Astronomy

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.

Astronomy

Milky Way’s black hole may hurl galactic spitballs our way

Gas blobs formed in the wake of stars shredded by the black hole in the center of the galaxy could pass within several hundred light-years of Earth on their way to intergalactic space.

Astronomy

Earliest galaxies got the green light

Galaxies in the early universe might have emitted lots of green light, powered by large populations of stars much hotter than most found today.

Astronomy

Some pulsars lose their steady beat

Two pulsars spend most of their time switched off, hinting at a large population of part-time pulsars hiding in the Milky Way.

Astronomy

Saturn’s 10th moon was the first satellite discovered in the modern space age

Fifty years ago, astronomers knew of 10 moons orbiting Saturn. Since then they’ve catalogued a diverse set of 62 satellites, with the help of the Cassini spacecraft.

Astronomy

Gotcha: Fast radio burst’s home nabbed

For the first time, astronomers pinpoint a precise position on the sky for a fast radio burst, revealing that the outburst originated in a galaxy about 2.5 billion light-years away.

Astronomy

These 2016 stories could be really big — if they’re true

These findings would have rocked the scientific world, if only the evidence were more convincing.

Astronomy

More fast radio bursts detected from same location

Six more outbursts have been detected from a repeating source of radio waves somewhere outside of our galaxy.

Physics

Year in review: Gravitational waves offer new cosmic views

The first direct detection of gravitational waves will open a new window on black holes and introduce a new era in astronomy.