Doomed celestial visitor may have been a piece of a prehistoric comet, shows study
It's suspected that about 5,000 years ago a comet swept within 23 million miles of the Sun, closer than the innermost planet Mercury.
The comet...
This bizarre, ghostly galaxy has no dark matter
Galaxies and dark matter go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Rarely is one without the other, but a recently discovered galaxy called NGC 1052-DF2...
Nearby star-forming region gives clues to the formation of our solar system
A region of active star formation in the constellation Ophiuchus is giving astronomers new insights into the conditions in which our own solar system...
Astronomers find a break in one of the Milky Way’s spiral arms
The newly discovered feature offers insight into the large-scale structure of our galaxy, which is difficult to study from Earth’s position inside it.
Scientists have...
Gas giant Saturn makes waves in its own rings
In the same way that earthquakes cause our planet to rumble, oscillations in the interior of Saturn make the gas giant jiggle around ever...
Fizzing sodium could explain asteroid Phaethon’s cometlike activity
Models and lab tests suggest the asteroid could be venting sodium vapor as it orbits close to the Sun, explaining its increase in brightness.
As...
Scientists find a rocky planet with only half the mass of Venus
When it comes to finding exoplanets, size matters, but so does weight.
The larger and heavier the planet, the more likely they will be discovered...
Astronomers find a nearby star that a spitting image of a young sun
Our Sun is about 4.6 billion years old.
We know that from models of Sun-like stars, as well as through our observations of other stars...
Black hole’s eating pattern could reveal its size, shows study
The feeding patterns of black holes offer insight into their size, researchers report.
A new study revealed that the flickering in the brightness observed in...
Scientists capture huge rings around a black hole
A spectacular set of rings around a black hole has been captured using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.
The X-ray images...