Supermoon? Meh. It may be closer, but it won't be super duper

NASA, Space.com, Sky & Telescope magazine, observatories everywhere—just about any entity with a stake in the night sky—have been busy telling us how great the full moon will be Nov. 14 because the satellite will be closer ...

Physicists constrain dark matter

Researchers from Russia, Finland, and the U.S. have put a constraint on the theoretical model of dark matter particles by analyzing data from astronomical observations of active galactic nuclei. The new findings provide an ...

Unraveling the mystery of brown dwarfs

Brown dwarfs are astronomical objects with masses between those of planets and stars. The question of where exactly the limits of their mass lie remains a matter of debate, especially since their constitution is very similar ...

Unique sky survey brings new objects into focus

An innovative sky survey has begun returning images that will be used to detect unprecedented numbers of powerful cosmic explosions-called supernovae-in distant galaxies, and variable brightness stars in our own Milky Way. ...

Hubble images a galaxy in dazzling detail

This image features the spiral galaxy NGC 691, imaged in fantastic detail using Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). This galaxy is a member of the NGC 691 galaxy group named after it, which features a group of gravitationally ...

An Exoplanet with a Potassium-Rich Atmosphere

(PhysOrg.com) -- A hot Jupiter - a type of celestial object unknown only fifteen years ago - is a Jupiter-sized exoplanet orbiting so close to its host star that its atmospheric temperature is thought to be hundreds of degrees ...

The dwarf planet Quaoar

The vast Kuiper Belt, which orbits at the outer edge of our solar system, has been the site of many exciting discoveries in the past decade or so. Otherwise known as the Trans-Neptunian region, small bodies have been discovered ...

What is dark energy? Inside our accelerating, expanding universe

Some 13.8 billion years ago, the universe began with a rapid expansion we call the Big Bang. After this initial expansion, which lasted a fraction of a second, gravity started to slow the universe down. But the cosmos wouldn't ...

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