41–60 of 124 results
Jovian sprite

Solar System

Juno Discovers Sprites and Elves on Jupiter

NASA's Juno spacecraft has captured ultraviolet images of a rare atmospheric phenomenon in Jupiter's atmosphere.

Psyche

Solar System

Psyche: A Metal-Rock World with Iron Lava?

New observations suggest the main-belt asteroid Psyche is an intriguing world, possibly one with volcanic flows of iron on its surface.

Near-Earth asteroid passing Earth

Solar System

(Very) Small Chance of Apophis Asteroid Impact in 2068

The subtle effect of sunlight may turn the near-Earth asteroid Apophis toward Earth in 2068 . . . but chances for impact remain small.

Ariel transits Uranus

Solar System

Uranian Moons Are Like Dwarf Planets

The moons of Uranus exhibit heat signatures similar to dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt — where the moons were likely born.

Jupiter, Ganymede, Europa and double shadows, March 25, 2019

Solar System

Study Suggests Jupiter Could Have 600 Moons

New detections of candidate moons suggest that the king of planets could have hundreds of smaller satellites.

Gravitational waves from GW190521

Black Holes

Record-breaking Signal Reveals New Population of Black Holes

Gravitational-wave observatories have detected the most massive black hole merger yet, and it's challenging our ideas of black hole formation.

Twinkling quasar

Solar System

Twinkling Quasar Hints at Mysterious Nearby Plasma Cloud

Radio observations have turned up evidence of a cloud of hot plasma near — or even in — the solar system. But its distance estimate is still up for debate.

KIDS survey

Cosmology

Our Unexpectedly Smooth Universe May Point to New Physics

The latest data release from a survey of 31 million galaxies reveals that our universe is even smoother than we thought it was.

Magnetic field in the galactic center

Milky Way

Magnetism Rules in the Milky Way’s Core

Recent observations from the airborne SOFIA observatory show that magnetic fields — not gravity — govern the gas at the center of the Milky Way.

A

Stellar Science

Two New Beasts for an Explosive Zoo

And that makes three: Astronomers are beginning to understand what may be causing a special kind of flare in the distant universe.

Delta Scuti star and light curve

Stellar Science

Astronomers Investigate Stellar Interiors

Astronomers have untangled the constantly changing brightness of variable stars known as Delta Scuti stars, yielding estimates for their ages.

The Sun vs. Sun-like Stars

Stellar Science

How Lazy Is the Sun?

Astronomers studying hundreds of Sun-like stars were surprised to find that most of them are more active than the Sun. Why is the Sun different?

Brightest supernova

Stellar Science

Astronomers Detect One of the Most Luminous Supernovae Ever

One of the most luminous supernovae ever discovered provides evidence that such extremely bright explosions require exotic sources.

Single-looped Knife Edge Galaxy

Galaxies

The Knife Edge Galaxy Throws Astronomers For a Loop

A 2008 image captured a stunning double loop of stars around an edge-on galaxy. Now, astronomers are questioning whether one of those loops exist.

Pulsar-white dwarf pair

Stellar Science

White Dwarf’s Whirlwind Spin Drags Spacetime

Astronomers have used observations of a tight white dwarf-neutron star pair to confirm an aspect of Einstein's general theory of relativity.

Gravitational lensing

Cosmology

Hubble Sheds Light on Dark Matter and Cosmic Expansion

The Hubble Space Telescope, which will celebrate its 30th birthday this April, has images cosmic mirages that yield two remarkable cosmological results.

V Sagittae Finder Chart

Stellar Science

Mark Your Calendar: Stellar Fireworks Predicted for 2083

According to Bradley Schaefer (Louisiana State University), the 11th-magnitude variable star, V Sagittae, will outshine Sirius and maybe even Venus — despite its distance of some 7,500 light-years.

CHEOPS satellite

Spacecraft and Space Missions

European Mission Launches to Examine Alien Worlds

The European Cheops mission launched Wednesday on a mission to improve our understanding of hundreds of known exoplanets.

Debris ring around a white dwarf star

Exoplanets

How a White Dwarf Is Vaporizing Its Giant Planet

Astronomers have long suspected that white dwarfs eat their planetary companions. Now, indirect observations show the process in action.

Star orbiting black hole

Stellar Science

Heavyweight Black Hole Find Mystifies Astronomers

Observations of a star have found it orbiting an unexpectedly massive black hole. If the discovery pans out, it would change our understanding of how massive stars die.

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