Stellar dynamics is the research area within astrophysics that investigates the gravitational interactions, phase-space evolution, and collective behavior of stellar systems such as star clusters, galactic disks, and spheroidal components. It employs N-body simulations, kinetic theory (e.g., the Boltzmann and Vlasov equations), and perturbation methods to study relaxation processes, resonances, instabilities, and secular evolution driven by both collisional and collisionless effects. Stellar dynamics underpins quantitative models of mass distributions, dark matter inference from stellar kinematics, formation and survival of bound structures, and the dynamical impact of central massive black holes and external tidal fields on stellar systems.
The well-known star Betelgeuse has a mysterious houseguest—and it's shaking the rafters, rattling the pipes and slamming the cupboards (metaphorically speaking). It's causing enough subtle atmospheric disturbance that it ...
Astronomy
Oct 27, 2026
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In our solar system's corner of the galaxy, stars rarely collide. It makes sense: Space is vast, and stars have room to roam. Even in most of the present-day universe, stellar collisions are rare. The James Webb Space Telescope, ...
Astronomy
Oct 26, 2026
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The Milky Way is home to hundreds of billions of stars arranged in a glorious spiral pattern. But beyond the obvious spiral, our galaxy has other physical characteristics. It's divided into a galactic bulge, a galactic disk ...
Astronomy
Oct 25, 2026
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The Orion Nebula is a large star-forming region visible to the naked eye. Some of the young stars in the nebula are surrounded by disks of gas and dust in which planets form. Radiation from the massive central star, 1 Ori ...
Astronomy
Oct 23, 2026
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Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars, the extremely dense cores left behind when massive stars explode. Astrophysicists have recently observed a pulsar rotating over 300 times per second that appeared to be slowing ...
Earth seems like a troubled place right now, but at least our cosmic surroundings appear peaceful. This is not universally true, as explosions, collisions and other dangers lurk in other places and times.
Astronomy
Oct 6, 2026
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Galaxies are like snowflakes: No two are exactly alike, even the spirals. The Hubble Space Telescope took a close look at the distant spiral NGC 4698 and found intriguing hints about its past. For one thing, this member of ...
Astronomy
Sep 29, 2026
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Astronomers using data from the Euclid space telescope have discovered an exceptionally faint stellar system near the Fornax dwarf galaxy. Called Fornax-7, it appears to contain only about 170 times the mass of the sun in ...
A new study suggests that the young stars orbiting the Milky Way's central black hole may have a surprisingly ordinary origin. But the black hole's influence may be what makes their origin look more exotic than it really ...
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch this weekend aboard a SpaceX rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. When it becomes operational early next year, it will transform our view of the universe.
Astronomy
Aug 28, 2026
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