Astronomy

Astronomy

Middleweight black hole suspected near Milky Way’s center

A gas cloud in the center of the galaxy might be temporarily hosting the second most massive black hole known in the Milky Way.

Astronomy

The votes are in: Exoplanets get new names

Arion, Galileo and Poltergeist are just three winners of a contest to name planets and suns in 20 solar systems.

Astronomy

Exploding star is the brightest supernova ever seen

The brightest known supernova put out more energy than 500 billion suns.

Astronomy

As first run of gravitational wave search winds down, rumors abound

Advanced LIGO has completed its first search for gravitational waves. Researchers are crunching the data as rumors swirl of a detection.

Astronomy

Readers ponder mysterious origins of oxygen on comets and Earth

Readers pondered the origins of oxygen within a comet and during Earth's history.

Astronomy

Clues left at a galactic hit-and-run

Scientists may have discovered a dwarf galaxy that triggered a “galaxy quake” when it buzzed by the Milky Way a few hundred million years ago.

Astronomy

Red giants map how the Milky Way grew

A new catalog of the ages of our galaxy’s stars confirms that the Milky Way grew from the inside out.

Astronomy

Newfound gas cloud may be graveyard of first stars

A 12-billion-year-old gas cloud, rich in hydrogen and helium but nothing else, may house the remains of the universe’s first stars.

Astronomy

To search for an advanced civilization, take a U-turn to star clusters

Globular star clusters might be safe, stable homes for long-lived advanced civilizations.

Astronomy

This black hole is an extreme recycler

A cosmic pump powered by a supermassive black hole is recycling gas through a galaxy.

Astronomy

Black hole burps up gobbled gas and dust

Two belches from a supermassive black hole are drifting away from another galaxy.

Astronomy

Supernova captured in quadruple comes back for an encore

A supernova that has already appeared four times is back for an encore.