Shannon Hall
Mapping Dark Matter 4.5 Billion Light-years Away
The Milky Way measures 100 to 120 thousand light-years across, a distance that defies imagination. But clusters of galaxies, which…
ESO’s La Silla Observatory Reveals Beautiful Star Cluster “Laboratory”
Any human being knows the awe-inspiring wonder of a splash of stars against a dark backdrop. But it takes a…
First Exoplanet Discovered Beyond the “Snow Line”
Data from NASA’s crippled Kepler space telescope has unleashed a windfall of hot Jupiters — sizzling gas giants that circle…
Distant Stellar Atmospheres Shed Light on How Jupiter-like Planets Form
It’s likely that Jupiter-like planets’ origins root back to either the rapid collapse of a dense cloud or small rocky…
New VLT Observations Clear Up Dusty Mystery
The Universe is overflowing with cosmic dust. Planets form in swirling clouds of dust around a young star; Dust lanes…
‘Gyrochronology’ Allows Astronomers to Find True Sun-like Stars
There’s no doubt the term “Earth-like” is a bit of a misnomer. It requires only that a planet is both…
NameExoWorlds, an IAU Worldwide Contest to Name Alien Planets, Continues Controversy
The International Astronomical Union has unveiled a worldwide contest, NameExoWorlds, which gives the public a role in naming planets and…
Supermassive Black Hole Blasting Molecular Hydrogen Solves Outstanding Mystery
The supermassive black holes in the cores of most massive galaxies wreak havoc on their immediate surroundings. During their most…
Missing Light Crisis: The Universe Seems a Little Too Dark
There are few moments more breathtaking than standing beneath a brilliant starry sky. Thousands of small specks of light mark…
A Protostar’s Age Gleaned Only From Sound Waves
Precisely dating a star can have important consequences for understanding stellar evolution and any circling exoplanets. But it’s one of…