The exact start date of Islam’s holiest month depends on when local Islamic authorities declare the sighting of the new moon.
Tag: Space and Astronomy
Surprise: An ‘Extraterrestrial’ Gadget Was Something More Familiar
In 2014 a fireball from outer space was posited to be an alien artifact. A recent study suggests otherwise.
Good News and Bad News for Astronomers’ Biggest Dream
The National Science Foundation takes a step (just one) toward an “extremely large telescope.”
Why Leap Day Is Really About Party Planning
Judah Levine, top time researcher, explains how Feb. 29 was invented to keep the major holidays from colliding.
U.S. Warns Allies Russia Could Put a Nuclear Weapon Into Orbit This Year
The American assessments are divided, however, and President Vladimir Putin denied having such an intention, saying that Russia was “categorically against” it.
The Doomsday Clock Keeps Ticking
Are humans the only beings in the universe confronting global self-destruction? Or just the last ones standing?
Dark Galaxies: What Happens When Stars Are Nearly Invisible
To dark matter and dark energy, add dark galaxies — collections of stars so sparse and faint that they are all but invisible.
A Famous Black Hole Gets a Second Look From Astronomers
Repeated studies of the supermassive black hole in the galaxy Messier 87 confirm that it continues to act as Einstein’s theory predicted it would.
Galaxies in the Early Universe Were Shaped Like Bananas, Study Suggests
Images from the Webb telescope suggest that newborn galaxies look weirder than expected. Exactly how screwy was physics at the dawn of time?
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.