New galaxy sheds light on how stars form

A lot is known about galaxies. We know, for instance, that the stars within them are shaped from a blend of old star dust and molecules suspended in gas. What remains a mystery, however, is the process that leads to these ...

New eclipsing binary system detected by Kepler spacecraft

An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a new eclipsing binary system using NASA's Kepler spacecraft during its prolonged mission known as K2. The system, designated EPIC 216747137, appears to be a post-common-envelope ...

Two planets found orbiting a red dwarf

Red dwarfs are the coolest kind of star. As such, they potentially allow liquid water to exist on planets that are quite close to them. In the search for habitable worlds beyond the borders of our solar system, this is a ...

Citizen scientists discover dozens of brown dwarfs

How complete is our census of the Sun's closest neighbors? Astronomers and a team of data-sleuthing volunteers participating in Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, a citizen science project, have discovered roughly 100 cool worlds ...

A new catalog of infrared dark clouds

Infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) are dark patches of cold dust and gas seen in the sky against the bright diffuse infrared glow of warm dust in our galaxy. These IRDCs, massive and rich in molecules, are natural sites for star ...

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