Why does a leap year have 366 days?

Humans have synced their calendars to the sun and moon for centuries, but every so often, these systems need a little correction.

Bhagya Subrayan, PhD Student in Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University • conversation
Feb. 19, 2024 ~6 min

Newborn gas planets may be surprisingly flat – new research

The observation could fill in gaps in our knowledge about planet formation.

Dimitris Stamatellos, Associate Professor in Astrophysics, University of Central Lancashire • conversation
Feb. 12, 2024 ~5 min


Lunar science is entering a new active phase, with commercial launches of landers that will study solar wind and peer into the universe’s dark ages

Projects under NASA’s CLPS program will probe unexplored questions about the universe’s formation.

Jack Burns, Professor of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Feb. 5, 2024 ~8 min

Orbital resonance − the striking gravitational dance done by planets with aligning orbits

Orbital resonance is kind of like musical harmony, but systems that display it are far more rare than songs with harmonic melodies.

Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona • conversation
Feb. 2, 2024 ~9 min

Japan is now the 5th country to land on the Moon – the technology used will lend itself to future lunar missions

Japan is one of several countries that weren’t part of the space race of the 1950s and 1960s looking toward the Moon. They’ve now become the 5th country to have landed on its surface.

Mariel Borowitz, Associate Professor of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology • conversation
Jan. 21, 2024 ~6 min

Earth isn't the only planet with seasons, but they can look wildly different on other worlds

You might hate winter, but at least you know what to expect every year. Other planets have wobbly axes that lead to wild, unpredictable seasons.

Gongjie Li, Assistant Professor of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology • conversation
Jan. 10, 2024 ~8 min

Dark energy is one of the biggest puzzles in science and we're now a step closer to understanding it

The nature of dark energy remains one of the biggest puzzles in cosmology.

Robert Nichol, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean, University of Surrey • conversation
Jan. 8, 2024 ~6 min

Privatised Moon landings: the two US missions set to open a new era of commercial lunar exploration

The Peregrine and Nova-C landers are due to carry out valuable science at two diverse lunar locations.

Ian Whittaker, Senior Lecturer in Physics, Nottingham Trent University • conversation
Jan. 2, 2024 ~8 min


Why are some black holes bigger than others? An astronomer explains how these celestial vacuums grow

Pictures of black holes have a white outline around them when photographed, due to one of black holes’ unique and key features.

Jaclyn Champagne, JASPER Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Arizona • conversation
Dec. 18, 2023 ~6 min

UFOs: how astronomers are searching the sky for alien probes near Earth

Several scientific projects are aiming to investigate UFO sightings.

Beatriz Villarroel, Assistant professor of Physics, Stockholm University • conversation
Dec. 6, 2023 ~7 min

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