Astronomy
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The official definition of a “planet” could be set to change again soon. Last time that happened, Pluto was kicked out of the club, but the new proposed definition is designed to be more inclusive.
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Tycho Brahe is best known as a Danish Renaissance astronomer. But he was also a bit of an alchemist, and a first-ever analysis on shards found at his former home from the 1500s has shed some light on just what he was up to in his basement lab.
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From a dragon-shaped aurora to the Milky Way framing the Isaac Newton Telescope, these incredible images are shortlisted in this annual contest that celebrates the diverse, wild beauty of space. See if you can pick the winner, announced September 12.
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Gazing at the night sky is all well and good, but the arrival of smart digital telescopes has given stargazers the power to capture and share celestial majesty with relative ease. At under 3 lb, the Dwarf III is one of the most portable around.
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Despite a century of searching, dark matter remains a no-show. A new paper proposes an alternative hypothesis, showing how gravity could exist without mass and produce many of the same effects we ascribe to dark matter.
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Astronomers have detected a really bizarre radio signal from space that repeats every hour, cycling through three different states. While they have some ideas about its origin it can’t be explained by our current understanding of physics.
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The 7th annual Milky Way Photographer of the Year collection has been released, featuring more stunning shots of our home galaxy, contrasted against our home planet. This year’s gallery is sure to inspire awe and just a touch of existential dread.
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The James Webb Space Telescope has captured direct images of galaxies being born at the cosmic dawn. This is the first time this has ever been witnessed by astronomers, confirming models for galaxy formation.
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A huge comet will grace our skies over the next few months, putting on a grand show through binoculars or telescopes, and will even be visible to the naked eye. So how and when can you see it?
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Sometime this year, the night sky will get a brand new 'star' that will be visible with the naked eye, even in the city. The celestial light show will be the result of an explosive interaction between two neighboring stars that occurs every 80 years.
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A massive volcano has been hiding in plain sight on Mars, says new research. Not only is its sheer size noteworthy, but the team believes it might also harbor glacial ice that could be critical for further exploration and Martian settlements.
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We’ve all regretted taking too long to make a move, but at least it wasn't 3 billion years. That’s how long the sexual tension has been building between two slow-dancing supermassive black holes, whose eventual congress could rock the entire universe.
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