Browse Physics

A proposed explanation for puzzling features on the Moon involving small-scale magnetic fields has now been verified with a scaled-down version in the lab.

Theorists predict that the matter surrounding some black holes may be hot enough for nuclear fusion, which could generate lithium and deepen the mysteries surrounding lithium in the universe.

Analysis of newly retrieved navigational data for the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft suggests that an anomalous acceleration in their motion is steadily decreasing, pointing to asymmetric radiation of heat as the likely cause, rather than the more exotic explanations previously proposed

During the formation of a neutron star, the energy of nearby empty space could grow to exceed that of the star’s mass.

Data from a cluster of satellites maps the turbulence of the solar wind in three dimensions.

Neutrinos arriving from a nearby supernova could be used to determine the precise moment when gravitational waves should appear, which may help researchers pick out the so-far-undetectable waves.

Computer simulations reveal a new type of wave structure that may appear in the banded flows of giant planets, or even Earth’s oceans.

The mixture of a superconductor and a superfluid–as may occur inside a neutron star–could respond to the star’s magnetic field in ways never seen in earthly superconductors, according to a new theory. The strange material doesn’t fit into the two standard superconducting categories.

A new theory may explain what triggers solar flares, explosions of solar energy that can affect earthly communications.

In 1960 physicists finally verified Einstein’s 1911 prediction that gravity could change light’s frequency. Understanding the effect is essential to modern navigational technology.

Gravitational waves from merging neutron star pairs could help reveal their mysterious and exotic material properties.

A neutron star may have formed quietly from a white dwarf, rather than from a supernova, as the standard theory predicts.

A rocket experiment suggests that dust grains in the infant solar system first assembled into chains, not clumps.

New astronomical observations contradict the claim that fundamental constants were different in the early universe.

Computer simulations support the controversial theory that the magnetic fields enveloping galaxies are as old as the Universe.

A supernova simulated using state-of-the-art equations doesn’t explode, exposing astrophysicists’ ignorance about neutrino physics.

A new method may help ensure the accuracy of simulations of galactic evolution.

Bare quark stars may give off a unique signal that could soon be detected.

The clustering of galaxies in space places the tightest bound yet on the mass of the wispy neutrino.

A theory inspired by chemical reactions may give researchers a new tool for understanding the flow of asteroids and comets across the solar system.