Carolyn Collins Petersen
Actually, Ceres Might Have Formed in the Asteroid Belt After All
Dwarf planet Ceres is the largest planetary body in the Asteroid Belt. For a long time, scientists thought it was…
There Could be a Way to Fix Spacecraft at L2, Like Webb and Gaia
Billions of dollars of observatory spacecraft orbit around Earth or in the same orbit as our planet. When something wears…
Scientists Recreate Mars Spiders in the Lab
In 2003, strange features on Mars's surface got scientists' "spidey senses" tingling when they saw them. That's when unusual "anareiform…
Two Supermassive Black Holes on a Collision Course With Each Other
Galaxy collisions are foundational events in the Universe. They happen when two systems mingle stars in a cosmic dance. They…
There’s More Water Inside Planets Than We Thought
When you walk across your lawn or down the street, you move on the surface of a surprisingly layered world.…
The Surprising Source of Radiation Coming From Black Holes
Black holes are famous for sucking in everything that crosses their event horizons, including light. So, why do astronomers see…
Dark Matter Could Have Driven the Growth of Early Supermassive Black Holes
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) keeps finding supermassive black holes (SMBH) in the early Universe. They're in active galactic…
A New Test Proves How to Make the Event Horizon Telescope Even Better
Want a clear view of a supermassive black hole's environment? It's an incredible observational challenge. The extreme gravity bends light…
What if you Flew Your Warp Drive Spaceship into a Black Hole?
Warp drives have a long history of not existing, despite their ubiquitous presence in science fiction. Writer John Campbell first…
Neutron Star Mergers Could Be Producing Quark Matter
When neutron stars dance together, the grand smash finale they experience might create the densest known form of matter known…