Space

  1. Space

    Black hole mega-burp was truly explosive

    Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a black hole blasted out 100 billion times as much energy as our sun ever will. One word for that: Wow!

    By
  2. Space

    Scientists Say: Light-year

    This is the distance light travels in one year — about 9.48 trillion kilometers. Light-years are used to measure vast distances, like those in space.

    By
  3. Earth

    Weight lifting is this planetary scientist’s pastime

    Beck Strauss uses magnetic fields to explore the makeup of Earth and other planets.

    By
  4. Space

    Scientists Say: Gas giant

    These gargantuan planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn, are mostly made up of hydrogen and helium gas.

    By
  5. Space

    See the sun in dazzling detail

    These images show the sun as it has never been seen before. They come from the new Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope.

    By
  6. Space

    Our sun is neighbor to a giant wave of gas

    The Earth and sun sit relatively close to a newfound thread of star-forming gas. That gas is being called the Radcliffe Wave.

    By
  7. Space

    This ‘Sombrero’ stole a big galaxy

    The Sombrero Galaxy is an odd spiral galaxy that outshines all others within 35 million light-years of Earth. Its bright, iron-rich halo suggests it consumed one or more large galaxies.

    By
  8. Planets

    Glass beads help scientists puzzle out how baby planets grow

    Researchers have mimicked the first stages of planet formation in the lab. All they needed were glass beads and a catapult.

    By
  9. Space

    NASA’s Parker probe spots rogue waves and magnetic islands on the sun

    The Parker probe’s first data is giving scientists a look at what’s to come as the craft moves closer to the sun over the next few years.

    By
  10. Space

    Dust-shrouded monster is a snapshot from the early universe

    Scientists have spotted a massive galaxy from the early universe shrouded in dust. It turned up in a small survey by the ALMA radio telescopes in Chile.

    By
  11. Space

    Explainer: Understanding meteors and meteor showers

    Meteors regularly enter Earth’s atmosphere. Most ‘shooting stars’ pose few risks to life on the ground, but the rare big ones can be lethal.

    By
  12. Physics

    Magnetic fields may supercharge the sun’s release of heat

    Astronomers have linked flame-like tendrils rising from the sun to changes in its magnetic fields. This may be one step toward understanding why the sun’s corona is so very, very hot.

    By