SUNSET: 
Black Widow Pulsar Sets Mass Record
A pulsar has devoured enough of its stellar companion to grab the title for most massive known neutron star.
Radio “Heartbeat” Teases Fast Radio Burst Origins
Scientists have observed pulses from a fast radio burst, suggesting the flash might have come from a neutron star.
This Triplet of Stars Was Once a Quartet
Stellar mergers in quadruple systems might be common, a new study shows.
A Strange White Dwarf with a Chaotic Past
New observations show that both rocky and icy worlds fell onto a white dwarf, indicating past orbital chaos in the system.
The Gaia Revolution: New Data and Strange Stars
Astronomers will use the newest data release from the Gaia mission to explore stellar tsunamis, Milky Way history, and more.
An Unusual Source Deepens Fast Radio Burst Mysteries
A new source of fast radio bursts raises questions about how much we really know about these mysterious flares.
The Life and Times of Immortal Stars
Under the right conditions, stars could become immortal. How is this possible, and what does it mean for these stars’ surroundings?
Mystery of the Sun's Chemical Makeup Lingers
Astronomers think they might have a solution to the conundrum of the Sun's chemical composition.
Astronomers Watched a White Dwarf Turn into a Thermonuclear Fireball
Astronomers have spotted the X-ray flash that precedes a nova. The brief flare is the first sign of a white dwarf erupting into a nuclear-fusion fireball.
A Possible Optical Counterpart to a Fast Radio Burst?
What’s the mechanism behind millisecond-duration bursts of radio energy coming from outer space? A team searched for visible-light counterparts to constrain the origin of fast radio bursts — and found one.
Cocoons Around Dying Stars Could Explain New Type of Stellar Explosions
A recently discovered type of stellar explosion might fit right in among the spectrum from regular supernovae to massive gamma-ray bursts.
Pulsar Shoots 7-light-year-long Phaser Blast
Nature proves truth is still stranger than fiction: A pulsar has shot energetic particles in a thin, straight line that extends for light-years into space. The discovery might explain how antimatter makes its way to Earth.
“Closest Black Hole” Doesn’t Exist, After All
Astronomers combined forces to confirm that a black hole proposed to lie a mere 1,000 light-years away isn’t really there.
Fast Radio Burst's Unlikely Home Puzzles Astronomers
Astronomers have found a fast radio burst — presumably a flash from a young stellar remnant — amongst the ancient stars of a globular cluster, challenging ideas about what produces these enigmatic flashes.
Protostar Companions in Orion
How are stars born? One of the best places to test ideas about stellar birth is in Orion.
A Star Where It Shouldn't Be
There’s a massive star in our galaxy’s halo, far away from the usual star-forming haunts. How did it get there?
Exploring a Magnetospheric Origin for Fast Radio Bursts
Astronomers are starting to close in on the origins of fast radio bursts — powerful, fleeting flashes of radio waves seen at extragalactic distances.
The Flames of Orion and a Supergiant Star's End
Astronomers watch starbirth and stardeath, capturing a unique view of a stellar nursery and witnessing a supergiant's supernova.
Stellar Remnant at the Core of Mysterious Flash Dubbed "The Cow"
Astronomers have identified the origin of a mysterious flash that occurred three years ago.
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.