All Stories by Ron Cowen
- Physics
Laser pioneer reflects on making Einstein’s idea real
Science News reporter Ron Cowen's Q&A with Nobel laureate and laser-technology pioneer Charles Townes.
- Astronomy
Hubble’s new instant classic
NASA has released a stunning image of a nearby star-forming region to celebrate the telescope's 20th birthday.
- Space
Solar-staring spacecraft captures novel views of sun’s violence
NASA has released the first images recorded by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, the first craft to examine the sun’s entire disk at high resolution and over a multitude of wavelengths.
- Space
Not your grandfather’s space program
President Obama offers a new plan that would send humans to orbit Mars during the mid-2030s.
- Space
Stormy weather on Saturn
Astronomers have for the first time glimpsed lightning storms on Saturn.
- Space
Newfound neighbor to solar system is a cool slacker
Researchers have found the closest brown dwarf to Earth and the coolest yet seen, raising the possibility that the nearest starlike body to the solar system may be a brown dwarf rather than a star.
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Happy 20th, Hubble
Flying observatory’s cosmic portraits continue to capture hearts and minds.
- Space
Cosmic telephoto lens shows intense, early star formation
A recently discovered galaxy gives a detailed view of stellar birth in the young universe.
- Space
This exoplanet is so cool
A satellite has found the first temperate planet outside the solar system that can be studied in detail.
- Space
Spacecraft takes express tour of Martian moon
New images and gravity data reveal details about the origin and composition of Phobos.
- Space
Magnetic flows cause sunspot lows, study shows
Observations of gas flows on the solar surface may explain why the sun recently had such a prolonged case of the doldrums; could lead to more accurate predictions for the duration and severity of future solar cycles.
- Space
Lopsided stellar disks help black holes guzzle gas
Theorists have found a new recipe for feeding the supermassive centers of galaxies.
