SPoW_Sept28_2017
01Hubble photographed the galaxy dubbed NGC 4490 and its victim galaxy NGC 4485, pulled together by gravity over millions of years and eventually colliding to form system Arp 269. The region is a hotbed for stellar nurseries, seen here in bright pinks and reds. The photo captures the pair post-collision, slowly drifting apart but doomed to crash into one another once again billions of years from now.
02This is the Saturn Nebula, a low-mass star that expelled material into space creating rings of dust and gas. The MUSE instrument attached to the European Space Observatory’s Very Large Telescope snapped this photo in order to map the nebula’s inner structure.
03This is the active region of molecular clouds known as W3, W4, and W5, a fantastic swirl of gaseous tendrils tossed around by powerful winds. The white areas are star formation and the blue areas contain supernovas.
04A collage of Jupiter photos taken over 95 minutes by the Juno spacecraft, highlighting the changes in the planet's atmosphere.
05This glowing blue beauty is comet C/2017 K2 PANSTARRS (K2), traveling through our solar system after being ejected from the Oort Cloud millions of years ago. The ball of rock and ice is around 4.6 billion years old and is the farthest active comet ever spotted.
06The Rosetta space probe snapped countless images of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko from all sides for nearly two years, presented here in a 210-photo mosaic.
The Best Water Filter Pitchers for PFAS- and Lead-Free Living
Water filters promise the moon—but only some back up their claims. Here are the best filtered-water pitchers for those who prefer their water free of heavy metals and forever chemicals.
Matthew Korfhage
The Internet's Most Powerful Archiving Tool Is in Peril
As major news outlets cut off the Wayback Machine, journalists and advocacy groups are rallying to protect the Internet Archive’s vast collection of web pages.
Kate Knibbs
The Dumbest Hack of the Year Exposed a Very Real Problem
Last April, a hacker hijacked crosswalk announcements to mimic Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. Records obtained by WIRED reveal how unprepared local authorities were.
Paresh Dave
AI Agents Are Coming for Your Dating Life
The developers of Pixel Societies are using AI agents to simulate social interactions. It's an attempt optimize the process of choosing new colleagues, friends, and even romantic partners.
Joel Khalili
A Lot of Shops Won't Fix Electric Bikes. Here's Why
Bike shop mechanics have lost fingers and their shirts while repairing ebikes of dubious origins. Make sure yours is repairable and third-party certified.
Stephanie Pearson
The Audacity Is the Broligarchy Takedown You Were Waiting For
AMC’s new black comedy about a manchild tech titan spinning out of control is a skewering Silicon Valley’s billionaire class deserves.
Miles Klee
It’s a Tablet! It’s a Laptop! After Testing the Best 2-in-1s, Here’s What I Recommend
Whether you want a detachable tablet or a laptop screen that spins, these 2-in-1 devices manage to balance being both a tablet and a laptop.
Luke Larsen
There’s a Secret Ingredient to Making Luxury Ice at Home
Nice ice is big business, but you can get perfectly clear cubes at home without freezing your assets.
Jeremy White
The Screenmaxxers Who Spend Every Waking Hour on Their Phones
As debates over social media addiction rage, people with extreme screen times tell WIRED they have no plans to cut back.
Miles Klee
Mammotion’s Spino E1 Pool Cleaner Isn’t Bad for the Price—It's Just Not That Good
This compact pool robot keeps its price down, but its performance doesn’t match that of more capable cleaners.
Christopher Null
The Best Coffee Mug Warmers Are Smart. But They Don’t Need an App
The first rule of coffee is that it must stay hot. After weeks or even years of testing, these are the three coffee warmers that will best keep it that way.
Matthew Korfhage
Crimson Desert Is a Cat Dad Simulator
Step into the shoes of the strongest, goodest boy in a game that is beautiful, baffling, and impossible to put down.