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Space
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The sheer scale of the universe may oftentimes escape everyday description; our “pale blue dot” may sometimes feel miniscule compared with the sheer scale of the rest of the universe. In response to this, Modern Sciences champions the latest in astronomical developments and discoveries, to help us truly understand what lies beyond our blue skies—not just the universe as how we see it, but a universe in which we are a part. “We are made of star stuff,” after all.
How Big Does an Asteroid Need to Be to End Humanity?
From city-destroyers to planet-sterilizers, scientists are tracking the asteroids that could one day threaten all life on Earth and developing the technology to prevent them from doing so.
Mars has a solid core, resolving a longstanding planetary mystery — new study
NASA Kevin Olsen, University of Oxford and Mhairi Reid, University of Oxford Scientists have discovered that Mars has…
We drilled deep under the sea to learn more about mega-earthquakes and tsunamis
The Japanese drilling vessel Chikyu. (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology) Morgane Brunet, Université du Québec à…
Scientists use supercomputers to ask: What was before the Big Bang?
Scientists are turning to powerful supercomputer simulations to solve Einstein's equations and finally explore what happened before the Big Bang.
The first stars may not have been as uniformly massive as astronomers thought
Stars form in the universe from massive clouds of gas. European Southern Observatory, CC BY-SA Luke Keller, Ithaca…
The Viewpoint: A new observatory is assembling the most complete time-lapse record of the night sky ever
Now operational, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is creating a 10-year movie of the universe to investigate everything from the nature of dark matter to the threat of nearby asteroids.
UW study: Flaw in rover tests risks future Mars missions
New computer simulations reveal a critical flaw in how space agencies test rovers, leading to overly optimistic predictions for missions on the moon and Mars.
What’s a ‘black moon’? Here’s why it’s worth looking up at the sky this week
Not a black moon. Jayanth Muppaneni/Unsplash Laura Nicole Driessen, University of Sydney There’s been a lot of buzz…
This Rock Is Older Than the Solar System
Containing the building blocks of DNA and stardust older than the Sun, the Murchison meteorite offers an unprecedented glimpse into the origins of our solar system and life itself.
Head-on ‘Eye of Sauron’ blazar jet solves cosmic neutrino mystery
A rare, head-on view of the blazar PKS 1424+240 reveals how relativistic effects make it a top source of cosmic neutrinos and gamma rays, solving a decade-long mystery.