Posts by 

Kelly Kizer Whitt

What is gravitational lensing?

What is gravitational lensing? When a massive object bends space, light traveling through the warped space results in rings, arcs or many points of light.

Milky Way photos from the 2021 season

Milky Way season is wrapping up as September and October approach. Enjoy this gallery of some of the best photos of our galaxy from our readers.

Earth’s northernmost island, found by accident

An Arctic expedition has discovered Earth's northernmost island in July. It lies north of the former title-holder, Oodaaq, off northern Greenland.

Planet Nine: Scientists map its likely location

Planet Nine, according to scientists, has an orbit that lies more than 300 AU from the sun and is tilted about 16 degrees from the ecliptic.

Best Milky Way pics of 2021

Capture the Atlas announced its 2021 Milky Way Photographer of the Year. This annual edition showcases 25 of the best Milky Way photos from around the world.

Oort Cloud news: How many comets from elsewhere?

Interstellar objects may dominated the Oort Cloud, according to two scientists from Harvard. Their calculations are based on the interstellar comet Borisov.

Nuclear fusion ignition: Big laboratory breakthrough

Nuclear fusion ignition was triggered in a lab for the first time, and it could lead the way to clean energy and insights into the Big Bang.

A spiral arm break in the Milky Way

Scientists discovered a spiral arm break in the Milky Way, lying some 4,000 light-years away, which contains some of the most famous nebulas in the heavens.

Predicting solar storms to protect Earth

Predicting solar storms isn't easy. We're still a long way from forecasting space weather events days in advance. But we're getting closer.

Jupiter’s energy crisis solved: Auroras roast upper atmosphere

Scientists solved the mystery of Jupiter's energy crisis by learning that auroras roast the upper atmosphere of the gas giant planet.