81–100 of 471 results
Smallest white dwarf comparison to Moon

Stellar Science

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.

Epsilon Aurigae model

Stellar Science

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.

CHIME

Stellar Science

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.

Neutron star mergers produce r-process elements

Stellar Science

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.

Spiral galaxies host Fast Radio Bursts

Stellar Science

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.

V1405 Cas scene

Celestial News & Events

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!

Neutron star

Stellar Science

What’s Inside Neutron Stars?

Size measurements of two neutron stars have narrowed down what kinds of exotic matter might exist in their extremely dense cores.

Proxima Centauri flare

Exoplanets

Proxima Centauri Releases Powerful Flare

The Sun dwarfs its nearest stellar neighbor, but Proxima Centauri's flares pack a comparatively energetic punch.

Crab Nebula

Stellar Science

Crab Pulsar's Mystery Bursts Are Even More Powerful Than We Thought

The Crab Nebula pulsar has sporadically bursted for decades. Now, astronomers have found these mysterious bursts release even more energy than thought.

Deep image of V1405 Cas nova

Stellar Science

Bright Nova Erupts in Cassiopeia

A new nova in Cassiopeia, discovered on March 18th, is bright enough to see in a small telescope.

An explosive outflow of molecular gas within the Orion Nebula

Stellar Science

A Map of a Stellar Explosion

Scientists may have discovered a clue to how massive stars form in the Orion Nebula and a stellar birthplace.

Tidal disruption event

Stellar Science

Star-shredding Black Hole Makes Ghostlike Particle

A single high-energy neutrino may shed light on a star being swallowed by a supermassive black hole some 690 million light-years away.

Artist’s impression of the Ulysses spacecraft

Stellar Science

Measuring Solar Eruptions with a Rare Alignment

New analysis of a coronal mass ejection detected by the alignment of two spacecraft reveals that it experienced erosion and restructuring as it traveled.

Giant flare on a magnetar

Stellar Science

Masquerading Magnetars Make Short Brilliant Bursts

Giant flares emitted from the surface of highly magnetized neutron stars could explain some gamma-ray flashes astronomers have caught over the past few decades.

Gamma-ray burst

Galaxies

Astronomers Find Most Distant Gamma-ray Burst Yet

From the farthest-known galaxy in the observable universe comes the brightest and most energetic of events: a possible gamma-ray burst.

Stellar Science

Gaia Makes Most Accurate 3D Map of the Milky Way Yet

Astronomers have released a new, extremely detailed three-dimensional census of our Milky Way galaxy.

The fading Stingray Nebula

Stellar Science

The Decline of the Youngest Planetary Nebula

The youngest planetary nebula ever found is already fading, shedding light on its star's evolution.

Artist's impression of the outer reaches of our solar system.

Stellar Science

The Eventual Fate of Our Solar System

Have you ever wondered about the future of our solar system? Astronomers have predicted the effect of the Sun's expansion on its planets.

Birth of a Magnetar

Stellar Science

Gamma-ray Flash Heralds Birth of a Magnetar

What happens when two neutron stars don't add up to a black hole?

Blue Ring Nebula

Stellar Science

The Case of the Blue Ring Nebula

After 16 years, astronomers have figured out the origin of a strange ring of ultraviolet light, and shed light on a common — but rarely observed — event.