Posts by 

Daniela Breitman

Happy birthday, Galileo! Born February 15, 1564

Galileo Galilei was 1 of the world's greatest astronomers. He was born on February 15, 1564. His discoveries changed the way we viewed our world.

Jan Oort: Celebrating his birthday and life

Dutch astronomer Jan Oort was born on April 28, 1900. He visualized a vast reservoir of icy comets on the fringes of our solar system, which now bears his name.

Gravitational anomaly seen in lab crystal

An exotic effect in particle physics, theorized to occur in immense gravitational fields — near a black hole, or in conditions just after the Big Bang — has been seen in laboratory crystal.

Maryam Mirzakhani, mathematician, dies at 40

She was an outstanding mathematician and first woman to receive the prestigious Fields Medal. Maryam Mirzakhani died on July 14 after a several-year battle with breast cancer.

Wow! signal explained after 40 years?

New evidence suggests the well-known Wow! signal from 1977 - long thought by some to be a sign of extraterrestrial life - was in fact generated by a passing comet.

Biggest 3D map of the universe yet

Astronomers from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey used the most luminous objects in the universe - quasars - to create their new 3D map of space.

Is there life on Saturn’s moon?

A form of chemical energy that can support life appears to exist on Saturn's moon Enceladus. 

Comet Encke nearest sun March 10

Faithful Comet Encke is one of the shortest-period comets known. Its frequent returns near the sun helped reveal the true nature of comets.

How do astronomers find exoplanets?

Stars are incredibly bright in contrast to any planets that may be orbiting them. So finding exoplanets - planets orbiting distant suns - isn't easy. Here's how it's done.

Why do fatty foods taste so good?

Why do we like fatty foods so much? Fat gives foods some special qualities we like. Plus, the close tie between fat, flavor, fullness, and happiness might be an evolutionary adaptation.