Keck Observatory

Astronomers Watch a Star Die and Then Explode as a Supernova

It's another first for astronomy. For the first time, a team of astronomers have imaged in real-time as a red…

3 years ago

From the way These Stars Look, a Supernova is Inevitable

Sometimes loud explosions are easier to deal with when you know they’re coming.  They are also easier to watch out…

3 years ago

Exoplanet Surveys are Leaning Towards the Possibility That our Solar System is… Normal

One of the unspoken caveats of most exoplanet discovery missions is that they only operate for a few years.  Such…

4 years ago

One of the Oldest Stars in the Galaxy has a Planet. Rocky Planets Were Forming at Nearly the Beginning of the Universe

Would it be surprising to find a rocky planet that dates back to the very early Universe? It should be.…

4 years ago

Astronomers Are Sure These Are Two Newborn Planets Orbiting a Distant Star

Planet formation is a notoriously difficult thing to observe. Nascent planets are ensconced inside dusty wombs that resist our best…

5 years ago

Astronomers Find a Planet With Three Times the Mass of Jupiter

Jupiter is the Boss. Well, in terms of planets in our Solar System it is. It's played a huge role…

5 years ago

Milky Way’s Black Hole Just Flared, Growing 75 Times as Bright for a Few Hours

Even though the black hole at the center of the Milky Way is a monster, it's still rather quiet. Called…

5 years ago

Astronomers Detect Water in the Atmosphere of a Planet 179 Light-Years Away

Gathering detailed information on exoplanets is extremely difficult. The light from their host star overwhelms the light from the exoplanet,…

6 years ago

Vortex Coronagraph A Game Changer For Seeing Close In Exoplanets

A new instrument installed on the Keck Observatory allows astronomers to see exoplanets that are very close to their stars.

8 years ago

Eris’ Moon Dysnomia

Ask a person what Dysnomia refers to, and they might venture that it's a medical condition. In truth, they would…

9 years ago