Space
The cosmos and everything beyond our atmosphere
Cosmic Diamonds: Stars That Crystallized Into Pure Carbon Gems
White dwarf stars can cool down over billions of years and crystallize into massive diamonds floating in space. These stellar diamonds are larger than Earth and represent the final fate of most stars in our galaxy.
By Dr. Maya Torres
Sagittarius A*: We Live in a Galaxy Orbiting a 4-Million-Solar-Mass Black Hole
Our entire solar system, along with 400 billion other stars, orbits around a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way that's so massive it could fit 4 million suns inside it.
By Dr. Maya Torres
Neutron Stars Spin 700 Times Per Second While Being Made of Pure Atomic Nuclei
Neutron stars are the densest objects in the universe after black holes, spinning faster than a kitchen blender while containing matter so compressed that protons and electrons are crushed together into pure neutrons.
By Dr. Maya Torres
Neutron Stars Spin 700 Times Per Second and Ring Like Cosmic Bells
The densest objects in the universe rotate faster than a blender blade and emit musical frequencies when they vibrate, creating cosmic symphonies we can detect from Earth.
By Dr. Maya Torres
Sagittarius A* Devours Stars and Warps Space-Time at the Milky Way's Center
At the heart of our galaxy lurks a supermassive black hole 4 million times heavier than our Sun, devouring nearby stars and bending the fabric of space itself like a cosmic funhouse mirror.
By Dr. Maya Torres
Sagittarius A*: The Monster Black Hole That Holds Our Galaxy Together
At the heart of the Milky Way lurks a supermassive black hole 4 million times heavier than our Sun, spinning at nearly the speed of light and keeping 400 billion stars in orbit.
By Dr. Maya Torres
Some Galaxies Are Moving Away From Us Faster Than the Speed of Light
Despite Einstein's rule that nothing can travel faster than light, distant galaxies are speeding away from us at superluminal velocities due to the expansion of space itself.
By Dr. Maya Torres
Jupiter's Moon Io Has 400 Active Volcanoes Erupting Sulfur 300 Miles Into Space
Jupiter's pizza-colored moon Io is the most volcanically active world in our solar system, with sulfur eruptions so powerful they shoot material higher than the International Space Station orbits Earth.
By Dr. Maya Torres
The Moon Is Drifting Away From Earth at 1.5 Inches Per Year
Our Moon is slowly escaping Earth's gravitational grip, moving away at the same rate your fingernails grow. This cosmic divorce will eventually make days 47 hours long and leave Earth wobbling like a broken top.
By Dr. Maya Torres
Voyager 1 Is Still Calling Home After 46 Years in the Cosmic Void
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in 1977, is now over 15 billion miles from Earth yet still transmits data back home. Its signals take over 22 hours to reach us, traveling through interstellar space.
By Dr. Maya Torres
Neptune's Winds Are Faster Than Sound Despite Being the Coldest Planet
Neptune, the coldest planet in our solar system at -360°F, somehow generates supersonic winds reaching 1,200 mph. Scientists still can't explain how a frozen world produces the fastest winds in the solar system.
By Dr. Maya Torres
Diamond Rain Falls on Neptune and Uranus Every Second
The crushing atmospheric pressure on ice giants Neptune and Uranus compresses methane into diamond crystals that literally rain down toward the core. These alien worlds experience a constant shower of precious gems.
By Dr. Maya Torres