The Ocean Vents Where Life on Earth Likely Began
In a recent paper, biologists outlined a three-part hypothesis for how all life as we know it began.
Total Solar Eclipse, 2024 Edition
A total solar eclipse crosses North America on Monday, April 8. Be prepared!
Dragon Swallows the Sun: Predicting Eclipses in China
China had a long history of astronomy before the arrival of Europeans, but the politics of absolute rule led to the eventual embrace of Western methods.
How Astronomers Write History
Scientists’ approach to dating past eclipses changed when they stopped treating classical texts as authoritative records.
Why Interstellar Objects Like ʻOumuamua and Borisov May Hold Clues to Exoplanets
The detection of two celestial interlopers careening through our solar system has scientists eagerly anticipating more.
Bridging The Gap of War: Einstein’s Eclipse
Astronomer Arthur S. Eddington argued that astronomy should be above politics, even when politics leads to world war.
100 Years after the “Great Debate”: How Edwin Hubble Expanded the Cosmos
In 1924, Edwin Hubble found proof that the Milky Way isn't the only galaxy in the Universe.
Anaxagoras and the Eclipse: The First to Get It Right
Scholars sometimes credit Thales or Empedocles of Acragas with the first correct theory of solar eclipses, but it was Anaxagoras who had the science right.
Astronomers Use AI to Shed Light on Dark Energy
A new measurement offers insights on the density of the mysterious force driving the Universe’s expansion.