A weird four-star system may lead the way to catastrophic supernovae

Colliding stars in a quaternary system could explode.

By Phil Plait 38 sec ago

Scattered X-rays from space: Turning noise into signal

NuSTAR sees X-rays from astronomical objects it's not pointed at, so, bonus.

By Phil Plait 23 hours ago

Breaking down the structure and history of a nearby — and weird — galaxy

Centaurus A is under scrutiny as it eats other galaxies.

By Phil Plait 1 day ago

Stellar hypoxia may help make more massive black holes

Lower oxygen in a star may explain two cosmic mysteries at once.

By Phil Plait 2 days ago

Black widow pulsar is eating its companion in an hour-long dance

The name is creepy, but certainly apt.

By Phil Plait 5 days ago

Invisible dirty dry ice frost avalanches on Mars

Mars is weird, y’all.

By Phil Plait 6 days ago

No planets seen for Sirius B, the nearest white dwarf to Earth

It may have eaten them long ago.

By Phil Plait 1 week ago

Lunar horticulture: Plants grown in lunar “soil” for the first time

Plants may grow on the Moon, with a little help.

By Phil Plait 1 week ago

Exocomets swarm around an alien star… yet seem oddly familiar

Comets around another star look a lot like local ones.

By Phil Plait 1 week ago

How to watch the total lunar eclipse Sunday night/Monday morning May 15/16!

Everything you need to know to see the eclipse.

By Phil Plait 1 week ago