Astronomy

Astronomy

Moon story waxes fuller

A new analysis may have put the final piece in the puzzle of how the Moon formed.

Astronomy

Star Packed: Super cluster is first to be detected in Milky Way

Astronomers have detected the most massive and densest cluster of young stars ever detected in the Milky Way, a finding that could shed light on how stars formed in the early universe.

Astronomy

It’s a star, but not much of one

Astronomers have discovered the smallest star known.

Astronomy

Worlds of Astronomy

British astronomer and writer David Darling has created an impressive, online encyclopedia devoted to topics in astronomy, astrobiology, spaceflight, space physics, and much more. From the Abell cluster to the Zwicky Catalogue, the site provides clear, straightforward explanations of a variety of concepts, along with brief biographies and much other material, including relevant images. Go […]

Astronomy

Alien Light: Extrasolar planets are detected in new way

Two teams of scientists report that they have for the first time directly detected the glow of planets that circle sunlike stars hundreds of light-years from Earth.

Astronomy

Too Darn Hot

A new theory of planet formation suggests that sizzling-hot Earths may be abundant throughout the galaxy and could soon be detected.

Astronomy

Puzzling radio blasts

Astronomers are stumped by powerful radio waves emanating from the center of our galaxy.

Astronomy

Weighing In on a Star: A stellar size limit

A new study suggests that no star in our galaxy can weigh more than 150 times the mass of the sun.

Astronomy

Radiation from a baby star

X-ray telescopes have captured the earliest and clearest view of the core of a gas cloud about to transform into a star.

Astronomy

Nursery Pictures: Astronomers glimpse primordial clustering

Astronomers have found the earliest traces of galaxy clustering, from a period just 1 billion years after the birth of the universe.

Astronomy

Hole power

New computer simulations and observations are adding to the evidence that supermassive black holes control the growth of the galaxies they inhabit, wielding an influence far beyond their gravitational grasp.

Astronomy

Big Flash: Record-breaking explosion in outer space

The brightest flash of light ever recorded from beyond the solar system could help account for a puzzling group of extremely short-lived gamma-ray bursts from distant galaxies.