Is this the lightest black hole or heaviest neutron star
About 40,000 light-years away, a rapidly spinning object has a companion that’s confounding astronomers.
It’s heavier than the heaviest neutron stars, yet at the same...
The JWST solves the mystery of ancient light
The very early Universe was a dark place. It was packed with light-blocking hydrogen and not much else.
Only when the first stars switched on...
Astronomers have mapped the Milky Way’s magnetic fields in 3D
Our galaxy is filled with magnetic fields.
They come not just from stars and planets, but from dusty stellar nurseries and the diffuse hydrogen gas...
Scientists solve the mystery of Titan’s floating ‘magic islands’
Saturn's largest moon, Titan, has been a source of intrigue for scientists, especially since the discovery of what are called "magic islands."
These are mysterious,...
Scientists reveal one of the largest stars in the Milky Way as it fades...
Once in a while, the universe throws a cosmic mystery our way, and recently astronomers have been captivated by a particularly intriguing one involving...
Scientists unravel the secrets of star birth at the edge of galaxies
In the vast expanse of the universe, stars form in a variety of surprising places, including the far edges of galaxies.
Understanding how and why...
Astronomers identify 164 promising targets for the habitable worlds observatory
Planning large astronomical missions is a long process. In some cases, such as the now functional James Webb Space Telescope, it can literally take...
Scientists discover a hot Jupiter with a comet-like tail
About 164 light-years away, a Hot Jupiter orbits its star so closely that it takes fewer than four days to complete an orbit.
The planet...
Why serious scientists are mesmerized by the multiverse
The multiverse may be a cool (and convenient) concept for comic books and superhero movies, but why do scientists take it seriously?
In a new...
Since interstellar objects crashed into Earth in the past, could they have brought life
On October 19th, 2017, astronomers with the Pan-STARRS survey detected an interstellar object (ISO) passing through our Solar System for the first time.
The object,...