Space & PhysicsOctober 23, 2017
Astrophysicist Leads a Tour of the "Zoomable Universe"
A conversation with scientist and author Caleb Scharf about the relative scales of the universe, the limits of knowledge and finding significance in life
Stories by Lee Billings
Lee Billings is a science journalist specializing in astronomy, physics, planetary science, and spaceflight and is senior desk editor for physical science at Scientific American. He is author of a critically acclaimed book, Five Billion Years of Solitude: The Search for Life Among the Stars, which in 2014 won a Science Communication Award from the American Institute of Physics. In addition to his work for Scientific American, Billings’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, Wired, New Scientist, Popular Science and many other publications. Billings joined Scientific American in 2014 and previously worked as a staff editor at SEED magazine. He holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of Minnesota.
Space & PhysicsOctober 17, 2017
Neutron Star Collisions Create Gold
Astrophysicists searching for gravitational waves have finally learned what happens when you crash two neutron stars together--and it's very, very shiny.
Space & PhysicsOctober 16, 2017
Gravitational Wave Astronomers Hit Mother Lode
Spacetime ripples from a stellar cataclysm in a distant galaxy help explain the cosmic origins of gold, and chart the course for a new age of “multi-messenger” astronomy
Space & PhysicsOctober 13, 2017
Astronomers Are Finally Mapping the “Dark Side” of the Milky Way
Half of our home galaxy is terra incognita. That will soon change
Space & PhysicsOctober 10, 2017
New Telescope "Gives Back the Sky" to City-Dwellers
PolicyOctober 1, 2017
China’s Huge Investments in Science Are Starting to Pay Off
Seeing a chance to lead, China is deploying clean energy, quantum satellites and genomics
Space & PhysicsSeptember 21, 2017
Galaxies Far, Far Away Send Us Highest-Energy Cosmic Rays
A new study hints that the most energetic particles ever seen come from far beyond the Milky Way.
Space & PhysicsSeptember 14, 2017
Cassini’s “Grand Finale” Will Be a Blaze of Glory
The Cassini orbiter will burn out, but its legacy won’t fade away
Space & PhysicsAugust 29, 2017
James Webb Space Telescope Surrounded by Rising Floodwaters
Isolated in a giant thermal vacuum chamber, NASA’s $8.6 billion next-generation observatory is riding out the worst of Hurricane Harvey
Space & PhysicsAugust 25, 2017
“The Farthest” Brings NASA’s Voyager Missions Back to Earth
A new documentary marks the 40th anniversary of humanity’s most audacious interplanetary spacecraft
Space & PhysicsAugust 14, 2017
The Air out There: Astronomers Aim to Find Atmospheres of Alien Earths
Is our nearest neighboring exoplanet, Proxima b, an "Earth next door," or is it a lifeless rock?
Space & PhysicsJuly 27, 2017
Witness the Solar Eclipse without Frying Your Eyes or Your Camera
America is preparing for a sea-to-shining-sea solar eclipse. Here’s how you can watch the spectacular display, and maybe even snap a photo to commemorate the event, without burning your retinas or damaging your camera’s optics.
Space & PhysicsJuly 26, 2017
Reaching for the Stars, Breakthrough Sends Smallest-Ever Satellites into Orbit
Despite technical glitches and regulatory hurdles, nanosatellite swarms could someday be the cornerstone for revolutionary interplanetary or even interstellar space-science missions
Space & PhysicsJuly 24, 2017
Wandering in the Void, Billions of Rogue Planets without a Home
New results suggest free-floating giant planets are less common than previously believed, but hint at vast numbers of smaller castaway worlds
Space & PhysicsJuly 13, 2017
Juno Delivers Stunning New Views of Great Red Spot
Scientists and the public are dazzled by images from the spacecraft’s close encounter with Jupiter’s largest—and the solar system’s most famous—storm
The SciencesJuly 7, 2017
LHC Physicists Unveil a Charming New Particle
The discovery could offer fresh insight into how fundamental forces bind together subatomic particles
Quantum ComputingJune 15, 2017
China Shatters “Spooky Action at a Distance” Record, Preps for Quantum Internet
Results from the Micius satellite test quantum entanglement, pointing the way toward hackproof global communications
AstrophysicsJune 1, 2017
LIGO’s Latest Black-Hole Merger Confirms Einstein, Challenges Astrophysics
New results from the gravitational wave observatory hint that black holes move in mysterious ways
Space & PhysicsMay 26, 2017
Who Will Build the World’s First Commercial Space Station?
A start-up aims to add new construction to the International Space Station to prep for a private sector orbital outpost
The SciencesMay 13, 2017
An Alternate History of the Atomic Age
Scientist and author Gregory Benford discusses his latest book, The Berlin Project
The SciencesMay 11, 2017
How to Make Molecular Movies: Scientist Thomas Allison Explains
The winner of the 2017 Discovery Prize discusses his work watching electrons moving through molecules
Space & PhysicsMay 3, 2017
Watch Live Today: What Does a Black Hole Collision Sound Like? [Video]
Physicist and author Janna Levin will present a free live Webcast tonight at 7 P.M. Eastern time about merging black holes and gravitational waves
Space & PhysicsApril 20, 2017
Interstellar Projectiles Zoom around Us at Blistering Speeds
Hypervelocity stars, and the black holes that launch them, whip through space at millions of miles per hour.
Space & PhysicsApril 19, 2017
Newfound Super-Earth Boosts Search for Alien Life
Planet LHS 1140 b orbits a dim red dwarf star just 40 light-years away, making it a prime target for life-finding telescopes