astrophysics

Eta Aquarid meteor shower as seen from Carindale, Brisbane on Wednesday 8 May 2019. Photo by Paul Balfe/via Flickr

Did the birth of the solar system make meteorites? Here’s a tell-tale clue

By William Herbst, James Greenwood, The Conversation

Imaging scientist Katie Bouman watching the first reconstructed image of a black hole emerge from the Event Horizon Telescope data. Image courtesy of Katie Bouman

Katie Bouman ‘hardly knew what a black hole was.’ Her algorithm helped us see one

Imaging scientist Katie Bouman chats with the PBS NewsHour about how she crafted an algorithm that constructed the first ever photo of a black hole.

By Vicky Stein

Scientists have obtained the first image of a black hole, using Event Horizon Telescope observations of the center of the galaxy M87. The image shows a bright ring formed as light bends in the intense gravity around a black hole that is 6.5 billion times more massive than the Sun. This long-sought image provides the strongest evidence to date for the existence of supermassive black holes and opens a new window onto the study of black holes, their event horizons, and gravity. Photo by Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration

Here is the first photo of a black hole

On Wednesday, the Event Horizon Telescope released the first-ever image of a black hole, a historic moment shared by scientists spread around the world.

By Nsikan Akpan

This is not an actual image of a black hole. This artist’s impression shows the surroundings of a supermassive black hole, typical of that found at the heart of many galaxies. The black hole itself is surrounded by a brilliant accretion disc of very hot, infalling material and, further out, a dusty torus. There are also often high-speed jets of material ejected at the black hole’s poles that can extend huge distances into space. Illustration and caption by European Southern Observatory

WATCH: What does a black hole look like? Scientists reveal the first picture

The Event Horizon Telescope is expected to release the first image of a black hole on Wednesday. In preparation for what might be a momentous day, here’s what you need to know.

By Nsikan Akpan

Northern lights seen over Rovaniemi in Lapland, Finland, in 2018. Researchers discovered the northern and southern lights are not symmetrical, and now they think they know why. Image by REUTERS/Alexander Kuznetsov

Why the northern and southern lights don’t always look identical

On a clear night, people near the poles might see colorful light wafting across the sky. New research could explain why these auroras don't look the same to everyone .

By Vicky Stein

What is a blazar? Its high-energy flares could unlock the foundations of the universe

By Amanda Grennell

How 300 scientists in 12 countries across four continents detected one of the universe's most elusive particles.

‘Oumuamua, the first known interstellar visitor, is just a comet

By Nola Taylor Redd, Scientific American

Oumuamua is almost certainly a comet, albeit one fittingly alien from those we find orbiting the sun, according to a new study published Wednesday.

Hayabusa2, a Japanese spacecraft, arrives at Ryugu asteroid to retrieve minerals

By Jeremy Hsu, Scientific American

If all goes according to plan, two spacecraft will commence close encounters with two asteroids by the end of August, in order to retrieve organic materials dating back to the solar system’s birth.