Astronomy
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PhysicsGravity waves from black holes verify Einstein’s prediction
Gravitational waves, tremors in the cosmic fabric of space and time predicted by Einstein a century ago, have finally been detected, opening a new avenue for exploring the universe.
By Andrew Grant -
AstronomyReaders tussle over top science stories of 2015
Readers tussle over the top spot in our top 25, questions about engineered vocal cords, and more in the February 20 Feedback.
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AstronomyIn all sorts of circumstances, life finds a way
Editor in Chief discusses the new marine habitats formed by human pollution and the alarming rise of the Zika virus.
By Eva Emerson -
Science & SocietySoviets nailed first landing on moon
The first spacecraft to safely land on the moon touched down on the lunar surface in 1966.
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AstronomyLargest rocky world found
A planet roughly half the size of Neptune might be 100 percent rock, making it the largest known rocky world.
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AstronomyOdd star’s dimming not aliens’ doing
A star’s flickering light and century-long dimming have astronomers hunting for exocomet storms, prowling dust clouds and even alien engineers.
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ArchaeologyBabylonians used geometry to track Jupiter’s movements
Babylonians took a geometric leap to track Jupiter’s movements long before European astronomers did.
By Bruce Bower -
Cosmology‘The Cosmic Web’ weaves tale of universe’s architecture
A new book chronicles the quest over the last century to understand how the universe is pieced together and how it came to be this way.
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AstronomyMiddleweight black hole suspected near Milky Way’s center
A gas cloud in the center of the galaxy might be temporarily hosting the second most massive black hole known in the Milky Way.
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AstronomyThe votes are in: Exoplanets get new names
Arion, Galileo and Poltergeist are just three winners of a contest to name planets and suns in 20 solar systems.
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AstronomyExploding star is the brightest supernova ever seen
The brightest known supernova put out more energy than 500 billion suns.
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AstronomyAs first run of gravitational wave search winds down, rumors abound
Advanced LIGO has completed its first search for gravitational waves. Researchers are crunching the data as rumors swirl of a detection.
By Andrew Grant