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An image of Betelgeuse taken at sub-millimeter wavelengths taken by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).

How far is Betelgeuse?

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Space | 1 week ago

Recent speculation that Betelgeuse might be on the verge of going supernova prompted many to ask: how far away is it? But getting a distance measurement for this star has been no easy task.
Artist's concept of swirling waves.

It’s probably nothing: Gravitational wave burst detected near Betelgeuse

Posted by in Human World | Space | 2 weeks ago

Betelgeuse has dimmed recently, prompting some to wonder if it’s about to explode. An explosion might trigger a gravitational wave burst. Betelgeuse is still there. The nearby gravitational wave burst probably means nothing for this star. Still … 
Time-exposure image shows streaks of stars; the asteroid, which is being tracked by the telescope, appears as a point.

Meet 2020 AV2, the 1st asteroid entirely within the orbit of Venus

Posted by in Space | 2 weeks ago

It’s difficult to see objects whose orbits are within that of Venus, because those objects always stay near the sun in our sky. Now, though, astronomers have spotted one!

Crab Nebula: Visualize an exploded star

Posted by and in Space | 2 weeks ago

A new NASA video combines visible, infrared and X-ray views of the famous Crab Nebula, a star that exploded into view in our sky 1,000 years ago.

Rippling ice and storms at Mars’ north pole

Posted by in Space | Today's Image | 2 weeks ago

This image is part of a wider system of depressions that spiral outward from the very center of Mars’ north pole. Seen in context, you can see rippling troughs that curve and bend and slice outwards from the pole counterclockwise.
Spiral of pink, blue, and white lights against a black background.

New Hubble view of gigantic galaxy

Posted by and in Space | 2 weeks ago

The Hubble Telescope released this glorious image of the spiral galaxy UGC 2885 on January 6. This image was made in part as a tribute to dark matter pioneer Vera Rubin.
Yellow-orange donut shape against a black background.

What are black holes?

Posted by in Space | 2 weeks ago

Black holes are among the most bizarre and enigmatic objects in the modern universe. Click in for a black hole introduction.
Galaxy with close-up illustration of a green spiral.

Astronomers find wandering black holes in dwarf galaxies

Posted by in Space | 2 weeks ago

They found massive black holes in 13 dwarf galaxies, which are now among the smallest galaxies known to host such massive black holes. In roughly half the galaxies, the black hole isn’t at the galactic center, but instead is “wandering.”
Dark blue oval with pinkish blobs and yellowish blobs.

An impending Milky Way collision is already giving birth to new stars

Posted by and in Space | 2 weeks ago

A newly found young star cluster on the outskirts of our Milky Way seems to be made of material from the Magellanic Clouds. It appears the collision between the Clouds and our Milky Way may already be starting.
Two white blobs - the stars - one larger and one smaller. The larger one is sending material to the smaller one.

These 2 stars in Sagitta will merge and explode by this century’s end

Posted by in Space | 3 weeks ago

When the 2 stars in the binary star system V Sagittae come together – around the year 2083, astronomers say – they’ll create a star explosion called a nova. Then V Sagittae will temporarily outshine all the stars in our Milky Way galaxy.