stellar evolution
Is Betelgeuse Actually a Binary Star?
Betel-gurz or Beetle-juice has been a favourite among amateur astronomers for many years. However you pronounce it, its unexpected dimming…
Merging Galaxies Make for Explosive Star Formation
The Gemini Observatory has unveiled a striking new image that shows star formation within the irregular galaxy NGC 4449. This…
White Dwarfs are Often Polluted With Heavier Elements. Now We Know Why
When stars exhaust their hydrogen fuel at the end of their main sequence phase, they undergo core collapse and shed…
Baby Stars Discharge “Sneezes” of Gas and Dust
I’m really not sure what to call it but a ‘dusty sneeze’ is probably as good as anything. We have…
What Happens to Solar Systems When Stars Become White Dwarfs?
In a couple billion years, our Sun will be unrecognizable. It will swell up and become a red giant, then…
It Takes a Supercomputer to Properly Simulate a Neutron Star’s Surface
Neutron stars, the remains of massive stars that have imploded and gone supernova at the end of their life, can…
Neutron Stars are Jetting Material Away at 40% the Speed of Light
It’s a well known fact that black holes absorb anything that falls into them. Often before material ‘vanishes’ inside it…
Black Holes are Tearing Stars Apart All Around Us
Galaxy NGC3799 lies around 16 million light years from Earth. Any event observed today within that galaxy took place 16…
Webb Sees a System That Just Finished Forming its Planets
When a young star begins forming, it's spinning rapidly, surrounded by a flattened disk that grows its future planets. Once…
Dying Stars Could Have Completely New Habitable Zones
Aging stars that become red giants increase their luminosity and can wreak havoc on planets that were once in the…