21–40 of 461 results
Dark dusty disk surrounds companion star, passing in front of a more distant red giant star (art)

Stellar Science

Astronomers Discover Giant Blinking Star

A red giant star thousands of light-years away "blinked," dimming significantly for seven long years, before returning to normal.

Cosmic Cliffs close-ups

Stellar Science

Deep Dive Off the Cosmic Cliffs

The James Webb Space Telescope's early-release image of the Cosmic Cliffs is revealing growth spurts in young stars.

Merger illustration

Stellar Science

Gamma-ray Burst Surprise

Gamma-ray bursts are generally thought to come in two flavors — supernovae or neutron star mergers. But discoveries are blurring that line.

Star cluster with blues and reds

Stellar Science

Four Stars, Many Eclipses

Stars are most often born as multiples. Now, the TESS telescope has caught one of these multiple systems in a unique setup.

Three images show supernova in galactic outskirts brightening and then fading again

Stellar Science

A Supernova Hits a Cosmic Speed Bump

Why did a supernova abruptly change color? A recent study suggests a change in ejecta velocity — a cosmic speed bump — might be the culprit.

Infant star and a rainbow of burps

Stellar Science

Webb Telescope Reveals Starbirth in a Riot of Colors

A riot of colors in this James Webb Space Telescope infrared image show the warm glow of a feeding infant star, representing a look back in time at a star very like the Sun.

White dwarf surrounded by debris disk (art)

Exoplanets

Ancient White Dwarf Hosts Planetary Graveyard

Scientists have discovered one of the oldest planetary graveyards in the Milky Way: a cool white dwarf "polluted" with rocky debris.

Supernova in a box in galaxy cluster

Stellar Science

Hubble Spies Supernova in Early Universe

Archival Hubble Space Telescope images taken more than a decade ago have revealed an ancient star in the act of exploding.

Supernova remnant

Stellar Science

Lightest Neutron Star Ever? Maybe, Maybe Not

A team of astronomers claims to have measured the lightest neutron star, but others say extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

Gamma-ray burst

Stellar Science

Brightest Gamma-Ray Burst Yet Lights Up the Sky

A recently detected gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A was so intense that it temporarily blinded instruments and disturbed Earth’s atmosphere.

Artist's concept of a first-generation star tearing itself apart

Cosmology

Tentative Evidence of the First Generation of Stars

Scientists have detected something unusual around a distant quasar — perhaps the first real evidence of a first-generation star.

Regular rings of dust surround a brilliant central star

Stellar Science

Dance of Giant Stars Creates Ripples of Dust

Every time two giant stars swing around each other, they enrich the cosmos with complex organic molecules.

Map of stellar corpses throughout the galaxy

Stellar Science

Astronomers Map the Milky Way's "Underworld"

A simulated map of the Milky Way shows the location of our galaxy's stellar corpses — and they're not where you might think they'd be.

Fast radio burst art

Stellar Science

New Observations Add Fuel to Fast Radio Burst Origin Debate

A peculiar repeating fast radio burst seems to be coming from a dynamic environment in an otherwise uninteresting region, leaving researchers scratching their heads as to the burst’s origin.

Orion Nebula by Webb

Stellar Science

Webb's Dazzling Views of the Orion Nebula

The James Webb Space Telescope has provided its first views of the Orion Nebula, revealing infant stars and the filaments that feed them.

Vega brilliance

Explore the Night with Bob King

Vega, the Star at the Center of Everything

While we may quibble about how to pronounce its name, there's no denying that Vega is one of the most fascinating and useful stars in the heavens.

Betelgeuse lightcurve with artist's concept of mass ejection

Stellar Science

Betelgeuse's Great Dimming: The Aftermath

The Great Dimming occurred when Betelgeuse coughed out a huge chunk of material, and the ejection took a toll on the giant star.

Black widow pulsar

Stellar Science

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.

FRB heartbeat

Stellar Science

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.

The quartet of stars that became a triple

Stellar Science

This Triplet of Stars Was Once a Quartet

Stellar mergers in quadruple systems might be common, a new study shows.