From "Aliens" to "Interstellar," Hollywood has long used suspended animation to overcome the difficulties of deep space travel, but the once-fanciful sci-fi staple is becoming scientific fact.
Space Exploration
Dec 22, 2016
11
288
Planet hunters keep finding distant worlds that bear a resemblance to Earth. Some of the thousands of exoplanet candidates discovered to date have similar sizes or temperatures. Others possess rocky surfaces and support atmospheres. ...
Astronomy
Sep 3, 2013
7
0
The light scattered off distant worlds could help reveal details about their atmospheres that no other method could uncover, scientists find.
Astronomy
Feb 20, 2012
0
0
In the "Star Wars" universe, ice, ocean and desert planets burst from the darkness as your ship drops out of light speed. But these worlds might be more than just science fiction.
Astronomy
Dec 16, 2016
6
163
Scientists have helped solve the mystery of what lies beneath the surface of Neptune – the most distant planet in our solar system. A new study sheds light on the chemical make-up of the planet, which lies around 4.5 billion ...
Astronomy
Aug 11, 2017
3
200
Dark matter, inferred to exist from its gravitational effects on the universe, is still a mystery to scientists. But a new study says that dark matter could help life evolve and survive on distant worlds outside of our solar ...
General Physics
Jun 23, 2011
39
0
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched on Christmas Day 2021, is already transforming our understanding of planets in our solar system and far beyond. A versatile satellite observatory, JWST has a clear-eyed view ...
Astronomy
Nov 7, 2022
0
43
Hairspray might one day serve as the sign that aliens have reshaped distant worlds, researchers say. Such research to find signs of alien technology is now open to funding from the public.
Astronomy
Nov 22, 2012
4
1
The study of exoplanets—planets that lie outside our solar system—could help scientists answer big questions about our place in the universe, and whether life exists beyond Earth. But, these distant worlds are extremely ...
Astronomy
Jun 29, 2018
0
128
In an exciting example of international collaboration, a Qatar astronomer teamed with scientists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) and other institutions to discover a new alien world. This "hot Jupiter," ...
Astronomy
Dec 14, 2010
14
0
