[ weird things ] | astronomy
articles tagged: astronomy
in an ironic twist, ocean worlds could be hostile to life
# space

in an ironic twist, ocean worlds could be hostile to life

Water usually means life. But could too much water snuff out life before it has a chance to evolve?

why planet nine may not actually exist
# space

why planet nine may not actually exist

Astronomers looking into the orbits of Kuiper Belt objects may have found a flaw in data we thought pointed to the existence of a large planet beyond Neptune’s orbit.

a planet four times the size of its star shows how solar systems die
# space

a planet four times the size of its star shows how solar systems die

When some stars die, they take their entire systems with them. Others appear to give their planets a fighting chance.

astronomers find more dark matter free galaxies
# space

astronomers find more dark matter free galaxies

A new study sees evidence of more than a dozen galaxies that seem to lack dark matter and raises big questions about our ideas of galaxy formation.

so, what shape is the universe?
# space

so, what shape is the universe?

Why do popular science news keep offering new theories about the basic shape of our universe every week?

why planet nine is very unlikely to be a tiny black hole
# space

why planet nine is very unlikely to be a tiny black hole

According to sensationalistic headlines, the hypothetical ninth planet in our solar system is a tennis ball sized black hole. According to physics, it's far more likely to be literally anything else.

wowt explains: what is a dyson sphere?
# space

wowt explains: what is a dyson sphere?

The massive structure designed to capture the energy of an entire star envisioned by Freeman Dyson is popular in science fiction. But can we build it? And have alien civilizations tried a similar idea?

wowt explains: what is a black hole?
# space

wowt explains: what is a black hole?

We know that black holes are bizarre. We know they exist. We even have a picture of one. But what exactly are they?

it’s no teegarden party: the catch about the latest exoplanetary discovery
# space

it’s no teegarden party: the catch about the latest exoplanetary discovery

By now, you're probably used to hearing about potentially habitable worlds orbiting other stars. But that "potentially habitable" part may come with more caveats than you might think.

world of weird things podcast: look, up in the sky! it’s super-earth!
# podcast

world of weird things podcast: look, up in the sky! it’s super-earth!

Far from being just a slightly bigger rocky sphere than our planet, Super-Earths are a fascinating class of worlds ranging from Earths with a few extra tons to failed seeds of gas giants.

    newer articles
older articles