81–100 of 137 results

Cosmology

Dark Energy Survey Releases First Three Years of Data

Results from the first data release of the Dark Energy Survey include eleven new stellar streams in the Milky Way galaxy.

Neutron star collision

Stellar Science

Astronomers Catch Gravitational Waves from Colliding Neutron Stars

Spacetime ripples from the neutron star smash-up usher in the age of multi-messenger astronomy.

Virgo

Cosmology

Fourth Gravitational Wave Event Detected

Teaming up with LIGO, Europe’s Virgo detector has bagged its first gravitational waves. The three-observatory detection enabled scientists to better pinpoint the merging black holes’ location.

Astronomy Blogs

KAGRA: Japan’s Underground Einstein Wave Detector

On June 1, U.S. and European physicists published the latest results in their quest for gravitational waves — tiny ripples in spacetime, generated by energetic events like the collision and merger of distant black holes. Meanwhile, a new gravitational wave observatory is under construction in Japan. Sky & Telescope Contributing Editor Govert Schilling visited the KAGRA detector in 2016.

Fast radio burst FRB 121102

Galaxies

Homing in on the Source of a Mysterious Fast Radio Burst

Ground- and space-based observations have now shed intriguing new light on a mysterious radio source more than 3 billion light-years away.

Astronomy Travel

Road Tripping Space: Visiting Meteorites in Africa

Traveling through space can be a bumpy ride! Join Govert Schilling on a scenic road trip across southern Africa filled with craters and meteorites.

Astronomy Travel

Bright future for South African Astronomy

Govert Schilling chronicles his travels to astronomical observatories across South Africa, the future site of the Square Kilometre Array.

Abell 2744 galaxy cluster

Galaxies

Hubble Spies Faint Galaxies, Bountiful in Early Universe

Hubble has spotted more than 100 small, faint galaxies in the young universe, common as dust bunnies but previously out of reach of even the best telescopes.

People, Places, and Events

The Incredible Skies of Namibia

Explore two unique astronomical sites that lie under the dark skies of Namibia - the HESS high-energy array and the Africa Millimeter Telescope.

KIDS Dark Matter Map

Cosmology

Not-So-Clumpy Dark Matter Poses Cosmological Challenge

Astronomers analyzing a new sky survey have found that the distribution of dark matter in the modern universe is smoother than predicted from observations of a far younger universe.

Path of the occultation by Pluto on June 29, 2015

Solar System

SOFIA Dashes into Pluto's Shadow

Despite an 11th-hour scramble due to an unexpected in predictions, NASA's flying observatory was in the right place at the right time on June 29th as distant Pluto briefly covered a 12th-magnitude star.

Professional Telescopes

South Pole Science

A behind-the-scenes look at the construction of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, plus more information about science done at the South Pole. (This blog is an online companion to our January 2014 feature article on IceCube.)

People, Places, and Events

A Whirlwind South Pole Tour

S&T contributing editor Govert Schilling tells the story of his recent expedition to the unique science laboratory located at the inhospitable South Pole.

Professional Telescopes

Radio Astronomy in the Aussie Outback

It's not easy to get to the Murchison Radio Observatory in Western Australia. Being in one of the most remote regions of the country means there's hardly any radio interference that might otherwise compromise the astronomical observations. It's one of the most radio-quiet zones on the planet.

Exoplanets

Planet Hunters are Losing Count

The latest 500 planet candidates from the Kepler mission are just part of the story. But Terra II remains elusive.

People, Places, and Events

Remembering Tom Gehrels (1925-2011)

Dutch-born planetary scientist and asteroid hunter Tom Gehrels passed away on July 11th. Sky & Telescope contributing editor Govert Schilling shares his memories of a unique person.

MMT Observatory

Solar System

Praising Arizona — II

S&T contributing editor Govert Schilling visits observatories in southern Arizona.

People, Places, and Events

Praising Arizona — I

S&T contributing editor Govert Schilling visits observatories in southern Arizona

Exoplanets

COROT Finds the Smallest Exoplanet Yet

Astronomers have found the smallest transiting exoplanet yet, with a silhouette only about 1.7 Earth diameters wide. It's also the fastest-orbiting planet known, with a "year" lasting 20 hours.

Cosmology

Standard-Candle Supernova Confusion

Type 1a supernovas are crucial for measuring how the expansion of the universe has been changing. But no one knows for sure exactly what they are.

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