Physics

Ever ridden a teacup ride at a state fair? If so, you might have a small taste of life in a whirling, twirling sextuply-eclipsing sextuple star system.

The universe may be filled with "mirror" particles — and these otherwise-undetectable particles could be shrinking the densest stars in the universe, turning them into black holes.

Particles called axions may be the reason the 'Magnificent 7' cluster of neutron stars emits extreme X-rays.

Data from the now-destroyed Arecibo radio telescope has revealed a bizarre new type of hybrid venomous-spider star.

NASA fired up the core stage of its massive new megarocket Saturday (Jan. 16) in a critical test that appeared to shut down early.

NASA is going to light up the most powerful rocket it's ever built Saturday (Jan. 16), though it won't go anywhere.

A rapidly twirling, ultramagnetic 500-year-old infant has been spotted zipping at never-before-seen speeds through the Milky Way. It belongs to a super-rare flavor of super-rare star.

Bumblebee gravity could explain dark energy — if it's proven true.

NASA plans to ignite an absolutely mammoth rocket on Jan. 17, the largest it's built since the Apollo program

Similar to the bonds found in water, but way more powerful, this new bond could offer deep insight into the true workings of chemical reactions.

Medical discoveries dominated the news in 2020, but even under pandemic conditions, astronomers discovered amazing things in space in 2020.

From a colossal explosion to mystery burps deciphered, here were some of the top stories in physics in 2020.

This year saw a possible first detection of solar axions, and the possible death of the sterile neutrino.

There's a giant asteroid somewhere out there in the solar system, and it hurled a big rock at Earth that left behind meteorites unlike any scientists had ever seen.

A telescope close-up reveals the strange beauty of the Great Conjunction.

Did the biblical "Star of Bethlehem" come back in 2020? It wouldn't be crazy to think so. But it's not the only possibility.

If there are other intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way, they are probably much closer than we are to the galactic center, and fairly young.

Scientists have mapped the "arches of chaos:" a vast network of arching structures filling the solar system that could one day aid space travel.

Einstein's failed dream could ultimately become his ultimate triumph, as a small group of theoretical physicists rework his old ideas to explain the most pressing issues of modern science.

Physicists have shown how a particle might show its face in a corner of an experiment without needing its body anywhere in sight, like a grin without a cat.