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October 09, 2025
 

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ASTRONOMY

Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 13, 2022
Scientists unveil image of 'gentle giant' black hole at Milky Way's center
The black hole — called Sagittarius A* — is the second one ever to be imaged.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 17, 2022
New research helps explain the brightest, most energetic objects in the universe
The latest observations support a 'unified model' of active galactic nuclei, which holds that all such objects are the same but appear to have different properties when seen from Earth.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 24, 2021
Massive Webb telescope may see close to the beginning of time
When it begins its work in mid-2022, the telescope will help scientists study some of the earliest light in the universe and peer more closely at planets in other galaxies.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Dec 8, 2021
Chinese sighting of 'cube' on moon rouses speculation and inspires memes
The Yutu-2 caught an image of what seems like a large cubic object on the horizon about 80 meters from its location.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 3, 2021
Hot little planet as dense as iron zips around red dwarf star
Scientists are eager to find exoplanets — as these alien worlds are known — to look for good candidates that may nurture extraterrestrial life.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 17, 2021
Moon 'wobble' and climate change seen as driving coastal flooding in 2030s
U.S. coastlines will face increasing flooding in the mid-2030s thanks to a regular lunar cycle that will magnify rising sea levels caused by climate change, according to research led by NASA scientists.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 8, 2021
Heads up! A used Chinese rocket is tumbling back to Earth this weekend.
The chances of it hitting a populated area are small, but not zero. That has raised questions about how the country's space program designs its missions.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 5, 2021
'Super-Earth' may offer clues about atmospheres on distant worlds
Scientists have spotted a planet orbiting a star relatively near our solar system that may offer a prime opportunity to study the atmosphere of a rocky Earth-like alien world — the type of research that could aid the hunt for extraterrestrial life.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 27, 2021
Hunting for a giant black hole, astronomers found a nest of darkness
No Gargantua dwells at the heart of stellar cluster NGC 6397. Instead, a few dozen smaller black holes seem to be swarming around in there, throwing their considerable masses around.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2020
We’re never going to mine the asteroid belt
One factor rules out most space mining at the outset: gravity. It guarantees that most of the solar system's best mineral resources are to be found under our feet on Earth.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Nov 22, 2020
China to launch moon probe, seeking to bring back first lunar rock since 1970s
China plans to launch an unmanned spacecraft to the moon this week to bring back lunar rocks in the first attempt by any nation to retrieve samples from Earth's natural satellite since the 1970s.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 15, 2020
Life on Venus? Astronomers see a signal in its clouds
Scientists detected a chemical — phosphine — in the thick Venus atmosphere, and they assert that something now alive is the only explanation for its source.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 12, 2020
Scientists confounded by new findings on universe's mysterious dark matter
Dark matter, mysterious invisible stuff that makes up most of the mass of galaxies including our own Milky Way, is confounding scientists again, with new observations of distant galaxies conflicting with the current understanding of its nature.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2020
Japan team finds traces of one of largest craters in solar system
A Japanese research team has announced the discovery of traces of the largest impact craters in the solar system on a moon of Jupiter.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 21, 2020
For first time, scientists spot an alien planet as it is being formed
Astronomers have gazed into what appears to be a planetary maternity ward, observing for the first time within a huge disk of dense gas and dust surrounding a newly formed star a planet in the process of being born.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 3, 2020
Astronomers spot 'missing link' black hole — not too big and not too small
Scientists have detected a midsize black hole — considered the "missing link" in the understanding of these celestial brutes — eviscerating an unfortunate star that strayed too close.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 8, 2020
Spacecraft to map sun's poles for first time
A spacecraft built jointly by U.S. and European space agencies is ready for a blazing journey to the sun to capture an unprecedented view of its two poles, an angle that could help researchers understand how the star's vast bubble of magnetic energy affects Earth.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 31, 2020
Sun's surface revealed in closest detail yet
Images from a powerful new telescope installed on top of a volcano in Hawaii show the surface of the sun in the closest detail yet, revealing features as small as 30 km (18 miles) across.
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Nov 16, 2019
Gazing in wonder at the many faces of the moon
Why do the sun and the moon see so little of each other?
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 27, 2019
NASA telescope captures black hole shredding a star
Scientists have captured a view of a colossal black hole violently ripping apart a doomed star, illustrating an extraordinary and chaotic cosmic event from beginning to end for the first time using NASA's planet-hunting telescope.
How China waged an infowar against U.S. interests in the Philippines
Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) Chairman Raul Lambino shakes hands with guests during a ceremony for the Award for Promoting Philippines-China Understanding at The Manila Hotel in Manila in June.
‘We have drawn lessons,’ Indian Army chief says of brief clash with Pakistan
Indian Army chief Upendra Dwivedi waves as he arrives to attend the ceremonial reception of Defense Minister Gen Nakatani in New Delhi in May.
Typhoon Halong to cause windstorms, heavy rain and high waves on the Izu islands
Typhoon Halong is moving north near the Izu Islands, with strong winds, high waves and heavy rain expected as it passes early on Thursday, prompting warnings from the weather agency.
Chemistry Nobel winner Kitagawa says downtime helped him think up new material
Susumu Kitagawa speaks to reporters at Kyoto University on Wednesday after receiving the news that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry the same day.
Takaichi's leadership lineup favors Aso and his allies while shutting out rivals
The LDP's newly-appointed election chief Keiji Furuya (far left), general affairs council chair Haruko Arimura (second from left), vice president Taro Aso (center left), president Sanae Takaichi (center right), secretary-general Shunichi Suzuki (second from right) and policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi in Tokyo on Tuesday.
With nuclear sub proposal, Japan faces array of political and tech challenges
The Jingei, the third of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Taigei-class submarines, was commissioned in March last year. It is equipped with lithium-ion batteries, enabling it to have a longer diving time and cruising distance than older models with lead-acid batteries.
OpenAI’s Sora 2 is drowning in Japanese 'AI slop'
OpenAI has rolled out a social app powered by Sora 2, its artificial intelligence video generator, which was quickly flooded with videos featuring iconic Japanese intellectual property.
Trump has his eyes on the prize — but a Nobel win looks unlikely
A protester holds a sign with an image depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and the words "Nobel" written on it, as supporters and family members of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, demonstrate to demand the immediate end of the war and the release of all hostages, outside the U.S. Consulate in Tel Aviv, on Sept. 2.
‘Takaichi trade’ stalls as political reality calls for wait-and-see approach
Tokyo stocks staged a powerful rally on Monday. On Tuesday, they rallied again, then retreated.
How a family-run landscaper turned the Osaka Expo green
The team at Ryokukou Garden consists primarily of a single family, including Toshiki Tanisaki (second from right), who led the company's efforts at the Osaka Expo, Chikako Tanisaki (fifth from right), who performs daily maintanence at the expo, and Takeshi Tanisaki (fourth from right), who added a nursery to the family farm more than 50 years ago.

Podcast

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