Two supermassive black holes in death spiral

Astronomers have spotted what appear to be two supermassive black holes 3.8 billion light-years from Earth, circling each other like dance partners.

Genius materials on the ISS

With proper coaxing, molecules in microgravity can assemble themselves into forms with surprising properties. This new NASA ScienceCast video explores the possibilities

Fast, furious, refined: Smaller black holes can eat plenty

Gas from a companion star is thought to feed a stellar-mass black hole’s voracious appetite, in the galaxy M101.

Experience Comet ISON’s encounter with the sun online

ISON's moment of truth is here - its closest approach to the sun - today. Here are some ways to experience it online.

Fiery drama of star birth and death in Large Magellanic Cloud

Places where hot new stars are born and die - and sculpt their surroundings into odd shapes - in the dwarf galaxy orbiting our own Milky Way.

Best photos, images, videos of Comet ISON

Now ISON cannot be seen from Earth, but it's coming into the field of view of a whole fleet of ESA and NASA space-based observatories.

Three questions about Comet ISON

Get the facts about comet ISON. The manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office shares the low-down on the stellar object's holiday travel plans.

Mach 1000 shock wave lights supernova remnant

The appearance of this "new star" stunned those who thought the heavens were constant and unchanging. At its brightest, the supernova rivaled Venus before fading from sight a year later.

Satellite trio to explore the Earth’s magnetic field

"Improving the exploration of the magnetic field's function and recording space weather data more accurately allows us to draw conclusions for life on our planet." - Johanna Wanka

What caused the monster gamma-ray burst of April 2013?

A monster gamma-ray burst - whose afterglow lasted months - may have come from the explosion of a giant star, say astronomers at the University of Copenhagen.