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Posts by
Andy Briggs
What is a neutron star? How do they form?
A neutron star is born from a supernova explosion. They contain a couple of times the mass of our sun, squeezed into a sphere the size of a city on Earth.
March 28, 2023
The asteroid belt contains solar system remnants
The asteroid belt is a region of our solar system - between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter - where many small bodies orbit our sun.
February 7, 2023
What is a variable star?
What is a variable star? It's a star that brightens and dim in a cycle that might last hours, or weeks, or months, or longer. Astronomers know millions!
January 15, 2023
Space
Milky Way’s black hole seen at last!
Astronomers have succeeded in capturing the 1st direct image of our Milky Way's black hole, a monster with the mass of 4 million suns!
May 13, 2022
Supermassive black hole a feature of most galaxies
A large galaxy typically has a supermassive black hole at its heart. These black holes contains millions - to billions - of times our sun's mass.
May 12, 2022
What are black holes?
Black holes are regions of space with gravitational fields so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. Their sizes vary from stellar to supermassive.
February 23, 2022
What is a magnetar?
A magnetar is a strange and rare neutron star, generating almost incomprehensible amounts of energy that can be detected across the universe. How?
June 13, 2021
What is a quasar?
A quasar is an extremely bright, distant object visible to radio telescopes. The source is an active galactic nucleus fueled by a supermassive black hole.
February 28, 2021
What is a supernova?
A supernova is a star's colossal explosion at the end of its life, potentially outshining its entire galaxy. Read about the causes and types of supernovae here.
November 12, 2020
What is the Big Bang?
In the view of modern cosmologists, the Big Bang is the event that marked the birth of our universe. What was it - when was it - and what are modern theories?
June 11, 2020
