Citizen Scientists Find an Unexpected Planet
In the era of big data, we often rely on computers to do sorting, searching, and analyzing. Sometimes, however, there’s just no substitute for the human eye and brain.
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When Stellar and Black-Hole Binaries Meet
You might think that a passing star getting ripped apart by a supermassive black hole sounds like more than enough drama. But let’s take this a step further…
Update on the Search for Planets with TESS
Here are some recent discoveries by NASA’s newest planet-hunting spacecraft, TESS, which launched last year.
The Hunt for Enormous Early Stars
The collapse of enormous stars in our early universe may have given birth to the first supermassive black holes. But can we spot these early giants?
Eclipses of a Scalding Hot Planet
What’s the atmosphere like on the hottest planet we’ve ever discovered? A new study suggests this toasty world may also be cloudless.
Taking Note of Molecules in Space
What do methylidyne, cyanamide, vinyl alcohol, and rugbyballene all have in common? They’re all molecules that have been detected in space.
Can Blue Stragglers Be Used to Tell Time?
What’s a blue straggler? Hint: It’s not a person coming in to work late on a Monday. In fact, these stars might be pretty good at keeping track of time.
Are Fast Radio Bursts from Flaring Magnetars?
Could the mysterious fast radio burst signal FRB 121102 be emitted from a flaring, highly magnetic neutron star?
Occultations Suggest No Rings for Ultima Thule
Does the distant solar-system body Ultima Thule have rings? Previous observations may answer this question even before we see images from the New Horizons flyby.
Selections from 2018: Looking for the Shadow of Our Galaxy’s Black Hole
Radio observations of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way have reached their highest resolution yet, teasing out details of this source’s structure.