Diamonds and X-rays open a new window into the Earth’s inner core
Scientists have succeeded, for the first time, in measuring the speed of sound of pure iron under pressures similar to the Earth's inner core boundary.
Physicist strikes gold, solving 50-year lightning mystery
The chances of being struck by lightning are less than one in a million, but those odds shortened considerably this month.
Scientists discover an exoplanet atmosphere never seen before
New observations of WASP-39 b reveal a never-before-seen molecule in the atmosphere of a planet — sulfur dioxide — among other details.
Bright light from early universe ‘opens new chapter in astronomy’
The researchers found two exceptionally bright galaxies that existed approximately 350 and 450 million years after the big bang.
Stars and planets grow up together, reveals white dwarfs
A study of the oldest stars suggests the building blocks of planets like Jupiter and Saturn begin to form while a young star is growing.
Black holes don’t always power gamma-ray bursts, shows study
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been detected by satellites orbiting Earth as luminous flashes of the most energetic gamma-ray radiation lasting milliseconds to hundreds of seconds.
Exoplanets make it harder to figure out a star’s age
Estimating stellar age has always been a challenge for astronomers.
Now, a certain class of exoplanets is making the process even more complicated.
Hot Jupiters –...
MIT engineers develop a low-cost terahertz camera
Terahertz radiation, whose wavelengths lie between those of microwaves and visible light, can penetrate many nonmetallic materials and detect signatures of certain molecules.
These handy...
Tree rings reveal devastating radiation storms
A new study has shed new light on a mysterious, unpredictable and potentially devastating kind of astrophysical event.
A team led by Dr Benjamin Pope...
Scientists conduct the most precise accounting yet of dark energy and dark matter
Astrophysicists have performed a powerful new analysis that places the most precise limits yet on the composition and evolution of the universe.
With this analysis,...