Science’s brightest star has passed away aged 76. A physicist and best-selling author, Dr. Hawking did not allow his physical limitations to hinder his quest to answer “the… Read more “A Sad Day For The Scientific Community – Stephen Hawking Passes Away”
Category: Astrophysics
What Are Gravitational Waves?
Gravitational waves are ripples in space-time (the fabled “fabric” of the Universe) caused by massive objects moving with violent accelerations (in outer space that means objects like… Read more “What Are Gravitational Waves?”
Exoplanet WASP 12-B Is So Hot It Eats Light
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has observed a planet outside our solar system that looks as black as fresh asphalt because it eats light rather than reflecting it… Read more “Exoplanet WASP 12-B Is So Hot It Eats Light”
Accretion-powered pulsar reveals unique timing glitch
The discovery of the largest timing irregularity yet observed in a pulsar is the first confirmation that pulsars in binary systems exhibit the strange phenomenon known as… Read more “Accretion-powered pulsar reveals unique timing glitch”
The Mystery of High-Energy Cosmic Rays
Hold out your hand for 10 seconds. A dozen electrons and muons just zipped unfelt through your palm. The ghostly particles are what scientists call “secondary cosmic… Read more “The Mystery of High-Energy Cosmic Rays”
20 Facts About the Big Bang
Modern cosmology has its roots in the 1920s when physicists were starting to get to grips with relativity theory. Calculation of solutions to relativity was producing some… Read more “20 Facts About the Big Bang”
Astronomers may have seen a star collapse directly to a black hole
One of the basic truisms in astronomy is that, when a massive star ends its life, it goes out with a bang. A big one. A supernova.… Read more “Astronomers may have seen a star collapse directly to a black hole”
Cassini probe shoots through Saturn’s rings
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has successfully executed its daring dive through the 1,500-mile-wide gap between Saturn and its rings, the first time a man-made object has navigated through… Read more “Cassini probe shoots through Saturn’s rings”
Black Hole Swallowing a Star Mistaken for Brightest Supernova
The universe’s brightest supernova ever may be something far more rare. An extraordinary display of light in a distant galaxy that had been previously dubbed brightest supernova… Read more “Black Hole Swallowing a Star Mistaken for Brightest Supernova”
Supernovae showered Earth with radioactive debris
An international team of scientists has found evidence of a series of massive supernova explosions near our solar system, which showered the Earth with radioactive debris. The… Read more “Supernovae showered Earth with radioactive debris”
Shockwave Of An Exploding Star
Shockwaves (aka a “shock breakout”) like this only last for 20 minutes, so it was really exciting for astronomers to capture the moment, which they recorded as… Read more “Shockwave Of An Exploding Star”
A black hole flashing red with the energy of 1,000 Suns
As if black holes needed another horrifyingly weird characteristic, astronomers have observed one of the brightest black hole ‘outbursts’ in years, with each pulse emitting the energy… Read more “A black hole flashing red with the energy of 1,000 Suns”
Milky Way’s black hole spewing cosmic rays
Mysterious high-energy particles known as cosmic rays zip through space at a wide range of energies, some millions of times greater than those produced in the world’s… Read more “Milky Way’s black hole spewing cosmic rays”
Dust in the interstellar wind
Cosmic dust is not simply something to sweep under the rug and forget about. Instead, NSF-funded astronomers are studying and even mapping it to learn more about… Read more “Dust in the interstellar wind”
The Key to the Origin of the Universe
“If you want to know where the universe came from and where it’s going, you need to know about time,” says Joan Vaccaro at the Griffith University’s… Read more “The Key to the Origin of the Universe”
Hawking says his group has solved a black hole puzzle
Stephen Hawking, the world’s most famous living physicist, thinks he has solved a mystery. It’s one that has puzzled scientists for more than 40 years: What happens… Read more “Hawking says his group has solved a black hole puzzle”
Links in Time and Space May Form the Universe’s Foundation
In November, construction workers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology came across a time capsule 942 years too soon. Buried in 1957 and intended for 2957,… Read more “Links in Time and Space May Form the Universe’s Foundation”
Strange Galaxy Discovered Swept By Fierce Oxygen Winds
“I was actually very surprised to discover that this wind is made mostly of oxygen because nobody has seen a galaxy like this before,” says Anna Lia… Read more “Strange Galaxy Discovered Swept By Fierce Oxygen Winds”
A curious cosmic collision revisited
The spectacular aftermath of a 360-million-year-old cosmic collision is revealed in great detail in new images from the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) at… Read more “A curious cosmic collision revisited”
Quantum Blips Triggered the Formation of Galaxies, Stars, Planets
Data from the Planck telescope have confirmed beyond any reasonable doubt a theory of the quantum origin of structure in the Universe. What exactly happened after the… Read more “Quantum Blips Triggered the Formation of Galaxies, Stars, Planets”
Observed cosmic rays may have come from two-million-year-old supernova
High-energy protons, nuclei, and other particles are constantly showering down on Earth’s atmosphere from space, but the origins of these cosmic rays is unknown. One possibility is… Read more “Observed cosmic rays may have come from two-million-year-old supernova”
The Case For Complex Dark Matter
Dark matter — the unseen 80 percent of the universe’s mass — doesn’t emit, absorb or reflect light. Astronomers know it exists only because it interacts with… Read more “The Case For Complex Dark Matter”
The Science Of Alternate Worlds
Tuesday’s big post on harmonic oscillation spun off an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode where they used a bit of magical technology to visit an alternate world. This… Read more “The Science Of Alternate Worlds”
Researchers May Have Discovered Alien Structure
A distant star observed through NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope features a strange diming pattern that a university researcher says might indicate the presence of alien “megastructures.” Jason… Read more “Researchers May Have Discovered Alien Structure”
Comet surface changes before Rosetta’s eyes | Rosetta – ESA’s comet chaser
Since arriving at Comet 67P/C-G in August 2014, Rosetta has been witnessing an increase in the activity of the comet, warmed by the ever-closer Sun. A general… Read more “Comet surface changes before Rosetta’s eyes | Rosetta – ESA’s comet chaser”
