Numerous bow shocks in the outer Helix Nebula
The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) is one of the closest and brightest planetary nebulae, and therefore a benchmark…
Andromeda’s star formation has been slowing down for 500 million years
Andromeda has been forming fewer stars for about 500 million years, with an especially sharp drop recently.Most of…
Astronomers discover four nearby white dwarfs hiding in plain sight
Four white dwarfs have been sitting next door in astronomical terms, yet brighter stellar companions kept them out…
Periodic radio and X-ray emission from an accreting white dwarf binary
Hotan, A. W. et al. Australian square kilometre array pathfinder: I. System description. Publ. Astron. Soc. Aust. 38,…
The biggest black holes grow by crashing into each other over and over again
Some of the biggest black holes ever picked up through gravitational waves may not have formed in a…
Gravitational-wave constraints on the pair-instability mass gap and nuclear burning in massive stars
Gravitational-wave observations of binary black holes have opened a new window onto massive-star evolution1,2,3,4,5, but population inferences remain…
New images reveal an early-stage stellar eruption (nova) in stunning detail
A classical nova may look simple at first. A faint star brightens, sometimes enough for you to spot…
This star orbiting a black hole has a composition that surprises scientists
Many stars are present in the universe, and they also have various characteristics. But recently, astronomers have studied…
Betelgeuse’s Newfound Companion Star Keeps Breaking Astronomy Rules
A couple months back, astronomers officially confirmed the existence of “Betelbuddy,” Betelgeuse’s long-suspected companion star. Since then, researchers…
Astronomers Stunned by Strange Supernova Stripped to Its Core
An illustration of the ‘extremely stripped’ supernova 2021yfj. Credit: Keck Observatory / Adam Makarenko A companion star may…
“Like Nothing Anyone Has Ever Seen Before” – Bizarre Supernova Stuns Scientists
For the first time, astronomers have seen the inner layers of a star revealed in its final moments.…
Could Alien Worlds Thrive Around Dead Stars?
White dwarf stars, like this one shown shrouded by a planetary nebula, are much smaller than stars like…