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Space

What would a wormhole look like if we ever found one?

How could we tell the difference between an ordinary black hole and one connected to a tunnel through space-time?

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This enchanting spiral galaxy can be found in the constellation of Ursa Major (the Great Bear). Star-studded NGC 3972 lies about 65 million light-years away from Earth, meaning that the light that we see now left it 65 million years ago, just when the dinosaurs became extinct. NGC 3972 has had its fair share of dramatic events. In 2011 astronomers observed the explosion of a Type Ia supernova in the galaxy (not visible in this image). These dazzling objects all peak at the same brightness, and are brilliant enough to be seen over large distances. NGC 3972 also contains many pulsating stars called Cepheid variables. These stars change their brightness at a rate matched closely to their intrinsic luminosity, making them ideal cosmic lighthouses for measuring accurate distances to relatively nearby galaxies. Astronomers search for Cepheid variables in nearby galaxies that also contain a Type Ia supernova so they can compare the true brightness of both types of stars. That brightness information is used to calibrate the luminosity of Type Ia supernovae in far-flung galaxies so that astronomers can calculate the galaxies' distances from Earth. Once astronomers know accurate distances to galaxies near and far, they can determine and refine the expansion rate of the universe. This image was taken in 2015 with Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3, as part of a project to improve the precision of the Hubble constant ? a figure that describes the expansion rate of the universe. Text: European Space Agency

Space

Has the biggest problem in cosmology finally been solved?

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Space

Why it takes so much work to grow plants in space

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Space

Why moon missions in 2024 could reveal both our history and our future

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Space

How Jupiter's powerful storms compare to weather on hot Jupiters

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Space

How asteroids can help us understand our place in the cosmos

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Why it's a big deal that India beat Russia in the new race to the moon

Space

Why it's a big deal that India beat Russia in the new race to the moon

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Space

The gravitational waves that could shed light on the cosmic dark age

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Space

Has anyone really seen evidence of aliens visiting Earth?

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Space

Was SpaceX's first attempt to launch its Starship rocket a failure?

The huge Starship rocket made its first launch attempt on 20 April, but blew up shortly after – while the mission wasn’t a complete failure, it might be a while before we see it try to get to space again

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Space

What are the prospects for life on the icy moons Europa and Enceladus?

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Space

How to understand wormholes and their weird quantum effects

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