Astrophysics : Discovery News

Our Planet, Tangled in Magnetic Spaghetti

Posted by Ian O'Neill Tue Feb 7, 2012 03:40 PM ET | 0

OK, so it's not real spaghetti -- it's a computer visualization of the complex magnetic field that creates Earth's magnetosphere -- but it sure looks tangled. Read more

Our Planet, Tangled in Magnetic Spaghetti

Laser Tests Offer Clue to Magnetic Field Mystery

Posted by Irene Klotz Wed Jan 25, 2012 01:00 PM ET | 0

Why is the universe filled with magnetic fields? A laser experiment points to exploding stars. Read more

APOGEE: Mapping the Galaxy from Inside

Posted by Nicole Gugliucci Mon Jan 23, 2012 12:07 PM ET | 0

How can we map our galaxy when we live inside it? We literally can't see the forest for the trees. Read more

Astronomers Aim To Take First Picture of Black Hole

Posted by Irene Klotz Wed Jan 18, 2012 01:43 PM ET | 0

Taking a picture of a black hole, an object so gravitationally bound that not even photons of light can escape, sounds like an oxymoron, but astronomers this week will attempt to do just that. Read more

Astronomers Aim To Take First Picture of Black Hole

Earth on Extreme Tilt Away From Sun

Posted by Tim Wall Wed Dec 21, 2011 02:22 PM ET | 0

Today at 12:30 a.m., the Earth's axial tilt was as far from the sun as possible this year. Read more

Star-Churning 'Blob' Lurks at Universe's Edge

Posted by Ian O'Neill Wed Dec 21, 2011 01:00 PM ET | 0

A young galaxy has been spotted at the very edge of our observable Universe, thought to be one of the first galaxies to emerge from the "dark ages." Read more

Star-Churning 'Blob' Lurks at Universe's Edge

Top 5 REAL Cosmic Doomsday Events of 2011

Posted Tue Dec 6, 2011 07:50 PM ET | 0

Forget the much-hyped 2012 doomsday, we were inundated with doomsday events in 2011... in other star systems. Read more

Measuring a Tiny, Yet Mighty, Black Hole

Posted by Nicole Gugliucci Sat Dec 3, 2011 12:19 AM ET | 0

Astronomers have measured the vital statistics of the black hole living in the famous Cygnus X-1 binary system to a very high precision. The mass and physical size of the black hole may surprise you... Read more

Measuring a Tiny, Yet Mighty, Black Hole

Was Christmas Flash a Neutron Star-Comet Clash?

Posted Wed Nov 30, 2011 02:24 PM ET | 0

The "gamma-ray burst" seen on Christmas Day last year may have actually been a comet being eaten by a distant neutron star. Read more

Asteroid Fingered For Dino Era Boom - Not Just Bust

Posted by Tim Wall Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:30 AM ET | 0

An asteroid impact crater in France is getting the honor of giving the “terrible lizards” their chance to take over the Triassic. Read more

Asteroid Fingered For Dino Era Boom - Not Just Bust

Serenity in the Milky Way

Posted by Nicole Gugliucci Wed Nov 16, 2011 03:50 AM ET | 0

Some of the most beautiful sights in the universe are ones that we could never see with our eyes. One such example is this lovely composite of the Carina Nebula made with visible and radio light. Read more

First Stars May Not Have Been Monsters

Posted by Nicole Gugliucci Mon Nov 14, 2011 02:23 AM ET | 0

Shortly after the "Dark Ages" of the Cosmos the first stars popped into existence -- but they weren't the galactic Goliaths we thought they were. Read more