Exotic Objects, Stars A white dwarf pulls matter from its binary and explodes in a nova. Yet when the mass hits a certain limit, the star bursts in a type Ia supernova and is destroyed. Why the difference?
Cosmology Is the cosmic microwave background a shell around us? Or are the microwaves everywhere in the universe?
Science Do whales have astronomy clubs? A whale’s eye is larger than most binoculars; what would it see when surfaced?
Alien Life, Exoplanets, Planets, Solar System The Real Reality Show: What Happened to the Water on Mars?
Stars Astronomers know the fate of Sun-like and massive stars, but what about the majority of stars — the M-class red dwarfs? Will they also become giants or just flicker out?
The Moon How is it that in space, despite the Sun’s presence, the surroundings look black? Apollo photos show a black sky, even with strong sunlight on the surface.
Alien Life The SETI Institute is after alien signals. Assuming another world is beaming a 1-million-watt radio signal in our direction, how far away can that source be before the signal is lost in intergalactic noise?
