Earth's Place in the Universe
- Physics
This high-tech sweeper is designed for super-clingy moon dust
An electron beam is the newest tool being developed to remove sticky and damaging lunar dust from surfaces.
- Physics
2020 Physics Nobel goes for delving into black holes
Although Einstein’s general theory of relative suggested black holes might exist, this year’s winner’s helped show they actually are out there.
- Physics
Strange but true: White dwarfs shrink as they gain mass
Telescope observations of thousands of these stars now confirm a decades-old theory on how their masses relate to their waistline.
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Close-up of the sun reveals ‘campfires’
Solar Orbiter’s first images are in. The spacecraft’s pics show tiny, never-before-seen flares across the sun’s surface.
- Space
A weird cousin of our solar system is caught on camera
New photo reveals a cousin to our solar system. It’s star has a mass similar to the sun’s and is orbited by two gas giant planets.
- Physics
Could ripples in spacetime point to wormholes?
A new calculation reveals that strange gravitational waves detected by LIGO and Virgo could see if a black hole were falling into a hypothetical tunnel in spacetime.
- Physics
Milky Way’s tidal forces are shredding a nearby star cluster
The nearest star cluster is being pulled apart, due largely to the tidal forces of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Bye bye, Hyades!
- Physics
Explainer: Stars and their families
Most pinpoints that light the night sky are raging infernos we call stars. As adults, many will create new elements that they later cast off into the cosmos.
- Planets
Saturn’s moon Titan may host lots of dried lakes
Suspicious spots around the moon’s middle could be the beds of ancient lakes. If so, this might solve a 20-year-old mystery.
- Physics
Spotted: Milky Way’s giant gas bubbles in visible light
The bubbles have different colors, based on how the gas inside them moves. That could give clues to how the bubbles developed.
- Life
Planets with hydrogen skies could harbor life
Microbes can live in a hydrogen atmosphere. This points to new space worlds that host alien life.
- Climate
A rainforest once grew near the South Pole
A forest flourished within 1,000 kilometers of the South Pole. That was a while ago, as in millions of years ago.
