The biggest space telescope in history aims to answer astronomy’s oldest question: How did we get from the Big Bang to here?
Tag: Stars and Galaxies
A New 10-Year Plan for the Cosmos
On astronomers’ wish list for the next decade: two giant telescopes and a space telescope to search for life and habitable worlds beyond Earth.
The Webb Telescope’s Latest Stumbling Block: Its Name
The long-awaited successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is scheduled to launch in December. But the NASA official for whom it is named has been accused of homophobia.
What Animals See in the Stars, and What They Stand to Lose
Humans aren’t the only species that navigate by starlight. Animals from birds to dung beetles may do it, too — and might become disoriented as our city lights drown out the heavens.
Will the Next Space-Weather Season Be Stormy or Fair?
As another 11-year cycle of solar activity begins, scientists debate how violent our stellar friend is likely to be.
The Most Intimate Portrait Yet of a Black Hole
Two years of analyzing the polarized light from a galaxy’s giant black hole has given scientists a glimpse at how quasars might arise.
At the Edge of Time, a Litter of Galactic Puppies
The discovery of a black hole surrounded by protogalaxies provides astronomers with a rare glimpse of the web of matter permeating the cosmos.
This Star Looked Like It Would Explode. Maybe It Just Sneezed
The mysterious dimming of the red supergiant Betelgeuse is the result of a stellar exhalation, astronomers say.
Two Black Holes Colliding Not Enough? Make It Three
Astronomers claim to have seen a flash from the merger of two black holes within the maelstrom of a third, far bigger one.
The Interstellar Comet Has Arrived in Time for the Holidays
This weekend an ice cube from beyond our solar system will make its closest approach to the sun, trailing mystery and dust.