One day in the not-so-distant future, light sails may hurtle through space at speeds of around 20% of the speed of light (or 60,000 km/sec), propelled not by fuel but rather by the radiation pressure from high-power lasers ...
Some physical principles have been considered immutable since the time of Isaac Newton: Light always travels in straight lines. No physical object can change its speed unless some outside force acts on it.
General Physics
Jan 21, 2015
12
3765
Forget about anti-ageing creams and hair treatments. If you want to stay young, get a fast spaceship. That is what Einstein's Theory of Relativity predicted a century ago, and it is commonly known as "twin paradox".
General Physics
Apr 16, 2014
973
2
No longer solely in the realm of science fiction, the possibility of interstellar travel has appeared, tantalizingly, on the horizon. Although we may not see it in our lifetimes—at least not some real version of the fictional ...
Astronomy
Jan 6, 2022
0
2270
A new study of thermonuclear X-ray bursts on neutron stars reveals that, on very rare occasions, shells can be expelled at relativistic speeds - up to 30% of the speed of light. These velocities are the highest ever measured ...
Astronomy
Aug 29, 2014
1
0
Someday, in the not-too-distant future, humans may send robotic probes to explore nearby star systems. These robot explorers will likely take the form of lightsails and wafercraft (a la Breakthrough Starshot) that will rely ...
Space Exploration
Dec 7, 2023
1
46
Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with international collaborators, observed an obvious enhancement in the yield ratio between strange (Ds±) ...
Quantum Physics
Sep 16, 2021
1
127
It's no secret that planet Earth is occasionally greeted by rocks from space that either explode in the atmosphere or impact on the surface. In addition, Earth regularly experiences meteor showers whenever it passes through ...
Astronomy
Feb 19, 2020
6
572
We've achieved amazing things by using chemical rockets to place satellites in orbit, land people on the moon, and place rovers on the surface of Mars. We've even used ion drives to reach destinations further afield in our ...
Space Exploration
Feb 24, 2016
15
1261
Without the light pressure from nuclear fusion to hold back the mass of the star, the outer layers compress inward in an instant. The star dies, exploding violently as a supernova.
Astronomy
Aug 11, 2015
7
63
