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astrophysics

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Abstractions blog

For Astronomers, Neutron Star Merger Could Eclipse Eclipse

By Joshua Sokol
August 25, 2017
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Even as the solar eclipse was mesmerizing millions, astronomers were training their space- and land-based telescopes on a far more violent astrophysical event.

Illustration: window showing dark matter map
cosmology

Scientists Unveil New Inventory of Universe’s Dark Contents

By Natalie Wolchover
August 3, 2017
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The first major results from the Dark Energy Survey signal the start of a new era of cosmology.

Abstractions blog

Cookie-Cutter Supernovas Might Come in Different Flavors

By Katia Moskvitch
July 31, 2017
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Astronomers thought that all Type Ia supernovas shine with the same brightness, making them incredibly useful cosmic yardsticks. But uncertainty over what causes these explosions has led researchers to reconsider their assumptions.

Andrea Ghez in Hawaii
Q&A

Black-Hole Hunter Takes Aim at Einstein

By Joshua Sokol
July 27, 2017
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The astrophysicist Andrea Ghez spent two decades proving that a supermassive black hole anchors the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Her new plan? Test what happens when things get too close.

Supernova 1987A remnants
astrophysics

Lucky Break Leads to Controversial Supernova Discovery

By Katia Moskvitch
July 5, 2017
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Supernova hunters were able to train their telescopes on a recent eruption just hours after it exploded. What they found only adds to the growing list of questions surrounding these cosmic blasts.

LIGO Hanford and Livingston
gravitational waves

Strange Noise in Gravitational-Wave Data Sparks Debate

By Mark Kim-Mulgrew
June 30, 2017
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The team that discovered gravitational waves put their data online. Now an independent group of researchers claims that they’ve found what might be a serious problem.

Dwarf irregular galaxy
Abstractions blog

Researchers Check Space-Time to See if It’s Made of Quantum Bits

By Ramin Skibba
June 21, 2017
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The newly developed theory of emergent gravity, proposed as an alternative to dark matter, struggles in one of its first trials.

Rainer Weiss
Thinking Places

Rainer Weiss, Remembering the Little Room in the Plywood Palace

By Natalie Wolchover +2 authors
Olena Shmahalo
Lucy Reading-Ikkanda
June 15, 2017
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The physicist who designed the LIGO experiment that detected gravitational waves still holes up in a small basement lab surrounded by electronics and optical instruments.

Andromeda galaxy
Abstractions blog

How Superfluid Dark Matter Mimics an Old Idea About Gravity

By Jennifer Ouellette
June 13, 2017
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Does the force of gravity change at large scales? Perhaps not, but a new theory of dark matter shows why that could appear to be the case.


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