Space
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Astronomy
Earliest galaxies got the green light
Galaxies in the early universe might have emitted lots of green light, powered by large populations of stars much hotter than most found today.
- Planetary Science
Many tiny moons came together to form moon, simulations suggest
Earth’s moon formed from mini-moons generated by a series of medium to large impacts, rather than from one colossal collision, researchers propose
- Astronomy
Some pulsars lose their steady beat
Two pulsars spend most of their time switched off, hinting at a large population of part-time pulsars hiding in the Milky Way.
- Astronomy
Saturn’s 10th moon was the first satellite discovered in the modern space age
Fifty years ago, astronomers knew of 10 moons orbiting Saturn. Since then they’ve catalogued a diverse set of 62 satellites, with the help of the Cassini spacecraft.
- Astronomy
Gotcha: Fast radio burst’s home nabbed
For the first time, astronomers pinpoint a precise position on the sky for a fast radio burst, revealing that the outburst originated in a galaxy about 2.5 billion light-years away.
- Astronomy
These 2016 stories could be really big — if they’re true
These findings would have rocked the scientific world, if only the evidence were more convincing.
- Astronomy
More fast radio bursts detected from same location
Six more outbursts have been detected from a repeating source of radio waves somewhere outside of our galaxy.
- Planetary Science
Dawn spacecraft maps water beneath the surface of Ceres
Water ice sits just beneath the surface and within some permanently shadowed craters of the dwarf planet Ceres.
- Planetary Science
Moon’s lava tubes could be colossal
Lava tubes inside the moon could remain structurally sound up to 5 kilometers across and offer prime real estate for lunar colonists.
- Physics
Year in review: Gravitational waves offer new cosmic views
The first direct detection of gravitational waves will open a new window on black holes and introduce a new era in astronomy.
- Astronomy
Year in review: A planet lurks around the star next door
If people ever travel beyond the solar system, the newly discovered exoplanet around Proxima Centauri is likely to be a first stop.
- Planetary Science
First signs of boron on Mars hint at past groundwater, habitability
The Curiosity rover has found the first signs of boron on Mars, which could hint at past habitable groundwater.
