![Artist's concept of a stellar black hole siphoning material from a companion star](jpg/eso1028ac72e.jpg)
We’ve Finally Seen Matter Plunge into a Black Hole
For the first time, scientists observed matter’s free fall into a black hole’s “plunging region”
We’ve Finally Seen Matter Plunge into a Black Hole
For the first time, scientists observed matter’s free fall into a black hole’s “plunging region”
Our Galaxy’s Biggest Black Hole Just Got a New Close-up. What’s Next Could Be Even Wilder
As the Event Horizon Telescope pursues ambitious upgrades, the project’s latest results reveal the magnetic fields around our galaxy’s supermassive black hole
Could Gravitational-Wave ‘Memories’ Prove Einstein Wrong?
According to Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, the universe remembers every gravitational wave—and scientists could soon test these cosmic recollections
Space Lasers Will Seek a New Kind of Gravitational Waves
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will open a new era in astronomy that brings scientists to the brink of studying gravitational waves from the beginning of time
Light Can Travel Backward in Time (Sort Of)
Light can be reflected not only in space but also in time—and researchers exploring such “time reflections” are finding a wealth of delightfully odd and useful effects
Quantum Physics Isn’t as Weird as You Think. It’s Weirder
Quantum physics’ oddities seem less surprising if you stop thinking of atoms as tennis balls, and instead more like waves pushing through water
What Happens if You Drop Antimatter? New Gravitational Test Sees First Fall
In theory, physicists knew that antimatter should behave just like matter under gravity’s pull. But until now, no one had ever seen it happen
Will Scientists Ever Find a Theory of Everything?
Physicists are on an ever urgent quest to find a fuller understanding of what makes the cosmos tick, which they call a theory of everything
A Background ‘Hum’ Pervades the Universe. Scientists Are Racing to Find Its Source
Astronomers are now seeking to pinpoint the origins of an exciting new form of gravitational waves that was announced earlier this year
Time Flowed Five Times Slower Shortly after the Big Bang
Voracious black holes feeding on matter in the early universe display the curious spacetime phenomenon known as time dilation
Gravitational-Wave Search Resumes after Three Years and Lots of Headaches
Researchers still hope to discover hundreds of new binary black hole mergers despite technical setbacks that have sidelined key detectors in Italy and Japan
Six Gravitational-Wave Breakthroughs Scientists Can’t Wait to See
After years of downtime for upgrades, the world’s premier gravitational-wave observatories are coming back online with big hopes for transformative discoveries