SUNSET: 
Close Encounters in the Milky Way — and What They Mean for Planets
New research shows stellar flybys are common in our galaxy’s crowded center. That could have both good and bad (but mostly bad) effects on growing planets.
Astronomers Discover Huge Circular Arc Near the Big Dipper
The 30-degree circular arc is likely a shock front expanding from a star that exploded some 100,000 years ago.
The 10 Million-Degree Gas Around the Milky Way
New observations show ultra-hot gas around the Milky Way. Stellar explosions may have driven this gas out of our galaxy.
Magnetism Rules in the Milky Way’s Core
Recent observations from the airborne SOFIA observatory show that magnetic fields — not gravity — govern the gas at the center of the Milky Way.
Is the Milky Way Throwing Out Forming Stars?
Some of the scant stars dwelling in the Milky Way's halo may have an unexpected origin: They may come from the galaxy itself.
The Black Hole Files with Camille Carlisle
Black Hole Changes Star’s Orbit in Gravity Test
A long-awaited measurement indicates that a star whizzing around the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole has changed its trajectory.
The Milky Way’s Warped Tutu Twirls Every 600 Million Years
Astronomers have known for decades that our galaxy is warped. Now, they can follow the warp’s rotation as it travels around the galactic center.
Nearby Stellar Nurseries Ride a Giant Wave
Astronomers have found a gigantic, undulating wave of stellar nurseries in our galaxy, just outside the Sun’s orbit in the spiral disk.
Baby Stars Found in Ancient Part of Our Galaxy
Ground- and space-based observations have revealed a group of stars at the head of the giant stream of gas burrowing its way through the Milky Way.
The Black Hole Files with Camille Carlisle
Bubbles, Heated Clouds Point to Active Past for Galactic Center
Two studies support the suspicion that our galaxy’s black hole had one or more outbursts a few million years ago.
Untangling Stellar Strings in the Milky Way
Long-lived, string-shaped groups of stars align with the Milky Way’s spiral arms — and they may provide clues to what those arms looked like long ago.
Warped Milky Way in 3D
Astronomers have used pulsating stars to trace the crooked shape of our galaxy’s disk.
Did a Dwarf Galaxy Crash into the Milky Way?
A recent study suggests the dwarf galaxy Antlia 2 had a long-ago run-in with our galaxy, rippling and warping its disk. But not everyone agrees with that scenario.
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.
Our Quiet Galaxy Used to Burst with Stars
New research shows that our quiet, middle-aged galaxy used to be quite the firecracker — a couple billion years ago it was exploding with new stars.
Astronomers Find Stars Streaming from Our Galaxy’s Biggest Cluster
Astronomers have discovered a stream of stars pulled from Omega Centauri, the largest and most brilliant globular cluster around the Milky Way — and perhaps a one-time dwarf galaxy.
The Milky Way Contains the Mass of 1.5 Trillion Suns
Astronomers are using Gaia and the Hubble Space Telescope to make the most precise measure of the Milky Way’s mass to date. The new result puts our galaxy on par with — if not more massive than — Andromeda.
The Beginning of the End for the Hyades Star Cluster
New measurements from the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite show that the young stars of the Hyades cluster are beginning to drift apart.
The Milky Way Is Warped in More Ways Than One
Astronomers mapping out luminous stars across our galaxy's disk found that the Milky Way is warped — and multiple factors are twisting its shape.
Evidence Mounts for a Magellanic Collision
Astronomers have suspected for some time that the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds collided in the recent past. The Gaia space telescope provides striking new evidence for a head-on collision.