Space & Physics

Swarms of satellites launched by SpaceX and other companies are disrupting astronomical observations. Here's how scientists are coping

In a first, physicists have directly seen Hofstadter’s butterfly—a long-sought-after fractal in the quantum realm

Evidence of alien worlds goes back farther than you think

The threat from near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4 may have subsided, but discoveries of other hazardous space rocks are set to soar as new observatories come online

The European physics laboratory CERN is planning to build a mega collider by 2070. Critics say the plan could lead to ruin

Scientists in China have transmitted encrypted images a record 12,900 kilometers, paving the way for quantum messaging anywhere on Earth

“Qudits,” the multi-dimensional cousins of qubits, could make quantum computers more efficient and less prone to error

Supersymmetry, long considered the golden child of theoretical physics, has officially lost its luster at the world’s reigning particle accelerator

Have you seen something inexplicable in the sky? Jon Kosloski, director of the U.S. Department of Defense’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, wants to hear from you

In this week’s news roundup, two NASA astronauts finally return to Earth after nine unexpected months in space, gray seals hold their breath for more than an hour, and penguin poop panics krill.

Experiments suggest an unusual magnetic material could help harness energy from Earth’s rotation. But not everyone is convinced

Defining the word “moon” is harder than you might think