, DOE/US Department of Energy

2-Apr-2025

Galaxies die earlier than expected

Université de Genève
Peer-Reviewed Publication

For a long time, scientists thought that only actively star-forming galaxies should be observed in the very early Universe. The James Webb space telescope now reveals that galaxies stopped forming stars earlier than expected. A recent discovery by an international team, led by astronomers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), deepens the tension between theoretical models of cosmic evolution and actual observations. Among hundreds of spectra obtained with the Webb program RUBIES, the team has found a record-breaking galaxy that had already stopped forming stars during an epoch where galaxies are normally growing very rapidly. This study is published in the Astrophysical Journal.

Journal: The Astrophysical Journal

2-Apr-2025

Science ‘storytelling’ urgently needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis

University of Exeter
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists should experiment with creative ways of communicating their work to inspire action to protect the natural world, researchers say.

Journal: People and Nature

1-Apr-2025

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid

University of Bristol
Peer-Reviewed Publication

More mammals were living on the ground several million years before the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs, new research led by the University of Bristol has revealed.

Journal: Palaeontology