Lightning strikes occur on Earth more than a *billion* times per year. What triggers it? Turns out, exploding stars. Yes, seriously. And also, black holes.
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
What triggers lightning? Exploding stars.
And also black holes. Yes, seriously.
Betelgeuse is a binary! Maybe! A second star has possibly been found orbiting the soon-to-be supernova. It still needs to be confirmed (despite a LOT of breathless articles saying it's real) but if it is it'll have implications for how we study Big B.
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
A second star for Betelgeuse?!
Astronomers post a possible binary companion for the soon-to-be supernova
HUNDREDS of NASA employees sign a declaration protesting the brutal attacks by Trump and his regime. I signed it too, as should you. Plus: Incredible image of dusty spirals blasted out by a terrifying binary star.
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
NASA declaration against Trump’s science attacks, more dusty WR star spirals
The Voyager Declaration takes a stand against budget cuts, and a gorgeous JWST image of Wolf-Rayet star dust expulsion
This may be one of the single greatest astronomy questions I've ever been asked: Can you drink Saturn's rings?
Scientific American
Can You Drink Saturn’s Rings?
It’s certainly possible to consume water sourced from the icy rings of Saturn, but doing so safely may require extra steps
In 2023, astronomers detected a cosmic blast so powerful it released more energy than ALL THE STARS IN THE UNIVERSE COMBINED. The cause: two black holes colliding and merging… which is a problem, because they were way bigger than we thought possible.
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
The biggest black hole merger ever detected so far rocked the Universe
The gravitational waves they emitted were fiercely powerful, but where did the black holes come from?
For years, planetary scientists studying Mars have wondered if streaks on crater walls and scarps might be from liquid water. A new study dries that claim up.
Scientific American
Another ‘Water on Mars’ Claim Bites the Dust
A new global overview of Mars suggests dust, rather than water, is the source of mysterious streaks there
Something lost a bit in the amazing images released earlier: Vera Rubin Observatory is a steely-eyed asteroid hunter! It's already found thousands of new ones in just a few nights, and is predicted to find *3.7 MILLION* more. THREE POINT SEVEN MILLION
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
Vera Rubin Observatory will find millions of asteroids. Millions.
That’s a lot of space rocks.
I give you a momentary reprieve from the madness: The Vera Rubin Observatory has taken its first images of the sky, and they are *extraordinary*. Mind blowing detail, jaw dropping beauty.
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
Rubin opens its eye. And what it sees is the Universe.
Mind-blowing first images from the huge telescope.
I can think of a LOT of places in the universe I'd rather be than in the middle of a clump of nearly a dozen quasars blasting out planet-vaporizing amounts of energy. The question is, what are they doing there in the first place?
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
A clump of quasars REALLY defies the odds
Astronomers find neatly a dozen quasars jammed into a small volume of space, and no one knows why they’re there.
You know that "gravitational slingshot" thing they always use in scifi movies and TV shows? Yeah, that's real*. Here's how it works.
Scientific American
Here’s How Interplanetary Missions Slingshot around the Solar System
Spacecraft can get a significant boost by stealing energy from planets
 * though they usually get it wrong in movies and TV shows