Aerospace

Scientists find giant gas reservoir in infant galaxy cluster

Astronomers have discovered a massive hidden fuel source in a young galaxy cluster, revealing new clues about how galaxies form and grow. Using the powerful...

Asteroid Donaldjohanson: A space rock that could rewrite history

New research suggests that the asteroid (52246) Donaldjohanson formed about 150 million years ago when a much larger asteroid broke apart. Since then, its orbit...

We finally know the mass of brand new neutron stars

When massive stars explode as supernovae, they can leave behind neutron stars. Other than black holes, these are the densest objects we know of. However,...

Can any nearby supernova cause a mass extinction

The most dangerous parts of a supernova explosion are the outputs like X-rays and gamma rays. Even though they only share a small fraction of...

Why we are so scared of space—and how this fear can drive conspiracy theories

There are many home-grown problems on Earth, but there's still time to worry about bad things arriving from above. The most recent is the asteroid...

Can planets around white dwarfs support life?

For years, scientists believed that planets orbiting white dwarf stars couldn’t support life. These stars, the remains of sun-like stars that have burned out, were...

Scientists discover a giant spiral galaxy in the early universe

Astronomers have made an exciting discovery—a massive spiral disk galaxy, much larger than expected, in the early universe. This galaxy, called the ‘Big Wheel,’ is...

Did supernova explosions cause ancient mass extinctions on Earth?

Scientists from Keele University have found strong evidence that some of Earth’s past mass extinctions could have been caused by nearby supernova explosions—massive star...

Scientists discover how black hole radiation could help life thrive

At the center of most large galaxies, including our Milky Way, sits a supermassive black hole. These powerful objects sometimes enter active galactic nucleus (AGN)...

What’s the deadliest part of a supernova explosion

What’s the deadliest part of a supernova explosion? To estimate this we have to look at what the actual destructive capabilities are of a supernova. As...