Subscribe to our Space Exploration News feed
Astronomers observed the star decreasing in brightness by a factor of 30, so that it nearly disappeared from the sky. While many stars change in brightness because they pulsate or are eclipsed by another star in a binary system, it's exceptionally rare for a star to become fainter over a period of several months and then brighten again.
Jun 11th, 2021
Read more
Researchers discovered a titanic galactic wind driven by a supermassive black hole 13.1 billion years ago. This is the earliest-yet-observed example of such a wind to date and is a telltale sign that huge black holes have a profound effect on the growth of galaxies from the very early history of the Universe.
Jun 11th, 2021
Read more
Four planets locked in a perfect rhythm around a nearby star are destined to be pinballed around their solar system when their sun eventually dies.
Jun 11th, 2021
Read more
The moons of planets that have no parent star can possess an atmosphere and retain liquid water. Astrophysicists have calculated that such systems could harbor sufficient water to make life possible - and sustain it.
Jun 10th, 2021
Read more
Even though these objects are thousands of millions of times smaller than their host galaxies our current view is that the Universe can be understood only if the evolution of galaxies is regulated by the activity of these black holes, because without them the observed properties of the galaxies cannot be explained.
Jun 9th, 2021
Read more
An international group of collaborators have discovered a new, temperate sub-Neptune sized exoplanet with a 24-day orbital period orbiting a nearby M dwarf star. The recent discovery offers exciting research opportunities thanks to the planet's substantial atmosphere, small star, and how fast the system is moving away from the Earth.
Jun 9th, 2021
Read more
A research group has revealed more about the lifespan of supermassive black holes. They accidentally caught a bright phase AGN signal from the Arp 187 galaxy with no signal from the nucleus.
Jun 8th, 2021
Read more
Researchers have identified the first eclipsing magnetic propeller in a cataclysmic variable star system.
Jun 7th, 2021
Read more
This is the earliest epoch in the universe for which there is a measurement of the atomic hydrogen content of galaxies. The new result is a crucial confirmation of the group's earlier result, where they had measured the atomic hydrogen content of galaxies 8 billion years ago, and pushes our understanding of galaxies to even earlier in the universe.
Jun 7th, 2021
Read more
Radio telescope images enable a new way to study magnetic fields in galaxy clusters millions of light years away.
Jun 1st, 2021
Read more
New results from the Dark Energy Survey use the largest ever sample of galaxies over an enormous piece of the sky to produce the most precise measurements of the universe's composition and growth to date.
May 27th, 2021
Read more
Threads of superheated gas and magnetic fields are weaving a tapestry of energy at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. A new image of this new cosmic masterpiece was made using a giant mosaic of data.
May 27th, 2021
Read more
Scientists get closer to detecting elusive continuous gravitational waves for the first time: A study finds new insights into these 'humming', slightly 'wobbly' continuous gravitational waves generated from rapidly spinning neutron stars.
May 27th, 2021
Read more
An investigation questions one of the most interesting findings about the dynamics of the Milky Way in recent years: the precession, or the wobble in the axis of rotation of the disc warp is incorrect.
May 25th, 2021
Read more
Simulation model provides first step in developing algorithms to enhance detection methods.
May 25th, 2021
Read more
The first detailed cross-section of a galaxy broadly similar to the Milky Way reveals that our galaxy evolved gradually, instead of being the result of a violent mash-up. The finding throws the origin story of our home into doubt.
May 24th, 2021
Read more
Surprising finding challenges current theories on how galaxies grow.
May 24th, 2021
Read more
As exciting as they are, it is important to treat claims of alien life with a healthy dose of scepticism, and this is indeed what scientists do. No conclusive evidence that extraterrestrial life exists has been found... yet.
May 21st, 2021
Read more