Astronomy
- Astronomy
Observers caught these stars going supernova
Thirty years ago, astronomers witnessed a nearby stellar explosion, but it wasn’t the first. Humanity has been recording local supernovas for nearly two millennia.
- Astronomy
When a nearby star goes supernova, scientists will be ready
Scientists hope to detect neutrinos and gravitational waves from a nearby supernova.
- Astronomy
30 years later, supernova 1987A is still sharing secrets
The 1987 explosion of a star near the Milky Way 30 years ago set off years of fascinating findings.
- Astronomy
Faint, distant galaxies may have driven early universe makeover
Gravitational lensing has revealed extremely faint galaxies in the early universe, suggesting these tiny galaxies were responsible for cosmic reionization.
- Astronomy
In 20th century, astronomers opened their minds to gazillions of galaxies
Telescopes in the U.S. West opened astronomers’ eyes to a vast, expanding universe containing countless galaxies.
- Astronomy
Five gamma-ray blazars set new distance record
Intensely bright galaxies are the farthest blazars ever detected in gamma rays.
- Astronomy
Spin may reveal black hole history
High rate of spin could indicate that black holes formed from previous mergers of black holes.
- Physics
Possible sign of dark matter shows up again
Excess of X-rays could indicate decaying sterile neutrinos.
- Astronomy
Conditions right for stars, planets near Milky Way’s supermassive black hole
Four clouds of gas near the galactic center have roughly the right mass to be young stars, possibly with planets.
- Animals
Readers weigh in on mathematical animals and more
Animal math, dinosaur digestion and more in reader feedback from our December 10, 2017, issue.
- Planetary Science
Weird wave found in Venus’ wind-whipped atmosphere
A 10,000-kilometer-long gravity wave arched across the upper atmosphere of Venus. The feature may have been the largest of its kind in the solar system.
- Climate
Petrified tree rings tell ancient tale of sun’s behavior
The 11-year cycle of solar activity may have been around for at least 290 million years, ancient tree rings suggest.
