Astronomy
Black hole–shredded megastars power a new class of cosmic explosions
These explosions, called extreme nuclear transients, shine for longer than typical supernovas and get 30 to 1,000 times as bright.
Astronomy
More Stories in Astronomy
- Space
See how the Hubble Space Telescope is still revolutionizing astronomy
Hubble is still going strong 35 years after it was launched into space. Celebrate its anniversary with some out-of-this-world images.
- Astronomy
A gas clump in the Milky Way’s neighborhood might be a ‘dark galaxy’
A blob of gas seen outside the Milky Way could be a type of starless, dark matter–dominated galaxy. Some scientists are skeptical.
- Astronomy
A claimed hint of alien life whips up spirited debate
Astronomers have a lot of thoughts about the latest paper claiming we’ve found the strongest hints of alien life yet on the distant planet K2 18b.
- Space
A NASA rover finally found Mars’ missing carbon
The Curiosity rover identified hidden caches of the mineral siderite, which could help explain why Mars lost its habitable climate.
- Astronomy
Yes, there really is a black hole on the loose in Sagittarius
Astronomers now agree: They’ve spotted the first isolated stellar-mass black hole ever seen.
- Astronomy
A nebula’s X-ray glow may come from a destroyed giant planet
Decades of constant X-ray emission from the Helix Nebula’s white dwarf suggest debris from a Jupiter-sized planet steadily rains upon the star.
- Space
The nearest single star to Earth has four small planets
Last year, astronomers announced that a planet orbits Barnard’s star. Now, researchers have confirmed the existence of three more.
- Cosmology
New baby pictures of the universe deepen a cosmic mystery
Cosmic microwave background data support cosmology’s standard model but retain a mystery about the universe’s expansion rate.
- Astronomy
The Milky Way’s black hole is constantly bubbling
The disc of plasma surrounding the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way is constantly emitting flares both large and small.
