SUNSET: 
Did Astronomers Spot a Black Hole in Another Galaxy? Maybe Not
Astronomers might have spotted a stellar-mass black hole in another galaxy — but not everyone agrees with what they found.
Close Companions Help Stars Make More Carbon
Massive stars can produce twice as much carbon when they have a close binary companion, according to a new study. The result is a small but important step in understanding the cosmic origin of elements.
Unlocking the History of Globular Cluster Messier 5
A new study uses precise measurements of chemical elements to explore the formation history of one of the oldest globular clusters in the Milky Way.
China’s FAST Observatory Sees More Than 1,000 Radio Bursts from a Single Spot
The largest haul of fast radio burst observations ever recorded, all from a single fast radio burst, is helping astronomers understand what causes these fleeting cosmic phenomena
Did Astronomers See a Distant, Dying Star? Or an Earth-bound Satellite?
What seemed a lucky break — the discovery of a gamma-ray burst in the most distant known galaxy — might instead be the flash of passing space debris. As satellites fill low-Earth orbit, such events might become common.
Supernova Blasts Hollowed Out "Giant Cavity" in Space
Some 10 million years ago, dying stars cleared a giant cavity in space and ultimately inspired a new generation of star formation.
60-second Astro News: Solving Supernova Mysteries
This week, astronomers have solved one supernova mystery and predicted a new one — to be solved in 2037.
New Kind of Supernova Implodes Stars Before Their Time
Astronomers have found the first circumstantial evidence for a supernova triggered by a merger with a neutron star or maybe even a black hole.
60-second Astro News: White Dwarfs Still Burn, Black Holes Merge
This week in astronomy news, we learn that some white dwarfs still burn and image X-rays from black holes almost 12 billion light-years away.
Astro News: Planet-eating Stars and an Accidental Brown Dwarf
This week in astronomy news: A citizen scientist happens upon a weird, ancient brown dwarf and astronomers discover that Sun-like stars eat their own planets.
New Observations Challenge Popular Radio Burst Model
Strange behavior caught by two radio observatories may send theorists back to the drawing board.
Red Dwarfs Aren’t So Bad (For Planets) After All
Red dwarf stars appear to flare preferentially at high latitudes, which might keep their exoplanets habitable instead of hellish.
Recurrent Nova RS Ophiuchi Just Blew its Top!
The recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi just went into outburst — its first burst in 15 years — and it's bright enough to see with the naked eye
Milky Way Magnetar Spits Gamma Rays on Schedule
A Milky Way magnetar surprises astronomers by burping up gamma rays right when their predictions anticipated.
Moon-size White Dwarf Is the Smallest Ever Found
Astronomers have discovered a white dwarf only slightly bigger than the Moon, making it the smallest ever found. It might even be on the edge of collapse.
The Giant Star That "Blinked"
Astronomers are trying to understand why a giant star "blinked," fading almost completely before brightening again over the course of about 200 days.
Number of Known Mysterious Radio Flashes Nearly Quadruples
The CHIME telescope has released its first catalog with 492 unique sources of fast radio bursts, the brief flashes of radio waves that have been intriguing astronomers over the past decade.
Metal-poor Stars Shed Light on the Origin of Gold
Explosions of massive stars might have produced gold and other rare heavy elements observed in metal-poor stars in our galaxy’s halo.
Fast Radio Bursts Tied to Spiral Arms
New Hubble observations have pinned five enigmatic radio bursts to the arms of spiral galaxies, narrowing down possible explanations.
Nova in Cassiopeia Brightens Suddenly
A star in the constellation Cassiopeia that flared into view during mid-March has erupted to naked-eye visibility. Catch it while you can!