Astronomers were surprised in 1937 when a star in a binary pair suddenly brightened by 1,000 times. The pair is called FU Orionis (FU Ori), and it’s in the constellation Orion. The sudden and extreme variability of one of the stars has resisted a complete explanation, and since then, FU Orionis has become the name for other stars that exhibit similar powerful variability.
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Huge, solar flare-launching sunspot has rotated away from Earth. But will it return?
The behemoth sunspot AR3664 has finally rotated out of Earth's view, firing off two more big solar storms on its way out the door. Will it come back?
How do you forecast a solar storm? Space weather experts explain
While the weekend solar event gave us quite the show in the night sky, it also helps scientists learn more about space weather to continue to improve forecasts.
Cosmic butterfly or interstellar burger? This planet-forming disk is the largest ever seen
A distant planetary nursery is breaking all records as it shows the extremes to which planet formation can go.
New Answers for Mars’ Methane Mystery
Planetary scientists perk up whenever methane is mentioned. Methane is produced by living things on Earth, so it’s considered to be a potential biosignature elsewhere. In recent years, MSL Curiosity detected methane coming from the surface of Gale Crater on Mars. So far, nobody’s successfully explained where it’s coming from.
To better predict volcanic eruptions, you have to dig deep — very deep
New research suggests studying the state of magma in deep reservoirs can improve volcanic eruption predictions.
Where did Earth's water come from? This ancient asteroid family may help us find out
The family is part of a larger asteroid that was smashed to pieces 130 million years ago.
Wow! Satellite views International Space Station from only 43 miles away (photo)
The International Space Station was caught on camera in an incredible new photo from HEO Robotics, which images satellites using space-based sensors.
Cotton candy exoplanet is 2nd lightest planet ever found
A newly discovered giant planet is the density of a vast cloud of cotton candy. The sweet discovery of WASP-193 b marks the entry of the second-lightest exoplanet ever seen into the exoplanet catalog.
Learn how to become an astrobiologist in new issue of NASA's graphic novel series
A preview of NASA's latest issue of "Astrobiology," their fun ongoing graphic novel series
Planet Candidate Could Be Incandescent with Lava Flows
A new planet candidate discovered in data from NASA's TESS mission could be an extreme lavaworld, pushed and pulled by the gravity of its own star and two other close-in planets.
Milky Way's halo is filled with 'magnetic donuts' as wide as 100,000 light-years
Astronomers have determined that the Milky Way's outer halo is filled with "magnetic donuts" that are as wide as 100,000 light-years. The discovery could shed light on how cosmic magnetic fields form and evolve.
Earth-size planet discovered around cool red dwarf star shares its name with a biscuit
Astronomers have discovered an Earth-size planet orbiting a red dwarf star, making just the second planetary system seen around one of these tiny, cool, dim, but common, stars.
Three of the Oldest Stars in the Universe Found Circling the Milky Way
Mention the Milky Way and most people will visualise a great big spiral galaxy billions of years old. It’s thought to be a galaxy that took shape billions of years after the Big Bang. Studies by astronomers have revealed that there are the echo’s of an earlier time around us. A team of astronomers from MIT have found three ancient stars orbiting the Milky Way’s halo. The team think these stars formed when the Universe was around a billion years old and that they were once part of a smaller galaxy that was consumed by the Milky Way.
Supernova-filled galaxy dazzles in new Hubble Telescope image
The Hubble Space Telescope recently imaged an actively star-forming galaxy named UGC 9684.
A Rotating Spacecraft Would Solve So Many Problems in Spaceflight
If you watch astronauts in space then you will know how they seem to float around their spaceship. Spaceships in orbit around the Earth are in free-fall, constantly falling toward surface fo the Earth with the surface constantly falling away from it. Any occupant is also in free-fall but living like this causes muscle tone to degrade slowly. One solution is to generate artificial gravity through acceleration in particular a rotating motion. A new paper makes the case for a rotating space station and goes so far that it is achievable now.
NASA details plan to build a levitating robot train on the moon
NASA's plan to build a train track on the moon is part of the agency's Innovative Advanced Concepts program, which aims to develop "science fiction-like" projects for future space exploration.
SOHO’s view of the 11 May 2024 solar storm
Video: 00:00:29
Over the weekend of 10–12 May 2024, Earth was struck by the largest solar storm in more than a decade. While many of us enjoyed colourful auroras lighting up Earth’s protective atmosphere, spacecraft had to endure being buffeted by incredibly strong solar winds and electromagnetic radiation.
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 their outer layers in a supernova. Whereas particularly massive stars will collapse and become black holes, stars comparable to our Sun become stellar remnants known as “white dwarfs.” These “dead stars” are extremely compact and dense, having mass comparable to a star but concentrated in a volume about the size of a planet. Despite being prevalent in our galaxy, the chemical makeup of these stellar remnants has puzzled astronomers for years.
Saturn-Sized Exoplanet Isn’t Losing Mass Quickly Enough
We have discovered over 5,000 planets around other star systems. Amongst the veritable cosmic menagerie of exoplanets, it seems there is a real shortage of Neptune-sized planets close to their star. A new paper just published discusses a Saturn-sized planet close to its host star which should be experiencing mass loss, but isn’t. Studying this world offers a new insight into exoplanet formation across the Universe.
