Neutron Stars Discovered on Collision Course
Got any plans in 46 million years? If not, you should keep an eye out for PSR J1946+2052 around that time — this upcoming merger of two neutron stars promises to be an exciting show!
An Eccentric Planet Skims a Giant Star
As part of a major survey of evolved stars, scientists have discovered the most eccentric planet known to orbit a giant. What can we learn from this unusual object before it’s eventually consumed by its host?
Hubble’s View of Little Blue Dots
The recent discovery of a new type of tiny, star-forming galaxy is the latest in a zoo of detections shedding light on our early universe. What can we learn from the unique “little blue dots” found in archival Hubble data?
More Planets in the Hyades Cluster
A few weeks ago, Astrobites reported on a Neptune-sized planet discovered orbiting a star in the Hyades cluster. A separate study submitted at the same time, however, reveals that there may be even more planets lurking in this system.
Which of Kepler’s Stars Flare?
The habitability of distant exoplanets is dependent upon many factors — one of which is the activity of their host stars. To learn about which stars are most likely to flare, a recent study examines tens of thousands of stellar flares observed by Kepler. Need for a Broader Sample Most…
Analog of the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds
A hunt for merging dwarf galaxies has yielded an intriguing result: 180 million light-years away, a galaxy very similar to the Milky Way — with two dwarf-galaxy satellites just like our own Magellanic clouds
Little Eyes on Large Solar Motions
What can we learn from observations made with digital cameras mounted on ~10-cm telescopes? It turns out, a lot about the solar corona.
When a Star and a Binary Meet
What happens in the extreme environments of globular clusters when a star and a binary system meet? A team of scientists has new ideas about how these objects can deform, change their paths, spiral around each other, and merge.
Featured Image: The Cosmic Velocity Web
Have you ever considered the idea of a cosmic velocity web? Learn more about these intriguing visualizations from the study led by Daniel Pomarède.
How Do Earth-Sized, Short-Period Planets Form?
Matching theory to observation often requires creative detective work. In a new study, scientists have used a clever test to reveal clues about the birth of speedy, Earth-sized planets.
Globular Clusters for Faint Galaxies
The origin of ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) has posed a long-standing mystery for astronomers. New observations of several of these faint giants with the Hubble Space Telescope are now lending support to one theory.
Discovery of a Free-Floating Double Planet?
An object previously identified as a free-floating, large Jupiter analog turns out to be two objects — each with the mass of a few Jupiters. This system is the lowest-mass binary we’ve ever discovered.
Exploring the Minispiral at the Milky Way’s Center
The region around Sgr A*, the 4-million-solar-mass black hole at the heart of our galaxy, is a complex and dynamic place. New Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the Milky Way’s center now reveal more about this harsh, inhospitable environment.
A Partly Cloudy Exoplanet
Direct imaging of exoplanets was once only possible for the brightest of planets orbiting the dimmest of stars — but new observations of the Jupiter-like exoplanet 51 Eridani b provide tantalizing clues about its atmosphere.
ASKAP Joins the Hunt for Mysterious Bursts
ASKAP, the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder has only had a 3.4-day pilot survey and has already found a fast radio burst!