A distant quasar may be circling all the galaxies around it

An image of a ring of fire in outer space with a black orb in the center, shown on a diagonal from the side.

Extreme Climate Survey Scientific news is collecting questions from readers about how to navigate our planet’s changing climate. What do you want to know about extreme heat and how it can lead to extreme weather events? The quasar is so distant that its light took 13.0 billion years to reach us, so we see it … Read more

Physicists measured the rotation of the Earth using quantum entanglement

Red squiggles representing photons are sent into a loop representing the optical fiber in an interferometer, which surrounds Earth on a starry backdrop

The rotation of the Earth has been measured many times – but never like this. At first, scientists used entangled quantum particles called photons to detect the speed at which the globe spins. The achievement is a step toward investigating one of physics’ greatest mysteries: how the tiny world of quantum physics interacts with gravity. … Read more

As a dying star is similar to a lava lamp

Three yellow circles filled with different patterns of light and dark

For the first time, astronomers have seen gas boiling and bubbling on the surface of a distant star. Scientists observed the red giant star R Doradus with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, or ALMA, in Chile over four weeks in July and August 2023. The series of images show large cells of gas rising to … Read more

How to Spot Small Black Holes That Can Pass Through the Solar System

An illustration shows a black hole, indicated by warped light, near a planet in the solar system

Extreme Climate Survey Scientific news is collecting questions from readers about how to navigate our planet’s changing climate. What do you want to know about extreme heat and how it can lead to extreme weather events? Black holes usually form when a dying star collapses, resulting in a black hole at least several times the … Read more