Last update:
Astronomy news
Dry ice detected in a planetary nebula for the first time
An international team of astronomers has employed the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe a complex planetary nebula known as NGC 6302. The observations, detailed in a paper published Feb. 25 on the arXiv pre-print ...
A 100-solar-mass black hole merger ripples spacetime, and may flash in gamma rays
An international team from China and Italy has reported a possible cosmic encore to the landmark 2017 multi-messenger discovery. In November 2024, the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observatories detected gravitational waves from a binary ...
Astronomy
20 hours ago
0
0
This isn't just another rocky world orbiting a red dwarf—this one's special
Astronomers have found an exoplanet that could serve as a benchmark in future studies. It's a rocky planet orbiting an M-type star, and though these planets are plentiful, this one could serve as a benchmark for understanding ...
Astronomy
23 hours ago
1
0
AI accelerates elucidation of nuclear forces with explosive neutron star data
A research team is using astrophysical explosions to understand the mysterious forces at work in some of the smallest building blocks in nature: atomic nuclei. In new research published in Nature Communications, the team ...
Astronomy
Mar 12, 2026
0
0
Galactic islands of tranquility: 'Little red dots' may have brewed life's building blocks
Astronomers have found that both the core of our Milky Way and the earliest proto-galaxies in the universe share a surprising trait: They are unusually calm and quiet in terms of harsh radiation. This tranquility is not just ...
Astronomy
Mar 12, 2026
0
0
Webb spots details in nearby spiral galaxy NGC 5134
Two powerful instruments of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope joined forces to create this scenic galaxy view. This spiral galaxy is named NGC 5134, and it is located 65 million light-years away in the constellation ...
Astronomy
Mar 12, 2026
0
0
Deep underground, a telescope may soon detect ghosts of stars that died before Earth existed
Imagine looking up at the night sky and seeing a star suddenly burst into a blaze of light brighter than anything nearby. A flash so bright that it briefly outshines an entire galaxy before fading forever.
Astronomy
Mar 12, 2026
0
1
NASA's tiny spacecraft sends first exoplanet images
With the first images from the spacecraft now in hand, the team behind NASA's Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat, or SPARCS, is ready to begin charting the energetic lives of the galaxy's most common stars to help answer ...
Astronomy
Mar 12, 2026
1
0
We are not alone: Our sun escaped together with stellar 'twins' from galaxy center
Researchers have uncovered evidence for our sun joining a mass migration of similar "twins" leaving the core regions of our galaxy, 4 to 6 billion years ago. The team created and studied an unprecedentedly accurate catalog ...
Astronomy
Mar 12, 2026
6
0
The Rubin Observatory's LSST will detect imminent impactors before they crash into Earth
The Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO) has barely begun observations and is already wowing us. Images like its Cosmic Treasure Chest have us anticipating even more cosmic glory. And when the observatory sent out 800,000 alerts ...
Astronomy
Mar 11, 2026
0
0
Galaxy-group motion suggests slower expansion in our cosmic neighborhood
Two new studies have measured the expansion of the universe in our immediate cosmic neighborhood using a novel method that analyzes the motion of two nearby galaxy groups within their surrounding cosmic flow. The results ...
Astronomy
Mar 11, 2026
2
2
Astronomers capture birth of a magnetar, confirming link to some of universe's brightest exploding stars
Astronomers have for the first time seen the birth of a magnetar—a highly magnetized, spinning neutron star—and confirmed that it's the power source behind some of the brightest exploding stars in the cosmos. The finding ...
Astronomy
Mar 11, 2026
1
0
Oval orbit casts new light on black hole–neutron star mergers
Scientists have uncovered the first robust evidence of a black hole and neutron star crashing together but orbiting in an oval path rather than a perfect circle just before they merged. This discovery challenges long-standing ...
Astronomy
Mar 11, 2026
3
0
NASA finds extreme star collision in unlikely spot
A fleet of NASA missions has likely uncovered a collision between two ultradense stars in a tiny galaxy buried in a huge stream of gas. Astronomers have never seen this type of explosive event in an environment like this ...
Astronomy
Mar 10, 2026
0
0
Astrophysicists trace the origin of valuable metals in space, from colliding stars to merging galaxies
Billions of light years away in a remote part of the universe, two neutron stars—the ultradense remnants of dead stars—collided. The catastrophic cosmic event sent light and particles, including a sudden flash of gamma ...
Astronomy
Mar 10, 2026
0
0
Strange cosmic burst from colliding galaxies shines light on heavy elements
A recently detected flash of energy appears to have emanated from the wreckage of colliding galaxies, according to an international team of astronomers led by Penn State scientists. The burst, known as GRB 230906A, was likely ...
Astronomy
Mar 10, 2026
0
0
Record-energy neutrino may have begun its journey in blazars
Three years ago, in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the passage of an "ultra-energetic" cosmic neutrino was observed—the most energetic ever detected. The event drew international attention from the scientific community ...
Astronomy
Mar 9, 2026
0
0
Multi-wavelength observations track bright gamma-ray blazar's three-year cycle
By analyzing the data from various space observatories and ground-based telescopes, European astronomers have performed a multiwavelength study of a bright gamma-ray blazar known as S5 1044+71. The new study, published Feb. ...
An interstellar comet packed with alcohol? What ALMA found in 3I/ATLAS
Comet 3I/ATLAS continues to make astonishing headlines, thanks to new findings from astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). This new research reveals that 3I/ATLAS is packed with an unusually ...
Astronomy
Mar 9, 2026
1
1
The coldest 'stars' in the galaxy might actually be alien megastructures
Ever since physicist Freeman Dyson first proposed the concept in 1960, the "Dyson sphere" has been the holy grail of techno-signature hunters. A highly advanced civilization could build a "sphere" (or, in our more modern ...
Astronomy
Mar 7, 2026
1
0
More news
Hubble and Euclid zoom into cosmic eye
Other news
Bacteria that generate electricity: How a shellfish-based gel could monitor wastewater and food
Cell death in photoreceptor cells is reversible, study finds
Bright pink insect stands out to blend in, scientists say
Scientists confirm existence of molecule long believed to occur in oxidation
Real-time protein quality control keeps cells healthy
Comprehensive digital materials ecosystem can perform 'sanity check' to guide design
Leopard gecko study clarifies how temperature shapes sex development
Quantum dots generate entangled photon pairs on demand
