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Happy Leap Day! Brought to You by Julius Caesar
The leap year has a long history, stretching all the way back to 46 B.C.E.
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Astronomers Finally Tracked a Strange Radio Wave Burst to Its Source
With new insights into radio waves, scientists may be able to measure the mass of the universe
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Marvel at the Newest Map of the Milky Way
It is the most complete map of the cold galaxy ever made
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Happy 543rd Birthday, Nicolaus Copernicus
The Renaissance scientist set the stage for modern astronomy
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Hubble Gets a Whiff of Super-Earth Atmosphere For The First Time
The toasty planet’s atmosphere is similar to a gas giant’s
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Five Things to Know About Gravitational Waves
The internet is abuzz with rumors of a big announcement—here are a few things you should know to decipher the news
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Hundreds of Galaxies Were Found Hiding Behind Our Milky Way
The objects may help explain why our galaxy and its neighbors are hurtling towards a seemingly blank zone called the Great Attractor
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Babylonians Were Using Geometry Centuries Earlier Than Thought
Ancient astronomers were tracking planets using math believed to have first appeared in 14th-century Europe
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Evidence Stacks Up for a Planet Beyond Pluto
A new paper provides the strongest evidence yet for a real Planet X
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Don’t Miss This Month’s Rare Planetary Alignment
Five planets will appear together in the sky—all visible to the naked eye
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The Brightest Supernova Ever Observed Tests the Limits of Physics
This explosion blazes about 570 billion times brighter than our Sun, according to researchers
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Star Light, Star Bright, Here’s Why the Heavens Look Brighter Tonight
It’s not just because the air is clearer
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Was the “Wow!” Signal From Aliens or a Comet Flyby?
The 1977 blast from space is often cited as our best evidence of alien contact, but a news study suggests it may have just been comets
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4.5 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite Found in the Australian Desert
This 3.7 pound rock could help scientists learn about Earth’s origins
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Old, Dense Star Clusters Might Be the Place to Look for Complex Alien Life
The age and density of globular star clusters could give alien life both the time and resources necessary to brew complex society
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How Are Horoscopes Still a Thing?
No, there’s no science behind an astrologer’s prediction for 2016, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be accurate
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This Image of the Universe Captures Its Immensity
Comets, planets, galaxies and the cosmic web crowd together in this portrait of everything known
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Long-Lost Photos of Eclipses and Stars Found in an Observatory Basement
The stash of old negatives includes a 97-year-old copy of the photo that helped confirm the Theory of Relativity
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Night Sky Wonders to Ring in the New Year
The star Sirius is high in the sky, and comet Catalina is at its brightest
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