Astronomy
The Great Red Spot Probably Formed in the Early 1800s
Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) is one of the Solar System's defining features. It's a massive storm that astronomers have…
Almost a Third of Early Galaxies Were Already Spirals
In the years before the JWST's launch, astronomers' efforts to understand the early Universe were stymied by a stubborn obstacle:…
New Simulation Explains how Supermassive Black Holes Grew so Quickly
One of the main scientific objectives of next-generation observatories (like the James Webb Space Telescope) has been to observe the…
Webb is an Amazing Supernova Hunter
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has just increased the number of known distant supernovae by tenfold. This rapid expansion…
Catching Comet 13P Olbers This Summer
A little known periodic comet graces northern hemisphere summer skies.
Astronomers Find the Slowest-Spinning Neutron Star Ever
Most neutron stars spin rapidly, completing a rotation in seconds or even a fraction of a second. But astronomers have…
The Nearby Star Clusters Come from Only Three Places
Many astronomy-interested people know of the Hyades and the Pleiades. They're star clusters in the Taurus constellation. They're two out…
A New Way to Search for the First Stars in the Universe
Observing the earliest stars is one of the holy Grails of astronomy. Now, a team at the University of Hong…
Instead of Losing its Atmosphere, an Exoplanet Puffed Up and Held Onto it
To date, astronomers have confirmed the existence of 5638 extrasolar planets in 4,199 star systems. In the process, scientists have…
Carbon is Surprisingly Abundant in an Early Galaxy
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has once again found evidence that the early universe was a far more complex…