Our Cosmic Neighborhood

SpaceX Starship: A Musing on Rockets and Their Effect on the Earth

Avi Loeb·November 20, 2023

Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb considers the effects of rockets on the Earth, following the latest test launch of the massive SpaceX Starship from Boca Chica, Texas.

The Invisible Sky Within Neutrinos

Avi Loeb·November 15, 2023

Neutrinos are electrically neutral particles that interact only through the weak interaction and gravity. If our eyes were sensitive to neutrinos, what would we see?

Did Microphones Recently Capture the ‘Mystery Sound’ of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena?

Avi Loeb·November 10, 2023

A mystery sound was recently recorded with instruments at the Galileo Project Observatory at Harvard University. What caused it?

Interstellar Meteors from the Disruption of Rocky Planets by Dwarf Stars

Avi Loeb·October 13, 2023

Astronomer Avi Loeb describes his "eureka moment" about the origin of IM1-like objects in interstellar space from planetary systems around dwarf stars.

Touching a Piece of the Sky: The OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Mission

Avi Loeb·September 25, 2023

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, launched in 2016 towards the near-Earth asteroid named Bennu, just completed its long journey home.

Reconstructing the First Interstellar Meteor

Avi Loeb·September 4, 2023

Now that the composition of the first suspected interstellar meteor IM1 has been measured, can aspects of it be recreated in the lab?

The Illusion of Superiority: A Salute to Nature

Avi Loeb·August 25, 2023

Our illusion of superiority relative to nature is unwarranted. In science, humility is a prerequisite for learning something new.

Will Disclosure Occur Before Scientists Obtain Evidence of UAP?

Recruiting Panelists from the Bar at Harvard Square as The Galileo Project Turns Two

Avi Loeb·August 7, 2023

Is it easier to learn what lies in interstellar space from scooping the bottom of the Pacific Ocean than from politicians in Washington DC?

“Are We Alone?” Finding the Answer is an Issue Senators and Scientists Agree On

Avi Loeb·July 18, 2023

We invest billions of dollars in the search for dark matter, but the public cares more about the question of “are we alone?”

Diary of an Interstellar Voyage: Parts 31-33 (June 25-26 2023)

Avi Loeb·June 28, 2023

Might an iron peanut be worth ten thousand spherules, or nothing at all? Avi Loeb and the Galileo Project team's expedition to the Pacific waters off Papua New Guinea draws to a close.

Diary of an Interstellar Voyage: Parts 28-30 (June 25-26 2023)

Avi Loeb·June 27, 2023

As the Galileo Project team's expedition winds down, Avi Loeb provides a series of updates on the search for spherules believed to be associated with an interstellar meteor.

Diary of an Interstellar Voyage: Parts 25-27 (June 24-25 2023)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Avi Loeb·June 25, 2023

Avi Loeb presents a new series of updates on the search for spherules believed to be associated with an interstellar meteor retrieved during the Galileo Project team's expedition.

Diary of an Interstellar Voyage: Parts 21-23 (June 22-23, 2023)

The Hunt for More IM1 Spherules

Avi Loeb·June 23, 2023

The Galileo Project team continues its search for evidence of an interstellar object in this installment of "Diary of an Interstellar Voyage."

Diary of an Interstellar Voyage: Parts 18-20 (June 21, 2023)

The Discovery of Spherules from the Path of the First Recognized Interstellar Meteor, IM1

Avi Loeb·June 21, 2023

Magnetic spherules are detected under the microscope by Avi Loeb and the Galileo Project team in this latest installment of 'Diary of an Interstellar Voyage.'

Diary of an Interstellar Voyage: Parts 14-17 (June 19-20, 2023)

Corroded Iron and Volcanic Debris in IM1’s Path

Avi Loeb·June 20, 2023

Corroded iron, volcanic debris, and evidence of magnetic particles turn up in IM1’s Path in this latest update from the Galileo Project's expedition.

Diary of an Interstellar Voyage, Parts 11-13: June 18, 2023

Avi Loeb·June 19, 2023

More materials are recovered, and new questions surface, in this combined three-part entry covering Day 8 (June 18, 2023) of the Galileo Project team’s expedition.

Diary of an Interstellar Voyage, Parts 9 & 10: June 17, 2023

You Can't Make a Lemonade Without Lemons

Avi Loeb·June 17, 2023

The Galileo Project continues its recovery of material from the ocean floor during its expedition to recover an interstellar object off the coast of Papua New Guinea.

Diary of an Interstellar Voyage: Parts 7 & 8

Strange Wires and Diverse Fragments in the Pacific Ocean Site of the First Interstellar Meteor

Avi Loeb·June 16, 2023

Strange Wires and other fragments are found during the Galileo Project's expedition to recover an interstellar object from the ocean floor.

Diary of an Interstellar Voyage: Parts 5 & 6

First Sample of Fragments from the Pacific Ocean Floor

Avi Loeb·June 16, 2023

This combined entry covers Days 5 and 6 of the Galileo Project's expedition to recover a interstellar object from the Pacific Ocean floor.

Diary of an Interstellar Journey: Part 4

Scooping the Ocean Floor

Avi Loeb·June 14, 2023

Scooping the Ocean Floor: The Galileo Project team's magnetic sled is lowered to bottom of the Pacific in the fourth installment of "Diary of an Interstellar Journey."

Diary of an Interstellar Voyage: Part 3

Arrival at Silver Star

Avi Loeb·June 14, 2023

Harvard Astronomer Avi Loeb and the Galileo Project team begins its efforts to retrieve an interstellar object at the bottom of the Pacific in this third installment of "Diary of an Interstellar Journey."

Diary of an Interstellar Voyage: Part 2

Seeking Extraterrestrial Artifacts In The Pacific Ocean

Avi Loeb·June 13, 2023

This second installment in a series documents Harvard Astronomer Avi Loeb and the Galileo Project's expedition to recover an interstellar object from the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

Diary of an Interstellar Voyage: Part One

It’s Easier to Seek For Potential Facts About Extraterrestrials on the Ocean Floor than to Get Them from Government.

Avi Loeb·June 12, 2023

Harvard Astronomer Avi Loeb documents the Galileo Project's expedition to attempt the recovery of an interstellar object from the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

Relics from Non-Human Spacecraft: A Scientist’s Perspective

Avi Loeb·June 6, 2023

Astronomer Avi Loeb provides commentary on the recent claims involving non-human craft discussed by whistleblower David Grusch.

NASA, AARO and the Galileo Project Agree on the Need for a Scientific Study of UAP

Avi Loeb·June 2, 2023

Suppose NASA astronauts had images of technological objects hovering above Earth that are not identified as human made. Should they share the data with the public or worry that such an act would generate turmoil in society?

Self-Replicating Machines: The Ultimate Recipe for Long-Term Survival?

Avi Loeb·May 31, 2023

The dispersal of self-replicating machines throughout the Universe could be the ultimate recipe for long-term survival.

Could Advanced Civilizations Weaponize Black Holes?

Avi Loeb·May 26, 2023

Fortunately for those who favor interstellar peace, there is a major practical hurdle for manufacturing black holes technologically.

Cosmic Expansion: The ‘Horizon’ for Intergalactic Travel

Avi Loeb·May 22, 2023

Avi Loeb examines some of the limitations imposed on intergalactic travel through accelerated cosmic expansion.

Will Your Home Be Hit by a Meteorite?

Avi Loeb·May 15, 2023

Could your home be hit by a meteorite? It isn't a frequent occurrence... but that doesn't mean it never happens.

Would You Press a Button on an Extraterrestrial Gadget?

Avi Loeb·May 11, 2023

If you were to recover an extraterrestrial gadget, would you press its buttons?

Frontiers of Science: Our Survival in the Milky Way

Avi Loeb·May 4, 2023

The frontiers of science and our knowledge of the universe naturally lie on the boundary between the known and the unknown.

Density: What Matters in the Universe

Avi Loeb·April 28, 2023

If we ever use these dark components to fuel engines of interstellar spacecraft, we will need to know their local densities. Avi Loeb weighs in.

Is AI Alignment Research Akin to “Helicopter Parenting”?

Avi Loeb·April 25, 2023

AI alignment research aims to steer AI toward the intended goals or ethical principles of humans. But at what point are we over-parenting?

April 19th Senate Hearing on UAP: The Shot Heard Round the World

Avi Loeb·April 19, 2023

On April 19, 2023, exactly 248 years after the Lexington-Concord Battle, a public Senate hearing on UAP is to be held by the Senate Committee on Armed Services.

Unidentified Aerial Phenomena: Science “From Farm to Table”

Avi Loeb·April 14, 2023

Scientists, working with open data like the Galileo Project comprises, must help the U.S. government unravel the nature of UAP.

Discovering Extraterrestrials Offers Benefits, Not An Existential Risk

Avi Loeb·April 11, 2023

In 2010, Stephen Hawking warned that aliens might pose an existential risk to humanity, and that we should therefore be careful about broadcasting our existence to interstellar space.

Will Future AI Systems be Legally Liable?

Avi Loeb·April 4, 2023

Future risks from AI systems may include controlling WMDs and the forgery of scientific results. Who should be held liable for such actions?

Exotic Propulsion: Technological Probes From the Final Frontier

Avi Loeb·March 30, 2023

By studying interstellar objects, we may learn about new exotic propulsion methods that will make it easier for us to venture into interstellar space.

Is `Oumuamua a Hydrogen-Water Iceberg?

Avi Loeb·March 22, 2023

Was `Oumuamua a hydrogen-water iceberg? Harvard Astronomer Avi Loeb weighs in on a recent paper on the mysterious interstellar space object.

The Allegory of the Cave: An Interstellar Interpretation

Avi Loeb·March 15, 2023

In this installment of "Our Cosmic Neighborhood," Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb takes a look at an ancient philosophical dialogue in the context of interstellar artificial intelligence.

Interstellar Conservation: City Lights in Our Sky and Plastic in Our Oceans

Avi Loeb·February 27, 2023

The most consequential choice that our technological civilization can make is between commercial benefits and preserving nature.

Interstellar Romance: Connecting Our Human Affairs to the Stars

Avi Loeb·February 20, 2023

For the first time in the history of astronomy, connecting our human affairs to the stars might make complete sense.

Science Is Better Than Politics and Popularity Contests

Avi Loeb·February 8, 2023

The elemental composition of the first interstellar meteor will be decided by a mass spectrometer, not by the number of likes it gets on Twitter. 

Has Earth Ever Had Encounters With Interstellar AI Devices in Its Past?

Avi Loeb·February 3, 2023

What is the chance that a technological gadget with an interstellar version of ChatGPT would visit Los Alamos for lunch in 1950?

Imagine Interstellar: Humanity’s Path to Becoming an Interstellar Species

Avi Loeb·January 27, 2023

"Interstellar travel favors the scientifically inclined, exploring civilizations," says Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb in his latest Op Ed.

What Would a Planck Energy Accelerator Entail?

Avi Loeb·January 17, 2023

If we ever detect a beam of Planck energy neutrinos from a preferred direction in the sky, we will know where to search for new physics.

An Astronomer’s Thoughts on the 2022 ODNI Report on UAP

Avi Loeb·January 13, 2023

Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb offers his views on the recent release of the 2022 ODNI report on unidentified anomalous phenomena.

Beliefs Versus Evidence: Science, Supersymmetry, and Beyond

Avi Loeb·January 4, 2023

In the battle of belief versus evidence, we must avoid the tendency to get entrenched in ideas that cannot be falsified.

Snowball Earth: Was the Surface of Our Planet Ever Completely Frozen?

Avi Loeb·December 30, 2022

Climate models suggest that runaway glaciation during periods of our planet's history may have resulted in a frozen, “Snowball Earth” state.

Seeking Immortality in Space: Encounters With ‘Interstellar Memorabilia’

Avi Loeb·December 27, 2022

Like prehistoric cave paintings, finding interstellar extraterrestrial devices might indicate that the quest for immortality is universal to all sentient beings past and present throughout the Milky Way galaxy.