Astronomy

Astronomy

Comet Sampler: Fire meets ice

The first study of comet dust brought to Earth by a spacecraft has revealed several minerals that could have formed only at the fiery temperatures close to the sun or another star.

Astronomy

Glassy galaxies

Astronomers have found clouds of sand crystals resembling crushed glass around 21 infrared-bright galaxies.

Astronomy

Cosmic Triumph: Satellite confirms birth theory of universe

The most detailed portrait ever taken of the radiation left over from the Big Bang provides fresh evidence that the universe began with a tremendous growth spurt, expanding from subatomic scales to the size of a grapefruit in less than a trillionth of a second.

Astronomy

Magnetic Memory: New model forecasts solar storms

A new computer model predicts that the next solar-activity cycle won't begin until late 2008, a year later than the sun's standard cycle would forecast.

Astronomy

Peeling Back Orion’s Layers

By studying the most detailed portrait ever assembled of the Orion nebula, astronomers hope to glean new insights about star birth throughout the galaxy.

Astronomy

Unique Explosion: Gamma-ray burst leads astronomers to supernova

Astronomers have found a supernova associated with the second-closest-known gamma-ray burst, confirming a model in which bursts arise from material blasted into space by a supernova explosion.

Astronomy

Chasing a stellar blast

An exploding star recently discovered in a nearby galaxy may be a milestone in the study of type 1a supernovas.

Astronomy

Tiny planet orbits faraway star

Taking advantage of some gravitational sleight of hand, astronomers have found indirect evidence of the smallest planet known to exist outside the solar system.

Astronomy

Radio Daze: Staccato pulses suggest a new stellar class

Astronomers have discovered what may be a new class of star that emits bursts of radio waves for 2 to 30 milliseconds before falling silent for minutes to hours.

Astronomy

Found: A missing hot halo

Astronomers have for the first time found a halo of hot inflowing gas around a massive, spiral galaxy, a likely leftover from the galaxy's formation.

Astronomy

Blasts from the Past

Gamma-ray bursts may soon surpass quasars and galaxies as the most distant known objects in the universe and are likely to provide a new window on the early universe.

Astronomy

Galactic cannibalism

A highly elongated group of stars is most likely a dwarf galaxy that is being gobbled up by the Milky Way.