Astrophysics

Researchers have shown that abstract mathematical functions from the frontiers of theoretical physics have a real-world use in modeling gravitational waves

Astronomical amounts of energy could be extracted from black holes—to build a gigantic bomb, for example. Experts have now implemented this principle in the laboratory

Stars like the sun might erupt with extreme explosions about once per century

If dark energy is weakening, as suggested by recent results, then the cosmos is far stranger than most physicists had supposed

It seems contrary to common knowledge, but sound can travel through some parts of space quite well

ORCs—odd radio circles—are one of the weirdest recent discoveries in the heavens above

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope provided a closer look at the aftermath of a star that wreaked violence on its planet

At the lower end, and to the bitter end, defining a star is tougher than you might expect

According to new simulations, many, even most, planets get ejected from their star early in their history

The next year of science on the James Webb Space Telescope has been announced amid mounting budgetary uncertainty that could affect the unparalleled observatory

The spins of some early galaxies could be a clue that the entire observable universe exists within a black hole—except, that is, for all the evidence to the contrary

A long-simmering disagreement over the universe’s present-day expansion rate shows no signs of resolution, leaving experts increasingly vexed