Astronomy

  1. Astronomy

    Stellar finding may outshine all others

    Astronomers have found what may be the heaviest, biggest, and brightest star ever observed.

    By Ron Cowen
  2. Astronomy

    Gang of four: Debut of a big telescope

    In the desert of northern Chile, a fourth 8.2-meter telescope opened for business, completing a quartet known as the Very Large Telescope.

    By Ron Cowen
  3. Astronomy

    Stellar motions provide hole-y data

    Measuring for the first time the acceleration of stars near the dense core of our galaxy, astronomers have obtained more precise information on the location and density of the black hole that lurks there.

    By Ron Cowen
  4. Astronomy

    New Images: They Might Be Planets

    Astronomers have for the first time obtained images of as many as 18 objects beyond our solar system that, based on their mass alone, could qualify as planets.

    By Ron Cowen
  5. Astronomy

    Astronomy: Man Bites Dog; Planet heats its star

    Observing a sunlike star 90 light-years from Earth, astronomers have found evidence of a closely orbiting planet heating its star.

    By Ron Cowen
  6. Astronomy

    Taste of a Comet: Spacecraft samples and views Wild 2

    Pummeled by debris, a NASA spacecraft last week snatched up dust samples while taking the sharpest images ever of a comet's icy core.

    By Ron Cowen
  7. Astronomy

    X-ray images highlight galaxy collisions

    A new study provides graphic evidence that X-ray observations may be the best way to identify ancient collisions between galaxies.

    By Ron Cowen
  8. Astronomy

    Cool Cosmos: Orbiting telescope views infrared universe

    Astronomers unveiled the first images and spectra taken by the most sensitive and highest-resolution infrared observatory ever sent into space.

    By Ron Cowen
  9. Astronomy

    Cool Cosmos: Orbiting telescope views infrared universe

    Astronomers unveiled the first images and spectra taken by the most sensitive and highest-resolution infrared observatory ever sent into space.

    By Ron Cowen
  10. Astronomy

    Breach of the Shield: Magnetic links between sun and Earth last hours

    Once breaches have formed in Earth's protective magnetic field, they persist for many hours, allowing charged particles from the sun to gush through and create electrical disturbances.

    By Ron Cowen
  11. Astronomy

    Spying a planet in star’s dusty veil

    Astronomers blocked out the light of a nearby star and found hints of an orbiting planet.

    By Kate Ramsayer
  12. Astronomy

    Alien stars pass close to home

    Stars from an alien galaxy are raining down on our own Milky Way and passing just a few hundred light-years from Earth.

    By Ron Cowen