All Stories by Ron Cowen
- Space
New action film set in solar system’s center
For the first time, solar astronomers have tracked a comet on a collision course with the sun.
- Space
Snapshots from a world off-kilter
Astronomers at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Miami presented images of exoplanets in high-angle orbits.
- Space
Probing the heart and soul of star formation
An infrared spacecraft has captured a penetrating view of two dusty nebulae about 6,000 light-years from Earth.
- Space
Herschel telescope unveils icy debris ringing sunlike stars
New infrared images may reveal analogues of the solar system’s Kuiper belt.
- Space
Matter beats out antimatter in experimental echo of creation
A larger-than-expected imbalance could presage major physics breakthroughs.
- Space
Planets in nearby system are off-kilter, measurements show
New observations shatter the notion that other planetary systems have the same flattened, disclike arrangement of orbits that rings the sun.
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A dark debate
Physicists are embroiled in a verbal slugfest over a few measly WIMPs. WIMPs, or weakly interacting massive particles, are hypothetical subatomic particles that, if shown to exist, might account for some of the invisible dark matter that astronomers say makes up some 85 percent of the mass of the universe. Astronomers are eager to find […]
- Astronomy
Fast-moving star is a really big loser
The cosmic bullies that sent 30 Doradus 016 reeling must be even bigger, possibly upping the theoretical maximum heft of today’s stars.
- Space
New Hubble pictures suggest Milky Way fell together
A preliminary analysis appears to strike a blow against the prevailing theory of galaxy formation.
- Space
Mediterranean microfossils offer hope for finding life on Mars
A discovery in sulfate minerals on Earth suggests the possibility of similar signs of life on the Red Planet.
- Space
Frozen asteroid
Scientists publish two new studies showing evidence of ice on object in asteroid belt.
- Physics
Inventing the Light Fantastic
The history of the laser: An idea that began with Albert Einstein inspired a race to create a special beam of light that has since infiltrated numerous aspects of everyday life.
