SUNSET: 
Star Zips around Milky Way's Central Black Hole
Astronomers announced that they've successfully tracked a star that takes less than 12 years to whip around the Milky Way's central black hole. The star isn't so special on its own, but combined with other observations it might help unwrap the region's mysteries.
A Black Hole in Orion?
The Orion Nebula Cluster might be home to a black hole more than 100 times the mass of the Sun, according to a recent simulation.
Universe is Still Missing its Lithium
New observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud have only heightened the mystery surrounding a decades-long cosmic conundrum: why does the universe have so much less lithium than astronomers think it should?
Space a Little Sweeter
Astronomers have detected a simple sugar called glycolaldehyde in the gas around two young stars. The ALMA observations that led to the discovery are impressive, but don’t jump on the “life” bandwagon just yet.
Black Holes Might Form Like Planets
Astronomers have plenty of evidence for small and large black holes, but have had little luck tracking down the mid-sized variety. One team of researchers suggests the search has been focused on the wrong places all along.
Baby Star's Hot Birthmarks
Astronomers have pinpointed the origin of high-energy X-rays coming from a baby star.
Waves Might Heat Solar Atmosphere
Astronomers are working to unravel the mystery of the Sun's superhot corona, but new work implicating magnetic waves isn't the final word on the matter.
The Universe’s Lost Lithium
Astronomers are still struggling with a 30-year-old mystery that puts modern cosmology in a head-to-head clash with stellar observations. A new study may make the problem even worse.
All-Sky Survey Sees Millions of Stars
A collaboration between professional and amateur astronomers is producing a careful map of stellar brightnesses and colors across the entire night sky. The survey should fill a hole that sometimes hampers quick, accurate measurements of events such as supernovae.
Small Planets’ Evolutionary Edge
The discovery that planets can form around a variety of stars — and not just specific types, as previously thought — might open the floodgates on the search for habitable worlds in the galaxy.
Failed Stars Oddly Rare
Astronomers hunting for brown dwarfs in our solar neighborhood have been thrown a surprise: these star wannabes are far less common than previously thought.
Pro-Am Teamwork on the Rise
As demonstrated this week during a gathering of observers in Big Bear, California, amateur and professional astronomers are joining forces as never before.
Superflares from Sun-like Stars
NASA's Kepler mission is finding solar-type stars that emit jaw-dropping explosions of high-energy particles and radiation. Now astronomers are looking into why some solar-type stars emit superflares — and why the Sun never will.
Europe's New Eye on the Sun
The just-completed Gregor telescope, situated on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, ranks as Europe's largest solar sentinel and the third largest in the world.
IBEX's Slower Sun — and No Bow Shock
NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer has discovered that the Sun has no bow shock, overturning the basis for decades of scientific research.
Black Hole Eats Stripped Star
A closely-watched flare from a gargantuan black hole in a distant galaxy has revealed to astronomers not only the mass of the black hole that ate the snack but the type of star that met its end as the meal.
“Coronal Cells” in Sun’s Atmosphere
Astronomers have discovered an unexpected new feature on the Sun, leading to further insights about the solar magnetic field.
Watch April 16th's Solar Flare!
The Sun erupted yesterday in a magnificent display, and more might be on its way.
New ALMA Images Stoke Exoplanet Flame
Astronomers have released the first new science results from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a still-under-construction network of 66 antennas in northern Chile. The new observations suggest the contentious Fomalhaut star system may have two small planets shepherding its gigantic ring.
Kepler Mission Gets Four More Years
NASA's incredibly successful planet-hunter has had its mission extended to 2016 — giving it extra time to find Earthlike worlds in Earthlike orbits.
