Astronomers have finally decoded the mystery of the "Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient"
Sandeep K S
Dec 16, 2025
1 min read
These brief, powerful flashes of blue and UV light, too intense to be supernovae, occur when an intermediate-mass black hole violently consumes a massive star. This process creates a dramatic tidal disruption event, ejecting powerful jets at 40% the speed of light and leaving a trail of radio wave emissions.
We thought Betelgeuse was dying alone. New evidence reveals a secret partner, "Siwarha," pushing the red giant toward its explosive fate.
Betelgeuse has been acting strange—dimming, brightening, and pulsing. While some of this is due to aging, a 6-year cycle stood out.
For 25 years, the ISS has been a factory for the impossible. From cancer research to space farming, discover how microgravity is changing life on Earth.
The Challenge: To design drugs for diseases like cancer or Alzheimer's, scientists need to see the exact shape of the proteins involved. On Earth, gravity crushes these proteins as they grow, creating small, messy crystals.
From the longest jet ever seen to the magnetic heart of a white dwarf, new images reveal the violent and beautiful mechanics of star formation and death.
The Discovery: Hubble has imaged HH 80/81, a pair of glowing shockwaves created by a jet of gas blasting across space.
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