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Astronomy

Super Heavy Star Found

Scientists find the heaviest neutron star known to man - and it's helping us understand when black holes form.

Back to the Moon: Challenges Facing the 2024 Return

50 years after the Apollo 11 landing, the US is planning on returning to the moon. While such a mission could answer new scientific questions about the history of our corner of the universe and help test new technology, lack of federal support and…

Signs of Life: Searching for Plants on Other Planets

If you travel into deep space and look back at Earth through a sophisticated telescope, you could measure what’s called the vegetation red edge (VRE). The vegetation red edge is a mixture of red and infrared light that is reflected by plants on Earth’s…

It's a planet! Scientists find newborn planet for the first time

After a new star is born, the surrounding gas and dust flattens out into a rotating disk. Some of that matter will condense, eventually forming the planets that circle the star. Unfortunately, it is challenging to watch the formation of a new planet.…

Saying goodbye to our first interstellar visitor

No, I don’t mean Matthew McConaughey. A few weeks ago, our first interstellar visitor flew nearby Earth and now is on its way back out of our solar system. While these types of extra-solar system objects have long been expected to exist as a bi-product…

Radio Waves from Outer Space Continue to Baffle Astronomers

The Parkes Telescope in Australia has detected a large percentage of all observed FRBs. [‘radio telescope’ from University of Bath] Something in outer space is shouting at us, but astronomers are still trying to figure out the source of this…

TRAPPIST-1 and Earth’s distant cousins

The recent discovery of Earth-like planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system has been a major headline for the past few weeks. A team led by Michael Gillon found three planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system in 2016, and recently reported at least 4 more which may…