Earth's Place in the Universe
- 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.
-
Scientists consider how to visit the closest exoplanet
Even at only a little more than four light-years away, a trip to our closest exo-world could take some tens of thousands of years — unless we’re willing to settle for virtual visits.
- Space
Women in STEM reach for the stars
What does science look like? These astronomers, astrophysicists and planet hunters are out of this world.
- Space
Lost lander spotted on comet’s surface
Scientists have spotted the missing comet lander. Philae landed in a shadow, which kept the sun from recharging its batteries.
- Space
Some white dwarf stars point to possible dark matter
Certain white-hot stars are cooling too fast for scientists to explain — unless they consider the presence of “axions.” These never-seen, but suspected particles could be shuttling away the extra energy from these cooling dwarf stars.
- Space
Sun’s nearest stellar neighbor may have Earth-like planet
A planet roughly the size of Earth orbits within the “Goldilocks” zone of the Proxima Centauri. Only 4.2 light-years away, this star is the one closest to our sun.
- Planets
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is really, really hot
The Great Red Spot, a storm churning on Jupiter for at least 150 years, may be helping to keep the planet warm, a new study finds.
- Chemistry
Oxygen-rich air emerged super early, new data show
Scientists had thought animals were slow to emerge because they would have needed oxygen-rich air to breathe. A new study finds that plentiful oxygen may have developed early. So animals may have been late on the scene for another reason.
- Space
A new, nonexplosive source of black holes?
At least one black hole may have formed from the collapse of a cloud of gas, which is not the usual birthing scheme. This might even be how some of the earliest gargantuan black holes developed.
