Astronomy
Mistranslation of Newton’s First Law Discovered after Nearly 300 Years
A new interpretation of Isaac Newton’s writings clarifies what the father of classical mechanics meant in his first law of motion
Astrophysics1377 articles archived since 1845
Astronomy
What Color Is the Sun?
Yellow, white or maybe even green—the sun’s hue depends on how you see it
Astronomy
Will the Universe Ever Stop Expanding?
Scientists debate what the future of the cosmos looks like and whether space will ever stop getting bigger and bigger
Astrophysics
The Colors of Stars, Explained
From dim red to brilliant blue, stellar colors span the spectrum—and reveal how much any star brings the heat
Astrophysics
This Bizarre Star Could Become One of the Strongest Magnets in the Universe
Magnetars possess magnetic fields that are trillions of times stronger than those of ordinary stars. Now we might have seen one of these extraordinary objects about to form
Astrophysics
A Background ‘Hum’ Pervades the Universe. Scientists Are Racing to Find Its Source
Astronomers are now seeking to pinpoint the origins of an exciting new form of gravitational waves that was announced earlier this year
Astronomy
Can You Decode an Alien Message?
An artist, a programmer and a scientist have created a simulation of extraterrestrial communication to test Earthlings’ ability to understand it
Astrophysics
Rippling Waves of Plasma May Cause Massive Stars to ‘Twinkle’
Scientists have developed a new model to predict how much “gravity waves” could alter a star’s brightness
Astrophysics
Helium in Distant Galaxies May Help Explain Why the Universe Exists
New measurements from Japan’s Subaru telescope have helped researchers study the matter-antimatter asymmetry problem
Astronomy
The Most Surprising Discoveries in Physics
Experts weigh in on the most shocking, paradigm-shifting and delightful findings in the history of physics
Astronomy
Only 26 Black Women Have Ever Become Astrophysicists in the U.S. Here’s One’s Story
Astrophysicist Aomawa Shields recounts her alternative career path in a new memoir about life, space and motherhood
Astrophysics
Nearby Supernova Gives Unique View of a Dying Star’s Last Days
Astronomers are piecing together the final moments of supernova 2023ixf and learning more about it than any other in recent history
Astrophysics
JWST Might Have Spotted the First Dark Matter Stars
Stars fueled by the self-annihilation of dark matter might have been spotted for the first time by JWST
Astrophysics
Stunning, Hours-Long Solar Flare Unleashes Plasma Blob
A trio of solar flares from a departing sunspot include one major flare that lasted several hours
Astrophysics
Ultracold Gases Can Probe Neutron Star Guts
Earth-based analogs are opening new frontiers in studies of the superdense interiors of neutron stars
Astronomy
Earliest Merging Galaxies Discovered in New JWST Photos
Astronomers found two colliding galaxies dating back to less than 500 million years after the big bang
Astrophysics
In a First, Scientists See Neutrinos Emitted by the Milky Way
The disk of our galaxy was long thought to produce these ghostly high-energy particles, but they haven’t been detected until now
Black Holes
First Evidence of Giant Gravitational Waves Thrills Astronomers
Astrophysicists are tuning in to a never-before-seen type of gravitational wave spawned by pairs of supermassive black holes
Astrophysics
Strange Giant Filaments Reveal a Mystery at the Milky Way’s Heart
Astrophysicist Farhad Yusef-Zadeh has spent decades peering into the center of the Milky Way galaxy, discovering hundreds of enigmatic filaments in the process
Black Holes
Black Holes Evaporate—Now Physicists Think Everything Else Does, Too
Particle by particle, all matter may eventually disappear, according to new calculations
