Astronomers spot distant gas giant on a bizarre journey around its star
In our solar system, each planet has a reasonably well-defined and mostly circular path that it follows around the Sun. This, astronomers think, is true …
astronomy
NASA telescopes reveal secrets of the dark sides of ‘hot Jupiter’ exoplanets
Of all the types of exoplanets researchers have discovered in recent years with ever more powerful telescope technology, the so-called “hot Jupiters” might be the …
NASA boss weighs in on Pluto’s planet status
One of the internet’s favorite topics of debate, at least when it comes to astronomy, is whether or not Pluto should be considered a planet. …
A red-hot alien world was found orbiting three stars
NASA’s TESS exoplanet-hunting satellite has already made some incredible discoveries in its first couple of years in service, but its latest find will definitely look …
Scientists found stardust in the most unlikely of places
Earth has managed to avoid any truly catastrophic impacts from objects in space for quite some time, but that doesn’t mean material from the cosmos …
NASA’s Spitzer reveals surface conditions of distant exoplanet
The hunt for exoplanets has ramped up in recent years as advancing telescope technology is allowing scientists to spot the telltale signs of planets orbiting …
Hubble spots a big, weird blob of star gas
When you gaze at the sky on a clear night, you can easily spot countless stars shining bright. Most of them look pretty much identical, …
Scientists stunned after spotting record-shattering supernova
Scientists have a pretty good handle on the life cycle of various stars. They know the types of stars that are likely to die in …
Astronomers just found a black hole so huge it makes our galaxy’s black hole look like a baby
At the heart of our home galaxy is a supermassive black hole that gobbles up anything that gets too close. It’s huge, with a mass …
Dead planets beam ‘zombie’ radio signals into space for up to a billion years, scientists say
New exoplanet discoveries have been popping up with increasing regularity in recent years thanks to technological advances that allow scientists to spot evidence of their …
The most accurate model of our galaxy ever created shows the Milky Way is warped
Considering we can’t actually see the Milky Way from the outside — since, you know, we’re in it — astronomers know a surprising amount about …
Astronomers stumble upon a new kind of star, and it’s a heavy breather
Humans don’t yet possess the technology required to visit neighboring stars, but astronomers can still learn a great deal about them just by looking. The …
NASA’s exoplanet hunter just spotted a ‘super Earth’ orbiting a nearby star
In its 15 months of service, NASA’s TESS exoplanet-hunting satellite has racked up many exciting exoplanet discoveries, but few show promise in the search for …
NASA’s TESS planet hunter just spotted a trio of new worlds
NASA’s TESS — Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite — has been scanning the skies for a little over a year now and it’s already returned a …
A surprisingly large asteroid just sneaked up on Earth, and the Sun is to blame
Thanks to powerful telescopes that can detect large objects at extreme distances, we earthlings have a pretty good idea of the space rocks that pose …
Astronomers just spotted two supermassive black holes on a collision course
There’s really nothing in the universe that can compare to the awesome power of a supermassive black hole. Well, almost nothing. In a new paper …
Astronomers discover massive ring of gas circling our black hole
The center of the Milky Way galaxy is somewhere you wouldn’t want to be. We have it pretty easy here on Earth, orbiting our star …
Jupiter will soon be so close to Earth you’ll be able to see its moons without a telescope
Jupiter, the mighty “king” of the planets in our solar system, is regularly visible for those who know where and when to look for it, …
NASA’s Spitzer telescope snaps ‘family portrait’ of epic proportions
NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has a habit of providing us with some downright gorgeous views of deep space, but its latest snapshot might actually be …
Astronomers spot dozens of stars that have been evicted from their homes
We often think of stars as things that don’t move around much, but in some galaxies, that’s far from a universal truth. New observations made …
A planet that shouldn’t exist was just found orbiting a distant star
When astronomers search for exoplanets they rarely know what they’re going to find, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t rules that would-be planets are expected …
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is lashing out as it dies
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is one of the most iconic features of any planet in our Solar System. The colossal, swirling storm has dominated Jupiter …
Scientists simulating an asteroid strike last week couldn’t save New York from being obliterated
Some of the world’s top scientists and disaster response teams spent a big chunk of last week simulating what might happen if a large asteroid …
Why didn’t scientists photograph the black hole at the center of the Milky Way?
After years of work and a whole lot of hype, researchers working with the Event Horizon Telescope project finally unveiled the very first image ever …
Here is the first-ever photo of a black hole
As we expected, the international collaboration of scientists involved in the Event Horizon Telescope project have made good on their promise to provide the first-ever …
We’re probably about to see the first-ever photograph of a black hole
Black holes are so strange that they’re kind of hard to wrap your brain around. They’re super-dense objects with gravitational pull so strong that nothing …
NASA discovers Saturn’s moons are caked in ring dust
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has long since bitten the proverbial dust, but data it sent back years ago is now revealing how actual dust affects some …
Hubble discovers a mysterious dark spot on Neptune, and it’s getting bigger
The mighty Jupiter gets a lot of attention for its constantly-shifting face, but it’s not the only planet in our solar system with some serious …
Just guess how much the Milky Way weighs
Judging the size of something is often best done when comparing it to other things, but that line of thinking tends to break down when …
If we’re looking for aliens, we might want to take a closer look at twin stars
In the ongoing search for life outside of Earth, scientists already know that planets need to be in just the right place around their host …
