Astrophysics

That familiar orb in our night sky must have come from somewhere. The most widely accepted theory about the Moon's origin is the giant-impact theory, suggesting the Moon formed as a result of a massive collision between early Earth and another small planet named Theia. Analysis of samples brought back from the Apollo missions revealed chemical similarities between the Earth and Moon, supporting this theory. The Moon's formation stabilized Earth's orbit and reduced polar motion, contributing to our planet's relatively stable climate. In this piece, planetary scientists weigh in on the best theories explaining the origins of the moon.

Astronomy is the only science that is purely observational: meaning, scientists can't study stars in a lab. Here's a breakdown of how modern researchers use new tools to understand objects billions of light years away. As it turns out, the rules of science allow us to identify, categorize, and experiment with phenomena light years away.

When stars collapse, the black holes they form can have the mass of either 50 suns or over 120—but current models claim strongly that no black hole should have a mass that falls in between that range. But in 2019, gravitational wave observatories detected two within it: one at 66 solar masses, the other at 85. The discovery disrupted established science and left researchers questioning the Standard Model of physics.

This three-minute video overview explains NASA's ambitious test to slightly alter the course of an asteroid by slamming a fast-moving space probe into its surface. Scientists hope to one day, if needed, use the technique to protect Earth from an asteroid impact.

Flares happen when the powerful magnetic fields in and around the sun reconnect. They’re usually associated with active regions, and carry the potential to disrupt electronics on Earth.

Pulsars are ridiculously volatile, massive, and super-dense. These objects are spread out around the universe, and their spinning magnetic fields blast out radioactive pulses. Rarely, some have planets orbiting them. There's not much hope for life there—pulsars emit regular deadly radiation—but they're still fascinating from a scientific perspective. This article further explores these amazing exoplanets.

Supernovas are the biggest explosions in the universe, often obliterating the area surrounding them. So what would happen if one exploded near Earth? If the sun went supernova it'd be like getting hit by a nuclear explosion every second for weeks. Of course, that's not happening anytime soon. This animated video shows how distance is the key factor, and how you shouldn't be worried.

Galaxies come in different sizes, but when it comes to shapes there are just four kinds: spiral, elliptical, irregular, and the rarest kind, ring. Ring galaxies only form in the event of a small galaxy passing through a large one, but there's more to them that that. This page explores these rare and beautiful heavenly bodies.

The Crab Nebula is the remnants of a dying star that went supernova . First spotted a thousand years ago by Chinese and Japanese astronomers, and likely Native Americans as well. Its original bright light has long since faded, but you can see it in different light wavelengths through this interactive website.

Radiation donuts might summon up a certain television cartoon character's favorite snack, but they're something else entirely. Also known as Van Allen belts, these zones of radiation arise from charged particles emitted from the sun and subsequently captured by the Earth's magnetic field. Understanding the underlying physics of the Van Allen belts is critical to modern-day telecommunications.