SUNSET: 
Mysterious X-rays Might Hint at Dark Matter
Astronomers have discovered a spike of X-ray emission in galaxy clusters — “ordinary” interpretations don’t hold up, so some are turning to dark matter for answers.
Shadow of a Supervoid
Scientists might have discovered the source of the mysterious Cold Spot in the Cosmic Microwave Background: an enormous supervoid.
Big Bang Inflation Evidence Inconclusive
New analyses suggest that observations heralded as evidence for the universe’s brief growth spurt don’t conclusively show what researchers thought they did.
Planck's Magnetic Map of Our Galaxy
The ESA's Planck mission has released one of the most detailed maps of the Milky Way's magnetic field.
Best Model Yet for Cosmic Evolution
Astronomers have created the most realistic computer simulation of the universe’s evolution to date, tracking activity across 13 billion years of cosmic history.
Mysteriously Bright Supernova Explained
In 2010, a mysteriously bright supernova appeared, later sparking a debate within the astronomy community. But new images of the now-faded supernova reveal an intervening — and until now invisible — cosmic lens, which magnified its light.
Quasars Track Expanding Universe
The most precise measurement yet of the Hubble parameter illuminates dark energy — the elusive entity that’s accelerating the universe’s expansion.
A New Galactic Yardstick
Astronomers have developed a new method to measure distances to bright but faraway galaxies, a tool which will help better constrain the expansion rate of the universe.
Fooling with the Universe
This year’s April Fools' provides a wealth of alarming results. Catch up on all the scientific shenanigans here.
Dust in the Heart of Circinus
Infrared observations of the Circinus Galaxy may help reveal the shape of the dusty region fueling its active galactic nucleus and shed light on what governs dust structures in other galaxies.
Dark Matter Spotted in the Milky Way?
A team of astronomers claim to have the most compelling case for annihilating dark matter yet.
Direct Evidence of Big Bang Inflation
Researchers with an experiment based at the South Pole have discovered the long-sought "smoking gun" for inflation. The signal was hidden in polarization patterns in the cosmic microwave background and confirms physicists' audacious theory of how the Big Bang happened.
"Proof of Inflationary Universe" to be Announced
Rumors are flying that the long-sought "smoking gun" for inflation has been found in polarization patterns in the cosmic microwave background. If so, it would confirm the inflation theory for how and why the Big Bang happened.
Hubble Displays Galactic Jellyfish
These stunning new images of spiral galaxy ESO 137-001 highlight its violent encounter with the intracluster plasma of Abell 3627, which is stripping away its gas and forming stars in the streamers.
Rocky Encounter with Stellar Lighthouse
Asteroid debris might be bombarding a radio pulsar in the constellation Puppis.
Mystery of the Missing Galaxy Clusters
Astronomers have counted up the number of galaxy clusters in the cosmos and found a problem: the number is much lower than they expected. What's going on?
Lighting Up the Cosmic Web
A rare alignment of a quasar’s “flashlight” beam and a filament of the cosmic web illuminates the universe’s large-scale structure.
New View of Lagoon Nebula
A new image of the Lagoon Nebula from the Paranal Observatory in Chile provides a stunning view the iconic object, which lies 5,000 light-years from Earth in Sagittarius.
Galaxies Grow By Snacking
Evidence from observations and computer simulations supports a picture of galaxy growth that isn't dominated by the rough-and-tumble crashes of big galaxies. Instead, most of the universe's stellar metropolises appear to feed themselves with nibbles instead of feasts.
Galaxies Trace Early Cosmic History
Astronomers have used the Hubble Space Telescope to peek into the universe's early eras using the light from galaxies that existed several hundred million years after the Big Bang.