Astronomers discover a brand-new type of astrophysical object: A black hole star
The mashup of a black hole and an enormous star has never been seen before and could explain the mysterious little red dots often found in deep-space images.
On the hunt for dark matter
From Broadway to MIT’s Laboratory for Nuclear Science, PhD student Jessica Fry doesn’t do anything halfway. Now she’s hunting for the universe’s most elusive particle.
Diffuse puffs of “missing” matter surround most galaxies
An MIT-led team used bright radio bursts to illuminate a vast source of matter that was previously unaccounted for.
Many black holes had past lives, new research shows
Physicists have found signs of colliding black holes that are themselves products of previous black hole smash-ups.
Listening for the echoes of black holes
By analyzing X-ray reverberations and other astrophysical data, Erin Kara seeks to understand the most extreme objects in the universe.
Astronomers map a magnetic “skeleton” funneling gas into a stellar nursery
MIT Haystack Observatory researchers use SOFIA observations to reveal how magnetic fields guide the assembly of one of our galaxy's most active high-mass star-forming regions.
MIT astronomers discover the earliest known flickering quasar
When the universe was just 850 million years old, this voracious black hole was already surprisingly mature, a new study finds.
NSF renews support for MIT-led AI and physics institute, expanding a new model for discovery
IAIFI enters its second phase with increased funding, broader ambitions, and a growing community at the frontier of AI and fundamental physics.
The Haystack 37m Telescope: A new era of astrophysical research
The legendary radio astronomy telescope returns to its science and educational mission at MIT Haystack Observatory.
A new way to spot signs of dark matter
Gravitational waves emitted by colliding black holes may bear imprints of dark matter, which physicists could detect with a new model.
Astronomers pin down the origins of a planetary odd couple
New measurements of a hot Jupiter and its mini-Neptune companion suggest both planets formed surprisingly far away from their host star.
Transforming deep-space signals into cathedral sound
An immersive sound installation at Oulu Cathedral, Finland, co-created by MIT Associate Professor Kiyoshi Masui, transforms more than 4,000 cosmic signals into spatial audio.
Jacob Andreas and Brett McGuire named Edgerton Award winners
The associate professors of EECS and chemistry, respectively, are honored for exceptional contributions to teaching, research, and service at MIT.
Two physicists and a curious host walk into a studio…
On GBH’s new show The Curiosity Desk, MIT LIGO researchers revel in the beauties of fundamental discovery science and MIT astronomers talk planetary defense.
3 Questions: Fortifying our planetary defenses
MIT astronomers are developing a new way to detect, monitor, and mitigate the threats posed by smaller asteroids to our critical space infrastructure.