Lens_matter
435 articles-
Readers Love Curious George. I Fell in Love with the Author’s Astronomy Books.
H.A. Rey recreated star maps with wit, grace, and accuracy. -
Planets Are Born from Dust Trap Rings
All we are is dust in the wind, man. The same goes for the planets and asteroids and comets. Starting from our dusty beginnings, gravity and a mess of other forces conspired to build our solar system. There’s a venerable tradition of trying to figure out what that grand and hectic process must have looked […] -
We Discovered a Rogues’ Gallery of Monster-Sized Gas Giants
It doesn’t feel right to see a toddler walking down the street by themselves. Toddlers don’t just go rogue, and if they do they are quickly chased down by a parent or grandparent or teacher and brought back where they belong. Most planets are like toddlers: They follow a well-behaved orbit around a star. It […] -
NASA Is on the Cusp of a New Era
A planetary scientist explains why SpaceX’s Starship will transform her field. -
What Impossible Meant to Richard Feynman
What I learned when I challenged the legendary physicist.
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What You’re Doing Right Now Is Proof of Quantum Theory
Running a computer underscores how quantum physics is remaking our world.
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Neuroscience Weighs in on Physics’ Biggest Questions
A theory of consciousness can help build a theory of everything.
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The Safety Belt of Our Solar System
Mapping the heliosphere, which shields us from harmful cosmic rays.
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Looking for Life on Mars
An astrobiologist and a director on the joys and challenges of filming space science.
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Where Aliens Could Be Watching Us
More than 1,700 stars could have seen Earth in the past 5,000 years.
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The Universe Has Already Made Almost All the Stars It Will Ever Make
Black holes are cosmic dimmers. -
My Personal Quest to Study Supernovae on Mars
Overcoming sexist naysayers and self-doubt in astrophysics. -
What’s Fueling Today’s Extreme Fires
A geophysicist breaks down the elements of wildfires. -
The Planets with the Giant Diamonds Inside
Mining the mysteries of Uranus and Neptune. -
The End of Reductionism Could Be Nigh. Or Not.
Quantum mechanics seems to have a problem with the order of time, which might signal the need for an entirely new type of law.Illustration by Ekaterina Kulaeva / Shutterstock The history of science so far has been a triumph of reductionism. Biology can be reduced to chemistry, chemistry can be reduced to atomic physics, and […]
