50% of stars are in Sun-like ‘singlet’ systems. The planetary nebulae we see just don’t line up. Around 7 billion years from now, our Sun’s life will end. As the Sun […]
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With advanced laser technology and an appropriate sail, we could accelerate objects to ~20% the speed of light. But would they survive?
An artist’s impression of what the fully-deployed James Webb Space telescope will look like from the perspective of an observer on the ‘dark’ (non-Sun-facing) side of the observatory. (NORTHRUP GRUMMAN) […]
A levitating vehicle might someday explore the moon, asteroids, and other airless planetary surfaces.
The findings include signs of flash flooding that carried huge boulders downstream into the lakebed.
We frequently say it’s 2.725 K: from the light left over all the way from the Big Bang. But that’s not all that’s in the Universe.
Comet A3, also known as Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, has sprung to life since 2024’s last equinox. Here’s how to catch the show for yourself.
Compared to Earth, Mars is small, cold, dry, and lifeless. But 3.4 billion years ago, a killer asteroid caused a Martian megatsunami.
At least one of Earth’s creatures is able to survive the vacuum of space.
Thanks to time-traveling telescopes, we can see more about the Big Bang
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The zero-point energy of empty space is not zero. Even with all the physics we know, we have no idea how to calculate what it ought to be.
The sacrifices of early astronauts paved the way for Apollo’s successes, and so much more. In all of history, only 24 humans have ever escaped Earth’s gravity. The very first launch […]
The stars, planets, and many moons are extremely round. Why don’t they take other shapes?
If life is common in the Universe, then where is everybody? Known as the Fermi Paradox, a new project may help solve the riddle.
Red dwarf stars were supposed to be inhospitable. But TOI-700, now with at least two potentially habitable worlds, is quite the exception.
Hubble’s still going strong after 31+ years. James Webb will never make it that long. Every decision that’s made — in both astronomy and in life — comes with its own set of pros and […]
Life arose on Earth very early on. After a few billion years, here we are: intelligent and technologically advanced. Where’s everyone else?
Even with six months’ notice, we can’t stop an incoming asteroid.
And the one step we can take to show extraterrestrials we’re figuring it out. Every year, Earth’s meteor showers accomplish two important tasks. This composite photograph shows a large number of […]
Shortly after planet Earth formed, life took a permanent hold on our surface. But just how common is such an outcome?
Saturn’s Iapetus, discovered way back in 1671, has three bizarre features that science still can’t fully explain.
Gamma-ray bursts are among the most energetic cosmic events of all. On October 9, 2022, a remarkable one occurred: the brightest ever seen.
In a remarkably similar way, conspiracy theories around the world cast doubt on the existence of real places.
The Universe is supposed to be the same everywhere and in all directions. So what’s that giant “cold spot” doing out there?
An almost 40-year-old theory finally has ‘smoking gun’ evidence for it. During most of their lives, stars burn stably, changing imperceptibly. The rotten egg nebula, at lower right (and shown in […]
The universe is filled with unlikely events, but is also full of ways to fool ourselves.
Some ozone experts seriously doubt the findings.
It may be old tech, but it’s super-reliable.