Shannon Hall
When Two Supermassive Black Holes Merge, It’s a Galactic Train Wreck
Most large galaxies harbor central supermassive black holes with masses equivalent to millions, or even billions, of Suns. Some, like…
New 3-D-Printed Models of Eta Carinae Reveal Hidden Features
In the constellation of Carina, lies the most luminous and mysterious star system within 10,000 light-years. The two massive stars,…
Prying Planets Out of The Shadows: The Gemini Planet Imager’s First Year of Light
This year marks the 20th anniversary of 51 Peg b, the first exoplanet detected around a Sun-like star. And although…
Kepler Targets Supermassive Black Hole
With only an introductory course in science, it’s easy to think that scientists strictly follow the scientific method. They propose…
Exciting Exoplanet News from AAS: How Rocky Worlds are Made; Oceans on Super-Earths
Astronomers from around the world gathered in Seattle today for the 225th meeting of the American Astronomical Society. Although it’s…
Why Care About Astronomy?
I need to get something off my chest. A month or so ago I was sitting in a classroom surrounded…
The Universe’s Tour Guide
The hazy, white horizon lifts away slowly, giving way to the blue and green, cloud-swept marble we call home. I…
What’s Next for the Large Hadron Collider?
The world’s most powerful particle collider is waking up from a well-earned rest. After roughly two years of heavy maintenance,…
Pluto-like Objects Turn to Dust Around a Nearby Young Star
A planetary system’s early days readily tell of turmoil. Giant planets are swept from distant birthplaces into sizzling orbits close…
Chaotic Wombs May Birth Wrong-way Planets
We’ve heard it time and time again. When it comes to new exoplanet findings, our conventional wisdom never holds. So…