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Astronomers spot an extremely rare galaxy mega-merger

Scale in the universe is hard to understand from a purely human perspective. Many times, the math just doesn’t sit well with our brains, which evolved to capture and process data about the world around us rather than grok the complexities of stellar dynamics and galaxy mergers. But every once in a while, astronomers find […]

Discrepancies in AI lunar crater catalogs discovered

A new Southwest Research Institute-led study compared eight AI-generated lunar crater catalogs, discovering that many of their published performance metrics drop sharply when the databases are evaluated using the same scientific standards humans are held to. Crater catalogs provide a comprehensive record of impact craters on planetary surfaces. They log the precise location, dimensions and […]

Japan releases snowman-like asteroid image after flyby

Rare images taken by a Japanese space probe during a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid have revealed that the space rock resembled a snowman, scientists said Monday.

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Astronomers characterize ‘improbable’ system shaped by brown dwarf

In the course of studying planets beyond our solar system (6,316 confirmed exoplanets and counting), scientists have discovered some very interesting systems. Consider TOI-201, a compact system populated by three bodies, including a brown dwarf, orbiting on the same plane. The system was recently observed by an international team led by the European Southern Observatory […]

Webb uncovers dust-shrouded heart of Centaurus A after galaxy clash 2 billion years ago

In new images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to celebrate its fourth science anniversary, a familiar galaxy transforms into something far richer and far more complex than ever seen before. Webb’s unprecedented sensitivity across near- and mid-infrared wavelengths cuts through the thick lanes of dust that obscure Centaurus A’s center in visible light, showing […]

A last dance before death: Binary stars and the origins of interacting supernovae

When massive stars die, they unleash some of the most powerful explosions in the universe. Yet not all supernovae are created equal. Some continue to shine brightly for months or even years as their expanding debris crashes into dense clouds of gas surrounding the star. These spectacular events, known as interacting supernovae, have puzzled astronomers […]

Older than the sun: Astronomers find new clues to the origin of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS

Astronomers have used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) to study the composition of 3I/ATLAS, the brightest interstellar object ever seen, in detail. By measuring specific chemical fingerprints—the first observations of this kind for a comet that formed outside the solar system—they found that 3I/ATLAS likely originated in the outskirts of an […]

China’s space probe reaches asteroid after 1-billion-kilometer chase for first sample return

China’s Tianwen-2 space probe, which is set to bring back samples from an asteroid for research, has reached its target after traveling 1 billion kilometers (620 million miles) over more than a year, the Chinese space agency said Monday.

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Euclid discovers the most ancient quasars in the universe

The European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope has discovered 31 of the most ancient quasars ever found. Two of these giant and dazzling galaxy cores, powered by gargantuan black holes, are the earliest quasars yet observed in cosmic history. They shone with the light of a trillion suns when the universe was 670 million years […]

An island of calm at the violent heart of the galaxy

Where would you go to watch a star being born? Probably not the heart of the Milky Way, which is about the most violent neighborhood our galaxy has to offer, a maelstrom of gas churning so fast and so chaotically that you would think nothing could ever settle there long enough to collapse into a […]

Deuterium in comets tells interesting tales

Comets have played an interesting role in the history of astronomy. Since antiquity, many cultures saw them as omens or spirits, portending good or bad news for kings, queens and emperors. Over the past few hundred years, however, astronomers have studied them intently to understand the science behind these visitors to the inner solar system. […]

Mars express captures dozens of dust devils in Mars valley

Dust devils are a regular feature on Mars. Just like those found on Earth, these mini whirlwinds form when parts of Mars are warmed by the sun, causing air above the surface to swirl upward and carry dust with it. But in Mars’ lower gravity (38% that of Earth), these devils grow much larger, reaching […]

A nearby black hole as a window into the early universe

An international team led by Stefanie Komossa from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn has studied a galaxy that has been shining exceptionally brightly in the radio regime for more than eight years. Although it is only 1.8 billion light-years away from us, the central black hole in the galaxy exhibits […]

Japan space probe skims asteroid in test for planetary defense

A Japanese space probe performed a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid on Sunday in a test mission for technology that could help protect the planet from space rocks.

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Astronomers find biggest super-puff planets yet that are lighter than cotton candy

Astronomers have uncovered a pair of giant planets that are lighter than cotton candy—super-puffs the size of Jupiter.

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