Astronomy
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Space
A stunning simulation re-creates how M87’s black hole launches plasma jets
Two jets, thousands of light-years long, are re-created in a computer simulation, which suggests that M87’s black hole must be spinning rapidly.
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Physics
Neutron star collisions probably make more gold than other cosmic smashups
Smashups of two neutron stars produce more heavy elements than when a black hole swallows a neutron star, calculations suggest.
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Space
A rush to watch a supernova exposed its last gasp before exploding
By studying the final years of stars, scientists hope to find clues to help them recognize when other stars are about to blow.
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Astronomy
Astronomers may have spotted the first known exoplanet in another galaxy
The spiral-shaped Whirlpool galaxy may be the host of the first planet spotted outside of the Milky Way.
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Astronomy
A Jupiter-like planet orbiting a white dwarf hints at our solar system’s future
A new planet is the first ever discovered that is orbiting a white dwarf and resembles Jupiter in both its mass and its distance from its star.
By Ken Croswell -
Astronomy
The fastest-spinning white dwarf ever seen rotates once every 25 seconds
A white dwarf star that spins every 25 seconds owes its record-breaking rotation rate to a companion star dumping gas onto it.
By Ken Croswell -
Astronomy
China’s lunar rock samples show lava flowed on the moon 2 billion years ago
The first lunar rocks returned to Earth in more than 40 years show that the moon was volcanically active later than scientists thought.
By Freda Kreier -
Astronomy
When James Webb launches, it will have a bigger to-do list than 1980s researchers suspected
The James Webb Space Telescope has been in development for so long that space science has changed in the meantime.
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Astronomy
Space rocks may have bounced off baby Earth, but slammed into Venus
New simulations suggest a way to help explain dramatic differences between the sibling worlds.
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Astronomy
Satellite swarms may outshine the night sky’s natural constellations
Simulations suggest that satellite “mega-constellations” will be visible to the naked eye all night long in some locations.
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Astronomy
A supernova’s delayed reappearance could pin down how fast the universe expands
“SN Requiem” should reappear in the 2030s and help determine the universe’s expansion rate.
By Ken Croswell -
Astronomy
How radio astronomy put new eyes on the cosmos
A century ago, radio astronomy didn’t exist. But since the 1930s, it has uncovered cosmic secrets from planets next door and the faint glow of the universe’s beginnings.