Universe
Star Trek used wormholes to traverse space – what’s the science behind them?
Since Star Trek began sending its crews out to explore strange new worlds 60 years ago on September 8, 1966, the franchise has both imagined and inspired new concepts for travel across the vast distances of space. Among the most intriguing are “wormholes”: mysterious tunnels through spacetime that connect otherwise distant places. Star Trek always …
NASA is gearing up to launch its next flagship space telescope
NASA plans to soon launch a new space telescope that will survey a billion galaxies to trace how the universe evolved over time, all courtesy of America’s spy program and decades of research into detector technology. The telescope, known as the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, was first developed by the National Reconnaissance Office, before …
Is the whole universe just a simulation?
“Is the whole universe just a simulation?” — Moumita B., age 13, Dhaka, Bangladesh How do you know anything is real? Some things you can see directly, like your fingers. Other things, like your chin, you need a mirror or a camera to see. Other things can’t be seen, but you believe in them because …
See the largest and most detailed map of universe’s magnetic fields
Magnetic fields are a fundamental part of the universe. They govern how small particles – the building blocks of planets, stars, and ultimately galaxies – move through space. We still don’t know how magnetic fields came to exist in the universe, but we do know they’re everywhere. Earth itself has a magnetic field that compasses …
Could we create a black hole in a laboratory on Earth?
“Can anyone make a black hole in a laboratory?” — Sohini B., age 13, Kolkata, West Bengal, India A black hole is an object so massive and dense that even light cannot escape its gravity. They occur in space when extremely dense objects, such as the centers of stars, collapse. All the black holes observed …
How do scientists hunt for dark matter?
“Can we generate a way to interact with dark matter with current technology?” — Leonardo S., age 13, Guanajuato, Mexico That’s a great question. It’s one of the most difficult and fascinating problems right now in both astronomy and physics, because while scientists know that the elusive substance called dark matter makes up the majority …
Are multiverses real? It depends on how you define ‘real’
“Are multiverses real? If so, what do they look like? How do you get there without disturbing time?” — Emily, age 9, Pune, Maharashtra, India The idea of a multiverse – a hypothetical collection of all possible universes – is one that science fiction fans love to explore. But does the multiverse actually exist? To …
Why is space so dark even though the Universe is filled with stars?
This age old question has been dubbed Olbers’ paradox. Credit: John Colosimo/ESO “Why is space so dark even though the Universe is filled with stars?” — Nikhil, age 15, New Dehli People have been asking why space is dark despite being filled with stars for so long that this question has a special name – …
What is the smallest thing in the Universe?
“What is the smallest thing in the Universe that actually exists?” — Mimi, age 12, Abeokuta, Nigeria To find an answer, we asked physicist Omololu Akin-Ojo, who teaches this subject. A physicist is someone who studies physics. Physics is the science of energy, forces and particles. We study physics in order to be able to …
How do atoms – the building blocks of everything – form?
“How do atoms form?” — Joshua, age 7, Shoreview, Minnesota R ichard Feynman, a famous theoretical physicist who won the Nobel Prize, said that if he could pass on only one piece of scientific information to future generations, it would be that all things are made of atoms. Understanding how atoms form is a fundamental …