Astrophysics
Stars, galaxies, black holes, and the cosmos
Physics: Dark energy
Dark energy In physical cosmology and astronomy, dark energy is a proposed form of energy that affects the universe on its largest scales.
Read commentary →Physics: 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics
2002 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Raymond Davis Jr., Masatoshi Koshiba, Riccardo Giacconi Pioneering contributions to astrophysics, in particular for the detection of cosmic neutrinos / for pioneering contributions to astrophysics, which have led to the discovery of cosmic X-ray sources.
Read commentary →Physics: 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics
1983 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, William Alfred Fowler His theoretical studies of the physical processes of importance to the structure and evolution of the stars / for his theoretical and experimental studies of the nuclear reactions of importance in the formation of the chemical elements in the universe.
Read commentary →Physics: Inflation (cosmology)
Inflation (cosmology) In physical cosmology, cosmic inflation, cosmological inflation, or just inflation, is a theory of exponential expansion of space in the very early universe.
Read commentary →Physics: Neutron star
Neutron star A neutron star is the gravitationally collapsed core of a massive supergiant star.
Read commentary →Physics: 1948 Nobel Prize in Physics
1948 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett His development of the Wilson cloud chamber method, and his discoveries therewith in the fields of nuclear physics and cosmic radiation.
Read commentary →Physics: Multiverse
Multiverse The multiverse is the hypothetical set of all universes.
Read commentary →Physics: Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473) Nicolaus Copernicus (19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its center.
Read commentary →Physics: Aristarchus of Samos
Aristarchus of Samos (310) Aristarchus of Samos (; Ancient Greek: Ἀρίσταρχος ὁ Σάμιος, Aristarkhos ho Samios; c.
Read commentary →Physics: Big Bang
Big Bang The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature.
Read commentary →Physics: Edwin Hubble
Edwin Hubble (1889) Edwin Powell Hubble (November 20, 1889 – September 28, 1953) was an American astronomer.
Read commentary →Physics: 1936 Nobel Prize in Physics
1936 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Victor Franz Hess, Carl David Anderson His discovery of cosmic radiation / for his discovery of the positron.
Read commentary →Physics: 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics
2006 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: John C. Mather, George F. Smoot Their discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation.
Read commentary →Physics: First observation of gravitational waves
First observation of gravitational waves By: LIGO (2015) The first direct observation of gravitational waves was made on 14 September 2015 and was announced by the LIGO and Virgo collaborations on 11 February 2016.
Read commentary →Physics: 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics
2017 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish, Kip S. Thorne Decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves.
Read commentary →Physics: 1967 Nobel Prize in Physics
1967 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Hans Albrecht Bethe His contributions to the theory of nuclear reactions, especially his discoveries concerning the energy production in stars.
Read commentary →Physics: 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics
2011 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt, Adam G. Riess The discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae.
Read commentary →Physics: 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics
2019 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: James Peebles, Michel Mayor, Didier Queloz Theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology / for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star.
Read commentary →Physics: Hubble's law
Hubble's law Hubble's law, officially the Hubble–Lemaître law, is the observation in physical cosmology that galaxies are moving away from Earth at speeds proportional to their distance.
Read commentary →Physics: Arthur Eddington
Arthur Eddington (1882) Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, (28 December 1882 – 22 November 1944) was an English astrophysicist and mathematician.
Read commentary →Physics: Newton's law of universal gravitation
Newton's law of universal gravitation Newton's law of universal gravitation describes gravity as a force by stating that every particle attracts every other particle in the universe with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers of mass.
Read commentary →Physics: Discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation
Discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation By: Penzias and Wilson (1964) The discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation constitutes a major development in modern physical cosmology.
Read commentary →Physics: First black hole image released
2019: First black hole image released The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a telescope array consisting of a global network of radio telescopes.
Read commentary →Physics: Russell Hulse
Russell Hulse (1950) Russell Alan Hulse (born November 28, 1950) is an American astrophysicist.
Read commentary →Physics: 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics
1993 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Russell A. Hulse, Joseph H. Taylor Jr. The discovery of a new type of pulsar, a discovery that has opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation.
Read commentary →Physics: 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics
1978 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa, Arno Allan Penzias, Robert Woodrow Wilson His basic inventions and discoveries in the area of low-temperature physics / for their discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation.
Read commentary →Physics: 1974 Nobel Prize in Physics
1974 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Sir Martin Ryle, Antony Hewish Their pioneering research in radio astrophysics: Ryle for his observations and inventions, in particular of the aperture synthesis technique, and Hewish for his decisive role in the discovery of pulsars.
Read commentary →Physics: Vera Rubin
Vera Rubin (1928) Vera Florence Cooper Rubin (; July 23, 1928 – December 25, 2016) was an American astronomer who pioneered work on galaxy rotation rates.
Read commentary →Physics: Accelerating expansion of universe discovered
1998: Accelerating expansion of universe discovered Observations show that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, such that the velocity at which a distant galaxy recedes from the observer is continuously increasing with time.
Read commentary →Physics: Universe
Universe The universe comprises all of existence: all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from sub-atomic particles to entire galactic filaments.
Read commentary →Physics: Law of universal gravitation
Law of universal gravitation Form: F = Gm₁m₂/r² Newton's law of universal gravitation describes gravity as a force by stating that every particle attracts every other particle in the universe with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers of mass.
Read commentary →Physics: 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics
2020 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel, Andrea Ghez The discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity / for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy.
Read commentary →Physics: Galaxy
Galaxy A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity.
Read commentary →Get Astrophysics Daily
Receive one physics of the day entry each morning with commentary. Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Start Free Daily Email