Einstein’s theory of relativity just got 500x harder to beat
Einstein’s general theory of relativity—the idea that gravity is matter warping spacetime—has withstood over 100 years of scrutiny and testing, including the newest test...
Scientists reveal the secrets of lithium-rich stars
Lithium is an ancient element that is almost as old as the universe itself.
As one of the building blocks of our present-day universe though,...
Some planets may be better for life than Earth, says study
Earth is not necessarily the best planet in the universe.
Researchers have identified two dozen planets outside our solar system that may have conditions more...
Scientists discover galaxies trapped in the web of a supermassive black hole
With the help of ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have found six galaxies lying around a supermassive black hole when the Universe was...
Venus might be habitable today, if not for Jupiter
Venus might not be a sweltering, waterless hellscape today, if Jupiter hadn't altered its orbit around the sun, according to new UC Riverside research.
Jupiter...
Scientists discover the second alignment plane of our solar system
A study of comet motions indicates that the Solar System has a second alignment plane.
Analytical investigation of the orbits of long-period comets shows that...
Scientists precisely measure total amount of matter in the universe
A top goal in cosmology is to precisely measure the total amount of matter in the universe, a daunting exercise for even the most...
Scientists find why Jupiter’s storms behave so strangely
At the south pole of Jupiter lurks a striking sight—even for a gas giant planet covered in colorful bands that sports a red spot...
Remnants of an ancient asteroid shed new light on the early solar system
Researchers have shaken up a once accepted timeline for cataclysmic events in the early solar system.
About 4.5 Ga (giga-anum, or billion years ago), as...
New analysis of black hole reveals a wobbling shadow
In 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration delivered the first image of a black hole, revealing M87*—the supermassive object in the center of the...