Astronomy
Can A ‘Planet-Like Object’ Start Its Life Blazing As Hot As A Star?
Nature once again shows us how hard it is to fit astronomical objects into categories. An examination of a so-far…
This Robotic Laser System On A Telescope Is Looking At Alien Planets
There's a group of people probing exoplanets with a laser robot, and the results are showing a few surprises. Specifically,…
New Image Captures one of the Brightest Volcanoes Ever Seen in the Solar System
Jupiter’s innermost moon, Io — with over 400 active volcanoes, extensive lava flows and floodplains of liquid rock — is…
Get Set For Super (Duper?) Moon 2 of 3 For 2014
You could be forgiven for thinking this summer that the “supermoon” is now a monthly occurrence. But this coming weekend’s…
Getting to Know Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
We're finally getting to know the icy nucleus behind comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. For all the wonder that comets evoke, we on…
Rosetta Closing in on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko after Decade Long Chase
ESA’s Rosetta Spacecraft nears final approach to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in late July 2014. This collage of imagery from Rosetta combines…
Companion Planet Could Keep Alien Earths Warm In Old Age: Study
People are generally social creatures, and in the case of planets that generally is the case as well. Many of…
Hubble Spots Farthest Lensing Galaxy Yet
Sometimes there’s a chance alignment — faraway in the universe, where objects are separated by unimaginable distances measured in billions of…
Surprise! Classical Novae Produce Gamma Rays
In a classical nova, a white dwarf siphons material off a companion star, building up a layer on its surface…
Numerous Jets Spied with New Sky Survey
Jets — narrow beams of matter spat out at a high speed — typically accompany the most enigmatic astronomical objects.…