astrophysics

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Harvard Astrophysicist's 'Wild' Alien Claims Rankle Peers

Avi Loeb believes he's recovered alien-made metal

(Newser) - Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has been pursuing answers to questions many colleagues would rather he leave in the realm of the speculative. One of those questions sent him on a quest to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean for what he believes is alien gold, so to speak. More...

We Assumed the Universe Was Getting Colder. It Isn't

So much for the 'Big Chill'

(Newser) - The Universe just had its temperature taken, and the results may surprise. Since the 1990s, researchers have put forth the theory that the mean temperature of the universe will drop as it expands and galaxies, stars, and planets move farther apart. But a team of international scientists has found that...

'The Big Bang Never Happened'
'The Big Bang Never Happened'
scientific theory
Nov 14, 2020 12:30 PM CST

'The Big Bang Never Happened'

Science writer Eric Lerner argues against the cosmological theory

(Newser) - Boom! The universe burst into existence about 14 billion years ago. So argue proponents of the Big Bang, a widely accepted theory that the universe expanded from a very hot and dense state into, well, everything. But not everyone agrees: "Saying that the Big Bang theory is a well-confirmed...

Physicist: Here's How the Universe Could End
Physicist: The Universe
Could Easily End This Way
study says
Aug 29, 2020 4:00 PM CDT

Physicist: The Universe Could Easily End This Way

Matt Caplan sees a last flurry of explosions

(Newser) - Flash forward trillions of years, and the universe is expected to be a dark, cold, lonely place—but how will it end? A new paper predicts a last flurry of explosions before our known world goes totally black, ScienceAlert reports. "Galaxies will have dispersed, black holes will have evaporated,...

This Is Actually a Map —the Biggest One Ever
This Is Actually a Map
—the Biggest One Ever
new study
Jul 22, 2020 3:14 PM CDT

This Is Actually a Map —the Biggest One Ever

This view of the universe also looks incredible

(Newser) - Want to get away? Now you can see how far "away" really is. Drawing on 20 years of research, scientists have created a 3D map of the universe that spans 11 billion years and covers more than 2 million quasars and galaxies—while shedding light on a couple of...

First-Ever Radio Signal Hits Earth From Inside Our Galaxy

And scientists think they've found the source

(Newser) - Intrigued by radio signals from outer space? Scientists have spotted a fast radio burst from inside the Milky Way—the first ever from our own galaxy—and say it might solve the riddle of other such bursts from the cosmos, Science Alert reports. This signal was discovered Tuesday and reported...

Hubble Telescope Gives Itself 'Stunning' Anniversary Gift

To celebrate 30 years in space, a jaw-dropping photo of 'Cosmic Reef' nebulae

(Newser) - On April 24, 1990, the space shuttle Discovery lifted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, with a very special item on board: the Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched into Earth's orbit a day later. Now, to celebrate the telescope's 30th anniversary observing the cosmos, NASA has...

This Black Hole Can't Exist. And There It Is

LB-1 is way more massive than other stellar black holes in our galaxy

(Newser) - A stellar black hole, 70 times the mass of our sun? Not likely, experts said—and yet, there it is. A group of Chinese-led scientists have spotted this "monster" black hole some 15,000 light-years away and dubbed it LB-1, the Washington Post reports. "Black holes of such...

DeGrasse Tyson Accused of Sexual Assault, Rape

Fox, National Geographic are investigating

(Newser) - Next up, Neil deGrasse Tyson? The world-famous astrophysicist is under investigation after two women claimed he behaved inappropriately with them—and an old rape claim re-emerged online, Deadline reports. Fox and National Geographic, the networks behind his show Cosmos, have joined the show's producers in investigating the two more...

Unusual Stephen Hawking Memorabilia Up for Auction

His wheelchair can be yours

(Newser) - Stephen Hawking was a cosmic visionary, a figure of inspiration, and a global celebrity. His unique status is reflected in an upcoming auction of some of the late physicist's possessions: It includes complex scientific papers, one of the world's most iconic wheelchairs, and a script from one of...

Our Days Are a Smidge Longer Than They Used to Be
Our Days 
Are a Smidge
Longer Than
They Used to Be
study says
Dec 10, 2016 8:33 AM CST

Our Days Are a Smidge Longer Than They Used to Be

Which we know thanks to some meticulous ancient astronomers

(Newser) - The meticulous work of ancient astronomers has led to a modern observation: Our days are longer than they used to be. Not that you'd notice: The new research in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A shows that it takes the Earth a tiny bit longer these days to...

Study: Saturn's Rings, Moons Are Younger Than Dinosaurs

And that's surprisingly young

(Newser) - Scientists may have overestimated how old Saturn's rings and moons are—by more than 4 billion years. In fact, the planet's rings and many of its 62 moons likely didn't form until dinosaurs were around to see it happen, Discovery reports. Researchers from the SETI Institute measured...

Mysterious Repeating Signals Are Arriving From Deep Space

'Fast radio bursts' are now even more baffling to astronomers

(Newser) - Researchers just announced the discovery of radio signals from beyond our galaxy that are behaving in strange ways. Fast radio bursts—or FRBs—are very rare, very quick blasts of radio waves originating billions of light years away, Popular Science explains. It's unclear where exactly in the universe they'...

4 Reactions to the Gravitational Waves Discovery

'I'm delighted'

(Newser) - After weeks of speculation, a team of LIGO scientists announced the long-awaited discovery of gravitational waves on Thursday. The discovery confirms a portion of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity 100 years after he first predicted gravitational waves. A lot of people were understandably excited. Here are some of...

Rumors of a Massive Physics Discovery Swirl

'Probably a shoo-in for this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics'

(Newser) - Rarely does a tweet not involving a Kardashian or a cat stir up such a swell of excitement. On Monday, physicist Lawrence Krauss tweeted that scientists may have discovered gravitational waves, phenomena first predicted by Albert Einstein more than 100 years ago but never observed, Gizmodo reports. "If true...

Giant Exoplanet's Rings a 'Super Saturn'
 Giant Exoplanet's 
 Rings a 'Super Saturn' 
NEW STUDY
Jan 27, 2015 8:35 AM CST

Giant Exoplanet's Rings a 'Super Saturn'

Impressive 30-ring system is 200 times larger than Saturn

(Newser) - In 2012, scientists discovered a giant exoplanet (one that orbits a star other than our sun) with a ring system so impressive it eclipses its own host star. Now, thanks to a recent eclipse where planet J1407b lined up in front of host star J1407, scientists at the University of...

There Are Only 10 Asteroids Worth Mining
 There Are Only 10 
 Asteroids Worth Mining 
STUDY SAYS
Jan 14, 2014 6:40 AM CST

There Are Only 10 Asteroids Worth Mining

Mining company says that's way off

(Newser) - The burgeoning space mining industry might be short lived if Harvard astrophysicist Dr. Martin Elvis' calculations are correct. Elvis has just released a study estimating that just 10 near-Earth asteroids could be mined cost effectively, the BBC reports. Elvis assumed that miners would want to grab M-type rocks, the iron-nickel...

Astrophysicist 'Finds' Superman's Planet Krypton
 Astrophysicist 
 'Finds' Superman's 
 Planet Krypton 
in case you missed it
Nov 10, 2012 7:22 AM CST

Astrophysicist 'Finds' Superman's Planet Krypton

Neil deGrasse Tyson gives DC Comics a hand

(Newser) - OK, the planet Krypton still isn't real—but now we know where it would be if it existed. Using data from DC Comics, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has found a spot in space for Superman's home planet, the New York Post reports. "One of our staffers reached...

Studies Illuminate the Moon's Explosive Origin

'Giant impact theory' gets a boost

(Newser) - A trio of new studies has breathed life back into a dramatic theory about the birth of the moon. Scientists have long suspected that the moon was formed when a Mars-sized planet called Theia smashed into Earth, obliterating itself and creating the moon, the LA Times explains. The problem? The...

Big Find: Dark Matter Strand Connecting Galaxy Clusters

Find confirms theories on universe's formation

(Newser) - This is shaping up to be one hell of a week for scientists trying to figure out the mysteries of the universe. Hot on the heels of the apparent Higgs boson discovery , an international team of astrophysicists has revealed that it has spotted a filament of dark matter connecting two...

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