Physics
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Astronomy
Does the corona look different when solar activity is high versus when it’s low?
Carbondale, Ill., will get two eclipses in a row, seven years apart — making it the perfect spot to watch the solar cycle in action.
- Astronomy
We share the Milky Way with 100 million black holes
New census calculates black hole populations in galaxies big and small.
- Astronomy
Where does the solar wind come from? The eclipse may offer answers
A quick-fire polarization camera should help scientists detect the origins of the solar wind during the Aug. 21 eclipse.
- Astronomy
Why are the loops in the sun’s atmosphere so neat and tidy?
Observations during the total solar eclipse may explain why the sun’s atmosphere is so organized despite arising from a tangled magnetic field.
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- Astronomy
What can the eclipse tell us about the corona’s magnetic field?
The corona’s plasma jumps and dances thanks to the magnetic field, but scientists have never measured the field directly.
- Astronomy
Can the eclipse tell us if Einstein was right about general relativity?
During the eclipse, astronomers will reproduce the 1919 experiment that confirmed Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
- Particle Physics
Normally aloof particles of light seen ricocheting off each other
Scientists spot evidence of photons interacting at the Large Hadron Collider.
- Astronomy
Why is this year’s solar eclipse such a big deal for scientists?
Total eclipses offer scientists a way to see all the way down to the sun’s surface.
- Materials Science
50 years ago, steel got stronger and stretchier
Today, scientists are still trying to improve steel.
- Planetary Science
Moon had a magnetic field for at least a billion years longer than thought
The moon’s magnetic field could have lasted until about a billion years ago.
- Animals
Readers fascinated by critters’ strange biology
Readers responded to fish lips, monkey brains, sunless tanner and more.
