#astrophysics

#astrophysics

The South Pole Observatory peers into the vastness of the Universe to address one of its most compelling questions: what happened immediately after the Big Bang? Exploiting uniquely favorable observing conditions, its instruments measure the cosmic microwave background with exceptional precision, placing stringent constraints on early-Universe physics.

"I've done a lot of time-dilated travel." This statement encapsulates the essence of Grace's journey, highlighting the profound effects of traveling at speeds approaching light, where time for the traveler slows down significantly compared to those remaining on Earth.

an electron within a molecule gets excited to a higher-energy state, the electron de-transitions back to the lower energy state, where it emits light of a very specific wavelength in the process. Then, pumped or injected energy re-excites an electron within that very same molecule back into that higher-energy state, over and over.

Nigerian American photographer Mikael Owunna's life-size, shimmering images of ancient deities in outer space set the tone for "UNBOUND: Art, Blackness and the Universe," MoAD's stellar exploration of the African diaspora in the eternal and the infinite. "UNBOUND," which runs through Aug. 16, 2026, is MoAD curatorial chief Key Jo Lee's most ambitious exhibition to date. Over three floors, she presents an African diaspora that is "unbound" from earthly and chronological conceptions of diaspora.

The gravitational forces of a primordial black hole would be so strong that they would tear the cells of your brain apart from the inside out. Professor Scherrer says: 'A sufficiently large primordial black hole, about the size of an asteroid or larger, would cause serious injury or death if it passed through you. 'It would behave like a gunshot.'

But this new one, dubbed GRB 250702B, blows everything we know about these fearsome blasts out the water. For starters, it lasted a staggering seven hours, which is vastly longer than they typically do. And it also appeared to repeat several times over its run, which shouldn't be possible. A GRB is produced by the total obliteration of a star, so how could the same source emit multiple blasts?

Light echoes occur when a massive star detonates, creating a flash of light that expands rapidly. This light defines a spherical shell around the explosion.

Join artist and astrophysicist Nia Imara on a breathtaking journey among the stars, planets, and galaxies in a dynamic multimedia show about our awe-inspiring universe.

The enormous interstellar object, now officially dubbed 3I/ATLAS, is already speeding through the solar system at 41 miles per second, or 150,000 miles per hour. This has sparked speculation that 3I/ATLAS's intense brightness might not have a natural explanation.

The Andromeda galaxy lies just beyond our galaxy, about 2.5 million light-years beyond, and they are gravitationally bound, existing in a long-term dance of doom.

It used to appear destined to merge with Andromeda forming a colossal "Milkomeda." Now, there is a chance that we could avoid this fate entirely.

These are by far the most detailed observations of this kind, showing features not previously observed, and it's not quite clear what they are.

Manhattanhenge occurs twice a year when the sunset perfectly aligns with the Manhattan street grid, creating a stunning view among the skyscrapers.