Space

NASA Faces The Unknown In Preparing For Trump Administration

8:08am January 07, 2017

President-elect Donald Trump has not provided many specifics about what he plans to do with NASA. But private companies are expected to take a bigger role in space travel in the coming years.

Scientists used the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array near Socorro, N.M., to detect fast radio bursts.

Mystery Radio Waves Are Coming From A (Dwarf) Galaxy Far, Far Away, Scientists Say

3:40pm January 05, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

The discovery provides our first "glimmer of understanding" about the unexplained, strong waves. Scientists don't think they're from aliens, but they're puzzled by what could be causing them.

An artist's rendering of a black hole that's 2 billion times more massive than our sun. Streams of particles ejected from black holes like this one are thought to be the brightest objects in the universe.

Some Bizarre Black Holes Put On Light Shows

4:39pm January 04, 2017

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Black holes aren't all doom and gloom. Some of these incredibly dense matter-suckers fling powerful jets of light and charged particles — the space version of a fireworks show.

How Will The Universe End?

7:40am December 30, 2016

We've come to the end of our series contemplating the universe. Scientists think the end of the universe will look kind of cold and grim, unless they are all wrong — which is totally possible.

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Astronomers searching for an undiscovered planet in the outer solar system hope to catch a glimpse of it Thursday through the Subaru Telescope located on top of Hawaii's Mauna Kea mountain.

Science

Astronomers Seeking Planet 9 Hope To Soon Catch A Glimpse

4:19pm December 29, 2016

by Joe Palca

Scientists will search the sky Thursday for an undiscovered planet in the outer solar system — they're pretty sure it's out there, and computer models tell them where to look.

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Scientists Ponder Whether Our Universe Is The Only One That Exists

1:12pm December 29, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

We like to think our universe is unique but if there can be one, then why not more? Some thinkers worry that pondering the so-called multi-verse is more like philosophy, not science.

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What Is The Universe Made Of? Scientists Respond

7:21am December 28, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

All this week, we've been contemplating the great mysteries of the universe. Scientists really only understand about 5 percent of what the universe is made of.

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Is The Universe Infinite?

7:30am December 27, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Morning Edition is asking questions about the universe, part of an effort to put things in perspective. We hear from scientists who ponder what shape the universe has and whether it is truly infinite.

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Vera Rubin works at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz., in 1965.

Science

Vera Rubin, Who Confirmed Existence Of Dark Matter, Dies At 88

6:15pm December 26, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

The astrophysicist's groundbreaking research on spiral galaxies provided evidence of invisible dark matter. She was a pioneer in an era when women were excluded from many astronomy programs.

Where Did The Universe Come From?

7:37am December 26, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

One of the greatest mysteries is where the universe came from. Scientists know one thing for sure: The universe plays by its own rules.

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