Circumstellar shells as a research area focus on the structure, composition, formation, and evolution of shell-like gas and dust envelopes surrounding stars at various evolutionary stages, particularly asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, red supergiants, and some massive stars. Studies integrate high-resolution spectroscopy, interferometry, millimeter/submillimeter observations, and radiative transfer and hydrodynamic modeling to characterize mass-loss processes, dust nucleation and growth, chemical enrichment, and interaction with the interstellar medium. This field also investigates shell morphologies (e.g., spherical, clumpy, or asymmetric), episodic or pulsation-driven mass loss, and the role of circumstellar shells in shaping planetary nebulae and contributing to galactic chemical evolution.
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified one of the most distant exploding stars ever confirmed. The supernova, SN 2023aeaf, was found at a redshift of 3.195—so far away that its light has been traveling ...
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope recently imaged NGC 2392 (also known as the Lion Nebula), named for its distinctive appearance, which resembles a lion's face seen head-on.
Astronomy
Aug 18, 2026
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Astronomers have speculated about the mysterious "little red dots" seen through the James Webb Space Telescope's images of the early universe: They could be galaxies, black holes, quasi-stars, starbursts ... or something ...
Astronomy
Aug 5, 2026
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In March 2026, the Einstein Probe detected a brief flash of soft X-rays emitted from a galaxy about 500 million light-years away. The flash, dubbed EP260321a, immediately triggered a worldwide observing campaign. Within an ...
Astronomy
Aug 5, 2026
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When massive stars die, they unleash some of the most powerful explosions in the universe. Yet not all supernovae are created equal. Some continue to shine brightly for months or even years as their expanding debris crashes ...
Astronomy
Jul 6, 2026
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The 8.1-meter Gemini North telescope, located on the summit of Maunakea in Hawai'i, has captured NGC 1514, nicknamed the Crystal Ball Nebula, in awe-inspiring detail. This nebula, with its mesmerizing glow of gas, harbors ...
Astronomy
May 21, 2026
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Using NASA's SPHEREx space telescope, astronomers have observed remnants of the eruption of Nova Persei 1901. As a result, they detected a bipolar molecular hydrogen shell around this nova, which may be a large planetary ...
When most people think of a supernova, they're thinking of a Type II core-collapse supernova. These are massive stars that have reached the end of their time on the main sequence. They've used up their supply of hydrogen ...
Astronomy
Mar 5, 2026
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Just in time for Valentine's Day, space offers a heart-shaped greeting. The star Mira A, about 300 light-years from Earth, has released material into an expanding cloud of gas and dust resembling a heart. Both the amount ...
Astronomy
Feb 11, 2026
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This stunning image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope reveals a dramatic interplay of light and shadow in the Egg Nebula, sculpted by freshly ejected stardust. Located approximately 1,000 light-years away in the constellation ...
Astronomy
Feb 10, 2026
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