Astronomy

  1. Physics

    Pulsar pair ripples spacetime

    A pair of pulsars gives scientists the best evidence so far for gravitational waves, which have yet to be detected directly.

    By
  2. Physics

    General relativity caught in action around black hole

    X-rays enable scientists to spot a black hole twisting the surrounding fabric of spacetime, just as Einstein’s theory predicts.

    By
  3. Cosmology

    Debate grows over whether X-rays are a sign of dark matter

    The dwarf galaxy Draco, which is chock-full of dark matter, doesn’t emit a band of X-rays that researchers hoped were produced by the mysterious invisible stuff.

    By
  4. Planetary Science

    It’s a new planet! It’s an unknown star! It’s — oops!

    A couple of unexpected wandering points of light in the sky could be new planets or even a dim star orbiting the sun, but researchers have plenty of reasons to be skeptical.

    By
  5. Astronomy

    LISA Pathfinder to pave way for gravitational wave detection

    The successful launch of the LISA Pathfinder mission marks the first step toward testing techniques needed to build a space-based gravitational-wave detector.

    By
  6. Astronomy

    Mysterious cosmic signals carry a clue to their origins

    A burst of radio waves from another galaxy ran into a dense magnetized plasma while en route to Earth, hinting at an origin near a population of young stars.

    By
  7. Astronomy

    Super-Earths, meet superpuffs, a lighter weight class of planet

    Superpuffs are underweight, oversized planets that formed in outskirts of star systems before cuddling up close to their sun.

    By
  8. Astronomy

    More mysterious extragalactic signals detected

    Five more fast radio bursts from other galaxies have shown up and one of them is a double.

    By
  9. Astronomy

    Cosmic rays maintain their mystery

    Cosmic rays come from all over the universe, including some places we’re not so sure about.

    By
  10. Astronomy

    Early stars found swirling in the Milky Way center

    Ancient stars with low iron abundance surround the Milky Way’s center.

    By
  11. Astronomy

    Chile telescope array spots nearby Earth-sized planet

    The discovery of GJ 1132b, the nearest Earth-sized planet known beyond the solar system, could herald the era of probing the atmospheres of nearby worlds for signs of life.

    By
  12. Astronomy

    Nearby galaxies put a lens on hundreds of distant ones

    Cache of faint galaxies in early universe discovered with help from massive galaxy clusters a bit closer to home.

    By