What Happens to Timekeeping Without the Moon
The Moon and Earth’s RotationThe Moon’s gravity creates a pull on Earth which slows down our planet’s rotation very slightly over time. This is called tidal braking. Without the Moon, Earth would spin faster, making days shorter than the current 24 hours. So, in a Moonless world, timekeeping based on the length of a day…
Alpha Centauri: Our Closest Stellar Neighbor and the Next Frontier of Space Exploration
Astronomy News — Located about 4.37 light-years from Earth, the Alpha Centauri star system holds the distinction of being the nearest known stellar neighbor to our solar system. Although this distance is enormous—equivalent to more than 40 trillion kilometers (25 trillion miles)—its relative closeness makes Alpha Centauri one of the most studied and scientifically important…
Solar Neutrinos: Ghost Particles from the Sun
Solar neutrinos are elementary particles produced in enormous numbers by the nuclear reactions that power the Sun. In the core, hydrogen nuclei fuse into helium through chains of reactions and several of the steps release neutrinos. Because they interact only via the weak nuclear force and gravity, they stream outward almost completely unhindered, carrying direct…
The Soundless Cosmos: Exploring the Silence Beyond Earth
The universe is a place of constant motion and powerful activity—stars explode, galaxies collide, and massive black holes consume surrounding matter—yet scientists emphasize a surprising fact: space is completely silent. Despite the dramatic events unfolding across the cosmos, the absence of air or any dense medium prevents sound from traveling, leaving the universe fundamentally quiet….
The Sun’s Massive Secret: Why Almost Everything Orbits One Star
Astronomers continue to highlight one of the most striking facts about our cosmic neighborhood: the Sun contains approximately 99.86% of the total mass of the entire solar system, leaving only about 0.14% distributed among planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and interplanetary dust. This remarkable imbalance explains why the Sun serves as the dominant gravitational and energetic…
Why the Sun Has No Flames Despite Extreme Heat
1. What we usually mean by “flames”On Earth, flames are produced by chemical combustion. This requires three things : a fuel (like wood or gas), oxygen (or another oxidizer) and a chemical reaction that releases heat and light. The dancing shape of a flame comes from hot gases rising and mixing with surrounding air. 2….
Black Holes Aren’t Cosmic Vacuum Cleaners: Debunking One of Space’s Biggest Myths
Black holes are often imagined as unstoppable forces that drag in everything nearby, tearing apart stars, planets, and even entire galaxies. Movies and science fiction have cemented this idea in the public imagination. But modern astrophysics tells a far more nuanced—and far more fascinating—story. Black holes do not endlessly “suck” matter from space. Instead, they…
Astronomers Confirm the Milky Way’s Future Merger with Andromeda
Astronomers say the impending encounter between the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy is not a sudden crash, but a prolonged, awe-inspiring transformation that will unfold across billions of years—reshaping the local universe and redefining our galaxy’s future. A Gravitational Attraction That Can’t Be Escaped Both the Milky Way and Andromeda are massive spiral galaxies…
How Cold Air Improves Astronomical Seeing
Atmospheric turbulence and seeingAstronomical “seeing” describes how steady or distorted celestial objects appear when observed through a telescope. The main factor limiting seeing is turbulence in Earth’s atmosphere. When air layers of different temperatures mix, they bend (refract) incoming starlight unevenly. This causes stars to shimmer and fine details on planets to blur even when…
Snow Moon, Hunger Moon: The Stories Behind February’s Full Moon
February’s full moon is more than just a bright presence in the night sky—it carries centuries of history, culture, and storytelling. Traditionally known as the Snow Moon, February’s full moon earned its name from the heavy snowfall that typically blankets much of the Northern Hemisphere during this time of year. The name reflects the deep…
