Astronomy
- Space
New search methods are ramping up the hunt for alien intelligence
Six decades of radio silence hasn’t stopped scientists searching for intelligent life beyond Earth. In fact, new technologies are boosting efforts.
- Space
Red giant stars that eat planets might shine less brightly
Some stars may shine less brightly after ingesting a planet. That finding, if confirmed, could have implications for calculating cosmic distances.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum mechanics means some black hole orbits are impossible to predict
Computer simulations reveal that foreseeing the paths of three orbiting objects sometimes requires precision better than the quantum limit.
- Space
Quasar winds with record energy levels were seen fleeing a distant galaxy
The Hubble Space Telescope has seen the most energetic quasar winds yet, showing these active black holes can blow star-forming gas out of galaxies.
- Space
A controversial X-ray glow didn’t show up in the Milky Way’s dark matter halo
A new look at old data suggests that an odd X-ray glow that emanates from some galaxies cannot come from decaying dark matter.
- Space
Astronomers have found the edge of the Milky Way at last
Computer simulations and observations of nearby galaxies let astrophysicists put a firm number on the Milky Way's size.
- Physics
New telescopes could help spot ‘photon ring’ of the first black hole ever imaged
Expanding the Event Horizon Telescope by adding telescopes in space could help capture the rings around galaxy M87’s supermassive black hole.
- Astronomy
The star Betelgeuse might just be dusty, not about to explode
A new study suggests that dust recently expelled by Betelgeuse is why the star dimmed suddenly in late 2019 before brightening again.
- Astronomy
Heavy metal may rain from the skies of planet WASP 76b
Astronomers saw hints of iron rain on an ultrahot gas giant, an exoplanet where starlike atmospheric temperatures drive weird weather.
- Space
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin revealed stars’ composition and broke gender barriers
The book ‘What Stars Are Made Of’ celebrates the life of astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin.
- Space
A black hole eruption marks the most powerful explosion ever spotted
Hundreds of millions of years ago, a black hole blasted out roughly 100 billion times as much energy as the sun is expected to emit in its lifetime.
- Space
50 years ago, scientists were studying why the sun’s corona is so hot
In 1970, scientists were hoping to learn why the sun’s corona is so hot during an eclipse. Fifty years later, the corona’s magnetic field may hold some answers.
