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In February 2016, LIGO detected gravity waves for the first time. As this artist's illustration depicts, the gravitational waves were created by merging black holes. The third detection just announced was also created when two black holes merged. Credit: LIGO/A. Simonnet.

Third Gravitational Wave Event Detected

1 Jun , 2017 by

LIGO has detected a third instance of gravitational waves. Like the previous two, this one was caused by merging black holes.
This artist's impression shows a star crossing the event horizon of a supermassive black hole located in the center of a galaxy. The black hole is so large and massive that tidal effects on the star are negligible, and the star is swallowed whole. Image: Mark A. Garlick/CfA

What Exactly Should We See When a Star Splashes into a Black Hole Event Horizon?

1 Jun , 2017 by

A team of researchers questions the existence of an event horizon around black holes and wonders what it would look like when a star collides with one.
Composite Spitzer, Hubble, and Chandra image of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. A new study shows that a supernova as far away as 50 light years could have devastating effects on life on Earth. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI/CXC/SAO)

New Estimate Puts the Supernova Killzone Within 50 Light-Years of Earth

15 May , 2017 by

A new paper on supernovae and the effects on Earth increases the so-called “Supernova Kill-Zone” to 50 light years.

The Giant Magellan Telescope is one of the next Super Telescopes to come online. At its heart is its primary mirror, made of 7 individual segments. Each of the segments is a 20 ton piece of glass. Image: Giant Magellan Telescope – GMTO Corporation

Rise of the Super Telescopes: Why We Build Them

11 May , 2017 by

The Super Telescopes are set to advance our understanding of the Universe, and it can all be traced back to Galileo.
An artist's illustration of a 16 meter segmented mirror space telescope. There are no actual images of LUVOIR because the design hasn't been finalized yet. Image: Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems & NASA/STScI

Rise of the Super Telescopes: The Large UV Optical Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR) aka Hubble 2.0

11 May , 2017 by

NASA’s LUVOIR, the Large Ultraviolet, Optical, and Infrared Surveyor, is the future of Super Telescopes. It’s 15m mirror will dwarf the Hubble and James Webb.

The Small Magellanic Cloud is one of the highlights of the southern sky. It can be seen with the naked eye. But it is obscured by clouds of interstellar gas and dust, which makes it hard for optical telescopes to get a good look at it. This image, taken with the ESO's VISTA. is the biggest-ever image of the SMC, and shows millions of stars. Credit: ESO/VISTA VMC

Enjoy The Biggest Infrared Image Ever Taken Of The Small Magellanic Cloud Without All That Pesky Dust In The Way

4 May , 2017 by

A new image of the Small Magellanic Cloud reveals its population of stars in stunningly rich detail.
A new study looked at 52 submillimeter galaxies to help us understand the early ages of our Universe. Image: University of Nottingham/Omar Almaini

Into The Submillimeter: The Early Universe’s Formation

24 Apr , 2017 by

A new study of distant, early galaxies helps us understand the early days of our Universe.

SpaceX Just Re-Used a Rocket. Why This Changes Everything

SpaceX Just Re-Used a Rocket. Why This Changes Everything

11 Apr , 2017 by

SpaceX just flew a rocket to space for the second time. It was a fairly normal launch, but this accomplishment opens up a whole new era in space flight. What are SpaceX’s plans, and who else is working on reusable rockets?

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A Family Of Stars Torn Apart

18 Mar , 2017 by

The Hubble has looked inside the Orion Nebula to witness a family of stars breaking up.
What's On the Surface of Venus?

What’s on the Surface of Venus?

14 Mar , 2017 by

With so much attention on Mars, it’s easy to forget there’s a whole other Earth-sized planet nearby, worthy of exploration: Venus. And the Soviets worked really hard to tell us what it’s like down on the surface of Venus with their Venera program.

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