From 4 billion miles away, it says a lot about the meaning of time.
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The picture itself is breathtaking. But what we learn is truly eye-opening. Galaxy clusters, like the massive one captured here by Hubble, PLCK G004.5–19.5, impress not just for their looks, […]
We can’t help but wonder if it’s habitable, or even inhabited, but the evidence isn’t there for it. Every star that fills the night sky carries along with it one of […]
Two massive clouds of dust in orbit around the Earth have been discussed for years and finally proven to exist.
In 1987, we detected neutrinos from another galaxy in a supernova. After a 30 year wait, we’ve found something even better. One of the great mysteries in science is determining not […]
The current record-holder is a doozy, and right at the limit of what Hubble can do. But there’s even more out there. The greatest advances in science often come when we […]
Pop quiz! Which NASA mission has been most critical to humanity? (Hint: it’s not the Moon landing.)
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Imagine looking at one saturated pixel for years on end, and somehow learning what worlds live around it. That’s what science is for! When you think of what’s out there in […]
Many hoped we could do without dark matter. On cosmic scales, the evidence has finally spoken. For over 40 years, scientists have argued over dark matter’s existence. The extended rotation curve […]
Could the Universe loop around on itself? And, if so, might an intergalactic journey bring you back to your home planet? Back when people thought the Earth was flat, it was […]
You’ve probably seen it hanging around. But how did it get there? And can we live there?
‘Luck’ is the wrong word. The Universe cooperated, but we gave ourselves the opportunity by being prepared. It was already 28 years ago that the Hubble Space Telescope was launched […]
Bright pink? Lava? Liquid planets that could hold water? Some far-out planets are truly… out of this world.
The ultimate fate of the universe is a mind-bogglingly thing to think about. So what’s the final outcome for it all?
Dark energy is pushing distant galaxies apart from one another at an increasing rate. If the Big Rip hypothesis is true, things will only get worse from here. One of the […]
The laws of physics are not time-reversal invariant. Here’s how we know. No matter when, where, or what you are in the Universe, you experience time in only one direction: forwards. […]
Good news for space exploration?
Three great things all align this August, making the Perseids a can’t-miss show. Here’s how to take advantage. When it comes to meteor showers, we have these dazzling pictures in […]
An Oxford physicist tries to cast doubt on dark energy, but the data says otherwise. It was a mere 20 years ago that our picture of the Universe got a […]
Where is God? Michelle Thaller lays out a cosmic view of religion, science, and the human condition.
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There are no punches to pull here. If America believes in science, research, or basic truths about the Universe, we cannot cancel this mission. Last week, the White House released their […]
Ever wanted to ask a NASA astronomer a question? Michelle Thaller is Big Think’s resident space pro, and she is taking questions right now!
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The Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered in the West Bank in 1946, but now a specialized camera is helping researchers read bits of the manuscripts for the first time.
The ices and rock aren’t green, and neither are the tails. So where does a comet’s green color come from? Every so often, with extreme regularity, comets will plunge from beyond […]
13.8 billion years ago, our Universe as-we-know-it came into existence. Here’s what it was like. Looking out at our Universe today, we not only see a huge variety of stars and […]
To strengthen your mind, work with your hands, says former astronaut Leland Melvin.
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Some of the meteorites that strike our planet originate from our red neighbor, Mars. Here’s how we know. As the planets orbit the Sun, well-separated from one another, we tend to […]
The Soviet Union’s space program was years ahead of the USA’s. So how did they lose the space race? Here in the United States and all across the world, humanity is […]
Quick, what’s traveling at 106,000 kilometers per hour (66,000 mph) and is as big as a football field?
Accomplishments? Yes, Aretha Franklin had them.