Shannon Hall
Chandra Image May Rival July 4th Fireworks
While Fourth of July festivities tonight may bring brilliant colors blazing across the night sky, only 23 million light-years away…
Superluminous Supernova Puzzles Astronomers
Supernovae are surprisingly dependable. These brilliant and powerful explosions that mark the end of massive stars’ lives tend to shine…
Three Supermassive Black Holes Tango in a Distant Galaxy, Marking a Huge Discovery
In a galaxy four billion light-years away, three supermassive black holes are locked in a whirling embrace. It’s the tightest…
Titan’s Atmosphere May be Older than Saturn, a New Study Suggests
It’s well accepted that moons form after planets. In fact, only a few months ago, astronomers spotted a new moon…
An Earth-size Diamond in the Sky: The Coolest Known White Dwarf Detected
We live in a vast, dark Universe, which makes the smallest and coolest objects extremely difficult to detect, save for…
A New Mantra: Follow the Methane — May Advance Search for Extraterrestrial Life
The search for life is largely limited to the search for water. We look for exoplanets at the correct distances…
Powerful Starbursts in Dwarf Galaxies Helped Shape the Early Universe, a New Study Suggests
Massive galaxies in the early Universe formed stars at a much faster clip than they do today — creating the…
“Carbon Copy” Spacecraft Ready to Track Global Carbon Dioxide
On February 24, 2009, the launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) mission — designed to study the global fate…
ALMA Sheds New Light on ‘Dark’ Gamma-ray Bursts
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) represent the most powerful explosions in the cosmos, sending out as much energy in a matter of…
First Precise Measurement of Antihydrogen
The best science — the questions that capture and compel any human being — is enshrouded in mystery. Here’s an…