Images from the Webb telescope suggest that newborn galaxies look weirder than expected. Exactly how screwy was physics at the dawn of time?
Author: DENNIS OVERBYE
How to Create a Black Hole Out of Thin Air
Black holes were thought to arise from the collapse of dead stars. But a Webb telescope image showing the early universe hints at an alternative pathway.
Exactly How Much Life is on Earth?
According to a new study, living cells outnumber stars in the universe, highlighting the deep, underrated link between geophysics and biology.
The Big Nobel Prize Winners Were Short and Fast
The awards for physics and chemistry were a reminder that the most important processes in nature unfold on a scale divorced from everyday human affairs.
In Space, the Past Is Future (and Equally Unpredictable)
Not even the most advanced physics can reveal everything we want to know about the history and future of the cosmos, or about ourselves.
What Is That Question Mark in Space? Here’s What We Know — and Don’t Know
Close scrutiny of a recent image from the Webb Space Telescope revealed some questionable punctuation.
The Biggest Explosion in the Cosmos Just Keeps Going
For three years, telescopes have monitored “one of the most luminous” events ever: a supermassive black hole consuming a gigantic cloud of interstellar gas.
Back Then, Baby Galaxies. Next, a Super-Mega Galactic Cluster?
The Webb telescope has spotted some of the oldest known collections of stars. They may have a very bright future.
A Fresh View of an Increasingly Familiar Black Hole
Radio astronomers have captured a wide-angle image of one of the most violent locales in the cosmos.
From Bullets to ‘Bird Residue,’ the Many Trials of Telescopes
Before an observatory can plumb the secrets of the cosmos, it must navigate more humbling challenges.