Morgan Underwood, Rice University

When astronomers search for planets that could host liquid water on their surface, they start by looking at a star’s habitable zone. Water is a key ingredient for life, and on a planet too close to its star, water on its surface may “boil”; too far, and it could freeze. This zone marks the region in between.

Yeimy J. Rivera, Smithsonian Institution; Michael L. Stevens, Smithsonian Institution, and Samuel Badman, Smithsonian Institution
Our Sun drives a constant outward flow of plasma, or ionized gas, called the solar wind, which envelops our solar system. Outside of Earth’s protective magnetosphere, the fastest solar wind rushes by at speeds of over 310 miles (500 kilometers) per second. But researchers haven’t been able to figure out how the wind gets enough energy to achieve that speed – until now.Our team of heliophysicists published a paper in August 2024 that points to a new source of energy propelling the solar wind.

Jaclyn Champagne, University of Arizona

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.
Why are there small and big black holes? Also, why are some black holes invisible and others have white outlines?
Sedra and Humaid, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Black holes are dense astronomical objects with gravity so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. Anything that crosses the boundary of a black hole’s gravitational influence, called the event horizon, will fall into the black hole. Inside this deep, dense pit, it is never to be seen again.