A comet ‘burps’ as a satellite watches the whole thing

What happens after a heavy comet meal?

Image source: Farnham et al./NASA
  • A comet produces and unexpected explosive ejection of ice, dust, and gas.
  • NASA's TESS satellites captures the whole thing by accident.
  • The "burp" may have left a crater 65 feet across. That's quite a burp.
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New study says cosmic acceleration and dark energy don't exist

An Oxford scientist claims a Nobel-Prize-winning conclusion is wrong.

NASA
  • Paper by Oxford University physicist Subir Sarkar and his colleagues challenges how conclusions about cosmic acceleration and dark energy were reached.
  • Physicists who proved cosmic acceleration shared a Nobel Prize.
  • Sarkar used statistical analysis to question key data, but his methodology also has detractors.
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Astrophysicist claims "dark fluid" fills the missing 95% of the Universe

An Oxford scientist's controversial theory rethinks dark matter and dark energy.

Credit: YE AUNG THU/AFP/Getty Images.
  • An astrophysicist and cosmologist Dr. Farnes published a paper while at Oxford University with a novel explanation for dark energy and dark matter.
  • His theory claims to explain the missing 95% of the observable universe by the existence of "dark fluid".
  • This fluid has negative mass, repelling other materials.
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Student of the stars: How do you become an astronomer?

NASA astronomer Michelle Thaller explains what astronomers actually do, and how can you become one.

  • What's the difference between an astronomer and an astrophysicist? NASA's Michelle Thaller explains that these terms are used interchangeably: both are physicists who study objects and phenomena in the sky.
  • How can you become an astronomer? There is a defined path to take: Do an undergrad degree in astrophysics, physics, mathematics or computer science, then complete a doctorate in astrophysics. You could also work with astronomers by studying engineering and building telescopes.
  • In this fascinating explanation of what an astronomer's day-to-day job actually looks like, Thaller shines a light on the unexpected skills you might need and answers the question on every ambitious astronomer-to-be's mind: How will I know what to discover?

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Could ‘Planet 9’ actually be an ancient black hole?

A new paper suggests a primordial black hole may be making things weird at the edge of our solar system.

Image source: Vadim Sadovski /IgorZh/Shutterstock/Big Think
  • Though a Planet 9 has been hypothesized, we can't seem to find it, at least not yet.
  • The strange orbits of distant bodies and weird gravitational anomalies beg for an explanation.
  • Scientists propose a hunt for telltale gamma rays from a primordial black hole.
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