Features

A New View of the Spectroscopic Universe

More than a quarter century ago, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey fundamentally changed the way modern astronomy research is done. The collaboration recently released their summary of the fifth generation of their landmark survey.

illustration of a white dwarf surrounded by rocky debris

Recent work explores whether a commonly assumed source of data–model disagreement in simulations of stellar interiors is really to blame.

galaxy cluster MACS J1149.5+2223
Astrobites

Feed the Fire, Fade the Metals

Astrobites reports on whether cosmic clumps are “homegrown” or fueled by fresh inflows.

images of six galaxies

Are galaxies that travel through space in groups any different from those that fly solo? A new look at local galaxies provides clues.

M33

Gas flowing into a galaxy is hard to detect, but a recent study simulated a dusty galaxy to understand how we might be able to uncover inflows with emission line ratios.

illustration of a stellar-mass object crashing through the accretion disk around a supermassive black hole

A supermassive black hole awakened seven years ago, and it’s now behaving in a way astronomers can’t explain.

illustration of stars in the early universe
Astrobites

The Oldest Starlight

Astrobites reports on whether JWST’s most extreme high-redshift galaxy candidates aren’t galaxies at all, but the explosive deaths of the very first stars.

three images of the Sun
Features

Monthly Roundup: Science of the Sun

Researchers search for the tiniest coronal jets, explore the Sun’s behavior from centuries ago, and examine space weather forecasts in this month’s Roundup.

JWST unfolded against a black background.
Features

How Galaxies Grow Up

A massive survey of images collected by JWST is shedding light on how galaxies grow and evolve.