Gravitational interaction as a research area encompasses the theoretical, computational, and experimental study of how mass-energy curves spacetime and governs the dynamics of astrophysical and cosmological systems. It includes general relativity, tests of the equivalence principle, post-Newtonian approximations, and numerical relativity for compact-object binaries and gravitational-wave sources. The field also investigates modifications of gravity, dark matter and dark energy phenomenology from a gravitational perspective, strong- and weak-field regimes, gravitational lensing, and structure formation. Research involves precision experiments, multi-messenger astronomy, and the development of effective field theories and quantum-gravity–motivated models to probe deviations from classical gravitational dynamics.
Everyone who has ever lived on Earth has been well-aware of the moon, but it turns out Earth also has some frequent temporary companions. These "quasi-moons" are small asteroids that enter into a kind of resonance with Earth's ...
Selecting the right spot to smash a spacecraft into the surface of a hazardous asteroid to deflect it must be done with great care, according to new research presented at the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting in Helsinki. Slamming ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 9, 2025
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Stars and planets are naturally associated with one another. While some planets have gone rogue and are drifting through space, the vast majority are in solar systems, where they're gravitationally bound and orbit their stars ...
Astronomy
Jul 17, 2025
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Though our solar system and the movement of its planets appear relatively sedate, there are many things that could upset the balance. Anything with enough mass that got close enough could disrupt planetary orbits. This includes ...
Astronomy
Jul 14, 2025
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A new investigation into old Kepler data has revealed that a planetary system once thought to house zero planets actually has two planets that orbit their star in a unique style, like an old-fashioned merry-go-round.
Astronomy
Jul 3, 2025
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If our solar system seems stable, it's because our short lifespans make it seem that way. Earth revolves, night follows day, the moon moves through light and shadow, and the sun hangs in the sky. But in reality, everything ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 18, 2025
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For centuries, astronomers have sought to understand the formation and evolution of the solar system and the dynamics that govern it. In particular, there is the long-standing question of whether or not the planets' orbits ...
Astronomy
Jun 2, 2025
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Wide binary stars with separation greater than about 2000 astronomical units are interesting natural laboratories that allow a direct probe of gravity at low acceleration weaker than about 1 nanometer per second squared. ...
Astronomy
May 27, 2025
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There is a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, and it's not alone. There is also likely a forest of binary black holes, neutron stars, and white dwarfs. All of these emit gravitational waves as they gradually ...
Astronomy
May 8, 2025
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In the 1970s, NASA's Voyager probes passed through Jupiter's system and snapped pictures of its largest moons, also known as the Galilean moons. These pictures and the data they gathered offered the first hints that a global ...
Astrobiology
Apr 1, 2025
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