Astronomy

  1. Astronomy

    Asteroids or planets might trigger a supernova

    Rocky debris falling onto a white dwarf might trigger some supernovas.

    By Christopher Crockett
  2. Physics

    When entering a black hole, fasten your seat belt

    Rapidly spinning black holes can generate turbulence, a new analysis shows.

    By Andrew Grant
  3. Astronomy

    Giant rings encircle young exoplanet

    Stretching 90 million kilometers from their center, 37 stripes of dust around exoplanet were probably crafted by moons.

    By Christopher Crockett
  4. Cosmology

    Dust erases evidence for gravity wave detection

    The claimed detection of primordial gravitational waves does not hold up after taking into account galactic dust, a new analysis concludes.

    By Andrew Grant
  5. Astronomy

    Neptune-like worlds could become habitable

    Mini-Neptunes can drift toward their stars and lose their atmospheres, leaving behind ice-rich rocky cores that can become watery worlds.

    By Christopher Crockett
  6. Astronomy

    Oldest solar system unearthed by Kepler

    Five rocky planets orbit the 11.2-billion-year-old star Kepler 444, suggesting that Earth-sized worlds formed in the early universe.

    By Christopher Crockett
  7. Planetary Science

    Large asteroid buzzes Earth

    Asteroid 2004 BL86 swings by Earth today at three times the distance to the moon, the closest asteroid encounter until 2027.

    By Christopher Crockett
  8. Astronomy

    Rocky planets around cool stars may have Earthlike climates

    Small, rocky planets that sit close to cool stars might be able to keep spinning, creating conditions hospitable to life.

    By Christopher Crockett
  9. Astronomy

    Large rocky planets excel at ocean building

    Rocky planets a few times as massive as Earth may build deeper oceans – and sustain them for longer – than smaller worlds.

    By Christopher Crockett
  10. Astronomy

    Hubble telescope captures panorama of Andromeda galaxy

    The Hubble Space Telescope captured a panoramic mosaic of the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way, mapping the light from over 100 million stars.

    By Christopher Crockett
  11. Astronomy

    Pair of black holes prepare to take the plunge

    A pair of supermassive black holes in a distant galaxy will likely collide in the next million years.

    By Christopher Crockett
  12. Astronomy

    Kepler telescope discovers another 554 possible planets

    Extra year of Kepler telescope data adds 554 possible planets and eight confirmed ones that might be able to host life.

    By Christopher Crockett