We claim to know the Universe’s history to incredible precision. But is this justified? “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.”-Albert Einstein We’ve reached […]
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What the first signs of life beyond our Solar System will look like. Image credit: Tanga et al., 2012. “Language… has created the word ‘loneliness’ to express the pain of […]
We owe our origins to the stars. But it’s not the fast catastrophes that made us possible, but a slow, burning romance. “It took less than an hour to make […]
What happened when things were hot enough to spontaneously create matter and antimatter? “It followed from the special theory of relativity that mass and energy are both but different manifestations […]
Educators hold up scientists like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Marie Curie as heroes in order to encourage minorities to pursue studies in STEM fields. But portraying these figures as larger-than-life may intimidate students.
Unless you’re an astronomer, you’ve probably never heard of an analemma. And even if you are one, this might be your first tutulemma.
The first part in a new series of where all this comes from. “You may have heard the world is made up of atoms and molecules, but it’s really made […]
We’ve learned more about comets than ever before thanks to it. But we would’ve learned a lot more, if not for one unfounded fear. “Every dreamer knows that it is […]
Theorems are gold in math. But in physics? The Universe will surprise you. “What we need is more people who specialize in the impossible.”–Theodore Roethke Physics is one of the […]
Could a strong enough tether save you? Or is your fate inevitable? “Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices.”–Alfred A. Montapert Everyone is free to […]
August 30, 1984: the Space Shuttle Discovery launches from Kennedy Space Center on its maiden voyage. STS-41-D was NASA’s 12th Space Shuttle mission. One mission’s crew members was Judith Resnik, who […]
The Universe we see isn’t exactly the Universe that is. How do we translate? “On a cosmic scale, our life is insignificant, yet this brief period when we appear in […]
If String Theory has nothing to do with reality, what are our options? “I just think too many nice things have happened in string theory for it to be all […]
Scientists have confirmed a sizable improvement in ozone levels over the past decade. The news is a testament to the world’s noble dedication to reducing usage of hazardous chemicals.
How to turn the greatest NASA images in history into wallpaper, curtains, fabric and more! Image credit: Elinor Medezinski, Suprime-Cam/Subaru Telescope; ZwCl 0024–17. “I’m coming back in… and it’s the […]
It’s hard enough to measure here on Earth, so how do we measure magnetism for our Sun, the stars and even distant galaxies? “Nothing is too wonderful to be true, […]
Here on Earth, it’s liquid all the way. But in space, that’s impossible! “You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”–Rabindranath Tagore If you brought […]
The Great Orion Nebula is so great, it needed a second Messier object all to itself! “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others […]
Bill Nye (The Science Guy!) opines on the pros and cons of NASA and SpaceX manufacturing. In a congressional move of either genius or ignorance, the decentralization of NASA facilities […]
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ABC News Correspondent Dan Harris explains why someone who tells you they’re a good multitasker is lying. In fact, what we perceive as multitasking is really just “doing many things poorly”
Bill Nye is a lot of things. He’s the world-famous Science Guy, for example. He’s also Executive Director of the Planetary Society and one of the nation’s most fervent bow […]
If something went horribly wrong, could you possibly return to Earth? Image credit: ISRO. “I sometimes catch myself looking up at the Moon, remembering the changes of fortune in our […]
And how, in the end, they help us gain the resolution of a space-based telescope without leaving the ground! Image credit: Y. Beletsky/ESO, via http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1036a/. “But certainly the laser proved […]
“The world and our perceptions have changed a lot, even since the ’70s, but there are lingering stereotypes. If you ask an 11-year-old to draw a scientist, she’s likely to draw a geeky guy with a pocket protector. That’s just not an image an 11-year-old girl aspires to.”
How to destroy an Alderaan-sized planet. “What’s that star?It’s the Death Star.What does it do?It does Death. It does Death, buddy. Get out of my way!” –Eddie Izzard It’s one […]
Einstein’s most famous equation works out more neatly than you’d expect. “It followed from the special theory of relativity that mass and energy are both but different manifestations of the […]
There have been many supernovae in the Milky Way seen over the past 2,000 years, but nobody ever saw the most recent ones! Image credit: NASA/CXC/NCSU/K.Borkowski et al. “When I […]
Will you explode, freeze, or boil? Advice on how to maximize your life. “A vacuum is a hell of a lot better than some of the stuff that nature replaces […]
How new developments in measuring the highest-energy particles and earliest signals from the Universe are teaching us what all this is. Big questions in the field of Cosmology are often […]
How the entire history of the Universe gave rise to us, in ten giant leaps. Image credit: Zosia Rostomian, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “It surprises me how disinterested we are […]