Astronomy
What Fuels The Engine Of A Supermassive Black Hole?
If you could get a good look at the environment around a supermassive black hole -- which is a black…
How to See Planet Mercury at its Best in 2014
There’s an often told anecdote that astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus never spied Mercury. And while this tale is almost certainly apocryphal,…
How to Not Die While Stargazing in the Cold
Bitter cold lies ahead for many skywatchers in the U.S. and Canada in the coming week as the polar vortex…
Cloudy Weather Led To ‘Fluke’ M82 Supernova Discovery
In a rare example of cloudy weather helping astronomy rather than hurting it, the team that found M82's new supernova…
Lovejoy and X1 LINEAR: How to See Comets That Will Warm Up Your Mid-Winter Mornings
My hands are still cold from the experience, but there's no denying the pleasure I felt at seeing C/2013 R1…
Double Vision! These ‘Twin’ Quasars Are Actually The Same Thing
Optical illusions are awesome. In the center of this image are what appear to be two quasars (or galaxies with…
‘Cosmic Flashlight’ Makes Gas Glow Like A Fluorescent Light Bulb
Funny how a single quasar can illuminate -- literally and figuratively -- some of the mysteries of the universe. From…
After A Long Nap, NEOWISE Springs Into Action With Asteroid Discoveries
If anything, NASA's asteroid-hunting spacecraft seems to be refreshed after going into forced hibernation for 2.5 years. In the first…
Nearby Brown Dwarf Captured in a Direct Image
A recent find announced by astronomers may go a long ways towards understanding a crucial “missing link” between planets and…
Black Hole Steals Gas From Trillions Of Stars
Got gas? The black hole in galaxy cluster RX J1532.9+3021 is keeping it all for itself and stopping trillions of stars…