Phiala Shanahan is seeking fundamental answers about our physical world
With supercomputers and machine learning, the physicist aims to illuminate the structure of everyday particles and uncover signs of dark matter.
Study: Without more data, a black hole’s origins can be “spun” in any direction
Current measurements of black holes are not enough to nail down how the invisible giants form in the universe, researchers say.
School of Science appoints 10 faculty to named professorships
Those selected for these positions receive additional support to pursue their research and develop their careers.
Mysteriously bright flash is a black hole jet pointing straight toward Earth, astronomers say
The observations could illuminate how supermassive black holes feed and grow.
International team observes innermost structure of quasar jet
New observations show the deepest parts of the quasar's plasma jet in a project led by MIT Haystack Observatory.
Astronomers find a “cataclysmic” pair of stars with the shortest orbit yet
The stars circle each other every 51 minutes, confirming a decades-old prediction.
Saturn’s rings and tilt could be the product of an ancient, missing moon
A “grazing encounter” may have smashed the moon to bits to form Saturn’s rings, a new study suggests.
Deepto Chakrabarty named head of the Department of Physics
High-energy astrophysicist to lead MIT School of Science physics community.
Astronomers detect a radio “heartbeat” billions of light-years from Earth
The clear and periodic pattern of fast radio bursts may originate from a distant neutron star.
Astronomers discover a multiplanet system nearby
Just 33 light-years from Earth, the system appears to host two rocky, Earth-sized planets.
American Astronomical Society honors seven MIT affiliates with 2022 awards, prizes
Two MIT professors and five alumni recognized for outstanding contributions to astronomy research, education, and communication.
How the universe got its magnetic field
By studying the dynamics of plasma turbulence, MIT researchers are helping to solve one of the mysteries of the origins of cosmological magnetic fields.
Astronomers snap first-ever image of supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*
The image reveals a glowing, donut-shaped ring at the Milky Way’s heart.
Astronomers discover a rare “black widow” binary, with the shortest orbit yet
The system is orbited by third stellar companion and may have originated near the center of the Milky Way.
Search reveals eight new sources of black hole echoes
The findings will help scientists trace a black hole’s evolution as it feeds on stellar material.