Pondering the unknowable
Alan Lightman’s new book explores the riddles of origins, infinities, and other bafflements brought to us by modern science.
Research updates from TESS: Hunting for worlds beyond our solar system
MIT scientists present exoplanet data at the 237th American Astronomical Society meeting.
Astronomers detect extended dark matter halo around ancient dwarf galaxy
Findings suggest the first galaxies in the universe were more massive than previously thought.
TESS discovers four exoplanets orbiting a nearby sun-like star
MIT-led NASA mission finds a multi-planetary system that could be an “ideal laboratory” to study planetary formation and evolution.
Search for axions from nearby star Betelgeuse comes up empty
Results significantly narrow the range of possible places to find the hypothetical dark matter particles.
Mark Vogelsberger wins 2020 Buchalter Cosmology Prize for simulating a “fuzzy” universe
Associate professor of physics shares the honor with colleague Phillip Mocz for their novel dark matter research.
Storm in a cosmic teacup: A new paradigm for understanding plasma turbulence
PhD candidate Lucio Milanese uncovers new fundamental mechanism in turbulence.
3 Questions: Rona Oran and Benjamin Weiss on the ancient moon’s missing magnetism
Simulations rule out plasmas caused by meteoroid impacts as the source of lunar magnetism, supporting the proposal that the ancient moon generated a core dynamo.
Q&A: Holly Jackson on building a cosmic family tree
Undergraduate in electrical engineering and computer science contributes to startling new astronomy research.
A technique to sift out the universe’s first gravitational waves
Identifying primordial ripples would be key to understanding the conditions of the early universe.
Pulling the secrets of dark matter out of a hat
Grad student Chiara Salemi and Professor Lindley Winslow use the ABRACADABRA instrument to reveal insights into dark matter.
3 Questions: Hsin-Yu Chen on treading lightly when dating the universe
MIT postdoc finds the angle at which we view neutron star collisions could significantly impact age measurements.
No matter the size of a nuclear party, some protons and neutrons will always pair up and dance
Findings on short-range nuclear interactions will help scientists investigate neutron stars and heavy radioactive nuclei.
Astronomers report first detection of ultrabright radio flashes in our own galaxy
The fast radio bursts are likely generated by a magnetar, the most magnetic type of star in the universe.
Designing new mirror materials for better gravitational-wave detection
Nicholas Demos, a first-generation college graduate and MathWorks Fellow in MIT’s Kavli Institute, is improving our ability to listen to the cosmos.