Stars and Stellar Evolution
28 reportsEvidence from main sequence is checked against stellar mass and white dwarf. The discussion considers how stars form and how stellar ages are estimated, comparing competing models without treating agreement as proof of mechanism.
NASA's PUNCH Mission Narrows Solar Storm Arrival Forecasts
NASA's PUNCH mission has enabled scientists to predict the arrival of a solar eruption near Earth with a margin of just 30 minutes, using continuous 3D imaging of coronal mass ejections as they travel through the inner solar system
Radio Surveys Reveal Millions More Milky Way Stars Searched for SETI
A new analysis using the Besançon Galactic Model suggests that radio telescopes have surveyed over 6 million stars for extraterrestrial signals, far exceeding previous estimates based on star catalogues
Astronomers Link Two Supernova Remnants to a Single Binary Star System
A faint supernova remnant near the Jellyfish Nebula has been identified as the likely companion explosion from a binary star system, based on 16 years of gamma-ray data and multiwavelength observations
NASA's Swift Boost Mission Faces Setback After Spacecraft Malfunction
NASA's Swift Boost mission, launched to extend the life of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, has encountered a critical control issue with its LINK spacecraft, raising uncertainty about the planned orbital rescue operation
July's Buck Moon Aligns with Venus, Saturn, Mars, and Mercury
The full Buck Moon rises on July 29, accompanied by a rare alignment of Venus, Saturn, Mars, and Mercury. Observers can witness this planetary parade with the naked eye or optical instruments as twilight fades
Milky Way Disk May Have Flipped, Altering Solar System's Orbit
Supercomputer simulations suggest the Milky Way's spiral disk may have rotated by 90 degrees in the distant past, potentially changing the solar system's path and explaining the galaxy's unusually slow stellar halo rotation
NASA Prepares Roman Space Telescope for 2026 Launch to L2 Orbit
NASA has fueled the Roman Space Telescope, a next-generation infrared observatory scheduled for launch in August 2026, aiming to collect hundreds of terabytes of cosmic data annually and expand studies of dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets
VLT Reveals Strongest Evidence Yet for Betelgeuse's Companion Star
Astronomers using the Very Large Telescope have obtained the clearest direct image to date of a faint companion star near Betelgeuse, advancing a century-long search for evidence that the red supergiant is part of a binary system
NASA Prepares High-Altitude Observations for August 2026 Solar Eclipse
NASA-funded teams will use a high-altitude jet and scientific balloons to study the Sun's corona and atmospheric changes during the total solar eclipse crossing Greenland, Iceland, and Spain on August 12, 2026
What a Parsec Really Measures in Astronomy and Why It Matters
Astronomers use the parsec to measure vast cosmic distances, relying on precise observations of stellar parallax to determine how far away stars are from Earth. The unit is central to mapping the Milky Way and beyond
Hubble Reveals High-Speed Gas Bullets from Rare Helium Nova in Milky Way
Astronomers using Hubble and other observatories have observed V445 Puppis, the Milky Way's only known helium nova, ejecting dense gas clumps at speeds up to 32 million kilometers per hour
Sun's Silver Shortfall Explained by Advanced Atomic Modeling
Researchers using high-fidelity atomic simulations have found that the sun contains significantly more silver than previous spectral measurements suggested, resolving a longstanding discrepancy between solar and meteorite compositions
NASA Assigns SunRISE Mission to SpaceX Falcon Heavy After Vulcan Issues
NASA's SunRISE mission, designed to study solar radio bursts, will now launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy after technical concerns paused United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur flights
Webb Telescope Links 'Little Red Dots' to Ancient Star Clusters
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have traced mysterious 'Little Red Dots' in the early universe to the possible origins of globular clusters, offering new clues about how these dense stellar systems formed
Possible Exomoon Candidate Challenges Definitions in Distant Star System
Astronomers using the Very Large Telescope have detected a moon-like object orbiting a brown dwarf in the CD-35 2722 system, raising questions about how to classify such bodies beyond our solar system
Giant Exosatellite Discovery Redefines Boundaries of Planetary Systems
Astronomers have identified a Jupiter-sized exosatellite orbiting a brown dwarf, itself in orbit around the star CD-35 2722. The finding, made using high-resolution spectroscopy, challenges current definitions of moons and planets.
Webb Telescope Reveals How Early Galaxies Produced Cosmic Dust
Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to study a nearby dwarf galaxy, uncovering how ancient galaxies enriched the early universe with stardust essential for star and galaxy formation
Possible Twin Supernova Remnants Identified in the Jellyfish Nebula
Astronomers analyzing data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and other observatories have found evidence suggesting both stars in a binary system exploded as supernovae, leaving overlapping remnants in the IC 443 region
How Perseid Meteors Trace a Journey from Comet to Night Sky
The Perseid meteor shower offers a glimpse into the solar system's ancient debris, as fragments from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle enter Earth's atmosphere and produce visible streaks of light each August
Webb data links early red dots to UV-bright companions and black hole seeds
A new analysis of James Webb Space Telescope images suggests that compact 'little red dots' in the early universe may form near ultraviolet-bright companions, offering a possible route to the rapid birth of supermassive black holes
How the Heliosphere Shields the Solar System from Interstellar Space
Researchers are mapping the heliosphere, the vast bubble created by the solar wind that surrounds the Sun and planets, to understand how it protects the solar system from cosmic radiation and shapes planetary environments
Dark Energy Camera Reveals Star Formation in Corona Australis Cloud
The Dark Energy Camera has imaged the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud, capturing intricate details of a nearby star-forming region and highlighting the interplay of gas, dust, and young stars in one of the closest stellar nurseries to Earth
Atmosphere Detected on Rocky Exoplanet in Habitable Zone
Astronomers have directly detected helium in the atmosphere of LHS 1140 b, a rocky exoplanet orbiting within its star's habitable zone, using infrared spectroscopy. The finding raises new questions about atmospheric survival and planetary habitability.
Webb Telescope Detects Hidden Giant Planet in Beta Pictoris System
Astronomers have identified a third giant exoplanet in the Beta Pictoris system using the James Webb Space Telescope's spectroscopic capabilities, revealing a world previously concealed by the system's bright debris disk
Metasurface Grating Demonstrates Compact Solar Magnetic Field Mapping
A polarization-sensitive metasurface grating has matched conventional instruments in mapping solar magnetic fields, offering a route to smaller, simpler, and potentially more robust hardware for future space-based solar telescopes
NASA's IXPE Maps Magnetic Field of Unusual Pulsar in Milky Way
Astronomers have used NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer to directly map the magnetic field around the pulsar PSR J1101-6101, revealing how high-energy particles stream through the Milky Way and testing long-standing theoretical predictions
Total Solar Eclipse and Perseid Meteor Shower Align on 12 August 2026
On 12 August 2026, a total solar eclipse will cross parts of Greenland, Iceland, and Spain, coinciding with the Perseid meteor shower and a prominent Venus. Observers in North America and Europe will experience rare overlapping astronomical events
Hidden White Dwarfs Detected Near Earth in Red Dwarf Binaries
Astronomers have identified four white dwarfs concealed by red dwarf companions within 65 light-years, using ultraviolet observations from the Hubble Space Telescope to reveal these elusive stellar remnants