The size of the planets in our solar system varies widely, with Mercury being the smallest and Jupiter being the largest at more than 11 times the size of Earth. To comprehend our place in the universe and the variety of planetary systems that exist, it is important to understand the relative … Read more
The strange phenomena of different types of celestial objects and bodies have always excited us! There are many of them out there that have such unique aspects that scientists have not been able to figure out despite years of research. For example, some comets are extremely bright and pass by close to … Read more
The most basic level of the study of matter and energy is called quantum physics. It tries to learn more about the characteristics and actions of nature’s fundamental building blocks. It also studies extremely microscopic objects to examine how matter behaves and what goes on inside of atoms. While many quantum studies … Read more
The fundamental background energy that permeates all of the space in the universe is known as vacuum energy. It is the zero-point energy that is related to the quantum vacuum and whose effects are believed to have an impact on the behavior of the universe on cosmological scales and have been empirically … Read more
Some of the oddest and most interesting objects in space are black holes. Because of their enormous density and powerful gravitational pull, not even light can elude them. Scientists believe that there may be well over 100 million black holes in the Milky Way. While black holes also differ in size, scientists … Read more
The universe is indeed home to a lot of mysteries that await to be uncovered. Only 5% of the universe is something we are aware of. An unknown world of new particles and forces lie within the remaining 95%, waiting to be discovered. The cosmos as we know it now has been … Read more
The “fourth state of matter,” following the well-known solid, liquid, and gas phases, is plasma. A plasma is a gas that has reached such a high temperature that some or all of its atoms have been divided into independent moving electrons and ions or both. Ions and/or electrons, which are charged particles, … Read more
Dark matter is one of the Universe’s most mysterious and yet ubiquitous components. Humans, the Earth, the Sun, and everything that emits or absorbs light in space are all formed of ordinary matter, which includes protons, neutrons, and electrons. However, ordinary matter only accounts for one-sixth of the total mass in the … Read more
The Earth’s magnetic field is never completely silent. Satellite data is supporting an explanation for the explosive nature of magnetic storms which are called magnetic explosions. The swirling motion of ionized gases in a mechanism known as a dynamo generates magnetic energy across the Universe – the twisting and folding of the … Read more
As early as 2003, astronomers have presented early evidence of “galactic cannibalism” or a cosmologic phenomenon where a larger galaxy eats one of its smaller neighbors which results in its growth. Recent observations point to the early instances of this merging and cannibalizing phenomenon in the Tucana II ultra-dwarf galaxy. This galactic … Read more