3 Questions: Ariel Ekblaw on building beautiful architecture in space
The TESSERAE project, a design for self-assembling space structures and habitats, has sent prototypes to the International Space Station.
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.
MIT scientists develop low-cost, high-precision fabrication method for thin mirrors and silicon wafers
A novel photolithography technique could be a manufacturing game-changer for optical applications.
MIT welcomes two from the Heising-Simons Foundation 51 Pegasi b Fellowship for 2022
The fellowship supports research contributing to the field of planetary science and astronomy.
“Diverse people lead to diverse ideas”
As he works toward a career in aerospace engineering, senior Devin Johnson uplifts others along the way.
Scientists develop the largest, most detailed model of the early universe to date
Named after a goddess of the dawn, the Thesan simulation of the first billion years helps explain how radiation shaped the early universe.
Look! Up in the sky! Is it a planet? Nope, just a star
Among thousands of known exoplanets, MIT astronomers flag three that are actually stars.
Yen-Jie Lee probes particle collision data for clues to the universe’s origins
The excitement of making discoveries on the global stage is “so much bigger than the pressure,” says the particle physicist.
Richard Binzel: Eyes on the skies and a passion for planetary science
Over more than three decades at MIT, Binzel developed key insights into the solar system and played a role in multiple NASA missions.
A “hot Jupiter’s” dark side is revealed in detail for first time
The planet’s night side likely hosts iron clouds, titanium rain, and winds that dwarf Earth’s jetstream.
Early findings from HERA telescope promise deeper understanding of the cosmic dawn
Scientists including MIT’s Jacqueline Hewitt and Nicholas Kern share long-awaited results, getting closer to the universe’s first stars.
OSIRIS-REx mission carrying MIT student experiment wins Space Foundation award
John L. "Jack" Swigert, Jr. Award for Space Exploration honors project team’s success harvesting a sample from asteroid Bennu.
Why are comet heads green — but not their tails?
An accidental discovery and a love of spectroscopic perturbations leads to the solution of a 90-year-old puzzle.
TESS Science Office at MIT hits milestone of 5,000 exoplanet candidates
Catalog of planet candidates nearly doubles in size during 2020-21.