X-ray pulse detected near event horizon as black hole devours star
Pulse pattern suggests distant black hole must be spinning at least at 50 percent the speed of light.
Revolutionary radio telescope detects bevy of fast radio bursts
Researchers use CHIME telescope to detect fast radio bursts at low frequencies and a second repeating burst.
Astronomers observe evolution of a black hole as it wolfs down stellar material
Halo of highly energized electrons around the black hole contracts dramatically during feeding frenzy.
Tiny satellites could be “guide stars” for huge next-generation telescopes
Researchers design CubeSats with lasers to provide steady reference light for telescopes investigating distant planets.
Nuno Loureiro: Understanding turbulence in plasmas
Theoretical physicist's focus on the complexity of plasma turbulence could pay dividends in fusion energy.
Anna Frebel is searching the stars for clues to the universe’s origins
MIT astronomer and writer investigates ancient starlight and shares her excitement about the cosmos.
Stamp of approval
MIT’s Mark Vogelsberger and the Illustris project are honored by Germany's postal service with an official stamp.
LIGO and Virgo announce four new gravitational-wave detections
The observatories are also releasing their first catalog of gravitational-wave events.
Jacqueline Hewitt to step down as director of the MIT Kavli Institute
Physics professor brought leadership, resources, and an intellectual focus to the MIT astrophysics faculty and research staff during 15 years at the helm.
E.T., we’re home
Existing laser technology could be fashioned into Earth’s “porch light” to attract alien astronomers, study finds.
Nuno Loureiro: Probing the world of plasmas
Physicist explores the behavior of the universe’s most abundant form of matter.
Professor Emeritus Bernard Burke, astrophysics pioneer, dies at 90
Former Astrophysics Division chair discovered radio noise from Jupiter and the first Einstein Ring, and developed tools to map the universe.
Book explores milestones of astronomical discovery
In “Dispatches from Planet 3,” Marcia Bartusiak illuminates overlooked breakthroughs and the people who made them.
Light from ancient quasars helps confirm quantum entanglement
Results are among the strongest evidence yet for “spooky action at a distance.”
Sprawling galaxy cluster found hiding in plain sight
Bright light from black hole in a feeding frenzy had been obscuring surrounding galaxies.