Research

New evidence from the GW200105 event reveals a neutron star and black hole merging on an eccentric orbit, challenging established circular models. The findings suggest a crowded cosmic origin, resulting in a black hole 13 times the sun's mass.

Scientists have uncovered the first robust evidence of a black hole and neutron star crashing together while orbiting in an oval path

Scientists have uncovered the first robust evidence of a black hole and neutron star crashing together while orbiting in an oval path, challenging long-standing assumptions about cosmic pair formation. Most neutron star-black hole pairs are expected to adopt circular orbits long before merging, their orbits slowly rounded out by the constant emission of gravitational waves over millions of years.

Mar 111 min read

Understanding Starless Moons: This illustration depicts how moons without stars maintain warmth through tidal heating and atmospheric protection, where high-pressure hydrogen atmospheres play a crucial role in trapping heat, offering parallels to early Earth conditions and hinting at prolonged liquid water presence.

Far from the warmth of any star, moons orbiting rogue gas giants might harbor oceans of liquid water

Far from the warmth of any star, moons orbiting rogue gas giants might harbor oceans of liquid water—and potentially complex life—for billions of years. Liquid water is considered essential for life. Surprisingly, however, stable conditions that are conducive to life could exist far from any sun.

Mar 111 min read

Illustration of the formation of a magnetar following a superluminous supernova (SN 2024afav), highlighting the role of extreme magnetic fields and the unique 'chirp' signal produced by general relativity. It showcases the dynamic processes like the rapidly spinning neutron star, the lens-thirring wobble, and the resultant light oscillations.

Astronomers have witnessed the birth of a highly magnetized, spinning neutron star

Astronomers have witnessed the birth of a highly magnetized, spinning neutron star, confirming it as the hidden engine behind some of the brightest exploding stars in the cosmos. Superluminous supernovae—which can be 10 or more times brighter than run-of-the-mill supernovae—have puzzled astronomers since their discovery in the early 2000s. They were thought to result from the explosion of very massive stars, perhaps 25 times the mass of our sun, but they stayed bright much l

Mar 111 min read

Scientists have uncovered the first robust evidence of a black hole and neutron star crashing together while orbiting in an oval path

Mar 111 min read

Far from the warmth of any star, moons orbiting rogue gas giants might harbor oceans of liquid water

Mar 111 min read

Astronomers have witnessed the birth of a highly magnetized, spinning neutron star

Mar 111 min read

"Detailed Infographic Depicts the Observation of a Distant Planetary Collision, Offering Insights into Earth's Origins: A Study of Grazing Impacts Leading to Catastrophic Events, Mirrored in the Earth-Moon System, With Predictions for Future Discoveries."

Anastasios Tzanidakis was combing through old telescope data when he found an otherwise boring star acting very strangely.

Anastasios Tzanidakis was combing through old telescope data when he found an otherwise boring star acting very strangely. What he uncovered was the violent birth of a dust cloud—the aftermath of two planets colliding. The star, named Gaia20ehk, is located about 11,000 light-years from Earth near the constellation Puppis. It was a stable "main sequence" star, much like our sun, which meant that it should emit steady, predictable light. Yet this star began to flicker wildly.

Mar 111 min read

Balancing the Cosmos: New Discoveries Aim to Resolve the Hubble Tension by Comparing Faster Stellar Explosions with Slower Cosmic Microwave Background Expansion Rates, Challenging Dark Matter Assumptions.

Astronomers are rewriting the rules on dark matter and the expansion rate of the universe.

By analyzing the delicate balance between gravitational pull and cosmic expansion in our local neighborhood, astronomers are rewriting the rules on dark matter and the expansion rate of the universe. Two new studies have measured the expansion of the universe in our immediate cosmic neighborhood using a novel method.

Mar 111 min read

The infographic illustrates the challenges of blood clotting in female astronauts due to microgravity, highlighting faster clot formation, increased stability, and medical monitoring protocols essential for astronaut health.

Just a few days in simulated microgravity can subtly change the way women's blood clots

Just a few days in simulated microgravity can subtly change the way women's blood clots, sparking bigger questions about health monitoring protocols for astronauts who spend six months or more in orbit. First reported in 2020, an International Space Station (ISS) mission detected an unexpected blood clot in a female astronaut's jugular vein.

Mar 51 min read

Exploring the Geminga Pulsar: This infographic highlights a groundbreaking discovery in cosmic-ray physics, showcasing the Geminga halo's 100 TeV electron cutoff and its role in understanding particle diffusion and magnetic turbulence. Located 800 light-years away, Geminga provides an ideal laboratory for cosmic-ray propagation studies with a detection range from 16 TeV to 250 TeV.

Scientists have successfully measured magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence on scales below one parsec

For the first time, scientists have successfully measured magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence on scales below one parsec within the gamma-ray halo surrounding the Geminga pulsar wind nebula. Published in Science Advances, this groundbreaking observation extends to the highest energies—above 100 tera-electron volts (TeV)—providing entirely new insights into the behavior of cosmic rays and magnetic fields within the Milky Way.

Mar 51 min read

Exploring the concept of the "5,000-Year Ceiling," this infographic delves into the reasons behind the galaxy's silence, highlighting humanity's brief technological age of 200 years and the Fermi Paradox. It illustrates risks such as nuclear war, AI, and climate change that place humanity in a "danger zone," suggesting advanced civilizations might not last beyond 5,000 years.

Where Is Everybody? And yet, no signals. No visitors. No evidence of anyone at all.

It is one of the most famous questions in science, asked over lunch by physicist Enrico Fermi. With hundreds of billions of stars and billions of years, life should have emerged many times over. And yet, no signals. No visitors. No evidence of anyone at all. The universe is 13 billion years old. Our galaxy alone contains hundreds of billions of stars, a significant proportion of which host planets. Many of those planets sit in the right temperature range for liquid water.

Mar 31 min read

New research suggests Earth's geology alone is sufficient to maintain habitability, challenging the role of biology and expanding the search for life beyond our planet.

Would Earth still be a world capable of supporting life?

Here's a thought experiment that keeps planetary scientists awake at night. Strip every living thing from our planet—every bacterium, every blade of grass, every creature that has ever drawn breath—and ask a simple but profound question: Would Earth still be a world capable of supporting life? The answer, it turns out, is yes. And that finding has enormous implications for how we search for life beyond our solar system. The problem is subtle but important.

Mar 31 min read

The Cosmic Gigamaser, detected 8 billion light-years away, showcases the dazzling luminosity from colliding galaxies, amplified by a cosmic telescope effect and unraveled through sophisticated data processing with the help of the MeerKAT radio telescope.

Using the MeerKAT radio telescope, astronomers have discovered a natural "space laser"

Using the MeerKAT radio telescope, astronomers have discovered a natural "space laser" originating from a violently merging galaxy more than 8 billion light-years away. When gas-rich galaxies collide, the impact compresses enormous reservoirs of gas. This violent cosmic crash can stimulate molecules—specifically hydroxyl (OH) molecules—causing them to emit incredibly bright, coherent radio waves.

Mar 31 min read

Research

Scientists have uncovered the first robust evidence of a black hole and neutron star crashing together while orbiting in an oval path

Far from the warmth of any star, moons orbiting rogue gas giants might harbor oceans of liquid water

Astronomers have witnessed the birth of a highly magnetized, spinning neutron star

Scientists have uncovered the first robust evidence of a black hole and neutron star crashing together while orbiting in an oval path

Far from the warmth of any star, moons orbiting rogue gas giants might harbor oceans of liquid water

Astronomers have witnessed the birth of a highly magnetized, spinning neutron star

Anastasios Tzanidakis was combing through old telescope data when he found an otherwise boring star acting very strangely.

Astronomers are rewriting the rules on dark matter and the expansion rate of the universe.

Just a few days in simulated microgravity can subtly change the way women's blood clots

Scientists have successfully measured magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence on scales below one parsec

Where Is Everybody? And yet, no signals. No visitors. No evidence of anyone at all.

Would Earth still be a world capable of supporting life?

Using the MeerKAT radio telescope, astronomers have discovered a natural "space laser"

Featured Articles

Scientists have uncovered the first robust evidence of a black hole and neutron star crashing together while orbiting in an oval path

Far from the warmth of any star, moons orbiting rogue gas giants might harbor oceans of liquid water

A wave of satellite launches and reentries is changing the chemistry and physics of the middle and upper atmosphere.

Astronomers have witnessed the birth of a highly magnetized, spinning neutron star

Anastasios Tzanidakis was combing through old telescope data when he found an otherwise boring star acting very strangely.