Astrophysics

Recently discovered galaxies shaped like jellyfish leave a long trail of hot gas and dust, victims of even hotter gas from their surrounding cluster of galaxies

 

Despite myriad problems in many countries, pockets of excellence thrive in Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Argentina

In 2012, I asked LeVar Burton (who comandeered the Scientific American website as guest editor on Wednesday) if he would join me on a trip across time and space, to another star.

I have a prediction. There is a scientific hypothesis, formulated over 20 years ago, that we will one day look back on, when the evidence is in, and say “Of course that was right!

Small differences in oxygen-isotope ratios have been used to support the big-smash theory

The release of a long-awaited National Academy of Sciences report on the state and future of the US space program has triggered wide-reaching commentary on what it means to be space-faring.

New observations of a behemoth collision reveal extreme physical forces at work
 

It's easier to detect exoplanets around M-dwarfs, the most common type of star in our galaxy, but these worlds also may suffer from a life-threatening solar wind

Two analyses suggest that the signal of big bang ripples announced earlier this year was too weak to be significant

Five remarkable stars on the other side of our galaxy promise new insight into the outer reaches of our home turf

Cosmic inflation, nano-optics, memory and cognition are among the topics to earn recognition