SUNSET: 
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.
A Cosmic Collision Could Have Made Two Dark Matter–Less Galaxies
Astronomers connect the dots between two strange doppelganger galaxies, uncovering what might be a string of galactic pearls created in a cosmic collision 8 billion years ago.
Needle in the Haystack: New Exomoon Candidate Found
Astronomers may have found a second Neptune-size exomoon hidden in the retired Kepler space telescope’s data.
Did Astronomers Spot a Black Hole in Another Galaxy? Maybe Not
Astronomers might have spotted a stellar-mass black hole in another galaxy — but not everyone agrees with what they found.
China’s FAST Observatory Sees More Than 1,000 Radio Bursts from a Single Spot
The largest haul of fast radio burst observations ever recorded, all from a single fast radio burst, is helping astronomers understand what causes these fleeting cosmic phenomena
George Carruthers: Telescope Maker and Lunar Pioneer
Astronomer and engineer George Carruthers (1939–2020) designed and built the first observatory on another world.
Benjamin Banneker: Self-taught Astronomer
The story of astronomer and polymath Benjamin Banneker (1731–1806) is one of dignity and ingenuity against the backdrop of slavery and racism.
Celebrating Astronomer Margaret Burbidge, 1919–2020
The astronomer who taught us we are all made of stardust has passed away after celebrating her 100th birthday on August 12, 2019.
Astronomers Rein in Possibilities for Exotic Particle
Astronomers observing a distant galaxy have dramatically shrunk the range of possible properties of a long-predicted — but never-detected — subatomic particle.
Jocelyn Bell Burnell: Pulsar Pioneer
In 1967, astronomer Jocelyn Bell Burnell (1943–) discovered the first pulsars — cosmic lighthouses that now enable astrophysicists to probe extreme physics and test general relativity.
New Study Pushes Back Milky Way’s Dust-up with Andromeda
By tracing stars in other galaxies, the Gaia satellite has helped astronomers understand the relative motions of the Milky Way's galactic siblings.
IceCube Neutrino Offers New Eyes on the Cosmos
A combination of neutrino detection and observations across the full spectrum of light has pinpointed a cosmic accelerator for the first time, revitalizing multi-messenger astronomy.
Physicist Proposes Alternative to Black Holes
A physicist has incorporated a quantum mechanical idea with general relativity to arrive at a new alternative to black hole singularities.
Simulating the Universe: The Next Generation
A new suite of cosmological simulations sheds light on the interconnected cosmic processes that shape the universe.