Astrophysics
Bizarre Dark Object Could Be First-Known ‘Empty’ Galaxy from the Early Universe
A serendipitously discovered object nearly as massive as the Milky Way appears to be made of primordial gas that has formed almost no stars
Astrophysics1392 articles archived since 1845
Astronomy
Information Theory Can Help Us Search for Life on Alien Worlds
Information theory can help us decode signs of biological activity hiding in the atmospheres of distant exoplanets
Astrophysics
The Language of Astronomy Is Needlessly Violent and Inaccurate
Astronomy is beautiful and elegant. The language we use to describe its processes is anything but
Astrophysics
Stars Don’t Slow Down with Age like Astronomers Thought
Middle-aged stars hit cruise control, stifling their magnetic fields and resisting the slowdown that scientists expected
Astrophysics
Betelgeuse Will Briefly Disappear in Once-in-a-Lifetime Coincidence
For six seconds tonight, the constellation Orion will appear to lose the vibrant red star at its shoulder—and scientists are thrilled
Astrophysics
The Second Most Powerful Cosmic Ray in History Came from—Nowhere?
Amaterasu—the most powerful cosmic ray seen in three decades—seems to come from an empty point of the sky. New telescopes may solve the mystery of its origins
Astrophysics
Mysterious ‘Tasmanian Devil’ Space Explosion Baffles Astronomers
Scientists still can’t explain what is causing unusually bright explosions in space—but a surprising observation might offer clues
Astrophysics
‘Heartbreak’ Stars Cause Enormous, Tumultuous Waves in Their Partners
Two orbiting stars are causing unsustainably large tides as they draw closer together
Astronomy
A Possible Crisis in the Cosmos Could Lead to a New Understanding of the Universe
Several unexplained measurements are threatening to upend scientists’ understanding of the universe’s origin and fate
Astrophysics
‘Modified’ Gravity May Make Planet Nine Disappear
Strange patterns in the orbits of small objects in the outer solar system could be explained by gaps in our understanding of gravity rather than an as-yet-unseen new world
Astrophysics
Traces of Oldest and Largest Solar Storm Found in Buried French Forest
An enormous “Miyake event”—a bombardment of Earth by particles from the sun—hit 14,300 years ago. Such an event today would have devastating effects
Astrophysics
Can Lucky Planets Get a Second Chance at Life?
Worlds around red giant stars—and others that don’t orbit any star at all—hint at an unexpected diversity of possibilities for planets and life in the universe
Astrophysics
Song of the Stars, Part 3: The Universe in all Senses
An astronomy festival in Italy opted to make all of its events and workshops multisensory. The organizers wanted to see whether sound, touch and smell can, like sight, transmit the wonders of the cosmos...
Astrophysics
Song of the Stars, Part 2: Seeing in the Dark
A blind astronomer “sonified” the universe’s most explosive events: gamma-ray bursts. By listening to, rather than looking at, the data, she made a critical discovery and changed the field of astronomy...
Astrophysics
Song of the Stars, Part 1: Transforming Space into Symphonies
Space is famously silent, but astronomers and musicians are increasingly turning astronomical data into sound as a way to make discoveries and inspire people who are blind or visually impaired...
Astronomy
Mistranslation of Newton’s First Law Discovered after Nearly 300 Years
A new interpretation of Isaac Newton’s writings clarifies what the father of classical mechanics meant in his first law of motion
Astronomy
What Color Is the Sun?
Yellow, white or maybe even green—the sun’s hue depends on how you see it
Astronomy
Will the Universe Ever Stop Expanding?
Scientists debate what the future of the cosmos looks like and whether space will ever stop getting bigger and bigger
Astrophysics
The Colors of Stars, Explained
From dim red to brilliant blue, stellar colors span the spectrum—and reveal how much any star brings the heat
Astrophysics
This Bizarre Star Could Become One of the Strongest Magnets in the Universe
Magnetars possess magnetic fields that are trillions of times stronger than those of ordinary stars. Now we might have seen one of these extraordinary objects about to form
