Does the sun really belong in its family? Astronomers get to the bottom of stellar identity crisis By Robert Lea published 13 April 23 Astronomers have questioned whether the sun fits in with its family of stars. New research finally settles the debate.
New X-ray photo shows famous Crab Nebula like never before By Samantha Mathewson published 11 April 23 Scientists have mapped the iconic Crab Nebula's magnetic field in greater detail than ever before using NASA's latest X-ray telescope.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will 'rewind' the universe. Here's how By Robert Lea published 10 April 23 A new simulation showing millions of galaxies demonstrates how the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope will turn back the clock for astronomers and help them investigate lingering cosmic mysteries.
New kind of pulsar may explain how mysterious 'black widow' systems evolve By Paul Sutter published 10 April 23 Astronomers have identified a new kind of pulsar that consumes an orbiting companion, filling in a missing link about how some of the strangest systems in the universe evolve.
'Hubble trouble' could deepen with new measurement of the universe's expansion By Robert Lea published 9 April 23 Cosmologists have a problem: Their measurements of the rate of expansion of the universe don't agree. And a new, highly accurate measurement of variable stars could deepen this 'Hubble trouble.'
James Webb Space Telescope studies wreckage of titanic cosmic explosion (video, photo) By Robert Lea published 8 April 23 The James Webb Space Telescope has investigated the wreckage of a titanic cosmic explosion, capturing a stunning image of the supernova remnant known as Cassiopeia A.
Dwarf star is surrounded by massive 'double ring' that hints at a Saturn-size exoplanet By Robert Lea published 7 April 23 A red dwarf star almost 500 light-years from Earth is surrounded by two rings of dust that might have been separated by the orbit of a Saturn-sized planet.
James Webb Space Telescope spots the Cosmic Seahorse through a gravitational lens (photo) By Stefanie Waldek published 7 April 23 The Cosmic Seahorse galaxy is seen through a gravitational lens in a newly released image from the James Webb Space Telescope.
Runaway supermassive black hole is hurtling through space followed by tail of infant stars (video) By Robert Lea published 7 April 23 The Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a runaway supermassive black hole racing through space followed by a tail of infant stars 200,000 light-years long.
Newfound lonely galaxy is isolated because it ate all its friends (video) By Elizabeth Rayne published 6 April 23 A distant galaxy is alone because it devoured the other galaxies that once surrounded it, a new study suggests.
Ingredients for life discovered in Perseus molecular cloud in space 1,000 light-years from Earth By Robert Lea published 5 April 23 Astronomers have discovered precursors for life and other complex molecules in a region of star and planet formation close to the solar system, the Perseus Molecular Cloud.
2 merging supermassive black holes spotted at 'cosmic noon' in early universe By Robert Lea published 5 April 23 Two battling quasars powered by supermassive black holes are lighting the center of merging galaxies seen during "cosmic noon" in the early universe.
Hubble Telescope eyes aftermath of supernova in distant galaxy (video) By Sharmila Kuthunur published 5 April 23 The Hubble Space Telescope has snapped a stunning image of a distant galaxy while on a quick break from its usual observations.
Extremely flat cosmic explosion dubbed 'the Cow' defies explanation By Robert Lea published 3 April 23 A bizarre object called "the Cow" is the flattest explosion ever detected, and the first example of a rare phenomenon called a fast blue optical transient (FBOT).
Colliding Taffy Galaxies create a sweet 'cosmic butterfly' (video) By Robert Lea published 2 April 23 A collision of two galaxies appears like a vast cosmic butterfly, or a giant piece of candy, to the eyes of one of the world's most powerful telescopes.
April delights: Mercury, Venus and the Pleiades put on a sky show this month By Joe Rao published 1 April 23 From now through mid-April, Venus will help you to identify the normally hard-to-find planet Mercury. And along the way, Venus will have a striking interaction with the Pleiades star cluster.
The double stars of spring offer twice the skywatching fun this season By Joe Rao published 31 March 23 Now that spring is officially here, we have a great view of some of the most interesting double stars in our sky.
Galaxy cluster spied forming in early universe (photos, video) By Keith Cooper published 29 March 23 Hot gas has been detected in a young proto-galaxy cluster in the early universe for the first time, shedding more light on how cluster components come together.
A tiny Eastern European cubesat measured a monster gamma-ray burst better than NASA. Here's how By Tereza Pultarova published 29 March 23 The brightest gamma-ray burst ever seen blinded all of NASA's flagship gamma-ray missions last year. This tiny Eastern European cubesat, however, didn't get overwhelmed.
Hubble telescope spies mysterious celestial object that defies classification By Stefanie Waldek published 29 March 23 The Hubble Space Telescope has imaged celestial object Z-229-15, which is simultaneously classified as a Seyfert galaxy, an active galactic nucleus (AGN), and a quasar.