Astronomy
Astronomers Watched a Star System Die
About 570 light years from Earth lies WD 1145+017, a white dwarf star. In many respects it's a typical white…
How the World’s Biggest Radio Telescope Could be Used to Search for Aliens
In the coming years, China's FAST radio telescope could join in the hunt for extraterrestrials thanks to a partnership with…
Decaying Dark Matter Should be Visible Here in the Milky Way as a Halo Around the Galaxy
Astronomers are very sure that dark matter exists, but they're not sure at all what it's made of. The problem…
Astronomers are hoping to see the very first stars and galaxies in the Universe
Sometimes it's easy being an astronomer. When your celestial target is something simple and bright, the game can be pretty…
New Find Shows Uranus Loses Atmosphere to its Magnetic Field
NASA’s researchers at the Goddard Space Flight Center recently did just that, looking at Voyager 2’s lone encounter with the…
Astronomers Define the “Really Habitable Zone”. Planets Capable of Producing Gin and Tonic
A hospitable star that doesn't kill you with deadly flares. A rocky planet with liquid water and an agreeable climate.…
Five Snapshots of how the Earth Looked at Key Points in its History Could Help us Find Habitable Exoplanets
A study by Cornell's Carl Sagan Institute provides models of how Earth looked like over time, which could help us…
This Galaxy Has Only One Spiral Arm
There are all kinds of odd things in the sky. Things that defy our naming conventions, and our attempts to…
SpaceX Almost Ready to Start Testing its Third Starship Prototype. Let’s Hope it Doesn’t Explode
Musk recently posted photos of the latest Starship prototype, which were recently assembled and shipped to Boca Chica to begin…
This Galaxy is the Very Definition of “Flocculent”
I know you're Googling "flocculent" right now, unless you happen to be a chemist, or maybe a home brewer. You…