The Universe is not just a random scattering of galaxies scattered across an expanding void. The closer we look, the more we see that there are structures, some of which are incomprehensibly vast clusters and clusters of galaxies that are gravitationally bonded. Such a structure has just been discovered arching …
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A new study proposes that language could change dramatically on long space trips. The people on the spacecraft could lose the ability to understand people on Earth. This scenario is of particular concern to potential “generation ships”. Given the mounting crises of 2020, wouldn’t it be nice to get on …
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When you go out and look at the sky on a clear night, it seems like nothing else could be so serene and peaceful. But many of those seemingly peaceful stars are evidence of a troubled history, and now we are learning to uncover their secrets. Using data from the …
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Across the Universe, there are numerous examples of galaxies coming together in colossal mergers, a billion-year-old process that stains stars and gas in the surrounding space. For the most part, we know how this unfolds, but we don’t know what happens to supermassive black holes within their galactic centers. Astronomers …
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Image of a spiral galaxy. You are probably imagining something like Messier 34: long, spiral arms that move away from a brilliantly bright center, dotted with sparkling star clusters and dotted with dark streaks of dust. But from our point of view, galaxies can be oriented in any way, including …
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