Topic
Astronomy
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X-ray pulse detected near event horizon as black hole devours star
Pulse pattern suggests distant black hole must be spinning at least at 50 percent the speed of light.
January 9, 2019 -
Astronomers observe evolution of a black hole as it wolfs down stellar
Halo of highly energized electrons around the black hole contracts dramatically during feeding frenzy.
January 9, 2019 -
TESS discovers its third new planet, with longest orbit yet
Measurements indicate a dense, gaseous, “sub-Neptune” world, three times the size of Earth.
January 7, 2019 -
Tiny satellites could be “guide stars” for huge next-generation telescopes
Researchers design CubeSats with lasers to provide steady reference light for telescopes investigating distant planets.
January 4, 2019 -
Anna Frebel is searching the stars for clues to the universe’s origins
MIT astronomer and writer investigates ancient starlight and shares her excitement about the cosmos.
January 1, 2019 -
LIGO and Virgo announce four new gravitational-wave detections
The observatories are also releasing their first catalog of gravitational-wave events.
December 3, 2018 -
E.T., we’re home
Existing laser technology could be fashioned into Earth’s “porch light” to attract alien astronomers, study finds.
November 4, 2018 -
Professor Emeritus Bernard Burke, astrophysics pioneer, dies at 90
Former Astrophysics Division chair discovered radio noise from Jupiter and the first Einstein Ring, and developed tools to map the universe.
September 24, 2018 -
Book explores milestones of astronomical discovery
In “Dispatches from Planet 3,” Marcia Bartusiak illuminates overlooked breakthroughs and the people who made them.
September 18, 2018 -
Light from ancient quasars helps confirm quantum entanglement
Results are among the strongest evidence yet for “spooky action at a distance.”
August 19, 2018 -
Sprawling galaxy cluster found hiding in plain sight
Bright light from black hole in a feeding frenzy had been obscuring surrounding galaxies.
August 16, 2018 -
Tiny ASTERIA satellite achieves a first for CubeSats
Measurement of an exoplanet transit demonstrates proof of concept that small spacecraft can perform high-precision photometry.
August 15, 2018 -
In neutron stars, protons may do the heavy lifting
The positively charged particles may have an outsize influence on the properties of neutron stars and other neutron-rich objects.
August 13, 2018 -
X-ray data may be first evidence of a star devouring a planet
New data may explain star’s mysterious dimming.
July 18, 2018 -
3Q: Janet Conrad on the first detection of a neutrino’s cosmic source
The “ghostly particle” is confirmed to have originated from a blazar, nearly 4 billion light years from Earth.
July 13, 2018 -
Could gravitational waves reveal how fast our universe is expanding?
Signals from rare black hole-neutron star pairs could pinpoint rate at which universe is growing, researchers say.
July 12, 2018 -
Nearly 80 exoplanet candidates identified in record time
Search considered successful “dress rehearsal” for exoplanet hunter TESS.
June 20, 2018 -
A better device for measuring electromagnetic radiation
New bolometer is faster, simpler, and covers more wavelengths.
June 11, 2018 -
TESS takes initial test image
Exoplanet-seeking satellite developed by MIT swings by moon toward final orbit.
May 18, 2018 -
Ushering in the next phase of exoplanet discovery
Professor Sara Seager previews a new era of discovery as a leader of the TESS mission, which is expected to find some 20,000 extrasolar planets.
May 3, 2018