Astronomy
A dying star revealed its heart
Before exploding, a star shed most of its layers, giving a glimpse at a massive star’s deep interior. The event may represent a new kind of supernova.
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Before exploding, a star shed most of its layers, giving a glimpse at a massive star’s deep interior. The event may represent a new kind of supernova.
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
In The Martians, journalist David Baron recounts scientific and public debate over purported intelligent life on the Red Planet.
The hypothesis could extend the search for extraterrestrial life to include frigid planets with thin atmospheres and underground water.
Alpha Centauri A, four light-years from Earth, may host a gas giant. If confirmed, no Earthlike planets orbit in the star’s habitable zone.
The superclouds probably produce star-forming clouds of gas, since most nearby stellar nurseries are located within the giants.
These star-shredding black holes sit within dusty galaxies that block many telescopes’ views. That’s not an issue for JWST.
Quantum computers in space could be useful for communications networks or for testing fundamental physics.
An infinity symbol–shaped galaxy hosts an active supermassive black hole. The growing giant may have come from the aftermath of a galactic smashup.
Revealed by advanced imaging, the long-sought "Betelbuddy" is much smaller and fainter than Betelgeuse and orbits within the supergiant’s atmosphere.
A young sunlike star called HOPS 315 seems to host a swirling disk of gas giving rise to minerals that kick-start the planet formation process.
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