Space

Laser Propagating through Air Sets Stability Record

Physics: An optical link for communication between distant atomic clocks is 100 times more stable than previous links and could enable new precision tests of general relativity. To look for cracks in the general theory of relativity, researchers want to…

The Physics of the James Webb Space Telescope

Wired: The James Webb Space Telescope, also known as the JWST, finally launched on December 25 for its journey 930,000 miles from Earth. This is the next generation that will replace the famous Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble has been capturing…

The Year in Physics

Quanta Magazine: One of the first articles Quanta Magazine published in 2021 described a cosmic surprise: A long-puzzling smudge of X-ray light was not, as most believed, a nearby cloud of gas, the remnant of some long-ago stellar explosion. Instead, it was the edge of a truly enormous structure, a…

Earth Is Spinning Faster Now Than It Was 50 Years Ago

Discover Magazine: Ever feel like there’s just not enough time in the day? Turns out, you might be onto something. Earth is rotating faster than it has in the last half-century, resulting in our days being ever-so-slightly shorter than we’re used…