'Dragon cloud' holds clues about how the biggest stars in the galaxy are born By Paul Sutter published 26 April 23 A massive, cold clump of material in the heart of the "Dragon cloud" is ready to form a single giant star, and astronomers got a rare glimpse of the event.
James Webb Space Telescope reveals rich chemistry of planet-forming disks for the 1st time By Sharmila Kuthunur published 25 April 23 For the first time, the James Webb Space Telescope revealed the chemical composition of dusty planet-birthing disks of material around distant stars.
New baby exoplanet discovered thanks to the 'wake' it leaves around its parent star By Robert Lea published 25 April 23 Astronomers witnessed a young Jupiter-size planet as it carves out spiral-shaped cavities in the disk of planet-birthing gas and dust that surrounds its parent star.
Merging galaxies shine with the light of a trillion suns in gorgeous James Webb Space Telescope photo By Sharmila Kuthunur published 18 April 23 NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured an amazing photo of Arp 220, a collective name for two spiral galaxies that started merging 700 million years ago.
Why do some James Webb Space Telescope images show warped and repeated galaxies? By Robert Lea published 17 April 23 The James Webb Space Telescope has observed the earliest and most distant galaxies ever spotted by humanity. But why do some of them look so strange and distorted?
Galaxy cluster X-ray discovery scores another win for the Big Bang theory By Robert Lea published 17 April 23 Scientists have found that the distribution of matter in galactic clusters supports the lambda cold dark matter model of cosmology.
Astrophotographer captures Vela supernova remnant in exquisite detail By Daisy Dobrijevic published 16 April 23 Astrophotographer captures stunning image of Vela supernova remnant. The dramatic scene is located in the constellation Vela in the Southern Hemisphere sky.
How do we know how far away and early in the universe galaxies are? By Robert Lea published 14 April 23 The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted galaxies further away in the universe than any other instrument before. How can we be sure these early galaxies aren't closer and more recent?
Gaze into the mesmerizing Whirlpool Galaxy high in the sky tonight By Robert Lea published 14 April 23 Skywatchers will get the opportunity to take a good look at the galaxy Messier 51 with its incredible whirlpool shape when it rises high in the sky over Earth on Friday, April 14.
James Webb Space Telescope finds tiny early galaxy packing big star-forming punch By Keith Cooper published 14 April 23 NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has observed a galaxy in the early universe that could be the progenitor of galaxies such as our own Milky Way.
Does the sun really belong in its family? Astronomers get to the bottom of stellar identity crisis By Robert Lea published 13 April 23 Astronomers have questioned whether the sun fits in with its family of stars. New research finally settles the debate.
New X-ray photo shows famous Crab Nebula like never before By Samantha Mathewson published 11 April 23 Scientists have mapped the iconic Crab Nebula's magnetic field in greater detail than ever before using NASA's latest X-ray telescope.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will 'rewind' the universe. Here's how By Robert Lea published 10 April 23 A new simulation showing millions of galaxies demonstrates how the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope will turn back the clock for astronomers and help them investigate lingering cosmic mysteries.
New kind of pulsar may explain how mysterious 'black widow' systems evolve By Paul Sutter published 10 April 23 Astronomers have identified a new kind of pulsar that consumes an orbiting companion, filling in a missing link about how some of the strangest systems in the universe evolve.
'Hubble trouble' could deepen with new measurement of the universe's expansion By Robert Lea published 9 April 23 Cosmologists have a problem: Their measurements of the rate of expansion of the universe don't agree. And a new, highly accurate measurement of variable stars could deepen this 'Hubble trouble.'
James Webb Space Telescope studies wreckage of titanic cosmic explosion (video, photo) By Robert Lea published 8 April 23 The James Webb Space Telescope has investigated the wreckage of a titanic cosmic explosion, capturing a stunning image of the supernova remnant known as Cassiopeia A.
Dwarf star is surrounded by massive 'double ring' that hints at a Saturn-size exoplanet By Robert Lea published 7 April 23 A red dwarf star almost 500 light-years from Earth is surrounded by two rings of dust that might have been separated by the orbit of a Saturn-sized planet.
James Webb Space Telescope spots the Cosmic Seahorse through a gravitational lens (photo) By Stefanie Waldek published 7 April 23 The Cosmic Seahorse galaxy is seen through a gravitational lens in a newly released image from the James Webb Space Telescope.
Runaway supermassive black hole is hurtling through space followed by tail of infant stars (video) By Robert Lea published 7 April 23 The Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a runaway supermassive black hole racing through space followed by a tail of infant stars 200,000 light-years long.
Newfound lonely galaxy is isolated because it ate all its friends (video) By Elizabeth Rayne published 6 April 23 A distant galaxy is alone because it devoured the other galaxies that once surrounded it, a new study suggests.
