Several new studies could help scientists forecast solar storms from hours to days before they erupt and head toward Earth. Researchers calculated the most precise value for the Hubble constant to date. The constant is a measure of the expansion of the Universe and its age. However, another team of astronomers presented evidence that the cosmos is several billion years younger. Ghost galaxies, devoid of stars but harboring clumps of matter that is invisible to us, may outnumber the luminous galaxies in the universe.
Studies shed light on the distribution and composition of invisible matter in our galaxy.
Dozens of quasars were discovered, including the most distant one known. Scientists discovered a galaxy more distant than any previously measured and found evidence that two other galaxies could be even more remote. Space scientists saw no splash when they intentionally crashed a spacecraft into the Moon to look for water. The Hubble Space Telescope shut down after its gyroscopes failed. Astronauts flew up in December and repaired the telescope.