Galaxy cluster spied forming in early universe (photos, video) By Keith Cooper published 29 March 23 Hot gas has been detected in a young proto-galaxy cluster in the early universe for the first time, shedding more light on how cluster components come together.
A tiny Eastern European cubesat measured a monster gamma-ray burst better than NASA. Here's how By Tereza Pultarova published 29 March 23 The brightest gamma-ray burst ever seen blinded all of NASA's flagship gamma-ray missions last year. This tiny Eastern European cubesat, however, didn't get overwhelmed.
Hubble telescope spies mysterious celestial object that defies classification By Stefanie Waldek published 29 March 23 The Hubble Space Telescope has imaged celestial object Z-229-15, which is simultaneously classified as a Seyfert galaxy, an active galactic nucleus (AGN), and a quasar.
Spot the half-lit moon between the Gemini twins Castor and Pollux tonight By Brett Tingley published 29 March 23 On Wednesday (March 29), the gibbous moon will appear alongside the twin stars of the Gemini constellation, Castor and Pollux.
Brightest gamma-ray burst ever seen a 1-in-10,000-years event that's 'absolutely monstrous,' scientists say By Mike Wall published 28 March 23 "The BOAT"' was about 70 times brighter than any other gamma-ray burst that scientists have observed, a new study reports.
Black holes may be swallowing invisible matter that slows the movement of stars By Robert Lea published 27 March 23 Scientists watched as two stars slowed in their orbits around black holes, concluding it was the result of "drag" generated by dark matter.
The universe might be shaped like a doughnut, not like a pancake, new research suggests By Paul Sutter published 26 March 23 The universe may be flat, but could still be shaped like a doughnut, weird patterns in leftover light from the Big Bang suggest.
How to watch Ceres, a dwarf planet 14 times smaller than Pluto, photobomb a spiral galaxy this weekend By Jamie Carter published 25 March 23 Watch live online as the dwarf planet Ceres swoops in front of the 'grand design' spiral galaxy Messier 100 this weekend.
Hubble telescope captures galactic jellyfish with bright tendrils of star formation (photo) By Samantha Mathewson published 24 March 23 A distant spiral galaxy boasts bright streams of star-forming gas dripping from its central disk like tentacles of a jellyfish in a new Hubble Space Telescope photo.
Astronomers urged to fight 'tooth and nail' to protect dark skies By Sharmila Kuthunur published 23 March 23 A new paper calls on the scientific community to do more to fight rising light pollution and protect the night sky, including banning satellite megaconstellations if necessary.
Stunning Hubble telescope photo reveals star-studded M55 cluster By Sharmila Kuthunur published 23 March 23 A distant cluster sparkles with ancient stars in a gorgeous new image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
Supermassive black hole's relativistic jets are blowing bubbles in the Teacup Galaxy By Briley Lewis published 23 March 23 New research investigates how relativistic jets from a supermassive black hole has been shaping the Teacup Galaxy, giving it its iconic handle.
Mysterious radio signal reveals intricate core of distant galaxy cluster By Robert Lea published 21 March 23 Astronomers have discovered several fascinating features in galaxy cluster Abell 1213 such as a central galaxy with a 1.66 million light-year-long radio "tail" and remains of galactic mergers.
Bad news for alien life? Even calm red dwarf stars rage more violently than the sun By Robert Lea published 20 March 23 Even quiet red dwarfs are prone to extreme outbursts that put our sun to shame, with significant implications on the search for alien life.
Hubble Space Telescope spies 'irregular' spiral galaxy in Ursa Major (photo) By Samantha Mathewson published 20 March 23 An image from the Hubble Space Telescope captures an irregular spiral galaxy known as NGC 5486, which lies close to the much larger and well-known Pinwheel Galaxy.
Monster black hole may have killed this galaxy's star-forming power, James Webb Telescope reveals By Ben Turner published 20 March 23 New James Webb Space Telescope observations reveal that the galaxy GS-9209 had its star-forming power abruptly “quenched” by mysterious forces after millions of years of productivity.
The early universe was crammed with stars 10,000 times the size of our sun, new study suggests By Paul Sutter published 19 March 23 When the universe's first stars emerged from the cosmic dark ages, they ballooned to 10,000 times the mass of Earth's sun, new research suggests.
Exoplanets, dark matter and more: Big discoveries coming from James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers say By Keith Cooper published 17 March 23 The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has dazzled us plenty already, but the best is yet to come from the observatory, mission team members say.
Orion constellation goes from hunter to hunted in the March night sky By Robert Lea published 16 March 23 The constellation of Orion the Hunter becomes 'Orion the hunted' during mid-March as its bright stars light up the southern night sky and make a tantalizing target for skywatchers.
Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May knighted by King Charles III By Jeff Spry published 15 March 23 King Charles III bestows a knighthood honor on Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May