The science case for why Pluto still isn’t a planet
In 2006, Pluto was controversially demoted to “dwarf planet” by the IAU. Unless you ignore most of astrophysics, it won’t ever be one…Continue reading on Starts With A Bang! » Source link...
SCIENCE
Dark matter in the Bullet Cluster celebrates 20 years
The first colliding galaxy cluster to reveal dark matter, empirically, turns 20 this year. Here’s why it cements dark matter’s existence.Continue reading on Starts With A Bang! » Source link...
The challenge of celebrating Artemis II as NASA cuts loom
NASA has just sent astronauts back to the Moon for the first time since 1972 with Artemis II. So why would we cut NASA and NSF science now?Continue reading on Starts With A Bang! » Source link...
The particles in the early Universe painted a different picture
Today, we have the Standard Model of particles with four fundamental forces governing them. But things weren’t always the way they are now.Continue reading on Starts With A Bang! » Source link...
Ask Ethan: What’s the biggest misconception in astronomy?
Many facts are well-known to professionals, but are unappreciated or even rejected outright by the public. “How stars work” takes the cake.Continue reading on Starts With A Bang! » Source link...
The idea of “theories of everything” may be fundamentally wrong
For decades, theorists have been cooking up “theories of everything” to explain our Universe. Are all of them completely off-track?Continue reading on Starts With A Bang! » Source link...
Only antimatter provides the energy we need for interstellar travel
Our dream of journeying to other star systems has a big obstacle to overcome: the vast interstellar distances. Can antimatter get us there?Continue reading on Starts With A Bang! » Source link...
Dark matter passes a new cosmic test, while MOND fails
On cosmic scales, only dark matter (or something equivalent) gives us the Universe we observe. Now, the Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect agrees.Continue reading on Starts With A Bang! » Source link...
Star birth doesn’t come from ignition, but from equilibrium
Although a star’s “birth” is well-defined, it doesn’t correspond to an ignition event in its core. Here’s how stars are actually born.Continue reading on Starts With A Bang! » Source link...
Ask Ethan: How long does it take planets to form?
Every time a new star forms, there’s an opportunity to form planets alongside and around it. How does it happen, and how long does it take?Continue reading on Starts With A Bang! » Source link...
