Extrasolar Planets: Bigger and More Mortal
June 10, 2013
Many of the stars and planets found by the Kepler spacecraft are not earthlike. Also, astronomers have seen planets destroyed by their stars.
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SETI, Said He, Isn't Ready, Said She
April 22, 2013
The search for extra-terrestrial intelligence is like a detective story without a body. All those new planets, but no signal—at least not one that most scientists will accept.
What's New in the Primordial Soup?
April 19, 2013
The bubbling froth percolates with ideas about how life "emerged," each new notion trying to outdo the last in vacuity.
Targeted SETI Search Hears Nothing
February 8, 2013
For this search, a team targeted 104 stars with planets discovered by the Kepler Telescope. Still nothing.
More Evidence Our Solar System Is Uniquely Suited for Life
October 16, 2012
With over 2,000 extrasolar planets found around nearly as many stars, there's still no place like home.
Supernova Dating and Classification Is Not Simple
September 30, 2012
Bang! goes a star. Watch how fast its contents move, and you know the date, right? Watch its light curve, and you know the type, right?
Turning Astrobiology Surprises Into Evolutionary Fiction
September 2, 2012
There's never been a surprise that a good astrobiologist hasn't been able to spin into an evolutionary tale.
Venus Transit Recalls Adventures of Yore
June 5, 2012
Today's transit of Venus, in which our sister planet appears to cross the disk of the sun, will be the last till 2117. As observatories and millions of people watch the rare planetary alignment, few may know the stories of astronomers who predicted them and explorers who risked life and limb to observe them.
Doomed Worlds: Planets Seen Disrupting, Not Forming
May 23, 2012
Much as astrobiologists would like to see the birth of a new planet, the ones we observe seem to be dying, not being born.
Snowflake Designers
December 25, 2011
Could any “useless” natural object composed of simple materials exceed the beauty of a snow crystal? As you wish for a white Christmas, think about two snowflake designers: one who makes them in a lab, and one who makes them in clouds.
Earth’s Twin: What Does “Potentially Habitable” Mean?
December 5, 2011
The Kepler spacecraft has found dozens of “potentially habitable” planets around other stars, but this week announced one that some news sources are calling “Earth’s twin.”