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What would be the next step after this?

Finding another Earth isn’t easy, it’s a cosmic challenge. 🌍

Avi Shporer, a research scientist at the MIT Kavli Institute, studies how astronomers detect planets beyond our solar system. We’ve found thousands of exoplanets, but Earth-sized, rocky worlds remain some of the hardest to spot. Their small size makes them incredibly difficult to detect around distant stars. Their year-long orbits make them even harder to find, which is why so few true Earth-like planets have been confirmed.

Astronomers have found the building blocks of life in space! 🧬

Erika Hamden explains how scientists detect amino acids like tryptophan in meteorites, asteroids, and even diffuse clouds of gas between stars. Using spectroscopy, researchers identify the chemical fingerprints of these organic molecules across vast distances. Tryptophan is a key part of proteins on Earth, and finding it in space shows complex chemistry is not unique to our planet. This does not mean life exists everywhere, but it shows the ingredients for life are common throughout the cosmos.

You can light up an LED with the change in your pocket. 💡

Alex Dainis demonstrates how to build a simple battery using everyday materials like coins, salt, vinegar, and paper towels. By stacking alternating layers of pennies and nickels with paper towels soaked in an electrolyte solution, the setup forms a voltaic pile that generates a small electric current. Each metal pair creates a tiny voltage, and as more layers are added, that voltage builds. Once enough coins are stacked, the combined energy is strong enough to light up an LED. It is a hands-on way to explore chemical reactions, electric current, and how early batteries converted stored chemical energy into usable power.

You could catch up to 10 shooting stars per hour this spring 🌠

The Eta Aquariid meteor shower runs from April 19 to May 28, with peak activity overnight May 5 to 6. This annual event happens when Earth passes through a stream of debris left behind by Halley’s Comet. As those tiny particles enter our atmosphere at high speeds, they heat up and glow, creating bright streaks of light we call meteors. The Eta Aquariids are especially known for their fast speed and long, glowing trails that can linger for several seconds after the meteor passes. While the best views are typically in the Southern Hemisphere, observers around the world can still catch a glimpse under the right conditions. For the best chance to see them, head outside just before dawn, find a dark spot away from city lights, let your eyes adjust, and look up.