SUNSET: 
Found: Exoplanet in the "Hot Neptune Desert" & Exocomets Around Beta Pictoris
Two teams of astronomers have announced the discovery of a Neptune-size planet in an unexpected orbit and three exocomets whizzing around nearby star Beta Pictoris.
Our Quiet Galaxy Used to Burst with Stars
New research shows that our quiet, middle-aged galaxy used to be quite the firecracker — a couple billion years ago it was exploding with new stars.
Gravitational-wave Detectors Come Online, Find Possible Black Hole-Neutron Star Crash
Only a month into a new observing run, gravitational-wave observatories have announced five new signals — one of which could turn out to be a black hole swallowing a neutron star.
The Aurora Called STEVE Isn’t Aurora After All . . . Mostly
New observations of STEVE, the mauve celestial ribbon that aurora chasers have seen fluttering in the sky, have helped scientists determine the energy source of this unique phenomenon.
Astronomers Find Stars Streaming from Our Galaxy’s Biggest Cluster
Astronomers have discovered a stream of stars pulled from Omega Centauri, the largest and most brilliant globular cluster around the Milky Way — and perhaps a one-time dwarf galaxy.
Why Are Two Ghost Galaxies Missing Dark Matter?
Ultra-diffuse galaxies are usually dark matter-rich. But astronomers have discovered two of these galaxies that lack dark matter altogether.
Best View Yet of Baby Giant Exoplanet
Astronomers have taken the best spectrum yet of exoplanet HR 8799e, a gas giant in its infancy.
60-Second Astro News: Cannonball Pulsar & Mapping a Star from Afar
In astronomy news this week, scientists found a pulsar racing out of the galaxy and mapped a star's magnetic field from 130 light-years away.
Pluto and Charon Are Missing Small Craters
Scientists studying New Horizons images of craters on Pluto and its moon Charon have found that the Kuiper Belt must contain fewer small objects than expected — which suggests the outer solar system hasn’t changed much since its earliest days.
Listen Up: Get Gravitational-wave Alerts
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) will soon begin a new round of observations. Now you can find out about the discoveries as they happen.
Hubble Sets Its Sights on the Ice Giants
New Hubble Space Telescope images reveal an expanded polar cap on Uranus and another mysterious dark vortex on Neptune.
Curiosity Rover Exposes Mountain’s Origin
Scientists have used an innovative measure of Mars's gravity to reveal the origin of the mountain the rover is exploring.
Amateur Scopes Help Find Planet Formation’s Missing Link
A surprisingly inexpensive setup of amateur equipment is helping astronomers on their quest to find Kuiper Belt objects of every size to better understand how planets formed in our solar system.
What Quasars Can Teach Us About Dark Energy
Astronomers have found a way to turn quasars into standard candles, with potentially far-reaching implications for the nature of mysterious dark energy.
60-second Astro News: Latest from Ultima Thule & A Tall-Tailed Galaxy
This week in astronomy news, see two stunning images — one from the edge of the solar system, the newest image of Ultima Thule, and the other from the depths of the Coma Cluster of galaxies.
Scientists Question Popular Planet Formation Theory
New studies are challenging the core accretion theory, the primary model astronomers use to understand how worlds form in our solar system and beyond.
How “Light Echoes” Revealed a Black Hole’s Feeding Habits
Astronomers are taking a cue from bats, using a method similar to echolocation to map out the feeding environment around a black hole.
60-second Astro News: White Dwarfs & Hot Jupiters
This week in astronomy news: Space telescopes show us that white dwarfs are crystallizing in their cores and cloudy night skies are universal among hot Jupiters.
The Dragon in Orion's Nebula
NASA's planebound SOFIA observatory has captured a far-infrared view of the Orion Nebula that reveals the actions of the region's stars — and the striking illusion of a dragon at the nebula's core.
NASA’s TESS Mission Announces New Planets, Supernovae
The TESS mission announces eight confirmed planets along with hundreds of exoplanet candidates.
