Brian Koberlein

To Understand The Solar Cycle, Notice How The Sun Sleeps

September 18, 2026

Astronomer Sandra Chapman has found a connection between the quiet period of one solar cycle and the active period of the next. Her data shows how a critical cutoff point is the key, but the real test will be the solar maximum of Cycle 26 in the 2030s.

Little Red Dots Are The Seeds of Quasars and Supermassive Black Holes

September 17, 2026

Computer simulations find that overmassive black holes form readily in the early universe. Their spectra match that of Little Red Dots, which later become powerful quasars and supermassive galactic black holes.

For Trans-Neptunian Objects, The Past Is Written On Their Surface

September 16, 2026

Some Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) formed closer to the Sun and migrated to the outer solar system, while others formed there originally. A new study finds that "hot" and "cold" origin TNOs can be distinguished not only by their orbits, but also by their surface color.

If Black Holes Have Hair, We Will See It in the Ringdown of Their Mergers

September 15, 2026

Researchers have found that if black holes have certain features, known as "hair," then we could prove it by observing the gravitational ringdown of merging black holes. Future studies could test the no-hair theorem of general relativity.

If Alien Civilizations Use Hyper-Efficient Computers, They Will Have A Distinct Energy Signal We Can Detect

September 09, 2026

Astronomers have long searched for Dyson spheres as a sign of advanced alien civilizations. But if an alien civilization is dependent on advanced computing, we may be better served by looking for a Slysh halo.

Some Black Holes Grow Much Faster Than Their Galaxies

September 08, 2026

New observations find that a few supermassive black holes are unexpectedly large given the size of their galaxies. This suggests the connection between black holes and galaxies isn't as strong as we thought.

Quiet Black Holes With a Stellar Companion Raise Questions About How They Form

September 07, 2026

Gaia has discovered three stellar mass black holes, each with a small stellar companion. For two of these systems the companions orbit closer that we would expect. Just how these systems form is a bit of a mysteries, but there are clues.

A Pair of White Dwarfs Locked in a Six-Minute Orbit Might One Day Be Observed By Gravitational Waves

September 06, 2026

Future gravitational wave observatories will be able to see the gravitational waves of close-orbiting binary stars. A newly studied white dwarf system could be one of the first systems we observe.

Pulsar Timing Arrays Could Look for Evidence of Dark Matter Stars

September 04, 2026

Pulsar Timing Arrays have been used to observe the background of gravitational waves in our galaxy. We aren't certain of their origin, but a new study shows a strong source could be early supermassive giants known as dark stars.

Astronomers See How a Centaur Can Become a Comet

September 03, 2026

In 1992, Centaur 450P/LONEOS had a close encounter with Saturn, shifting its orbit closer to the Sun. Now astronomers can observe how a small icy body transforms into a comet over time.

Simulations Show That Dark Matter Isn't What Gives Stellar Streams Their Kinks

September 02, 2026

Astronomers study dark matter through simulations of stellar streams around the Milky Way. They found that kinks and clumps within these streams aren't caused by dark matter clusters within the galactic halo.

Zodiacal Dust in Exoplanetary Systems Could Hinder Our Search For Life On Other Worlds

August 03, 2026

Most exoplanetary systems have a plane of dust similar to the zodiacal dust of our solar system. This dust absorbs some of the very light we use to find biosignatures in exoplanet atmospheres, and could make our search for life more challenging.

The First Confirmed Exo-satellite Challenges Our Definitions of Planets and Moons

July 23, 2026

What do you call a Jupiter-like object that orbits the brown dwarf companion of a star? Is it a planet, a moon, or something new?

A Star Orbiting Our Galaxy's Supermassive Black Hole Tests the Limits of Relativity

July 20, 2026

A Sun-like star orbits the supermassive black hole in our Milky Way so closely that it comes within the distance of Neptune's orbit of the Sun. It has a top speed of more than 8% of light speed. With such extreme motion the star gives astronomers the opportunity to test the limits of general relativity.

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