NewsPronto

 
Men's Weekly

.

USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

Real shooting stars exist, but they aren't the streaks you see in a clear night sky

  • Written by Idan Ginsburg, Academic Faculty in Physics & Astronomy, Georgia State University
imageSome stars travel at high speeds through the universe and sometimes leave spectacular clouds of dust and gas in their wake. NASA, ESA and R. Sahai (NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory), CC BY

“I see thy glory like a shooting star.”

So says the Earl of Salisbury as he ruminates about the future in Shakespeare’s “Richard...

Read more: Real shooting stars exist, but they aren't the streaks you see in a clear night sky

More Articles ...

  1. When endangered species recover, humans may need to make room for them – and it's not always easy
  2. A taste for sweet – an anthropologist explains the evolutionary origins of why you're programmed to love sugar
  3. Online tools put will-writing in reach for most people – but they're not the end of the line for producing a legally binding document
  4. After Afghanistan, US military presence abroad faces domestic and foreign opposition in 2022
  5. 'Don’t Look Up': Hollywood's primer on climate denial illustrates 5 myths that fuel rejection of science
  6. How cybercriminals turn paper checks stolen from mailboxes into bitcoin
  7. When researchers don't have the proteins they need, they can get AI to 'hallucinate' new structures
  8. What's the difference between sugar, other natural sweeteners and artificial sweeteners? A food chemist explains sweet science
  9. The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials
  10. Why does experiencing 'flow' feel so good? A communication scientist explains
  11. What is pay-as-you-throw? A waste expert explains
  12. Future engineers need to understand their work's human impact – here's how my classes prepare students to tackle problems like climate change
  13. Zoos and aquariums shift to a new standard of 'animal welfare' that depends on deeper understanding of animals' lives
  14. 'Dataraising' – when you're asked to chip in with data instead of money
  15. How changing parental beliefs can build stronger vocabulary and math skills for young children
  16. American support for conspiracy theories and armed rebellion isn't new – we just didn't believe it before the Capitol insurrection
  17. The 'sore loser effect': Rejecting election results can destabilize democracy and drive terrorism
  18. Not all polarization is bad, but the US could be in trouble
  19. Why can’t we throw all our trash into a volcano and burn it up?
  20. Rifts between older mothers and their adult children usually endure – even through divorce, illness and death
  21. Philanthropists seeking to fix big problems must tread carefully – here's how they can make their efforts more compatible with democracy
  22. Inflation, workforce participation and real wages: 3 key indicators for monitoring the economy in 2022
  23. Ghislaine Maxwell guilty in Epstein sex trafficking trial: What the case revealed about female sex offenders
  24. E.O. Wilson's lifelong passion for ants helped him teach humans about how to live sustainably with nature
  25. 4 New Year's resolutions for a healthier environment in 2022
  26. Not all calories are equal – a dietitian explains the different ways the kinds of foods you eat matter to your body
  27. What will 2022 bring in the way of misinformation on social media? 3 experts weigh in
  28. How common is the 'Common Era?' How A.D. and C.E. took over counting years
  29. Manchin takes aim at Build Back Better, but his real focus is on West Virginia
  30. Medical technologies have been central to US pandemic response – but social behaviors matter just as much
  31. Biden to expand access to at-home COVID kits: 4 essential reads on the critical role of rapid tests
  32. During a COVID-19 surge, ‘crisis standards of care’ involve excruciating choices and impossible ethical decisions for hospital staff
  33. 2021: a year physicists asked, 'What lies beyond the Standard Model?'
  34. What is Log4j? A cybersecurity expert explains the latest internet vulnerability, how bad it is and what's at stake
  35. Stress is contagious in relationships – here's what you can do to support your partner and boost your own health during the holidays and beyond
  36. As spiritualism's popularity grows, photographer Shannon Taggart takes viewers inside the world of séances, mediums and orbs
  37. Sports card explosion holds promise for keeping kids engaged in math
  38. The Massachusetts flag glorifies the violence committed by colonizers – Native Americans want it changed
  39. Why Putin has such a hard time accepting Ukrainian sovereignty
  40. Nickel oxide is a material that can 'learn' like animals and could help further artificial intelligence research
  41. Millions more Americans now have the right to vote in non-English languages
  42. Home for the holidays and worried about an older relative? Make observations, not assumptions
  43. 2021’s climate disasters revealed an east-west weather divide, with one side of the country too wet, the other dangerously dry
  44. Devastating Colorado fires cap a year of climate disasters in 2021, with one side of the country too wet, the other dangerously dry
  45. Mechanical forces in a beating heart affect its cells' DNA, with implications for development and disease
  46. How do fireworks work? A pyrotechnics chemist explains the science behind the brilliant colors and sounds
  47. The best way to follow through on your New Year's resolution? Make an 'old year's resolution'
  48. Manchin killed Build Back Better over inflation concerns – an economist explains why the $2 trillion bill would be unlikely to drive up prices
  49. Don't care about the Build Back Better Act? Hearing people's personal stories might change that
  50. What's the point of holiday gifts?