light
Latest about light
![Abstract artist's impression of an energy vortex.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ehN24PRLwVyXe7rcHY952f-320-80.jpg)
Gravity can transform into light, mind-bending physics paper suggests
By Paul Sutter published
In the early universe, gravity may have been capable of creating light, a new theoretical paper finds.
![An artist's impression of the atom being launched between the two pairs of optical tweezers.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3qTsid4crM2wJTU9kJHfMR-320-80.png)
Scientists use optical tweezers to play world's smallest game of catch with individual atoms
By Ben Turner published
Scientists who have thrown a single atom from one pair of optical tweezers to another say that the feat could be used to build better quantum computers.
![A shot of the spiral-shaped light in the sky above Hawaii captured Jan. 18 by the Subaru-Asahi Star Camera on Mauna Kea.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/x9kcnUMBMytheoBeUmwLTf-320-80.jpg)
Eerily perfect galaxy-shaped spiral appears over Hawaii. What is it?
By Harry Baker published
A mysterious "whirlpool" of light temporarily shone in the night sky above Hawaii's Mauna Kea. Experts think it was linked to a SpaceX launch.
![Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) with a short third tail (to the left of the comet) and longer gas and dust tails (to the right of the comet) on Jan. 21.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RevoiQSKMK7ct6zBGr9Cg6-320-80.jpg)
Optical illusion gives rare green comet an ‘anti-tail’ that seemingly defies physics
By Harry Baker published
C/2022 E3 (ZTF), a comet that has recently made headlines as it flies closer to Earth, briefly developed an ethereal third tail thanks to a weird optical illusion.
![A double rainbow in Shanghai, China.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/w8yVPQJXcKw9L2oAesXugV-320-80.jpg)
Are rainbows really arches?
By Elizabeth Rayne published
If you have the right vantage point, a rainbow might look circular. Here's the science behind why some rainbows look like arches and others don't.
![The world's largest communications satellite, BlueWalker 3, is leaving strong white lines across time-lapse images of the cosmos because it is so bright.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Mij2yd6zxsRJAPosKzaagf-320-80.jpg)
World's largest communication satellite is a photobombing menace, astronomers warn
By Harry Baker published
The International Astronomical Union has issued a warning over the newly launched BlueWalker 3 satellite, which is causing interference for both optical and radio telescopes.
![Astronomers have created a colorful, wedge-shaped map showing the locations of more than 200,000 galaxies and quasars spanning from the Milky Way all they way to the Big Bang.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/B6M58dBTBrEXZYpDnMjtJo-320-80.jpg)
New interactive map of the universe is a rainbow-colored slice of cosmic pie
By Harry Baker published
Astronomers have created a colorful interactive map of more than 200,000 galaxies and quasars spanning the lifespan of the cosmos.
![This photo taken from the ISS above the South China Sea on Oct. 30 2021 shows a pair of unrelated bright blue blobs in Earth's atmosphere.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fcdgtmoTEywP3d3Qr8N6YV-320-80.jpg)
Bizarre blue blobs hover in Earth's atmosphere in stunning astronaut photo. But what are they?
By Harry Baker published
An astronaut onboard the ISS recently captured a peculiar image of Earth with two unrelated blue blobs of light shining in the planet's atmosphere.
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