Physics | Science News for Students

Physics

a photo of a mini Kibble balance

Small enough to fit on a table, this mini Kibble balance measures smaller units of mass, such as a few grams, with amazing accuracy. A Lego figurine perched on the top right holds a 1-gram mass for scale.

Leon Chao/NIST

Physics
 
Jul 5, 2019
This device turns the kilogram’s new definition into a real mass
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The displays that dazzle revelers on July 4th and many other holidays are the result of chemists and other researchers working to create and choreograph pyrotechnic theater in the night sky.

ProFilm4K/Creatas Video+/Getty Images

STEM Careers
 
Jun 27, 2019
Fireworks shower the skies with science
an illustration of a black hole

A black hole (illustrated) isn’t completely black. It probably emits a faint haze of particles. Scientists have now taken the temperature of the haze around a lab-made black hole and confirms these objects are only mostly dark.

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center; Background: DPAC/Gaia/ESA

Physics
 
Jun 25, 2019
Black holes might have a temperature
an image of a plasma eruption from the sun

Blame it on the sun. Extreme space weather events begin when a blob of plasma erupts from the sun and streams toward Earth.

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Astronomy
 
Jun 20, 2019
Space weather forecast: Big storms ahead
an animated image showing a bubble traveling from the bottom of a lava lamp to the top

Dry sand grains of various densities can bubble like the blobs in this lava lamp, scientists find. Just add vibrations and gas.

Ricciardi Mario/Creatas Video+/GettyImagesPlus

Physics
 
Jun 10, 2019
Dry sand can bubble like the blobs in a lava lamp
an illustration of a spinning star, called a collapsar, releasing a long gamma-ray burst from either pole

A collapsar is a massive, spinning star that collapses into a black hole. That collapse releases a blast of light known as a long gamma-ray burst (illustrated). It also leads to an explosion in the star’s outer layers.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Astronomy
 
Jun 7, 2019
Dying stars can make gold as they collapse into black holes
a telescopic image of the moon

Water molecules near the moon hint that our natural satellite has water under its soil.

NASA

Astronomy
 
May 22, 2019
Meteorites may be excavating lunar water
Afghan minefield

This sign in English and Arabic warns pedestrians that live land mines still litter this field in Afghanistan.

manxman/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Physics
 
Apr 30, 2019
Heat signatures help track down old and still deadly land mines
the first ever photo of a black hole, an orange and red aura surrounding a dark round spot

The first image of a black hole shows a bright ring with a dark, central spot. That ring is a bright disk of gas orbiting the supermassive behemoth in the galaxy M87. The spot is the black hole’s shadow.

Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration

Astronomy
 
Apr 10, 2019
Here’s the first picture of a black hole
a photo of the ALMA array, a group of radio telescopes with large dishes

A network of telescopes across the globe — including ALMA in Chile (partially shown here) — teamed up to create the Event Horizon Telescope. It’s a virtual radio dish almost as big as Earth.

Carlos Padilla/AUI/NRAO

Astronomy
 
Apr 10, 2019
It took a ‘virtual’ telescope to actually picture a black hole