Gaia
Main Sequence and White Dwarf Binaries are Hiding in Plain Sight
Some binary stars are unusual. They contain a main sequence star like our Sun, while the other is a "dead"…
Giant Cluster is Spitting Out Massive Stars
We live inside the Milky Way galaxy which is joined as it drifts through space by two satellite galaxies, the…
Building a Worldwide Map of Light Pollution
As someone that has always lived in the UK countryside I am no stranger to the glory of a dark…
Astronomers Use Artificial Intelligence To Find Elusive Stars “Gobbling Up” Planets
We recently reported on how the mountains of data produced by astronomical instruments are "perfect for AI." We've also started…
Mapping the Milky Way’s Dark Matter Halo
Anytime astronomers talk of mapping the Milky Way I am always reminded how tricky the study of the Universe can…
There’s Another, More Boring Explanation for those Dyson Sphere Candidate Stars
Dyson Spheres have been a tantalising digression in the hunt for alien intelligence. Just recently seven stars have been identified…
Does the Milky Way Have Too Many Satellite Galaxies?
The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are well known satellite galaxies of the Milky Way but there are more. It…
Astronomers are on the Hunt for Dyson Spheres
There's something poetic about humanity's attempt to detect other civilizations somewhere in the Milky Way's expanse. There's also something futile…
One in Twelve Stars Ate a Planet
That stars can eat planets is axiomatic. If a small enough planet gets too close to a large enough star,…
This New Map of 1.3 Million Quasars Is A Powerful Tool
Quasars are the brightest objects in the Universe. The most powerful ones are thousands of times more luminous than entire…