A Four-Star Lightweight
New measurements of the lowest-mass quadruple star system ever discovered are now confirming an intriguing theory: in addition to other channels, large gas planets may form via cloud collapse, in the same way that stars do.
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The Search for a Missing Parent
The source of the Kappa Cygnid (KCG) meteor shower is unknown, but new data from an especially strong 2014 KCG shower may help us to identify the missing parent body.
Featured Image: A Galaxy Plunges Into a Cluster Core
NGC 1427A is a dwarf irregular galaxy currently in the process of plunging into the center of the Fornax cluster. How do the interactions of this galaxy with its environment affect star formation within it?
How to Blow a Bubble in a Galaxy
Recent high-resolution observations of Arp 220, a galaxy merger located a mere 250 million light years away from us, have finally provided a closer look at what’s happening in the center of this merger.
Warm Disks from Giant Impacts
New research suggests that observations of some warm debris disks around young stars might be a window into the late stages of terrestrial planet formation in these systems.
A Tornado on the Sun
A team of researchers has analyzed images of a giant tornado forming on the surface of the Sun in an effort to better understand the evolution of such events.
Geysers from the Tiger Stripes of Enceladus
Does the extreme surface terrain of Saturn’s moon Enceladus affect the locations and behavior of the geysers spewing material into space from its south polar region?
A Pulsar Eases Off the Brakes
The sudden, unexpected outbursts exhibited by PSR 1846–0258 in 2006 may have permanently changed the behavior of this pulsar.
Featured Image: The Q Continuum Simulation
The Q Continuum simulation is currently the largest cosmological simulation available, evolving (1300 Mpc)^3 and over half a trillion particles.
How Normal is Our Solar System?
To date, we’ve discovered nearly 2000 confirmed exoplanets, as well as thousands of additional candidates. Amidst this vast sea of solar systems, how special is our own?
Collapsing Enormous Stars
A recent study explores what we would see if supermassive stars in the early universe collapsed directly into black holes.
Bow Shock Leads the Way for a Speeding Hot Jupiter
A bow shock has been detected ahead of transiting exoplanet HD 189733b, providing a potential indicator of the remarkably strong magnetic field of the planet.