Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Two breathtaking pictures of a galaxy and a star taken by the Hubble telescope, highlighting the beauty and cosmic magnitude that fuels the Hubble tension.
There are two different ways to measure the expansion rate of the Universe, and they don't agree. And no, new measurements don't help.
Two people are tandem skydiving, falling through the air above a landscape of fields, mountains, and coastline under a clear sky.
Is gravity weaker over distances of billions of light-years?
A new all-time record! JWST's discovery of JADES-GS-z14-0 pushes the earliest galaxy ever seen to just 290 million years after the Big Bang.
Abstract representation of a cosmic event with a burst of particles emanating from a central point, blending astrophysical imagery with geometric designs.
If you bring too much mass or energy together in one location, you'll inevitably create a black hole. So why didn't the Big Bang become one?
A deep space image showing numerous galaxies of different shapes and sizes scattered across a dark background, with many stars and cosmic objects, including the ancient Methuselah star, also visible throughout.
The Universe is precisely dated at 13.8 billion years old, but astronomers claim the Methuselah star is 14.5 billion years old. What gives?
A sailboat is silhouetted against a vibrant sunset over a calm sea, with other boats and their reflections visible in the background. The sky and water have a golden hue.
Ancient currents seemed to move in concert with a 2.4 million-year dance between the Red Planet and Earth.
standard model color
Predicted way back in the 1960s, the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 completed the Standard Model. Here's why it remains fascinating.
Stellar explosion
The expanding Universe, in many ways, is the ultimate out-of-equilibrium system. After enough time passes, will we eventually get there?
A diagram of the solar system illustrates the heliosphere, detailing the termination shock, heliopause, and bow shock, along with the paths of Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, and Voyager 2. This visual representation underscores key aspects of fundamental science in our cosmic neighborhood.
Some think the reason fundamental scientific revolutions are so rare is because of groupthink. It's not; it's hard to mess with success.
big crunch
For nearly 25 years, we thought we knew how the Universe would end. Now, new measurements point to a profoundly different conclusion.
A close-up of a metallic conical structure, set against a dark wireframe background. The structure has reflective surfaces and appears to be part of a scientific or industrial apparatus.
Scientists are searching for dark matter particles that are trillions or even quadrillion times lighter than the more traditional searches. 
planetary nebulae infrared spitzer
In ~7 billion years, our Sun will run out of fuel and die. So will every star, eventually. Here are the different fates they'll encounter.
A dark, rocky planet is shown in space with a bright star in the background, surrounded by numerous smaller stars and cosmic dust clouds.
In 2023, data from the James Webb Space Telescope soured hopes that TRAPPIST-1 c had an atmosphere. That disappointment might have been premature.
hubble tension
The mutual distance between well-separated galaxies increases with time as the Universe expands. What else expands, and what doesn't?
A view of Earth from space with a bright sunburst at the planet's edge. Stars and a dark expanse of space serve as the background.
The number of planets that could support life may be far greater than previously thought, a recent discovery suggests.
pulse polio day india
It’s not a gambit. It’s not fraud. It’s not driven by opinion, prejudice, or bias. It's not unchallengeable. And it's more than facts alone.
A vibrant aurora borealis with green and purple hues in a starry sky, viewed over the silhouette of a tree, reminiscent of the "aurora hubble" phenomenon.
The most iconic, longest-lived space telescope of all, NASA's Hubble, is experiencing orbital decay as the solar cycle peaks. Here's why.
Astronomical image showing a galaxy cluster with multiple bright glowing sources and smaller points against a deep blue and purple space background.
We normally think of dark matter as the "glue" that holds galaxies and larger structures together. But it's so much more than that.
separation normal matter dark matter galaxy cluster
There are many theories of gravity out there, and many interpretations of wide binary star data. What have we really learned from it all?
Raisin bread expanding Universe
The evidence that the Universe is expanding is overwhelming. But how? By stretching the existing space, or by creating new space itself?
A vibrant display of green aurora borealis above an antarctic research station under a starry sky.
IceCube scientists have detected high-energy tau neutrinos from deep space, suggesting that neutrino transformations occur not only in lab experiments but also over cosmic distances.
elements
In 2017, we detected gold being forged in a neutron star-neutron star merger. Now, in 2024, the amounts created simply don't add up.
Close-up of a beluga whale's head with visible facial creases, communicating in an alien language, against a dark water background.
Learning to decode complex communication on Earth may give us a leg up if intelligent life from space makes contact.
A vibrant image of the Horsehead Nebula captured by JWST, featuring a radiant blue and white glow against a deep red starry background.
The most iconic "dark nebula" of all lights up under JWST's infrared gaze. Here's what's newly discovered inside.
Nasa's ingenuity mars helicopter captured mid-flight on the martian surface, surrounded by rocky terrain.
If the past is any guide, things are going to take off quickly.
Holograms preserve all of an object's 3D information, but on a 2D surface. Could the holographic Universe idea lead us to higher dimensions?
A bright flash of light in the Universe
In general relativity, white holes are just as mathematically plausible as black holes. Black holes are real; what about white holes?
A digital rendering of a planet partially illuminated by a nearby star, with a galaxy visible in the dark space background.
An interview with Lisa Kaltenegger, the founding director of the Carl Sagan Institute, about the modern quest to answer an age-old question: "Are we alone in the cosmos?"
A composite image of the milky way galaxy showing colorful interstellar dust and gas with star fields.
This first-of-its-kind image offers a detailed look at the magnetic fields within the Central Molecular Zone.
A digital artwork of a satellite with a large golden antenna, transmitting a blue beam towards earth against a starry space background.
Astranis is on a mission to help everyone in the world get online.