Space and Physics: Voyager 1 has come to its senses

April 25– This week, NASA's ailing 46-year-old Voyager 1 probe has at last come to its senses (onward, Voyager!), a colorful twist in the hunt for alien life, the growing threat of space junk, seeing the lunar far side, and much more. -Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Space and Physics

Top Stories

After Months of Gibberish, Voyager 1 Is Communicating Well Again NASA scientists spent months coaxing the 46-year-old Voyager 1 spacecraft back into healthy communication Meghan Bartels

Sorry, Little Green Men: Alien Life Might Actually Be Purple Purple may be a likely color for extraterrestrial organisms, research suggests Sharmila Kuthunur; SPACE.com

Low-Earth Orbit Faces a Spiraling Debris Threat Millions of human-made objects travel at high speeds in low-Earth orbit, polluting space and increasing the chance of collision with satellites and other spacecraft Aneli Bongers, expert writer; José L. Torres , expert writer

How to See the Lunar Far Side Right Here on Earth Perspective and subtle motion allows us to peek over the moon's edge and into its far side Phil Plait

This Simple Strategy Might Be the Key to Advancing Science Faster The incentives in science don't always encourage openness—but being wrong might just be the key to getting it right. Christie Aschwanden

Could JWST Solve One of Cosmology's Greatest Mysteries? The telescope's studies could help end a long-standing disagreement over the rate of cosmic expansion. But scientists say more measurements are needed Davide Castelvecchi; Nature magazine

When We Find Earth 2.0, What's Next? We're looking for another Earth. But how likely is it that we'll find a duplicate of home? Phil Plait

Here's What I Learned as the U.S. Government's UFO Hunter A forthcoming investigational report from an office of the Pentagon has found no evidence of aliens, only allegations circulated repeatedly by UFO claim advocates Sean Kirkpatrick

A Dead Star Will Soon Spark a Once-in-a-Lifetime Display in Earth's Skies A nova called T Coronae Borealis spectacularly erupts every 80 years. Your only chance to see it will come any day now Robin George Andrews

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