Twisters in the Cosmic Web
Astronomers have found that the largest structures in the universe spin, making twister-like strings of galaxies and dark matter in the cosmic web.
Dark Energy Survey Catalogs 226 Million Galaxies
The latest release from the Dark Energy Survey catalogs millions of galaxies, mapping the history of galaxy clustering across space and time.
Is the “Unicorn” the Closest Black Hole?
Astronomers again think they have found the black hole nearest to us, just 1,500 light-years away, but the find still needs to be confirmed.
New Distances Support Idea of Dark Matter-less Galaxies
New distances to two dwarf galaxies with unusually spread-out stars support the idea that these galaxies have little to no dark matter.
Tibet Observatory Confirms Existence of Galactic PeVatrons
A Tibetan cosmic-ray observatory has discovered high-energy particle accelerators within our galaxy.
Zodiacal Dust Seen from Earth Might Come from Mars
Much of the solar system’s interplanetary dust — seen as zodiacal light from Earth — might come from Mars.
Star-shredding Black Hole Makes Ghostlike Particle
A single high-energy neutrino may shed light on a star being swallowed by a supermassive black hole some 690 million light-years away.
Astronomers Spot Galaxies Clustering in Early Universe
Astronomers have discovered a cluster of galaxies coming together just 770 million years after the Big Bang.
Masquerading Magnetars Make Short Brilliant Bursts
Giant flares emitted from the surface of highly magnetized neutron stars could explain some gamma-ray flashes astronomers have caught over the past few decades.
Black Hole Feasts on Star, Bite by Bite
Like a cosmic blinker, a distant supermassive black hole is flaring every 114 days. Astronomers believe the eerily regular signal betrays the piecemeal devouring of a star.
Ancient Babylonians Witnessed Unique Planetary Gathering
Jupiter and Saturn's "Great Conjunction" is a noteworthy event, but on the morning of March 25, 185 BC, an even grander planetary gathering greeted Babylonian sky watchers
Gaia Makes Most Accurate 3D Map of the Milky Way Yet
Astronomers have released a new, extremely detailed three-dimensional census of our Milky Way galaxy.
Radio Transmission from a Brown Dwarf
The radio discovery of a brown dwarf holds promise for future exoplanet detections.
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: 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.
(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.
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.
Study Suggests Jupiter Could Have 600 Moons
New detections of candidate moons suggest that the king of planets could have hundreds of smaller satellites.
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 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.