Earth's oldest crater found! [Normally, Thursday issues of my newsletter are for paid subscribers, but this was so cool I put the story above the paywall. Enjoy!]
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
Earth’s oldest crater found!
It’s in Australia and it’s REALLY old
How big can a black hole get? Really, really, REALLY soul-vaporizingly big. But it turns out there's an upper limit to how massive they can be, because a) they're sloppy eaters, and 2) the universe is only so old.
Scientific American
How Big Is the Biggest Black Hole?
Some black holes get extremely massive. Is there an upper limit to their growth?
Did you know astronomers commonly see objects in space moving faster than light? But seeing is not believing: superluminal motion is an illusion! Me, for Scientific American:
Scientific American
How to See Faster-Than-Light Motion
Superluminal velocities are common but illusory
In 2032 there is a small chance that the 60-meter asteroid 2024 YR4 will impact the Moon. If it does, we could get a helluva meteor shower from it. We're safe on Earth's surface, but our satellites may suffer.
Scientific American
If This Asteroid Hits the Moon, Watch for Shooting Stars and Stricken Satellites
The 60-meter asteroid 2024 YR4 has a 4 percent chance of hitting the moon. Could such a lunar collision create a dangerous new meteor shower?
A nearby brown dwarf shows its mass as it orbits a Sun-like star. Plus: Fast Radio Bursts might be space rocks slamming in to neutron stars at 2/3 the speed of light, so, wow.
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
A brown dwarf reveals its mass
Plus: Are Fast Radio Bursts caused by asteroids slamming into neutron stars?
 [Issue for paid subbies only today!]
It's (well past) time to impeach RFK Jr. You can sign a petition to help! Also: (very) old issues of Scientific American magazine were very, very odd.
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
Impeach RFK Jr.
Also, a jaunt through old issues of Scientific American in search of Neptune
I bet it's been a while since you've had your mind vaporized by a JWST image so here's one of a cluster of galaxies so immense it's visibly warping space. Bonus: I explain what you're seeing! Because that's kinda my thing!
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
An incredible JWST image of an immense city of galaxies
Abell S1063 is a jaw-dropping example of the power of the big telescope
Sure you've heard of sound echoes, but have you heard of… Light ECHOES echoes α΅‰αΆœΚ°α΅’α΅‰Λ’?
Scientific American
Light Echoes Make Majestic Patterns in the Sky
Bizarre phenomena called light echoes create strange, shifting shapes seen in some telescopic images and help astronomers chart the heavens above
WHOA. Astronomers may have found a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A, the closest sun-like star to the Sun! It's a binary system, too, so if this is confirmed it'll be an AMAZING discovery!
Bad Astronomy Newsletter
A planet for Alpha Centauri A?
JWST spots what might be a Jupiter-sized world around the nearest Sun-like star
Hot take time! So, about that Sean Duffy claim of wanting NASA to put a nuclear power plant on the Moon...