Physicists discovered that the famous ‘Star Trek’ spaceship got a lot right about designing a ship to jump from galaxy to ...

The light echo around the star V838 Monocerotis as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in November 2005. When I was a teenager, I was—shockingly, I know—deeply nerdy. At a science-fiction convention, I ...

Here is a thought experiment for you: imagine shining a powerful laser at the moon, the beam cutting through space until it lands on its dusty grey surface. Now flick the laser so the spot of light ...

If there is an absolute law in the universe, it’s that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. For science-fiction enthusiasts, that’s a bit depressing. Space is big, and while the speed of ...

Every generation grows up with starships that jump across galaxies in a heartbeat, but the real universe is far less forgiving than the screen. The same physics that lets GPS satellites work and ...

A research paper proposes a fully physically realized model for warp drive. This builds on an existing model that requires negative energy—an impossibility. The new model is exciting, but warp speed ...

Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: A research paper proposes a fully physically realized model for warp drive. This builds on an existing model that requires negative energy—an ...

When I was a teenager, I was—shockingly, I know—deeply nerdy. At a science-fiction convention, I bought a button that read, “186,282 miles/second: Not just a good idea, it’s the law.” It was poking ...