If each time a quantum decision were made, our timeline split to allow for two (and only two) possible outcomes, then the number of overall possibilities would increase incredibly rapidly, depending on which combinations of outcomes and what order-of-interactions are...
This one prominent galaxy, known as the Big Wheel and located 22 billion light-years away at present, spans ~100,000 light-years in diameter: the largest disk galaxy known at these early cosmic epochs. The smaller galaxy to the Big Wheel’s upper...
By creating two entangled photons from a pre-existing system and separating them by great distances, we can ‘teleport’ information about the state of one by measuring the state of the other, even from extraordinarily different locations. Interpretations of quantum physics...
This image shows the core of globular cluster Terzan 5, just 22,000 light-years away in our own Milky Way, with a wide variety of colors and masses inherent to the stars within. With millions of stars within only a few...
This fun graphic illustrates the tension on Λ, Einstein’s cosmological constant, exerted by combining supernova data (right), baryon acoustic oscillations (left), and the cosmic microwave background (top). When all three data sets are combined, the idea of a cosmological constant...
This image of Earth at night highlights the power of how different features are visible as the planet rotates about its axis from afar. Even though night lighting would not be detectable with foreseeable technology were Earth an exoplanet, there...
This is an artist’s impression of JADES-GS-z14–0, which as of today is the most distant confirmed galaxy. Galaxies in the early Universe tend to be clumpy and irregular. Supernova explosions in this galaxy would have spread heavy elements forged inside...
There may never be another Einstein or another Newton, but we can all learn to utilize their equations under the right physical circumstances. We can become excellent at physics the same way they did: by solving problems quantitatively, and using...
This side-by-side view shows the same object, the Pillars of Creation, as captured by JWST in both mid-infrared light (at left) and in near-infrared light (at right). Note the different features revealed as far as stars, dust, gas, and other...
Planet Earth, as viewed by NASA’s Messenger spacecraft as it departed from our location, clearly shows the spheroidal nature of our planet. This is an observation that cannot be made from a single vantage point on our surface, but there...
