Astronomy

Cosmic filaments, stretching hundreds of millions of light-years, have been found spinning! Key Takeaways Astronomers discovered cosmic filaments that rotate, making them the largest spinning structures known. These colossal filaments act as “bridges,” connecting galaxy clusters across vast distances. The filaments’ rotation velocity can reach nearly 100 km/s, an unprecedented observation. The spin challenges existing…

A young star 40 times our Sun’s mass is forming a sibling star, not planets. Key Takeaways Astronomers discovered that massive star MM 1a is forming a smaller companion, MM 1b. MM 1b emerged from a fragment of MM 1a’s disk, defying typical planet-forming patterns. MM 1a is 40 times the Sun’s mass, while MM…

A tiny telescope captured a 1.3 km Kuiper Belt object 4 billion miles away. Key Takeaways Scientists have detected a 1.3 km-wide Kuiper Belt object, the first of its kind. This discovery supports long-standing theories about planet formation through kilometer-sized building blocks. Using small telescopes, the OASES team achieved what larger, costlier projects could not….

Uranus might have toppled due to a missing moon, once 1/1000 its mass. Key Takeaways Astronomers propose a large, ancient satellite of Uranus may have caused its extreme tilt. The gravitational interplay between the moon and Uranus could have gradually flipped the planet. Unlike Uranus, Neptune retained its satellites, including massive Triton, explaining its upright…

A red supergiant star exploded just 130 days after astronomers detected its final activity. Key Takeaways Astronomers imaged a red supergiant star for 130 days before it exploded into a supernova. This is the first direct observation of a red supergiant’s pre-supernova activity. Dense circumstellar material surrounding the star indicated it underwent violent eruptions before…

Proxima Centauri hosts a tiny planet only 1/4 the mass of Earth! Key Takeaways A third planet, Proxima d, was discovered orbiting Proxima Centauri, our closest stellar neighbor. Proxima d is one of the lightest exoplanets found, weighing just 1/4 of Earth’s mass. The planet orbits extremely close to its star, completing one orbit in…

Two Earth-sized planets were found just 33 light-years away—our galactic neighbors! Key Takeaways Astronomers have discovered a multiplanet system only 33 light-years from Earth, making it one of the closest known systems. The system’s star, HD 260655, hosts at least two rocky, Earth-sized planets with tight orbits. These planets, HD 260655b and HD 260655c, have…

Stars on the move: Galactic hitchhiking could revolutionize interstellar exploration! Key Takeaways Fast-moving stars could act as natural spaceships, carrying civilizations across the galaxy. Astronomers simulate how galactic hitchhiking may enable rapid settlement of new star systems. The approach might explain why advanced civilizations aren’t evenly spread across galaxies. Star movements challenge traditional ideas of…

A pristine gas cloud from the Big Bang reveals the universe’s untouched origins! Key Takeaways Astronomers discovered a rare “fossil cloud” untouched by stars since the Big Bang. This cloud, found 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang, is nearly free of heavy elements. Using telescopes at the W.M. Keck Observatory, researchers identified this pure…

James Webb Space Telescope orbit as seen from above the Sun’s north pole and as seen from Earth’s perspective. The James Webb Space Telescope will not be in orbit around the Earth, like the Hubble Space Telescope is – it will actually orbit the Sun, 1.5 million kilometers (1 million miles) away from the Earth…