SUNSET: 
Meet Earendel, the Most Distant Star Astronomers Have Observed
The Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a single star whose light has traveled for 12.9 billion years to Earth — the most distant star known.
New Image Reveals Possible Origins of “Odd Radio Circles”
This faint ring of radio emission might signal a momentous event in galactic evolution. Then again, it might be something else entirely.
Is “Slow Science” the Answer to Astronomy's Carbon Footprint?
The first quantitative assessment of professional telescopes’ carbon footprint finds that these facilities contribute more emissions than all other astronomy research activities combined.
Pulsar Shoots 7-light-year-long Phaser Blast
Nature proves truth is still stranger than fiction: A pulsar has shot energetic particles in a thin, straight line that extends for light-years into space. The discovery might explain how antimatter makes its way to Earth.
Largest Molecule Yet Found in Planet-forming Disk
The detection of a complex organic molecule in the disk around an infant star suggests prebiotic chemistry starts in the space between stars.
How Many Moons Can an Asteroid Have?
The discovery of the first quadruple asteroid system raises the question: Is there a limit to how many moons an asteroid can have?
Magnetic "Spoon" Feeds Supermassive Black Hole
Astronomers have imaged the magnetic field along which gas flows to a galaxy's central black hole.
No Signal from Cosmic Dawn
Four years after one experiment found tentative signs of the "cosmic dawn," the era of the first stars, another experiment finds nothing.
New Planet Discovered Around Proxima Centauri, Star Nearest the Sun
A new instrument on a powerful telescope has enabled astronomers to discover another planet around our nearest stellar neighbor.
A Star Where It Shouldn't Be
There’s a massive star in our galaxy’s halo, far away from the usual star-forming haunts. How did it get there?
Starlink Satellites Not Impacting Science — Yet
A new study of Starlink satellites’ impact on astronomy gives the community cause for both relief and concern.
Astronomy in Pictures: Largest 3D Map of Our Universe and a Stellar Intruder
This week astronomers have announced the completion of the largest 3D map of galaxies across the cosmos, plus exquisite radio observations show what happens when a stellar intruder interrupts planet formation.
1,000-light-year "Bubble" Is the Source of All Nearby Baby Stars
Supernovae that carved out the Local Bubble, a cavity around the Sun, have also triggered star formation at the bubble's edges.
The Flames of Orion and a Supergiant Star's End
Astronomers watch starbirth and stardeath, capturing a unique view of a stellar nursery and witnessing a supergiant's supernova.
Astronomers Discover Celestial Ruins on Our Galaxy’s Edge
A stream of stars scattered across 15 degrees of sky was once part of a globular cluster torn apart by our galaxy’s gravity. The stars represent some of the oldest in the Milky Way.
“Humanity Has ‘Touched’ the Sun”
On its eighth close pass, NASA’s record-breaking Parker Solar Probe entered our star’s atmosphere and “touched” the surface of the Sun.
Giant Planet Imaged Around Massive Stars
Astronomers have imaged a giant planet around a massive pair of stars, a discovery that challenges our notions of how planets form.
How Our Largest Dwarf Galaxy Keeps the Others In Line
New research may explain why satellite galaxies align themselves around the Milky Way
Can This Near-Earth Asteroid Help Us Understand the First Interstellar Visitor?
Astronomers have observed an object like ‘Oumuamua — but unlike the first known interstellar visitor, this one is in the solar system.
Astronomers Dream Big, Consider Four Future Space Telescopes
The release of the Astro2020 Decadal Survey is imminent, in which four concepts compete to become NASA’s next flagship mission. From exo-Earths to X-rays, what will the future hold?
