Our Cosmic Neighborhood

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.

Creating a Transient Star in the Laboratory

Avi Loeb·December 19, 2022

The recent achievment of fusion ignition marks the first instance where humans were able to create the likeness of a tiny transient star in the lab.

Would We Notice Interstellar CubeSats in Our Cosmic Neighborhood?

Avi Loeb·December 12, 2022

If humans ever find interstellar CubeSats, it will change our priorities from funding military conflicts to space exploration.

Panspermia: Was Terrestrial Intelligence Seeded by a Cosmic Gardener?

Avi Loeb·December 5, 2022

How can we determine from circumstantial evidence on multiple planets whether panspermia might have occurred?

The Confluence of Natural and Artificial Intelligence

Avi Loeb·November 29, 2022

Nature established two distinct pathways for reflecting upon itself, one based on natural intelligence and the second based on artificial intelligence.

Cosmic Seeds of the Biggest Black Holes

Avi Loeb·November 24, 2022

As any gardener knows, growth is initiated by seeds. What were the seeds that enabled supermassive black holes to grow so early in cosmic history?

The State of the Universe: Lost Civilizations from Our Cosmic Past  

Avi Loeb·November 22, 2022

Future interstellar travel could reveal that the "State of the Universe" is far more significant than our present concerns over worldly political matters at home.

Knowledge, Belief, and the Cosmos: The Proper Way of Swiping Left or Right

Avi Loeb·November 14, 2022

The suite of instruments assembled by the Galileo Project will seek the evidence needed to properly swipe the extraterrestrial interpretation of UAP to the left or to the right.

Let It Be… An Intelligent Signal

Avi Loeb·November 8, 2022

Will aliens ever see an intelligent signal from Earth, or only evidence of our self-destructive tendencies in flashes from nuclear blasts?

When It Comes to Interstellar Travel, There Are Both Hazards and Benefits

Avi Loeb·November 2, 2022

There will be both good and bad for any future earthlings or technologies of our design that may engage in interstellar travel.

The Arrow of Cosmic Time: From Simplicity to Complexity and Back

Avi Loeb·October 31, 2022

During a recent lecture at the University of Michigan that I gave, I was asked why the arrow of cosmic time is characterized by a transition from simplicity to complexity.

The NASA UAP Study: A New Calculation On the Fly

Avi Loeb·October 25, 2022

Astronomer Avi Loeb shares his thoughts following a recent meeting in Washington with members of the forthcoming NASA UAP Study.

Gravitational Propulsion: Could We Travel Through Space by Manipulating Dark Energy?

Avi Loeb·October 21, 2022

Could gravitational propulsion enable us to traverse the stars by manipulating the cosmic dark energy that makes the vacuum?

What went wrong on Mars? Life is Hard Work, But Luck Helps

Avi Loeb·October 14, 2022

It is often said that “life was better in the good old days.” Avi Loeb explains why this definitely holds true for Mars.

Do Astronomers Exist on Other Habitable Planets?

Avi Loeb·October 11, 2022

Could astronomers also be a possibility on distant habitable exoplanets, much like the ones who study exoplanets from here on Earth?

Open Science and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena

Avi Loeb·October 6, 2022

Avi Loeb weighs in on the recent controversial Ukrainian UAP study and reactions to it from other commentators.

Rogue Planets: Potential Hosts to Life and Other Mysteries?

Avi Loeb·October 4, 2022

If interstellar travel agencies were to sell tickets for a ride on these relativistic planets, I would be first in line to board them.

Technologies of Interstellar Origin: Picking the “Fruits” of Intelligence

Avi Loeb·September 28, 2022

Finding the products of technological engines produced by intelligence from afar could inspire humans to focus on our ambitious future in space.

The Discovery of a Second Interstellar Meteor

Meter-Size Interstellar Objects Are Much Tougher than Solar System Rocks!

Avi Loeb·September 23, 2022

In a new paper with student Amir Siraj, Avi Loeb says they have identified a second interstellar meteor, IM2, in the CNEOS fireball catalog of NASA.

Reality On Demand: Why Humans Are Not Scientific Detectors

Avi Loeb·September 16, 2022

In today’s popularity contests, it is important to remember reality is whatever it is, irrespective of how many “likes” it gets on Twitter.We don't get whatever version of reality we desire "on demand."

A Meeting with ‘Oumuamua at the Venice Film Festival

Avi Loeb·September 14, 2022

On September 3, 2022, the 79th Venice Film Festival hosted a session titled “Meeting with `Oumuamua” at the Excelsior Hotel in Venice.

The Scissors of Academic Review

Avi Loeb·September 9, 2022

Avi Loeb examines the recurring phenomenon of “experts” using academic review to dismiss novel ideas to protect their intellectual territory.

Messages Carried by Ripples in Space and Time

Avi Loeb·September 6, 2022

Could humans one day detect artificially-produced bursts of gravitational waves, used for communication among advanced technological civilizations?

Wish Upon a Star

Avi Loeb·August 29, 2022

Imagine if every human that ever lived had a star of their own; how would this broaden our individual sense of our place in the cosmos?

The Gifts of Active Galactic Nuclei

Avi Loeb·August 24, 2022

Since metals seed life, galactic nuclei may offer these benefits if the seeds can ever blossom and become sentient civilizations.

What Came First: the Astro-Chicken or the Cosmic Egg?

Avi Loeb·August 23, 2022

Do we live in a galactic environment that contains self-replicating von Neumann probes? The best way to find out is to look around.

The Enigmatic Cosmos: Universal Laws and Life on Other Worlds

Avi Loeb·August 16, 2022

Astronomer Avi Loeb looks at the nature of scientific knowledge, as he discusses dark matter, the universe, and life on other worlds.

Extraterrestrial Intelligence: What is Our Rating on the Cosmic Dating Scene?

Avi Loeb·August 13, 2022

Avi Loeb shares his insights on the first Galileo Project conference and the scientific search for the relics left behind by extraterrestrial intelligence.

Cosmic Origins: When Did the First Stars Form?

Avi Loeb·August 8, 2022

Stars could not have existed during early phases of the universe because the extreme heat would have dispersed them. Hence, the question: When did the first stars form?

Interstellar Archaeology: The Search for Non-Terrestrial Artifacts

Avi Loeb·August 5, 2022

If anomalous, non-terrestrial artifacts exist in space, using the best tools at our disposal through "interstellar archaeology" may find them.

The Bright Side of the Moon

Avi Loeb·July 27, 2022

Interstellar travel would require major investments. Instead, first we should examine the objects that arrive in our solar system from interstellar space.

Life Not As We Know It: Probing the Nature of Dark Matter

Avi Loeb·July 26, 2022

If any civilizations out there use dark matter or dark energy to fuel their spacecraft, they may be harder to detect than we might assume.

The First Bits of the Cosmos Caught in Webb’s Web

Avi Loeb·July 19, 2022

Could new data being obtained by the James Webb Space Telescope confirm past forecasts about our universe?

Looking to the Skies, Astronomers Assemble the New Eyes and Brain of the Galileo Project

Avi Loeb·July 14, 2022

The new telescopes of the Galileo Project provide a unique observatory with innovative capabilities. What will they help us learn about UAP?

Sunlight and the Extinction of Gamma-Rays

Avi Loeb·July 10, 2022

Our ultimate cosmic destiny is to become dark matter. For now, let’s enjoy the light show while it lasts.

Quantum-Gravity Engineers of the Future May Find Local and Extraterrestrial Opportunities

Avi Loeb·July 6, 2022

Decades after a Quantum-Gravity theory will be discovered, there might be job advertisements for engineers who use it to build vehicles that would carry humans to the stars faster than imagined before.

Dark Matter and The “Unsung Heroes” of Our Cosmic Past

Avi Loeb·June 30, 2022

Dark matter is one of the "unsung heroes", that reflects our level of ignorance about our cosmic roots.

Survival of the Optimist: Designing Our Indefinite Future in Space

Avi Loeb·June 24, 2022

To paraphrase Darwin’s “survival of the fittest”, when it comes to our future in space, everything may hinge on “survival of the optimist.”