Earth's Place in the Universe

  1. Space

    We finally have an image of the black hole at the heart of our galaxy

    New observations from the Event Horizon Telescope reveal the chaotic region around the Milky Way’s central black hole, Sagittarius A*, in extreme detail.

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  2. Planets

    Analyze This: Some 5,000 planets orbit stars other than our sun

    A new cache of confirmed exoplanet discoveries marks a milestone in planets found beyond our solar system.

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  3. Space

    Explainer: All about orbits

    A handful of rules can describe the route some object repeatedly takes around another in space. Calculating that path, however, can be quite complex.

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  4. Earth

    Scientists Say: Atmosphere

    An atmosphere is an envelope of gas around a planet, dwarf planet or moon.

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  5. Space

    Scientists Say: Constellation

    Constellations are clusters of related things, especially the stars that form patterns in the night sky — some of which date back to ancient times.

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  6. Planets

    Mercury’s surface may be studded with diamonds

    Billions of years of meteorite impacts may have transformed much of Mercury's graphite crust into precious gemstones.

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  7. Planets

    Let’s learn about Pluto

    Once known as a pipsqueak planet, Pluto is now the solar system’s best known dwarf planet.

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  8. Physics

    Scientists Say: Doppler effect

    The Doppler effect is a perceived change in the frequency of light or sound waves due to the wave source moving relative to an observer.

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  9. Animals

    The end of the dinosaurs appears to have come in springtime

    Fish fossils from North Dakota suggest when the Chicxulub asteroid devastated Earth, triggering the mass extinction of dinosaurs and other species.

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  10. Climate

    Nuevo informe de la ONU sobre el clima: no hay tiempo que perder

    En el informe de la ONU se vinculan directamente las temperaturas extremas, lluvias e incendios en todo el mundo con el clima cambiante de la Tierra.

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  11. Tech

    Space trash could kill satellites, space stations — and astronauts

    As private companies prepare to sprinkle space with tens of thousands of satellites, experts worry about the mushrooming threat of space junk.

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  12. Physics

    Scientists Say: Dark Energy

    Dark energy is the unknown force causing the universe to expand faster and faster.

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