GRAIL reveals a battered lunar history
Twin spacecraft create a highly detailed gravity map of the moon, finding an interior pulverized by early impacts.
A burst of activity in the middle of the Milky Way
Researchers detect the brightest flare ever observed in our galaxy’s black hole.
Paintballs may deflect an incoming asteroid
With 20 years’ notice, paint pellets could cause an asteroid to veer off course.
Measuring the universe’s ‘exit door’
For the first time, an international team has measured the radius of a black hole.
A far-off solar system
Researchers measure the orientation of a multiplanet system and find it very similar to our own solar system.
Explained: Near-miss asteroids
What to do in the event of an asteroid streaking toward Earth? Activate the asteroid ‘fire drill.’
Researchers calculate size of particles in Martian clouds of CO2 snow
Mars’ carbon dioxide ‘snowflakes’ are about the size of red blood cells.
Dresselhaus, Graybiel, Luu receive 2012 Kavli Prizes
Biennial prizes in astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience include a $1 million cash award in each field.
Newfound exoplanet may turn to dust
A planet’s dust cloud may explain strange patterns of light from its star.
Mysterious electron acceleration explained
Computer simulation identifies source of aurora-causing high-speed electrons in space