Astronomy
Searching for Alien Worlds and Gravitational Lenses from the Arctic
The quest for optimal sites to carry out astronomical observations has taken scientists to the frigid Arctic. Eric Steinbring, who led a team…
Flash! Iridium Flares Captured in Real Time by Thierry Legault
There are so many fun sights to see in the sky that are pure astronomical magic. And then there are…
The Orbit of Earth. How Long is a Year on Earth?
Ever since the 16th century when Nicolaus Copernicus demonstrated that the Earth revolved around in the Sun, scientists have worked…
Communicating Across the Cosmos, Part 2: Petabytes from the Stars?
Since it was founded in 1984, the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in Mountain View, California, has been a…
Subaru Telescope Spots Galaxies From The Early Universe
It's an amazing thing, staring into deep space with the help of a high-powered telescope. In addition to being able…
New Simulation Offers Stunning Images of Black Hole Merger
A black hole is an extraordinarily massive, improbably dense knot of spacetime that makes a living swallowing or slinging away any morsel of energy…
A Thousand Days ‘Til Totality: Anticipating the 2017 Solar Eclipse
Where will YOU be on August 21st, 2017? Astronomy is all about humility and thinking big in terms of space…
Communicating Across the Cosmos, Part 1: Shouting into the Darkness
Over the last 20 years, astronomers have discovered several thousand planets orbiting other stars. We now know that potentially habitable…
Higgs Boson Threatened The Early Universe, But Gravity Saved The Day
All the physical properties of our Universe - indeed, the fact that we even exist within a Universe that we can…
What is the Difference Between Asteroids and Comets?
Asteroids and comets have a few things in common. They are both celestial bodies orbiting our Sun, and they both…