cosmos
A new window to the early universe (and aliens?)
The upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope is the event of a lifetime.
Exoplanets with moons may be likelier to host life
Life finds a way — particularly if it has a moon.
A fable of ancient Greece: when the mythic universe became a rational machine
This short story is a fictional account of two very real people — Anaximander and Anaximenes, two ancient Greeks who tried to make sense of the universe.
Six places to find water in the solar system
Water is vital for life. Luckily for spacefaring humans, the solar system is full of it.
Quasars: how to feed a supermassive black hole
A new model addresses a longstanding problem: where do quasars get the fuel they need to outshine entire galaxies?
Cosmic boomerang offers a lifeline to dying galaxies
Galaxies can die if their star-making stuff is lost. But now it can find its way back.
The “Great Dimming” of Betelgeuse explained
Betelgeuse, the tenth brightest star in the night sky, mysteriously dimmed last year. Now researchers know why.
Light from other side of black hole shows Einstein is right (again)
For the first time, light that comes from behind a black hole has been spotted.
To the very beginning: going back in time with Steven Weinberg (Part 2)
What was the universe like one-trillionth of a second after the Big Bang? Science has an answer.
The first three minutes: going backward to the beginning of time with Steven Weinberg (Part 1)
The great theoretical physicist Steven Weinberg passed away on July 23. This is our tribute.
Why so gassy? Mysterious methane detected on Saturn’s moon
Scientists do not know what is causing the overabundance of the gas.
Every 27 minutes, there’s an X-ray aurora on Jupiter. Here’s why.
Jupiter's mysterious auroral events are caused by vibrating waves of plasma.
Astronomers train AI to reveal the true shape of galaxies
A new artificial intelligence method removes the effect of gravity on cosmic images, showing the real shapes of distant galaxies.
Going rogue: runaway planets roam the galaxy
Tiny fluctuations in old Kepler data reveals four runaway planets that are reminiscent of Earth.
Thales: Ancient Greeks built the cosmos with right triangles
The ancient Greeks were obsessed with geometry, which may have formed the basis of their philosophical cosmology.
Discovery of new type of supernova explains ancient mystery
Astronomers find a third type of supernova and explain a mystery from 1054 AD.
Stephen Hawking’s black hole theory proved right
New study analyzes gravitational waves to confirm the late Stephen Hawking's black hole area theorem.
Galactic wind from early universe detected
Researchers discovered a galactic wind from a supermassive black hole that sheds light on the evolution of galaxies.
What happened before the Big Bang?
Asking science to determine what happened before time began is like asking, "Who were you before you were born?"
Mystery of the gigantic Oort cloud from deep space explained
Astronomers possibly solve the mystery of how the enormous Oort cloud, with over 100 billion comet-like objects, was formed.
Is the universe infinite?
Determining if the universe is infinite pushes the limits of our knowledge.
Scientists find dark matter “bridges” that may reveal future of our galaxy
A new AI-generated map of dark matter shows previously undiscovered filamentary structures connecting galaxies.
Humanity’s most distant space probe captures a strange sound
A new paper reveals that the Voyager 1 spacecraft detected a constant hum coming from outside our Solar System.
Asteroid impact: NASA simulation shows we are sitting ducks
Even with six months' notice, we can't stop an incoming asteroid.
Scientists test how to deflect asteroids with nuclear blasts
A study looks at how to use nuclear detonations to prevent asteroids from hitting Earth.
The universe has a Hubble constant problem
Differences in the way that the Hubble constant—which measures the rate of cosmic expansion—are measured have profound implications for the future of cosmology.
Have scientists at CERN found evidence of brand new physics?
We're cautiously optimistic about our new findings.
‘Smoking gun’ dark matter signature possibly identified
Researchers propose a new method that could definitively prove the existence of dark matter.
New particle experiment goes against standard physics
Results from an experiment using the Large Hadron Collider challenges the accepted model of physics.
Hidden dwarf galaxies revealed in first images of the “cosmic web”
Not only does this give us a look at the scaffolding of the universe, we found some new galaxies too!