Science
If There Were a War in Space, Debris Would Destroy all Remaining Satellites in About 40 Years
On one particular day in 2021, astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the ISS must have felt a pin-prick of fear and…
Light Pollution is Out of Control
Concern over global light pollution is growing. Astronomers are noticing its growing effect on astronomical observations, just as predicted in…
A New Way to Measure Distances in the Universe
If we want to understand the Universe, we have to start with its size. Ancient people had no idea there…
Geoengineering is Shockingly Inexpensive
Despite decades of warnings and international climate agreements, global carbon emissions are still rising. Carbon emissions seem like an unstoppable…
These New Computer Simulations of the Sun are Hypnotic
It's almost impossible to over-emphasize the primal, raging, natural power of a star. Our Sun may appear benign in simple…
A Few Interstellar Objects Have Probably Been Captured
When Oumuamua travelled through our Solar System back in 2017, people around the world paid attention. It was the first…
Each Planetary Nebula is Unique. Why Do They Look So Different?
When it comes to cosmic eye candy, planetary nebulae are at the top of the candy bowl. Like fingerprints—or maybe…
Remnants of a Relict Glacier Found Near the Equator on Mars
New results presented at the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference could change our approach to Mars exploration. Scientists studying…
The Universe Sparkles in Gamma Rays in this New NASA Animation
We've come a long way since gamma rays were discovered. The late 1800s and early 1900s were a time of…
Ultra-Massive Black Holes: How Does the Universe Produce Objects So Massive?
Black holes are the most massive objects that we know of in the Universe. Not stellar mass black holes, not…