SUNSET: 
Black Hole Eats through Star, Explodes it from Within
The longest-duration burst of gamma rays on record might mark the moment a black hole tunneled through a star and blew it up from within.
Rogue World Found Gobbling Material at Unprecedented Rate
Astronomers discovered a small, free-floating object that’s accreting matter at a breakneck pace, suggesting that some planet-size worlds could form similar to stars.
Fast Radio Burst's Neighborhood Revealed
Astronomers have pinpointed the location of an one-time fast radio burst to a spiral arm of a nearby galaxy.
Weird X-ray Flashes Lose Some of Their Mystery
Some fast X-ray transients — quick flashes of energetic radiation — may come from massive stars collapsing and exploding at the same time.
A Fast Radio Burst from the Early Universe
Astronomers at the South African MeerKAT observatory have discovered the most distant flash of radio waves to date, most likely stemming from activity around a magnetar.
Were the Very First Stars Really That Massive?
New research suggests the first stars weren't the behemoths we expected them to be — which might explain why we haven't seen them yet.
Betelgeuse's Companion Has Been Found — Or Has It?
A new image from the Gemini Observatory might show a stellar companion to Betelgeuse, but the discovery is tentative.
Webb Space Telescope Spies Baby Planetary System
Astronomers have found a baby system that’s just beginning to build planets — and it can tell us about how and where planet formation starts.
Exotic Fast Radio Burst Goes Up in Smoke
Finding out where on the sky these mysterious radio flashes come from is hard. The team behind the discovery of one odd signal has now retracted their claim.
Mystery Object in the Milky Way
Astronomers have found X-rays coming from a strange object that releases regular bursts of radio waves, shedding new light on what that object might be.
A Pulsar Broke a Magnetic Thread in the Milky Way
Mysterious threads dangle in the Milky Way center, and a pulsar has punched through one of them — providing fresh perspective on the threads' origins.
Wandering Magnetar Has Mysterious Origins
Astronomers who tracked a roaming magnetar for over a decade found that it didn’t originate from a supernova, making its origins an open question.
Priceless Flares: Magnetars Can Make Gold and Platinum
An almost forgotten observation made 20 years ago provides evidence that magnetars create some of the heaviest nuclei in the universe.
T Coronae Borealis Isn't the Only Star Ready to Blow — Meet U Gem
As we wait on recurrent nova T CrB, dwarf nova U Geminorum is teeing up for its next 8-magnitude outburst.
Flame Nebula Images Show Star Formation Turnover for the First Time
For the first time, researchers have identified a turnover in the initial mass function of a star cluster.
Cracking Crusts Might Set Neutron Star Speed Limit
New research explores how the cracking of a neutron star’s crust might determine how fast these extreme stellar remnants can spin.
A Rare Kind of White Dwarf Could Foster Habitable Worlds
Extra amounts of an uncommon element — neon-22 — could re-energize some white dwarfs, and potentially make the systems habitable.
The Ring Nebula Is a Barrel, Not a Ring, 3D Data Show
New data has allowed a team of researchers to reconstruct a detailed view of a famous circle in the constellation Lyra.
Take a Look at R Leonis, Leo's Giant Ticker
Big, bright and red, the Mira variable R Leonis portends the Sun's fate. A pair of binoculars is all you need to get acquainted.
Supernova Echoes Probe Clouds in the Milky Way
As a blast from the past reverberates through our galaxy, it illuminates the fine structure of dusty gas that may someday form new stars.
