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Astronomers see spiral and elliptical nebulae nearly everywhere, except by the Milky Way’s plane. We didn’t know why until the 20th century.

If you think of the Big Bang as an explosion, we can trace it back to a single point-of-origin. But what if it happened everywhere at once?

Seeking life beyond the Solar System, we first look to the closest star systems with Earth-like planets. Here’s why that’s not good enough.

For its 2-year science anniversary, JWST has revealed unprecedented details in “the Penguin and the Egg.” Here are the surprises inside.

Time gets a little strange as you approach the speed of light.

Finding a tiny planet around bright stars dozens or hundreds of light-years from Earth is extremely difficult.

From LIGO, there weren’t enough neutron star-neutron star mergers to account for our heavy elements. With a JWST surprise, maybe they can.

Only 5% of the Universe is made of normal “stuff” like we are. Could there be dark matter or dark energy life, or even aliens, out there?

The Sombrero is the closest bright, massive, edge-on galaxy to us. JWST’s new image, taken with MIRI, finally shows what’s under its hat.

Lasers, mirrors, and computational advances can all work together to push ground-based astronomy past the limits of our atmosphere.

The concept of ‘relativistic mass’ has been around almost as long as relativity has. But is it a reasonable way to make sense of things?

The fabric of spacetime is four-dimensional, with three for space and only one for time. But wow, time sure is different from space!

Earth is actively broadcasting and actively searching for intelligent civilizations. But could our technology even detect ourselves?

There’s a quantum limit to how precisely anything can be measured. By squeezing light, LIGO has now surpassed all previous limitations.

From the explosions themselves to their unique and vibrant colors, the fireworks displays we adore require quantum physics.

Some processes, like quantum tunneling, have been shown to occur instantaneously. But the ultimate cosmic speed limit remains unavoidable.

Because of dark energy, distant objects speed away from us faster and faster as time goes on. How long before every galaxy is out of reach?

In logic, ‘reductio ad absurdum’ shows how flawed arguments fall apart. Our absurd Universe, however, often defies our intuitive reasoning.

A recent measurement has simultaneously settled an ongoing scientific debate while puzzling scientists.

Interferometry gave us a black hole’s event horizon, but that was in the radio. What can we accomplish with a new optical interferometer?

All matter particles can act as waves, and massless light waves show particle-like behavior. Can gravitational waves also be particle-like?

Traveling back in time is a staple of science fiction movies. But according to Einstein, it’s a physical possibility that’s truly allowed.

In 1054, a core-collapse supernova occurred 6500 light-years away. In 2023, JWST imaged the remnant, and might solve a massive mystery.

The “little red dots” were touted as being too massive, too early, for cosmology to explain. With new knowledge, everything adds up.

DESI has allowed astronomers to create an unprecedented 3D map of the Universe representing 20% of the entire sky.

The last infant stars are finishing their formation inside these pillars of gas. The evaporation of those columns is almost complete.

The Bullet Cluster has, for nearly 20 years, been hailed as an empirical “proof” of dark matter. Can their detractors explain it away?

How the simple act of watching twilight can radically transform our perception of the world and our role within it.

Figuring out the answer involved a prism, a pail of water, and a 50 year effort by the most famous father-son astronomer duo ever.

Is the Universe finite or infinite? Does it go on forever or loop back on itself? Here’s what would happen if you traveled forever.