Metal scar found on world-destroying star after its reign of terror

In a few billion years the Sun will destroy the solar system’s inner planets – and if it’s lucky it might get a big cool scar to brag about. That’s what happened to a white dwarf that astronomers have just found, which seems to have a bizarre metal sca… Continue reading Metal scar found on world-destroying star after its reign of terror

Brightest object in the universe swallows a Sun every day

You’d assume that the brightest object in the known universe would be a pretty easy thing to discover, but astronomers have only just spotted it. This overlooked show-off is a supermassive black hole with the mass of 17 billion Suns, and counting – it … Continue reading Brightest object in the universe swallows a Sun every day

The Year in Space 2023

2023 turned out to be a busy year in space and the general vicinity. New Atlas looks back at everything from rocket launches and cosmic tsunamis to asteroid samples and the latest astronaut fashions.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: best-of… Continue reading The Year in Space 2023

Disaster averted! Rogue star will not collide with us in 29,000 years

You can breathe easy and take the sticky tape off the windows because the solar system won’t be hit by the rogue white dwarf WD 0810-353 in 29,000 years. ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) shows that early calculations were a bit off.Continue ReadingCate… Continue reading Disaster averted! Rogue star will not collide with us in 29,000 years

Astronomers discover new type of star that could unlock cosmic mystery

Astronomers have discovered a new type of star, and it appears to be a major clue in solving a long-standing cosmic mystery. This massive helium star has an ultra-strong magnetic field, meaning it could be the preliminary stage of a magnetar – a dense … Continue reading Astronomers discover new type of star that could unlock cosmic mystery

New trio of telescopes scans the southern sky for gravitational waves

The new BlackGEM telescopic array at the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO’s) La Silla Observatory in Chile has officially begun scanning the southern skies, searching for the sources of gravitational waves.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTa… Continue reading New trio of telescopes scans the southern sky for gravitational waves

EHT scientists reveal first image of black hole at the center of our galaxy

Astronomers from the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration have today revealed the first image of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, produced using a network of radio telescopes around the world.Continue ReadingCategory:… Continue reading EHT scientists reveal first image of black hole at the center of our galaxy

Tiny new planet discovered around Sun’s nearest neighbor

Astronomers may have detected a new exoplanet around Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our solar system. This tiny new world is one of the lightest ever discovered, which is even more impressive given the technique the team used to find it.Continue… Continue reading Tiny new planet discovered around Sun’s nearest neighbor

Closest pair of supermassive black holes headed for monster merger

Astronomers have discovered the closest pair of supermassive black holes yet known – and that record has two meanings. Not only are they the closest pair to Earth, but they’re the closest to each other as well, barreling towards each other for an event… Continue reading Closest pair of supermassive black holes headed for monster merger