Medium-sized black holes eat stars like messy toddlers
If they exist, intermediate-mass black holes likely devour wayward stars like a messy toddler — taking a few bites and then flinging the remains...
Astronomers solve the 60-year mystery of quasars
Scientists have unlocked one of the biggest mysteries of quasars – the brightest, most powerful objects in the Universe – by discovering that they...
Scientists discover most distant cluster of galaxies at the edge of the Universe
Astronomers have looked back in time to the early beginnings of the universe, a mere 650 million years after the Big Bang, and observed...
The first light in the universe helps build a dark matter map
In the 1960s, astronomers began noticing a pervasive microwave background visible in all directions.
SpaceX launches most powerful rocket in history in explosive debut – like many first...
On April 20, 2023, a new SpaceX rocket called Starship exploded over the Gulf of Mexico three minutes into its first flight ever.
SpaceX is...
From platypus to parsecs and milliCrab: why do astronomers use such weird units
You may have heard about an asteroid set to fly near Earth that is the size of 18 platypus, or maybe the one that’s...
Scientists discover mass immigration of stars into the Andromeda galaxy
Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument reveals evidence of mass star migration into a galaxy other than the Milky Way
Galaxies grow and evolve by forging new...
A message to meteorite hunters: Put down your magnets!
MIT study shows that simple hand magnets erase a meteorite’s magnetic memory.
Neutron star behaves like a mini-quasar
There’s a wobbly X-ray-bright binary object in our galaxy called Hercules X-1 that’s blowing a mighty wind off to surrounding space.
The system consists of...
NASA’s Webb captures the spectacular galactic merger Arp 220
Shining like a brilliant beacon amidst a sea of galaxies, Arp 220 lights up the night sky in this view from NASA’s James Webb...