ALMA image of quasar merger

Astronomy & Observing News

60-Second Astro News: A Carnivorous Quasar and a Galaxy Ghost

In astronomy news this week: The most luminous quasar known in the cosmos is devouring three galaxy companions, while a newly discovered ghostly satellite of the Milky Way hints at hordes more just waiting to be found.

Image of Small Magellanic Cloud

Galaxies

Evidence Mounts for a Magellanic Collision

Astronomers have suspected for some time that the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds collided in the recent past. The Gaia space telescope provides striking new evidence for a head-on collision.

Portrayal of 'Oumuamua (1I/2017 U1)

Solar System

'Oumuamua’s Story Keeps Spinning

Two new studies question the cometary nature of 'Oumuamua, our first interstellar visitor, and where in the Galaxy it might have come from.

Gaia's map of 1.7 billion stars in the Milky Way and beyond

Space Missions

Gaia Maps 1.7 Billion Stars, Widens Cosmic Census

With its second data release, the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite has redefined the way we look at our galaxy.

Gaia all-sky map

Space Missions

Gaia Mission Maps 1 Billion Stars

The European Space Agency's Gaia mission has released its first data release, mapping a billion stars across the Milky Way and beyond

Stellar Science

Twin Stars Simplify Distance Measurements

A new technique that relies on identifying stellar twins yields a novel way to measure the distances to stars.