Latest articles by Robert Lea
Astronomers watch a black hole's feeding frenzy end with a bad case of cosmic indigestion
Astronomers have discovered that the feeding frenzy of a distant black hole ended with a windy outburst.
X-ray spacecraft detects the 36-million-degree 'breath' of an ancient black hole
Astronomers have spotted the blisteringly hot exhaust fumes of the earliest quasars, intensely bright cosmic titans powered by feeding supermassive black holes.
Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse! Astronomers capture clearest image yet of famous star's elusive companion
"These are among the best moments in science: seeing something new, unexpected."
X-ray spacecraft finds supermassive black hole stirring up the 'red potato' galaxy: 'There may be a cook in this cosmic kitchen'
Using the Chandra X-ray spacecraft, astronomers have seen a jet from a feeding supermassive black hole churning gas surrounding a galaxy nicknamed the "red potato."
Hubble telescope watches unique nova explosion fire cosmic 'bullets' through the Milky Way at 20 million mph
Using Hubble, astronomers have discovered that the only known "helium nova" in the Milky Way is riddling our galaxy with cosmic bullets travelling at 20 million mph.
The James Webb Space Telescope's disappearing 'Little Red Dots' may lead to another cosmic puzzle
Just as the dinosaurs didn't disappear but rather evolved into birds, cosmic dinosaurs in the form of the JWST's Little Red Dots may fade away completely.
NASA's Roman Space Telescope could reveal black holes ripping up stars. It's set to launch Aug. 30
NASA's next super telescope, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, may leave nowhere to hide for black holes that violently murder and devour stars, not even cosmic noon.
Astronomers may have discovered the 1st moon outside of our solar system — or is it something weirder?
Have astronomers observed the first exomoon, or have they spotted a weird object that could challenge the very concept of planets and moons?
James Webb Space Telescope discovers the secrets of cosmic 'factories' that filled the early universe with stardust
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered the secrets of early galaxies that pumped the infant cosmos full of dust, but by studying a much closer and modern galaxy.
Galaxy cluster's magnetic field reconstructed for 1st time with record-breaking astronomy map
"We believe that the mechanism that 'turns on' these gigantic radio emissions is linked to the formation process of galaxy clusters."
James Webb Space Telescope discovers how black holes feed themselves
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have gotten a glimpse at the mechanisms that supermassive black holes use to feed themselves.
Earth's largest particle accelerator opens new window into the early universe just after the Big Bang: 'A culmination of a decades-long quest'
According to one researcher, this observation "promises new insights into the evolution of the early universe."
'The Starry Night' in space: Dark Energy Camera channels a cosmic Van Gogh (video)
The Dark Energy Camera has captured a vibrant view of the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud, with the star-forming region resembling a cosmic take on Van Gogh's The Starry Night.
Artemis Accords: What are they & which countries are involved?
Reference As the Artemis program aims to return humanity to the moon and beyond, the Artemis Accords lay out a framework for nations collaborating in this effort.
Stephen Hawking's famous 'leaky' black hole theory gets much-needed update
"Hawking's laws of black hole mechanics provided a satisfying connection between extreme and ordinary physics and have been the paradigm for 50 years, but they have a serious limitation."
Is dark matter 'tuned in' to a hidden dimension?
Two major mysteries in science, the nature of dark matter and the possible existence of higher dimensions, could be linked, new research suggests.
'Found you!' Astronomers spot faintest exoplanet ever seen from Earth after a decade of hide-and-seek
It has taken over ten years, but astronomers have finally won a prolonged game of cosmic hide-and-seek with a planet hiding around the star Beta Pictoris.
Scientists spot 4 superdense stellar corpses hiding behind their red dwarf companions
"Nearby isolated white dwarfs are usually easy to find, but we couldn't see these four stars directly."
A ravenous black hole in our backyard could be our window into the ancient universe
A feeding black hole at the heart of a nearby galaxy is behaving similarly to cosmic titans that existed just after the Big Bang.
Astronomers may have heard the 1st 'whispers' of ghost particles created by supernova explosions
The universe is haunted by "cosmic ghosts" called neutrinos, which seem to be the "whispers" of stars that died in supernova explosions over the course of billions of years.
Scientists have discovered the oldest quasar ever seen, and it shines with the light of a trillion suns
Using the ESA's Euclid space telescope, astronomers have discovered a treasure trove of black hole-powered quasars in the early universe, including the most ancient and distant ever seen.
Dance of death between binary stars leads to an unusual supernova
When some stars die, they do not do so alone, potentially solving a long-standing mystery around a particular class of cosmic explosion called an interacting supernova.
James Webb Space Telescope celebrates its 4th birthday with stunning image of a galaxy crash site
To celebrate the fourth birthday of the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA has released a stunning image of the strangely shaped galaxy Centaurus A, the site of a cosmic collision 2 billion years ago.
