Star Advertiser: The Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX)a floating, self-propelled mobile radar stationhas been spending a lot of time in Hawaii. Although nominally based at Adak Island in Alaska, it roams the Pacific Ocean to detect incoming ballistic missiles. According to the Missile Defense Agency, the SBX has been habitually returning to Pearl Harbor because it has the “correct mix of labor and supplies to accomplish needed maintenance and repairs.” The SBX’s unusual appearance, a multi-legged platform topped by what looks like a giant golf ball, is becoming a tourist attraction at Ford Island, where it has moored 11 times and spent a combined total of more than a year and a half in port.
The finding that the Saturnian moon may host layers of icy slush instead of a global ocean could change how planetary scientists think about other icy moons as well.
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.
January 29, 2026 12:52 PM
Get PT in your inbox
PT The Week in Physics
A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.
One email per week
PT New Issue Alert
Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.
One email per month
PT Webinars & White Papers
The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.
