Earth's Place in the Universe
- Physics
Star caught passing gas before exploding
Stars can become unstable as they near death, a new study suggests. Some may even spew gas for a year or so before they explode.
- Earth
Is Zealandia a continent?
Geologists are making the case for a new continent, that they would dub Zealandia. It can be found largely submerged beneath the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
- Planets
Scientists Say: Goldilocks zone
Not too hot, not too cold. Just right. This is the region around a star where water could be a liquid, instead of a solid or gas.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Dark matter
Most of the universe isn’t made of stuff we can see. Scientists think some of it might be made of dark matter — matter that emits no radiation.
- Planets
New solar system found to have 7 Earth-size planets
A neighboring star system hosts seven Earth-like planets. Especially surprising: Three of those planets appear to reside in a zone that could support life as we know it.
- Physics
Strange X-rays point to possible ‘dark’ matter
Scientists have been looking for “dark” matter. It’s supposed to make up most of the universe — but it’s also invisible. X-rays may now point to where some of this weird stuff is.
- Space
Cool Jobs: Probing Pluto
The New Horizons mission captivated the world as it flew by Pluto. Here are some of the people who made that possible.
- Space
Rivers of stars flow between ‘clouds’ orbiting the Milky Way
Two streams of stars flow between dwarf galaxies known as the Magellanic Clouds. This new finding could give clues to the structure of our Milky Way galaxy.
- Physics
Weird physics warps nearby star’s light
Scientists have observed a bizarre effect of quantum physics in light coming from a nearby neutron star.
- Space
Movie, book illuminate Hidden Figures from the space race
A new movie and book showcase the hidden heroes of the space race — the mathematicians who crunched the numbers.
- Space
Clouds on Jupiter run surprisingly deep
Jupiter’s clouds are not just a thin jacket about the planet, new data show.
- Space
Scientists Say: Comet
Comets are small solar system objects. When they pass close to their sun, their melting gases and water give them a tail.
