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ALMA has dissected the "GoHam" system, revealing the ingredients for a new solar system.
It looks like a burger, but it's actually a giant planet factory. ALMA has dissected the "GoHam" system, revealing the ingredients for a new solar system.
We see GoHam "edge-on," which gives us a perfect cross-section view.
The Patty (Dust): Heavy millimeter-sized dust grains settle in the middle (the midplane).
Jan 71 min read


A black hole has shredded a massive star, releasing 400 billion times the energy of the Sun
A black hole has shredded a massive star, releasing 400 billion times the energy of the Sun in a rare "Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient" (LFBOT).
Astronomers call it AT2024wpp. We call it "The Whippet."
It wasn't a standard orbit. A massive companion star wandered too close to a black hole. The gravity didn't just swallow the star; it shredded it.
Jan 71 min read


We look for life around Sun-like stars, but "K Dwarfs" might be the true havens of the galaxy
We look for life around Sun-like stars, but "K Dwarfs" might be the true havens of the galaxy. A new comprehensive survey maps our best cosmic neighbors.
When hunting for life, astronomers classify stars by size and temperature.
G-Dwarfs (Like our Sun): Great, but they burn out relatively quickly (10 billion years) and are somewhat rare.
Jan 71 min read


New data reveals early galaxies grew up shockingly fast
"It's like seeing 2-year-old children act like teenagers." New data reveals early galaxies grew up shockingly fast.
When the universe was just 1 billion years old (a toddler in cosmic terms), galaxies were expected to be messy blobs of hydrogen and helium.
Jan 71 min read


Scientists using JWST have found a cosmic mishmash that breaks the rules of the early universe
It looks like a star. It acts like a galaxy. Scientists using JWST have found a cosmic mishmash that breaks the rules of the early universe.
When researchers at Mizzou analyzed deep-space images from JWST, they found something baffling.
The Look: Visually, these objects are "point-like." They look exactly like stars or quasars (bright active black holes).
Jan 71 min read


Europa: A new study suggests it might be a cold, dead world of silence.
Scientists have long hoped Europa's ocean floor is bustling with volcanic vents sustaining alien life. A new study suggests it might be a cold, dead world of silence.
To understand Europa, we must look at its neighbor, Io. Io is tortured by Jupiter's gravity, which kneads the moon like dough, melting its rock and creating massive volcanoes.
Jan 71 min read


Is it an alien probe or just a rock? The Green Bank Telescope listened closer than ever before
Is it an alien probe or just a rock? The Green Bank Telescope listened closer than ever before. Here is what they found.
First discovered in July 2025, 3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object (ISO) ever seen entering our solar system, following 'Oumuamua and Borisov.
While it looks like a comet (it has a tail/coma), its interstellar origin sparked wild rumors: Could it be an alien probe?
Dec 31, 20251 min read


Astronomers are ringing in the new era of astrophysics with a galaxy cluster that looks like a celebration.
Astronomers are ringing in the new era of astrophysics with a galaxy cluster that looks like a celebration. But beneath the bubbles lies a violent history of collision.
Officially named RM J130558.9+263048.4, this cluster earned its festive nickname for two reasons: it was discovered on New Year's Eve, and it bears a striking resemblance to a glass of sparkling wine.
Dec 31, 20251 min read


A new study suggests a rare cometary orbit matches the biblical description perfectly
For 2,000 years, the "Star" that stopped in the sky has baffled astronomers. A new study suggests a rare cometary orbit matches the biblical description perfectly.
The Gospel of Matthew describes the star as moving before the Magi and then "standing over" the place where the child was.
The Problem: Stars don't stop. Due to Earth's rotation, everything in the sky rises in the East and sets in the West constantly. To an observer, a "stopping" star sounds like a miracle or a m
Dec 31, 20251 min read


NGC 1266 is slowly dying. ALMA has revealed a massive fountain of molecular gas being pushed out of the galaxy
NGC 1266 is slowly dying. ALMA has revealed a massive fountain of molecular gas being pushed out of the galaxy, robbing it of the fuel needed to make new stars.
The Target: NGC 1266, a lenticular galaxy 97.5 million light-years away. In visible light, it looks calm.
The ALMA View: By looking at radio frequencies (Band 3, 6, 7), astronomers found a violent outflow driven by the galaxy's Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN).
Dec 31, 20251 min read


JWST found a super-Earth shrouded in a thick, volatile atmosphere, defying the laws of planetary survival
It should be a dead rock. Instead, JWST found a super-Earth shrouded in a thick, volatile atmosphere, defying the laws of planetary survival.
The Expectation: TOI-561 b orbits its star every 10 hours. It is bombarded with radiation. A bare rock should bake at 2,700°C on the dayside.
The Observation: JWST's infrared sensors measured a "cool" 1,800°C.
Dec 31, 20251 min read


Two leading X-ray telescopes have captured a black hole doing something unprecedented
Two leading X-ray telescopes have captured a black hole doing something unprecedented: whipping up a wind at 20% the speed of light in a single day.
The black hole in NGC 3783 is 30 million times the mass of our Sun. It is surrounded by a swirling disk of superheated matter.
Dec 31, 20251 min read
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