Astronomy

  1. Astronomy

    A rare, extremely energetic cosmic ray has mysterious origins

    In 1991, physicists spotted a cosmic ray with so much energy it warranted an ‘OMG.’ Now that energetic particle has a new companion.

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  2. Astronomy

    A rare glimpse at a relatively nearby supernova offers clues to how stars die

    Thanks to its home in the Pinwheel galaxy, a favorite of amateur astronomers, researchers have monitored SN 2023ixf since shortly after it exploded.

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  3. Astronomy

    The black hole–powered jet in galaxy M87 is making stars explode

    Hubble Space Telescope data show a surprising number of nova blasts along the jet of high-speed gas coming from the galaxy M87.

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  4. Physics

    Vela’s exploded star is the highest-energy pulsar ever seen

    A spinning dead star about 1,000 light-years away, in the constellation Vela, raises questions about how pulsars can emit such extreme radiation.

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  5. Astronomy

    This ‘polar ring’ galaxy looks like an eye. Others might be hiding in plain sight

    New images of two galaxies reveal what look like rarely seen rings of hydrogen gas nearly perpendicular to the galaxies’ starry disks.

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  6. Astronomy

    Astronomers call for renaming the Magellanic Clouds

    Explorer Ferdinand Magellan is not a fitting namesake for the pair of satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, a group of scientists argues.

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  7. Astronomy

    Active supermassive black holes may be rarer than previously thought

    A dearth of rapidly growing black holes in new James Webb telescope data raises questions about how these behemoths grow and influence their galaxies.

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  8. Astronomy

    This extreme star might have huge tidal waves

    Gravitational forces between two orbiting stars might be creating huge waves of plasma on one of the stars that break and crash to the surface.

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  9. Astronomy

    JWST’s hunt for distant galaxies keeps turning up surprises

    In its first year, the James Webb Space Telescope has found many galaxies from the early universe that are bigger, brighter and more mature than expected.

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  10. Astronomy

    Meet Jane Rigby, senior project scientist for JWST and advocate for LGBTQ+ astronomers

    Rigby, senior project scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope, believes being part of the LGBTQ+ community has made her a better astronomer.

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  11. Astronomy

    Spiral galaxies might have been lentil-shaped before becoming starry whirls

    By using black holes to track how galaxies merge and grow, an astronomer has proposed an update to the prevailing story of how galaxy shapes evolve.

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  12. Space

    The James Webb telescope may have spotted stars powered by dark matter

    Three objects in the distant universe bear signs of hypothesized “dark stars,” researchers claim, though others say more definitive data are needed.

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