Space
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Physics
Einstein’s general relativity reigns supreme, even on a galactic scale
Scientists have made the most precise test of Einstein’s theory of gravity at great distances.
- Physics
To combat an expanding universe, aliens could hoard stars
An advanced alien civilization might combat the impact of dark energy by harvesting stars.
- Astronomy
On Jupiter, lightning flashes from storms swirling at the poles
After almost 40 years, scientists have discovered that Jupiter has lightning that is similar to lightning on Earth — it just happens in a different place.
- Planetary Science
Venus’ thick atmosphere speeds up the planet’s spin
Venus’ thick atmosphere can push on mountains on the surface, changing its rotation period by a few minutes every day.
- Astronomy
Magnetic fields may be propping up the Pillars of Creation
Scientists made a map of the magnetic field within the Pillars of Creation, a star-forming area depicted in an iconic Hubble Space Telescope image.
- Astronomy
In 1968, scientists thought they were close to detecting gravity waves
Despite an unverified discovery in 1968, spacetime ripples remained elusive for nearly 50 years.
- Astronomy
Swirling gases reveal baby planets in a young star’s disk
A new technique pinpointed three planets forming around a young star about 330 light-years from Earth.
- Planetary Science
The Mars rover Opportunity is sleeping, not dead, NASA says
Opportunity is hunkered down in a deep sleep on Mars to ride out what’s looking to be a long dark dust storm.
- Astronomy
Readers were curious about pendulum saws, laser tweezers and more
Readers had questions about Bronze Age pendulum saws, dark matter, lazer tweezers and more.
- Planetary Science
Opportunity rover waits out a huge dust storm on Mars
NASA’s Opportunity rover is in low-power mode to preserve battery life while a vast dust storm blankets part of the Red Planet.
- Astronomy
The sun shrinks a teensy bit when it’s feeling active
The radius of the sun gets slightly smaller during periods of high solar activity, researchers say.
- Planetary Science
Curiosity finds that Mars’ methane changes with the seasons
The Curiosity rover found seasonally changing methane in Mars’ atmosphere and more signs of organic molecules in an ancient lake bed.
