Does the standard cold dark matter model of the universe work on small scales? The dark matter distributions of ultra-faint dwarf galaxies seem to deviate from what is expected, implying a need to rethink how dark matter behaves.
Researchers have identified dozens of stars tidally disrupted by black holes, and upcoming surveys may discover 1,000 of these rare events each year. Today’s Monthly Roundup introduces three studies that have advanced our understanding of shredded stars.
The collapse of a magnetar into a black hole may power the strongest shocks in the universe and produce brief, bright flashes of gamma rays.
Space is filled with structures that we can’t see directly. How do astronomers trace the underlying dark-matter distribution of the universe?
A data-driven approach identifies stars with interesting infrared emission without relying on computationally expensive modeling.
While Type Ia supernovae have been used to determine cosmological distances and study the expansion of the universe, their origins are still under investigation. Recent simulations point to a double-detonation scenario being the catalyst for some of these extremely energetic events.
New observations show that Gliese 229 B is two brown dwarfs rather than one, resolving the mismatch between its measured mass and predictions of evolutionary models.
Widely spaced binary stars may get voted “Least Likely to Interact,” but they might surprise you: new research shows that under the right conditions, these distant stellar companions can get catastrophically close.
What happens when a giant star cluster gets trapped in a dance with the Milky Way’s central bar? A new study reveals that bar interactions are likely responsible for where we find globular clusters in our galaxy today.
Hot Jupiters, especially when placed around hot stars, are notorious troublemakers. A new study suggests that their cooler cousins, the warm Jupiters, tend to follow the rules no matter what kind of star they circle.