Astronomy
274 articles-
Nine Rebel Astronomy Theories That Went Dark
Bright ideas from astronomy’s biggest stars haven’t always worked out. -
Lithium, the Elemental Rebel
What a missing element can teach us about the universe. -
How a Total Eclipse Alters Your Psyche
The importance of feeling small and insignificant. -
Doubts Grow About the Biosignature Approach to Alien-Hunting
Recent controversies bode ill for the effort to detect life on other planets by analyzing the gases in their atmospheres. -
Here to Save the Day!
Asteroid defense gets serious. -
Could Modified Gravity Kill Planet Nine?
A controversial theory can explain phenomena attributed to the mystery planet. -
Inside an Exploded Star
Cassiopeia A gets a close-up. -
The Thorny Ethics of Making Alien Planets Habitable
Terraforming Mars could risk exterminating the very lifeforms we dream of discovering. -
My 3 Greatest Revelations
The author on writing her book, Our Moon, about the power of our satellite to guide evolution and human curiosity. -
The Violent Birth of the Moon
Did a colossal collision with a doomed planet give us our satellite?
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The Enlightening Beauty of an Einstein Ring
What a trippy gravitational phenomenon can tell us about the universe.
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The Echoes of Light
What astronomers see in the light bouncing across the universe. -
Earth May Not Be Toast
When our sun expands into a giant red star, it might not devour its third planet, after all. -
Could the Universe Be Finite?
It’s not absurd to think the universe might endure forever. -
Hello, Jupiter!
Striking images of the planet, its volcanic moon Io and its trippy atmosphere. -
The Cosmic Web and the Fate of the Universe
Projects to map the universe are getting weird.
