Astronomy

Astronomy

Fountains of spewing gas provide look at megastar formation

Fountains of gas erupt from a young massive star, giving astronomers a play-by-play on how stellar heavyweights form.

Astronomy

‘Supernova sweeping’ cleans up a galaxy’s gas

Supernovas might sweep the remaining gas out of a galaxy after a supermassive black hole triggers the end of star formation.

Astronomy

Enigmatic 17th century nova wasn’t a nova at all

A nova observed in 1670 was actually two stars colliding, new evidence suggests.

Planetary Science

NASA has a plan for putting rock from asteroid in moon’s orbit

NASA selects concept for its Asteroid Redirect Mission, which will let astronauts train for future missions to Mars.

Astronomy

What’s in a name? In science, a lot

Classification systems are essential to science. But any classification system, however useful, is ultimately simplistic.

Astronomy

Unlikely nursery for new planets is next to massive black hole

Planet nurseries encircle young stars within a few light-years of the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way, scientists claim.

Planetary Science

Earth, neighbors weren’t the first rocky planets in the solar system

Jupiter might have swept an earlier generation of rocky planets into the sun, leaving room for Earth and its neighbors to form.

Astronomy

Solo planets may be surprisingly common

Rogue planets may form as stars do, but on a smaller scale, or they may go forced out of orbit during planetary ping-pong. Researchers are scanning the skies for them.

Astronomy

Space dust is tough enough to survive supernova aftermath

Dust still lingers in the remnants of supernova that exploded 10,000 years ago, affirming that the explosions filled the early universe with dust.

Astronomy

Fast-spinning young Earth pulled the moon into a yo-yo orbit

The early moon’s orbit created a cycle between lunar phases unlike the one seen nowadays.

Astronomy

Super-Earths may form in two ways

Rocky planets much heavier than Earth may form in different ways.

Astronomy

As many as nine new dwarf galaxies found outside Milky Way

A bevy of newly discovered satellite galaxies around the Milky Way could help astronomers study how galaxies form and the nature of dark matter.