galaxy evolution
There Aren’t Many Galaxies Like The Milky Way Nearby. Now We Know Why
The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy, maybe even a grand design spiral galaxy. We can't be sure from…
JWST Sees Merging Galaxies Releasing the Light of a Trillion Suns
If we want to know what it'll look like in about 4.5 billion years when our galaxy merges with Andromeda,…
Astronomers Uncover Mass Migration of Stars into Andromeda
Astronomers know that galaxies grow over time through mergers with other galaxies. We can see it happening in our galaxy.…
According to Simulations, the Milky Way is One in a Million
Humanity is in a back-and-forth relationship with nature. First, we thought we were at the center of everything, with the…
The Donut That Used To Be a Star
The death of a star is one of the most dramatic natural events in the Universe. Some stars die in…
The James Webb Links Modern Green Pea Galaxies to Ancient Galaxies in the Cosmic Dawn
When the James Webb Space Telescope lifted off from Earth on Christmas Day in 2021, it carried a lot of…
Astronomers Detect the Faint Glow of Stars in Between Galaxies
Not all stars are members of galaxies. Some stars exist in the space between galaxies, though they didn't form there.…
Webb Sees Organic Molecules in the Hearts of Galaxies, Surprisingly Close to Active Supermassive Black Holes
When the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched, one of its jobs was studying galactic formation and evolution. When we…
Gaia Finds Ancient Satellite Galaxy Pontus Embedded in Milky Way
A recent study looked at stellar streams hidden in Gaia’s data, to uncover a torturous past.
A Detailed Scan of the Milky Way Finds Possible “Fossil” Spiral Arms
New research has revealed previously unknown wispy structures in the Milky Way disk that could offer clues about the history…