stellar evolution
Dying Star Puffs out six Smoke Rings
A red giant star is dying in an unusual way by blowing smoke rings before its eminent demise.
These Newly-Discovered Planets are Doomed
Astronomers have spied three more exoplanets. But the discovery might not last long. Each planet is in a separate solar…
NASA Simulation Shows What Happens When Stars Get Too Close to Black Holes
What happens to a star when it strays too close to a monster black hole? Astronomers have wondered why some…
Aging White Dwarfs Become Even More Magnetic
A survey of white dwarfs shows they get more magnetic as they age, and we don't know why.
Many Sunlike Stars Gobbled up Some of Their Planets
New research shows that other sunlike stars in our galaxy aren't so kind to their planets. Up to a quarter…
Astronomers Find a Nearby Star That a Spitting Image of a Young Sun
Astronomers have found a young star that is very similar to our Sun, and it could tell us about the…
An All-Sky X-Ray Survey Finds the Biggest Supernova Remnant Ever Seen
Our sky is missing supernovas. Stars live for millions or billions of years. But given the sheer number of stars…
A New Study Says That Betelgeuse Won’t Be Exploding Any Time Soon
I have stood under Orion The Hunter on clear evenings willing its star Betelgeuse to explode. “C'mon, blow up!” In…
Why do Planetary Nebulae Look the Way They Do?
Planetary nebulae are the most beautiful objects in the night sky. Their gossamer shells of gas are otherworldly and evocative.…
The Youngest Stellar Disk Ever Seen, Just 500,000 Years Old
Unless you’re reading this in an aircraft or the International Space Station, then you’re currently residing on the surface of…