Albert Einstein made an executive decision to revolutionise our understanding of gravity in a paper published in 1916. Nearly 100 years on, a key prediction of Einstein’s theory has eluded direct detection…
Trojans such as (1173) Anchises appear to have been caught in Jupiter's orbit, mid-flight.
Dave Hosford
You’ll remember that, about a year ago, Canadian astronomers announced the discovery of a small asteroid sharing the earth’s orbit.
The asteroid in question, 2010 TK7, is a “planetary Trojan” – an object…
Knowing where cosmic rays don't come from brings scientists another step closer to determining their origin.
NSF/J. Yang
By David Jones, Max Planck Institut für Kernphysik
It’s been the defining question of high-energy astrophysics for the past century: where do cosmic rays come from?
New findings from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole have brought us closer…
The Big Bang theory and the existence of God are ideas often grappled with when thinking about how the universe was created.
DamienHR
Last week’s Global Atheist Convention and debates between prominent atheists and theologians in the Australian media has seen arguments about the existence of God getting a thorough airing.
In my view…
It's time we got to the core of our planet's early history.
Derringdos
As of today, the world might have changed forever.
A fundamental assumption underpinning much of modern geochemistry is that the earth has the same composition as a class of meteorites called chondrites…
The James Webb Space Telescope will search for stars in the dawning universe.
BOBXNC
When the Obama administration announced its proposed NASA budget in February, astronomers worldwide breathed a sigh of relief. Despite significant cuts in other areas, funding for the James Webb Space…
All good things must come to an end.
Michael Ashley
Professor Michael Ashley recently returned from Antarctica where he deployed a telescope to one of the most remote locations on Earth – a place known as Ridge A, 850km from the South Pole.
This is the…
GRBs have puzzled astronomers for decades, and there is still plenty to learn.
EOS/A Roquette
Ever since they were discovered accidentally in the 1960s, gamma ray bursts (GRBs) have continued to amaze and puzzle astronomers worldwide. In nearly 50 years of research there seem to have been more…
You probably wouldn't try to drive across Antarctica in a regular Hilux.
Michael Ashley
Professor Michael Ashley recently returned from Antarctica where he was deploying a telescope to one of the most remote locations on Earth – a place known as Ridge A, 850km from the South Pole.
This is…
When you're trying to fly to the South Pole, weather-related delays are a frustrating reality.
Michael Ashley
Professor Michael Ashley is currently in Antarctica to deploy a telescope to one of the most remote locations on Earth – a place known as Ridge A, some 850km from the South Pole.
This is the second instalment…
Finding quasars will help us understand how galaxies were formed.
NASA
Today, the University of Melbourne’s Professor Stuart Wyithe was awarded the 2011 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year for his work on the origin of galaxies.
The multi-award winning…
A would-be Jedi waits for Kepler in a galaxy far, far away.
It’s one of the most famous and evocative images in cinematic history – Luke Skywalker gazing out at the twin suns of Tatooine as they set, in the original Star Wars movie, A New Hope.
Such a view would…
Science follows certain procedures, but does the media get the signal?
CSIRO
Recently my colleagues and I announced the discovery of a remarkable planet orbiting a special kind of star known as a pulsar.
Based on the planet’s density, and the likely history of its system, we concluded…
Stars shine, for sure, but PSR J1719-1438 is sporting some serious bling.
Robyn Beck/AFP
A planet has been found in our Milky Way galaxy that may be made entirely of diamond.
As reported in Science today, an international astronomy team led by Swinburne University’s Matthew Bailes, has discovered…
Get to grips with the latest development in cosmic couture.
NASA
In the past week, many media outlets have reported the discovery of an antimatter “belt” circling the earth.
A range of potential uses for this belt have already been floated – perhaps the most exciting…
We still have plenty to learn about our own galaxy.
Doug Klembara
Welcome to the third instalment of If I had a blank cheque … a series in which leading researchers reveal what they could (and would) do in their discipline if money were no object.
Today we hear from…
Scientists believe dark matter makes up 23% of the universe.
NASA
By Jeremy Mould, Swinburne University of Technology
Dark matter has worked its way back into the news in the last few days with the completion of a detection experiment in a tunnel deep under the Italian Alps.
Researchers from Columbia University used…
