Space & Physics
Who Will Build the World’s First Commercial Space Station?
A start-up aims to add new construction to the International Space Station to prep for a private sector orbital outpost
Stories by Lee Billings
Space & Physics
An Alternate History of the Atomic Age
Scientist and author Gregory Benford discusses his latest book, The Berlin Project
Space & Physics
How to Make Molecular Movies: Scientist Thomas Allison Explains
The winner of the 2017 Discovery Prize discusses his work watching electrons moving through molecules
Space & Physics
Watch Live Today: What Does a Black Hole Collision Sound Like? [Video]
Physicist and author Janna Levin will present a free live Webcast tonight at 7 P.M. Eastern time about merging black holes and gravitational waves
Space & Physics
Interstellar Projectiles Zoom around Us at Blistering Speeds
Hypervelocity stars, and the black holes that launch them, whip through space at millions of miles per hour.
Space & Physics
Newfound Super-Earth Boosts Search for Alien Life
Planet LHS 1140 b orbits a dim red dwarf star just 40 light-years away, making it a prime target for life-finding telescopes
Space & Physics
Food on Enceladus, Old Faithful on Europa Strengthen Case for Finding Alien Life
Scientists find molecular hydrogen and liquid-water geysers on ocean-bearing moons in the outer solar system
Space & Physics
Ink-Drop Supernovae and Quantum Love Triangles [Video]
Short films about exploding stars and subatomic particles top the list of prizewinners from the annual Quantum Shorts contest
Space & Physics
Electric Sand: How Titan's Dunes Got Their Weird Shapes
Bizarre “plastic” dunes made sticky by static cling may cover the surface of Saturn's largest moon—and could threaten future missions there
Space & Physics
The 10 Weirdest Things in the Solar System
Pierogi moons, rubber duckie comets and spewing ice balls: We have some very strange neighbors among the myriad planets, moons and objects that circle our sun.
Climate Change
Q&A: Kim Stanley Robinson Explains How He Flooded Manhattan
His new book, New York 2140, explores the interplay of climate change and global finance on a warmer, wetter future world
Space & Physics
Watch Live Today: The James Webb Space Telescope Will Spark a New Era in Astronomy [Video]
Astronomer Amber Straughn will present a free live Webcast tonight at 7 P.M. Eastern time about NASA’s revolutionary space observatory
Space & Physics
A Tasty Trove of Exoplanets at TRAPPIST-1
A baker’s half-dozen of Earth-size worlds is orbiting a (relatively) nearby star—and some could be habitable
Space & Physics
Nearby Star Hosts 7 Earth-Size Planets
Astronomers say at least three of the worlds may be habitable, and could be studied for signs of life within a decade
Space & Physics
Europa Mission Heralds Sea Change in the Search for Alien Life [Video]
Jupiter’s ocean-bearing moon is the next frontier in NASA’s hunt for extraterrestrials
Space & Physics
Planet Formation out of Black Hole Belches
New studies suggest lonely planets flying through intergalactic space were formed by star-destroying supermassive black holes.
Space & Physics
150-Year Journey to Alpha Centauri Proposed [Video]
Humanity possesses the means to place probes into orbit around nearby stars. But do we have the patience?
Space & Physics
Is It Time to Give Up on Dark Matter?
There is still good reason to think undiscovered fundamental particles act as gravitational glue for galaxies.
Space & Physics
A Breakthrough in the Search for Alpha Centauri's Planets
A new public-private partnership is supercharging the race to image habitable exoplanets
Space & Physics
Newfound Source of Mysterious Cosmic Bursts Poses Deeper Enigmas
Despite a breakthrough discovery by radio astronomers, the decade-long puzzle of elusive “fast radio bursts” is far from being solved
