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Life beyond certain death: astronomers find a planet that shouldn't be there

Scientists have encountered a planet that appears to have survived its host star expanding outwards to become a red giant. However, the single star, Baekdu, might once have been a binary star system, helping the lucky planet survive.

Jun 28th, 2023

Webb makes first detection of crucial carbon molecule

This molecule, never before seen in space, is believed to be a cornerstone of interstellar organic chemistry.

Jun 26th, 2023

Never-before-seen way to annihilate a star

International Gemini Observatory traces gamma-ray burst to nucleus of ancient galaxy, suggesting stars can undergo demolition-derby-like collisions.

Jun 22nd, 2023

Exoplanet may reveal secrets about the edge of habitability

How close can a rocky planet be to a star, and still sustain water and life? A recently discovered exoplanet may be key to solving that mystery, providing important insights about conditions at the inner edge of a star's habitable zone and why Earth and Venus developed so differently.

Jun 21st, 2023

Observations of high-mass star seeds defy models

Astronomers have mapped 39 interstellar clouds where high-mass stars are expected to form. This large data set shows that the accepted model of low-mass star formation needs to be expanded to explain the formation of high-mass stars.

Jun 20th, 2023

Discovery of white dwarf pulsar sheds light on stellar evolution

The discovery of a rare type of star system provides new insights into the dynamo model's predictions for stellar evolution. The new white dwarf pulsar, an extremely close binary system of a white dwarf star and a red dwarf star that together would fit inside the Sun, is only the second known of its kind.

Jun 15th, 2023

Key building block for life found at Saturn's moon Enceladus

The search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system just got more exciting. A team of scientists has discovered new evidence that the subsurface ocean of Enceladus contains a key building block for life. The team directly detected phosphorus in the form of phosphates originating from the moon's ice-covered global ocean.

Jun 14th, 2023

Weighing a quasar's galaxy with precision

Scientists have managed to weigh - more precisely than any other technique - a galaxy hosting a quasar, thanks to the fact that it acts as a gravitational lens.

Jun 13th, 2023

Using photosynthesis for Martian occupation

Researchers are working on sustainable technology to harvest solar power in space - which could supplement life support systems on the Moon and Mars.

Jun 10th, 2023

Gravitational waves innovation could help unlock cosmic secrets

A groundbreaking development in thin film technology promises to enhance the sensitivity of current and future gravitational wave detectors.

Jun 8th, 2023

Researchers discover chemical evidence for pair-instability supernova from a very massive first star

A new study has identified a chemically peculiar star in the galactic halo as clear evidence of the existence of pair-instability supernovae from very massive first stars in the early Universe.

Jun 7th, 2023

Not your average space explosion: Researchers find classical novae are anything but simple

While studying classical novae using the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), a graduate researcher uncovered evidence the objects may have been erroneously typecast as simple.

Jun 7th, 2023

The laws of physics used to be different, which may explain why you exist

The laws of physics must have been different at the start of the universe than they are now, according to a mind-bending study conducted by astronomers, which provides clues to why stars, planets and life itself managed to form in the universe.

Jun 6th, 2023

One-third of galaxy's most common planets could be in habitable zone

In a new analysis based on the latest telescope data, astronomers have discovered that a third of the planets around the most common stars in the galaxy could be in a goldilocks orbit close enough, and gentle enough, to hold onto liquid water - and possibly harbor life.