Brian Koberlein

Radio Telescopes on the Moon Could Let Us Observe Dozens of Black Hole Shadows

January 21, 2026

The resolution of the Event Horizon Telescope is limited by the diameter of Earth, and our observations of the black hole in M87 and in our own galaxy are at the edge of that limit. To observe other, more distant black holes we will need radio telescopes on the Moon.

Stellar Evolution Depends on Where Supernovae Occur

January 12, 2026

Supernovae play a crucial role in the formation and evolution of new stars. But where they occur is nearly as important as when. A new study looks at where supernovae will occur in the Triangulum Galaxy, which will help astronomers understand the role of supernovae in more detail.

A New Study Finds a Subtle Dance Between Dark Matter and Neutrinos

January 10, 2026

Scientists are a step closer to solving one of the universe's biggest mysteries as new research finds evidence that dark matter and neutrinos may be interacting, offering a rare window into the darkest recesses of the cosmos.

How the Most Common Types of Planets Are Created

January 09, 2026

A new study finds that hot super-Earths begin as large puffy worlds with low densities. Over time their atmospheres are stripped away to leave more dense planets orbiting close to their stars.

Ultramassive Black Holes and Their Galaxies: A Matter of Scale

January 05, 2026

There is a strong relation between the size of a galaxy's black hole and the motion of stars in the galaxy's core, known as the M-sigma relation. It turns out this relation doesn't work well for galaxies with ultramassive black holes.

Earth-like Planets Need a Cosmic-Ray Bath

January 03, 2026

Terrestrial planets such as Earth need an early solar system rich in short-lived radioisotopes. But the supernovae that create these elements would tend to rip an early system apart. A new study suggests that these isotopes are produced by a bath of cosmic rays from more distant supernovae.

Solar Flares and Stellar Flares Hit Different

January 02, 2026

Sunspots and solar flares go hand in hand. They generally occur in the same region of the Sun around the same time. We've long thought the same would be true for other stars, but a new study finds that isn't the case.

Do You Know What Time It Is? If You're On Mars, Now You Do.

December 19, 2025

Ask someone on Earth for the time and they can give you an exact answer, thanks to our planet's intricate timekeeping system, built with atomic clocks, GPS satellites and high-speed telecommunications networks. Ask for the time on Mars and the answer gets much more complicated.

What Do Super Jupiters Look Like?

December 09, 2025

Super-Jupiters have masses a dozen times that of Jupiter, but they are often illustrated as having a very Jupiter-like appearance. A new study finds that the classic banded-cloud look of Jupiter is very different from the look of the largest worlds.

We Are Moving Through The Universe Faster Than We Thought

December 03, 2025

We've long known that we move through the Universe relative to the cosmic microwave background, but a new study of radio galaxies finds an even faster result, which could contradict the standard model of cosmology.

The Knotty Problem of Matter Asymmetry Might Be Solved By Extending Physics

December 02, 2025

Why is the Universe filled with matter? Why isn't it an equal amount of matter and antimatter? We still don't know the answer, but a new approach looks at the symmetries of extended models of particle physics and finds a possible path forward. It's a knotty problem that may just have a knotty solution.

The Universe Was Warm Before It Was Bright

December 01, 2025

There is a period in the Universe known as the cosmic dark ages. It lies between the recombination of the first atoms and the ignition of the first stars, when the Universe was thought to be cold and dark. Now astronomers have looked at the faint glow of atomic hydrogen to find that while the Universe was dark, it wasn't quite as cold as we thought.

We've Long Thought The Surface Area Of A Black Hole Can't Decrease. Now We Have Data To Back It Up.

November 19, 2025

Observations of a merging black hole further supports the Area Theorem of black hole thermodynamics, which states that the event horizon of a black hole produced by two merging black holes must have a surface area no less than the areas of the original two.

Remember That Paper Claiming The Universe Is Decelerating? Here's What A Nobel Laureate Has To Say About It

November 16, 2025

So I got an email from Adam Reiss. You know, the guy who was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics along with Saul Perlmutter and Brian Schmidt for discovering the rate of cosmic expansion is accelerating. He pointed out a few issues with the decelerating Universe paper, and with his permission I'd like to share them with you.