milky way
Astronomers Estimate There Are 6 Billion Earth-Like Planets in the Milky Way
Six billion Earth-like planets in the Milky Way? If true, that's astounding. But the number needs some context. The Milky…
There are powerful magnetic fields at the core of the Milky Way, driven by the supermassive black hole
The center of the Milky Way is home to a giant black hole, but new research suggests that it isn't…
The Milky Way is surrounded by a huge hot halo of gas
Our Milky Way galaxy isn't just a disk of stars and nebulae - it's surrounded by a cloud of hot,…
Astronomers Find the Source of the Huge Bubbles of Gas Flowing Out of the Milky Way, Still No Idea What Caused Them
There's an unusual paradox hampering research into parts of the Milky Way. Dense gas blocks observations of the galactic core,…
About 3.5 Million Years Ago, a Stream of Gas Outside the Milky Way Would Have Lit Up the Night Sky
It's a truism to point out that modern humans have only been around for the blink of an eye, relative…
The Solar System Might Not Exist if There Wasn’t a Huge Galactic Collision with the Milky Way Billions of Years Ago
The Milky Way has a number of satellite galaxies; nearly 60 of them, depedending on how we define them. One…
Decaying Dark Matter Should be Visible Here in the Milky Way as a Halo Around the Galaxy
Astronomers are very sure that dark matter exists, but they're not sure at all what it's made of. The problem…
Dark Matter Could Be A Source of Gamma Rays Coming from the Center of the Milky Way
There's a lot of mysterious goings-on at the center of the Milky Way. The supermassive black hole that resides there…
This Astrophotographer Makes the World Turn and the Sky Stand Still
Photographer Eric Brummel has created a stunning time-lapse of the Milky Way. Time-lapses of the Milky Way are not rare,…
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…