A Galaxy Infected with Life?
Can life hop from planet to planet like a virus in an epidemic? Can we even detect whether this has happened?
Mind your Biases: selection bias in super-massive black hole samples
Biased supermassive black hole samples may compromise well-known black hole-galaxy scaling relations.
Observing an Exo-Kuiper Belt
The authors of today’s paper wanted to use the best available instruments to image HR 8799’s outer debris disk, and look for whether “planet b” appears to have cleared out the disk, in the same way Neptune did for the Kuiper Belt.
Galaxy Clusters, Cosmology, and Beethoven’s No. 6
This article explores the utility of galaxy clusters as a probe for precision cosmology, by reviewing some of the seminal literature in the field. Somewhere along the way, a symphony is heard.
The Tale of the Moon and the Earth
The Moon has kept the Earth at a stable orbital tilt for millions of years, preventing dramatic climate cycles and keeping the Earth habitable. But do we fully understand how it formed? Today’s bite provides clues as to how we ended up with our trusted companion.
How cold is Planet X?
Simple physical models can yield useful insights into the structure of planets in the outer Solar System.