Search Results

With James Webb and WFIRST launching soon, the Universe can expect a revolution. But what will it look like? “For the first time we can learn about individual stars from near […]

You might think that it should be all black, but then how would we see it? “It is conceptually interesting, if not astrophysically very important, to calculate the precise apparent shape […]

Phobos and Deimos may have had another, inner, much larger companion! “The larger inner moons fall back to Mars after about 5 million years due to the tidal pull of […]

But not every location was created equal. “Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun. […]

Skeptic John Horgan identifies new theories of matter and the universe that reveal human narcissism.

Scientists still don’t know, but the answer could hold the key to the expanding, accelerating Universe. “Scratch a cynic and you’ll find a disappointed idealist.” –Jon F. Merz When you […]

With liquid water, an energy source, and the perfect raw ingredients, Enceladus might be the holy grail we’ve been seeking. This article is written by contributing author Jesse Shanahan. Jesse is […]

We see them change in wavelength, energy and in their electric and magnetic fields over time. So how do they experience it? “Everyone has his dream; I would like to […]

When the next big solar flare comes for Earth, will we be ready? “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to […]

Bill Nye is always dressed for a party, but this time his celestial bow-tie pays respect to one of our era’s greatest discoveries: gravitational waves.

Astronomers trace the origin of repeating radio bursts from deep space to a dwarf galaxy 3 billion light years away.

And how if you try this with someone shorter than you are, you’ll find it extra convincing! “I drive from Florida to California all the time, and it’s flat to […]

That’s not how probability works. Or asteroids, for that matter. “Bringing an asteroid back to Earth? What’s that have to do with space exploration? If we were moving outward from there, […]

I’m not saying it isn’t aliens… but it’s not aliens. “Just to clarify, neither Jason or myself … are advocating that it is an alien megastructure, but we also can’t completely rule […]

Sometimes, designing a careful experiment and measuring absolutely no effect can be the most important result of all. “It appears, from all that precedes, reasonably certain that if there be any […]

Is stellar ejection a real thing, and if so, can planets come along for the ride? “Mapping out the elements in a star is like reading its DNA. We’re using those […]

From a “faint smudge” to the most intricate objects in our galaxy, we’ve come an incredibly long way. “From our home on the Earth, we look out into the distances … to […]

The flash lasts seconds, the brightness dies down in months. Yet centuries later, the remnant still shines. “When we recall the past, we usually find that it is the simplest things — not […]

NASA’s updated celestial observations have forced astrology enthusiasts to revise the 3,000 year-old zodiac calendar – but let it be known that NASA does not care.

For thousands upon thousands of years, we didn’t know whether the other stars in the Universe were even like our Sun, much less whether they had planets around them like […]

Sometimes, what nature gives you is even better than what you hoped for. “Science doesn’t always go forwards. It’s a bit like doing a Rubik’s cube. You sometimes have to make […]

Now that we know the closest star has a potentially habitable planet, it’s time to ask if it’s really like ours. “To consider the Earth as the only populated world in […]

If it’s the anti-version of normal matter, could it possibly fall “up”? This article was written by Sabine Hossenfelder of Backreaction. Sabine is a theoretical physicist specialized in quantum gravity and […]

Your theory predicts something novel? How nice. But no one will pay you any mind unless you test it. “He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards […]

Psychologist Bruce Hood argues that superstitious thinking is a natural part of human cognition and should not be so quickly dismissed.

Comet-like tail, X-rays and more discovered at Solar System’s edge. “Maybe some people don’t feel scared when they think about comets and supernovas. Maybe they think it is wonderful.” –Lydia Netzer […]

Two Canadian astronomers publish a paper with an extraordinary claim of possibly detecting alien signals.

The answer lies billions of years in the past. “Dark matter or invisible element?You decide.” –Toba Beta When we look out at the luminous matter in the Universe — stars, galaxies, clusters of […]

Is gravitational repulsion a real thing? “For the first time, astronomers have outlined and named the network of galaxies that includes the Milky Way, adding a line to our cosmic address […]

Proportional theory, telescopy, time pressure, and the reminiscence bump may each play a role.