Astrophysicist explains the Universe

On Aug. 12, 2026, skywatchers across the U.K. will experience a rare astronomical double-header: a deep partial solar eclipse before sunset followed, hours later, by the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Although the path of totality will sweep from Greenland and Iceland to Spain, it will miss Britain entirely. However, the solar eclipse…

There’s a bit of a historical mystery surrounding the star Theta Eridani. Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD and al-Sufi in 964 AD both recorded Theta Eridani as one of the thirteen brightest stars in the sky. Hipparchus may have said the same. But there’s a problem. For it to be one of the thirteen…

Schwieterman, E. W. et al. Astrobiology 18, 663–708 (2018). Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Wright, J. T. et al. Astrophys. J. Lett. 927, L30 (2022). Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Haqq-Misra, J., Kopparapu, R. K. & Profitiliotis, G. Astrophys. J. Lett. 995, L22 (2025). Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Profitiliotis, G. & Theologou, K. Futures 147, 103117 (2023)….

Microsoft’s greenhouse gas pollution increased by roughly 25 percent last year, the company says in its new sustainability report released Thursday. The report follows similar ones released by Google and Amazon last week. Together, they show a troubling trend of rising tech company emissions, driven by the global race to build out power-hungry data centers….

Astronomers have directly confirmed four previously hidden white dwarf stars in nearby binary systems. Every system lies within 65 light-years of Earth, and one contains the ninth closest known white dwarf to the Sun. The discoveries were made by researchers at the University of Warwick and the University of Colorado Boulder. Their findings were published…

NASA is picking up the pace on its Artemis III mission preparations, pressing forward on multiple fronts to assemble launch vehicle hardware and beginning routine simulations inside Artemis mission control. The agency is “full steam ahead,” according to a July 13 NASA update. Across Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, components of Artemis III’s Space…