41–60 of 264 results
ALMA image of Hubble Ultra Deep Field

Galaxies

Astronomers Chart Star Formation History, Glimpse Fate of the Universe

Astronomers have tallied how star-making material evolved over cosmic time — and they've predicted how long stars will keep forming before the universe goes dark.

Dark matter: Theory vs. Observed

Galaxies

Hubble Images Reveal Dark Matter Problem

Astronomers studying Hubble Space Telescope images of massive galaxy clusters have uncovered a potential problem with dark matter.

Gravitational waves from GW190521

Cosmology

Record-breaking Signal Reveals New Population of Black Holes

Gravitational-wave observatories have detected the most massive black hole merger yet, and it's challenging our ideas of black hole formation.

Protoplanetary disk

Cosmology

Hints of Young Solar Systems

By studying the images of small young star systems, astronomers expect to learn more about the formation of our solar system.

KIDS survey

Cosmology

Our Unexpectedly Smooth Universe May Point to New Physics

The latest data release from a survey of 31 million galaxies reveals that our universe is even smoother than we thought it was.

EBOSS map of the universe

Cosmology

New 3D Map of the Universe — and a Growing Cosmological Debate

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey has released a new map of the universe — and the results confirm ongoing tension over the expansion rate of the universe.

Erosita's first all-sky X-ray survey

Black Holes

First All-sky Map from eRosita

The first all-sky X-ray map to be released in 30 years reveals new wonders of the hot and energetic universe.

Cosmology

A Mysterious X-ray Signal Has Gone Missing

The absence of a mysterious X-ray signal — which could have provided evidence of dark matter — is causing as much controversy as its detection did.

Perseus Cluster

Cosmology

Astronomers Rein in Possibilities for Exotic Particle

Astronomers observing a distant galaxy have dramatically shrunk the range of possible properties of a long-predicted — but never-detected — subatomic particle.

Pulsar-white dwarf pair

Cosmology

White Dwarf’s Whirlwind Spin Drags Spacetime

Astronomers have used observations of a tight white dwarf-neutron star pair to confirm an aspect of Einstein's general theory of relativity.

Gravitational lensing

Cosmology

Hubble Sheds Light on Dark Matter and Cosmic Expansion

The Hubble Space Telescope, which will celebrate its 30th birthday this April, has images cosmic mirages that yield two remarkable cosmological results.

Artist's illustration of pulsar Geminga

Cosmology

Should We Blame Pulsars for Too Much Antimatter?

A new study suggests that pulsars are not the source of an unexpected surplus of antimatter particles detected by a space-based experiment. Dark matter remains a viable alternative explanation.

Cosmic web filaments

Cosmology

Best Image Yet of the Cosmic Web

Using the light cast by galaxies bursting with new stars, astronomers have mapped out a piece of the cosmic web 12 billion light-years from Earth.

Red giant stars in galaxy halos

Cosmology

Tension Over Hubble Constant Continues

A new measurement fuels an ongoing debate about the rate at which today’s universe is expanding.

GD-1 and Palomar 5

Cosmology

Evidence for a Dark Matter Clump in the Milky Way

There are ghosts in our galaxy’s past. Now astronomers have found a way to detect them.

Helium hydride found in NGC 7027

Cosmology

Astronomers Find Universe’s First Molecule

After decades of searching, astronomers have definitively detected helium hydride, the first molecule to form in the early universe.

Quasars as standard candles

Cosmology

What Quasars Can Teach Us About Dark Energy

Astronomers have found a way to turn quasars into standard candles, with potentially far-reaching implications for the nature of mysterious dark energy.

Gamma-ray map of sky

Cosmology

Starlight Tally Reveals Cosmic History of Star Formation

Nearly 11 billion years ago, the universe churned out stars at a rate 10 times greater than today. And yet all the starlight in the cosmos appears no brighter on the sky than a 60-watt light bulb seen from miles away.

halosat 1

Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson

HaloSat: A Small Satellite for a Big Question

HaloSat, a mini-satellite recently deployed from the International Space Station, is on the hunt for the universe's missing matter.

Gravitational Lensing: Einstein Ring

Cosmology

Best Test of General Relativity on Galaxy Scales

Astronomers have conducted the best, galaxy-scale test of general relativity yet, and it rules out some (but not all) theories of modified gravity.