How do rocky planets really form?
Scientists unveil a unified theory for rocky planet formation.
New study reveals a star’s unexpected survival
As the star is shredded, its remnants are transformed into a stream of debris that rains back down onto the black hole to form a very hot, very bright disk of material swirling around the black hole, called an accretion disc.
Why new exoplanet discovery is a big deal
Researchers have discovered an Earth-sized exoplanet—a planet outside of our solar system.
The planet, named TOI-700 e, falls within its star’s habitable zone, meaning it...
Scientists find closest and oldest ultracool dwarf binary ever observed
Northwestern University and UC San Diego astrophysicists have discovered the tightest ultracool dwarf binary system ever observed.
The two stars are so close that it...
Astronomers discover the closest black hole to Earth
Astronomers have discovered the closest black hole to Earth, the first unambiguous detection of a dormant stellar-mass black hole in the Milky Way.
Its close...
Astronomers find the most distant stars in our galaxy halfway to Andromeda
Astronomers have discovered more than 200 distant variable stars known as RR Lyrae stars in the Milky Way’s stellar halo.
The most distant of these...
Scientists discover system’s second earth-size planet
Scientists have identified an Earth-size world, called TOI 700 e, orbiting within the habitable zone of its star – the range of distances where liquid water could occur on a planet’s surface.
Scientists find matter flung out of our Milky Way galaxy
Astronomers have used an intense burst of radio waves originating from a nearby galaxy to inspect the halo of gas cocooning our own Milky Way galaxy.
Scientists discover a pair of hungry black holes
Astronomers have discovered a galactic table for two — a pair of unusually close black holes that are feeding together after their respective galaxies...
Astronomers use little hurricanes to weigh and date planets around young stars
Little ‘hurricanes’ that form in the discs of gas and dust around young stars can be used to study certain aspects of planet formation,...