top of page
News


Astronomers found a hot, massive star being flung around by something they couldn't see.
Astronomers found a hot, massive star being flung around by something they couldn't see. It turns out to be a "Heavy" binary system on the brink of a violent future.
The Visible Star: A "Hot Subdwarf" (sdOB). It's small, blue, and scorching hot (35,800 K).
The Anomaly: It's moving too fast. It completes an orbit every 0.32 days. Something heavy is pulling on it.
2 days ago1 min read


Spaceflight doesn't just weaken bones. New MRI scans reveal that microgravity physically reshapes the human brain
Spaceflight doesn't just weaken bones. New MRI scans reveal that microgravity physically reshapes the human brain, compressing it against the skull.
On Earth, gravity anchors our brains. In space, that anchor is gone.
The Study: Comparing astronauts to bed-rest volunteers, researchers found that spaceflight causes the brain to float upward within the skull.
2 days ago1 min read


The most comprehensive search for aliens in history has concluded. What did we find?
Millions of computers. Two decades of listening. The most comprehensive search for aliens in history has concluded. What did we find?
In 1999, UC Berkeley launched a wild idea: use idle home computers to process radio data from Arecibo.
The Process: The telescope recorded radio waves. This raw data was split into chunks and sent to volunteers. Their screensavers crunched the numbers, looking for artificial spikes in the noise.
2 days ago1 min read


NASA's newest telescope isn't looking for new planets. It's looking at the stars they orbit
NASA's newest telescope isn't looking for new planets. It's looking at the stars they orbit, trying to fix a "flickering candle" problem that threatens to ruin our best data.
Studying an exoplanet's atmosphere is like holding a glass of red wine up to a candle. You analyze the light filtering through the liquid to judge its quality.
3 days ago1 min read


Red Dwarfs: New research suggests their planets might be forever stuck in the microbial age.
Red Dwarfs are the most common stars in the galaxy, but new research suggests their planets might be forever stuck in the microbial age.
Life on Earth runs on a specific fuel: PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation). This is visible light (400-700nm).
The Sun (G-Star): Pumps out massive amounts of PAR. Plants thrive, producing Oxygen.
3 days ago1 min read


A dead star without a disk is driving a massive shockwave through space.
A dead star without a disk is driving a massive shockwave through space. It defies our current understanding of stellar physics.
The Discovery: The star RXJ0528+2838 is moving through the galaxy. As it plows through the gas between stars (ISM), it creates a "Bow Shock"—like water piling up in front of a ship.
3 days ago1 min read


Huge rockets like Starship and New Glenn are finally flying. For astronomers, this means
Huge rockets like Starship and New Glenn are finally flying. For astronomers, this means escaping the "Origami Trap" of costly, folding telescopes.
Imagine listening to a piano recital, but you can only hear one octave. That's astronomy from Earth.
3 days ago1 min read


Astronomers have unlocked the secrets of a dying sun.
It's one of the faintest of its kind ever found. But by listening to its "ringing," astronomers have unlocked the secrets of a dying sun.
White Dwarfs are the leftover cores of stars like our Sun. They are usually stable, slowly cooling over billions of years.
3 days ago1 min read


New simulations reveal the Red Planet is secretly driving Earth's ice ages.
It's half the size of Earth, but Mars punches above its weight. New simulations reveal the Red Planet is secretly driving Earth's ice ages.
The Mechanism: Earth's orbit isn't a perfect circle. It stretches and squashes over thousands of years due to the gravity of other planets. These "Milankovitch Cycles" control our climate.
3 days ago1 min read


New evidence reveals that 3 billion years ago, Mars wasn't Red—it was Blue.
New evidence reveals that 3 billion years ago, Mars wasn't Red—it was Blue. High-resolution images of river deltas prove a massive ocean once covered the northern hemisphere.
Valles Marineris is the solar system's largest canyon. Today, it is a dry, dusty scar. But new data from the CaSSIS camera suggests it was once a bay connected to a global ocean.
3 days ago1 min read


Can we find the chemical fingerprint of life in the light of a distant star?
We know planets are out there. Now, we are learning to read their air. Can we find the chemical fingerprint of life in the light of a distant star?
Quantum mechanics dictates that every molecule absorbs light at specific wavelengths, creating a unique "barcode."
3 days ago1 min read


Astronomers have found a massive galaxy in the early universe that was strangled by its own black hole.
Galaxies need cold gas to form stars. Usually, fresh gas flows in from the cosmos to replenish what is used.
The Diagnosis: Pablo's Galaxy suffered "Net Zero Inflow." The Supermassive Black Hole at its center didn't tear the galaxy apart. Instead, it launched recurring winds that heated up the surrounding halo.
3 days ago1 min read
bottom of page


