stars
A Second Generation of Planets can Form Around a Dying Star
When young stars coalesce out of a cloud of molecular hydrogen, a disk of leftover material called a protoplanetary disk…
Latest Hubble Image Shows the Star-Forming Chamaeleon Cloud
Stars form inside vast collections of molecular hydrogen called molecular clouds, sometimes called stellar nurseries or star forming regions. Instabilities…
These Newly-Discovered Planets are Doomed
Astronomers have spied three more exoplanets. But the discovery might not last long. Each planet is in a separate solar…
Giant Stars and the Ultimate Fate of the Sun
Astronomers have a new tool to help them understand giant stars. It's a detailed study of the precise temperatures and…
New Hubble Image Shows Dark Cocoons Where New Stars are Forming
Star formation is a complex process. But in simple terms, a star forms due to clumps and instabilities in a…
Older Stars Rotate Faster Than Expected
Older stars should slow down, but new observations reveal that they have just as much of a spring in their…
Why do Planetary Nebulae Look the Way They Do?
Planetary nebulae are the most beautiful objects in the night sky. Their gossamer shells of gas are otherworldly and evocative.…
The Spherical Structure at the Core of the Milky Way Formed in a Single Burst of Star Formation
Like other spiral galaxies, the Milky Way has a bulging sphere of stars in its center. It's called "The Bulge,"…
Just How Bad are Superflares to a Planet’s Habitability?
Star's can be full of surprises; some of them nasty. While our own Sun appears pretty placid, science has shown…
If dark matter is a particle, it should get inside red giant stars and change the way they behave
Dark matter makes up the vast majority of matter in the universe, but we can't see it. At least, not…