Astronomy
- Astronomy
New ideas on what makes a planet habitable could reshape the search for life
New definitions of “habitable worlds” could include planets with global oceans under a steamy hydrogen atmosphere or exclude ones that started out habitable but lost all their water.
- Astronomy
The definition of planet is still a sore point – especially among Pluto fans
In the 15 years since Pluto lost its planet status, scientists have continued to use the definition that works for them.
- Astronomy
Here’s how cool a star can be and still achieve lasting success
The dividing line between successful stars and failed ones is a surface temperature of about 1,200° to 1,400° Celsius, a new study reports.
- Space
Vera Rubin’s work on dark matter led to a paradigm shift in cosmology
‘Bright Galaxies, Dark Matter, and Beyond’ tells the story of how astronomer Vera Rubin provided key evidence for the existence of dark matter.
- Astronomy
Measuring a black hole’s mass isn’t easy. A new technique could change that
The timing of flickers in the gas and dust in a black hole’s accretion disk correlates to its mass, a new study finds.
- Physics
A bounty of potential gravitational wave events hints at exciting possibilities
Of about 1,200 possible events, most are probably false alarms, but some could be ripples in spacetime that are especially hard to spot.
- Physics
Black holes born with magnetic fields quickly shed them
New computer simulations show one way that black holes might discard their magnetic fields.
- Astronomy
A super-short gamma-ray burst defies astronomers’ expectations
A faraway eruption of gamma rays that lasted for only a second had a surprising origin: the implosion of a massive star.
- Astronomy
The tiny dot in this image may be the first look at exomoons in the making
New ALMA observations offer some of the strongest evidence yet that planets around other stars have moons.
- Space
How do scientists calculate the age of a star?
There are a few different methods to determine the age of a star, but none are perfect.
- Planetary Science
A century of astronomy revealed Earth’s place in the universe
The past century of astronomy has been a series of revolutions, each one kicking Earth a bit farther to the margins.
- Astronomy
The latest picture of a black hole captures Centaurus A’s massive jets
Data from the Event Horizon Telescope reveal new details of jets spewing from the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy Centaurus A.
