Since Albert Einstein first predicted their existence a century ago, physicists have been on the hunt for gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of spacetime. That hunt is now over. Gravitational waves exist, and we’ve found them.
Geoff Marcy, an astronomer at the University of California at Berkeley, has been revered the world over for his pioneering research, even marked as a potential Nobel Laureate. Now he has been singled out as a serial perpetrator of sexual harassment, reigniting conversations in the science community about making…
As seen on Reddit. Next month: White hot stars for every body type and the 168 best black holes in the universe!
Congrats to Major General Valentina Tereshkova on the 50th anniversary of her history-making spaceflight. She circled the world 48 times over her three days aboard the Vostok 6 only two years after Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. The official Soviet report described smooth sailing, but she later…
Astronomers have spotted a planet that appears to be made of a diamond orbiting around a tiny star. The planet, which is 4,000 light years away, is denser than any other known and is made of mostly carbon. It's believed that the carbon is in a crystalline pattern, making the planet a diamond. It's truly a fascinating…
Over the weekend, 10-year-old Kathryn Aurora Gray of Canada spotted a supernova in the Camelopardalis constellation while looking at images of galaxy UGC 3378 taken by her father's friend. Gray is the youngest person ever to find a stellar explosion.
Tonight, for the first time since 1378, a total lunar eclipse of a full moon falls on the winter solstice. OMFGWTFBBQ! What does it mean?
When we read, "Was Venus Once Wet? The Atoms Say Yes" we thought, well, yeah, she came from the sea! It's actually about trace deposits found on the second planet from the sun, indicating the onetime presence of water. [Time]
• Russia's space agency chief says he's entertaining the idea of sending out a spacecraft to blast an asteroid that may be headed for the earth. But relax: NASA puts the chance of impact at just 1 in 2500. •
The video at the link follows a group of Girl Scouts who learned to use a telescope, designed video games, and met female astronomers at UC Berkeley's Universe Quest summer program, which aims to interest girls in science. [Live Science]
In 1930, 11-year-old Venetia Phair suggested that the newly discovered planet beyond Neptune be named Pluto. On April 30, she died in her home in Banstead, England at the age of 90.
