Tough Times for Binaries Near Black Holes
A supermassive back hole can exert a lot of influence on its surroundings. What happens to binary systems in the vicinity?
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Two Planets Straddling the Gap
What can we learn from a super-Earth/mini-Neptune pair of planets orbiting the same host star?
Building a Pair of Blue Stragglers
A new study looks at one way unusually bright and blue stars might form in clusters … with a little help from a friend.
Do Active Galactic Nuclei Help or Hurt Life?
A new study suggests radiation from the centers of active galaxies could play an important role in the formation and survival of life on some planets.
Plasma Processes in Mars’s Shadow
NASA’s MAVEN mission has given us an in-depth look at the atmosphere of our neighboring planet. What’s happening to the atmospheric plasma during Martian nighttime?
Focus on SOFIA: HAWC+
HAWC+ is a unique instrument: besides capturing high-resolution images in far-infrared light, it can also map out invisible celestial magnetic fields.
Focus on SOFIA: EXES
With EXES, a mid-infrared spectrograph, scientists have studied sources like young, hot stars and the icy Jovian moon Europa.
Focus on SOFIA: FIFI-LS
Science with FIFI-LS, a far-infrared imaging spectrograph, spans everything from star formation in the nearby M51 to jet activity in a distant active galaxy.
My GREAT Experience with SOFIA: Part 2
It was 6 pm and I was boarding a plane for a 10-hour flight — but there were plenty of signs that this wasn’t your typical redeye.
My GREAT Experience with SOFIA: Part 1
What’s more exciting than jetting through the stratosphere over the Pacific Ocean? Doing so with an opening the size of a garage door gaping in the side of your airplane — while observing the universe!