The universe’s most extreme dead stars can form from vampire white dwarfs — and scientists finally know how
The universe’s most extreme dead stars can form from vampire white dwarfs — and scientists finally know how

Some vampire white dwarfs that feed on companion stars can transform into neutron stars, but like a cosmic Goldilocks, conditions must be “just right” for this extreme makeover.

NASA’s Webb Reveals Dynamic Panorama of Star Formation
NASA’s Webb Reveals Dynamic Panorama of Star Formation

This starry view of the nearby star-forming region IC 348 is one of the largest images released to date from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Using Webb, astronomers searched IC 348 for brown dwarfs, which are less massive than the smallest stars. The researchers discovered brown dwarfs just twice the mass of Jupiter, bringing the […]

Astronomers discover two stars that joined together to form a binary system just 60 years ago
Astronomers discover two stars that joined together to form a binary system just 60 years ago

Using ALMA, astronomers have watched as two stars come together to form a massive stellar binary, finding chaos that indicates they emerged from different backgrounds.

Stars forge and deliver the elements that make up your body — and scientists may finally know how
Stars forge and deliver the elements that make up your body — and scientists may finally know how

Scientists are close to understanding how stars forge the elements that comprise our planet, bodies and pretty much everything else around us, and how they explode to distribute these elements.

9 Things to Know About NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
9 Things to Know About NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch at 7:26 a.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 30. While you wait to watch the launch, brush up on some key facts about this wide-view mission. To learn more about the Roman mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/roman Media contact: Claire AndreoliNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.claire.andreoli@nasa.gov301-286-1940

The bubbling surface of doomed supergiant star Betelgeuse has been revealed like never before
The bubbling surface of doomed supergiant star Betelgeuse has been revealed like never before

Betelgeuse may be a well-known and often-studied stellar object, but that doesn’t mean astronomers aren’t capable of capturing this doomed star in a completely new light.

Scientists just found the fastest known star in the Milky Way. It zooms around our black hole at 15,500 miles per second
Scientists just found the fastest known star in the Milky Way. It zooms around our black hole at 15,500 miles per second

Astronomers have found the fastest known star in the Milky Way, a faint object racing around Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy.

Scientists find dead star that predicts our sun’s future: ‘Broken apart and returned to the galaxy’
Scientists find dead star that predicts our sun’s future: ‘Broken apart and returned to the galaxy’

A composite image of data from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Kitt Peak four-meter telescope and MOTHRA reveal the Helix Nebula. We can see the bow shocks, particularly on the left.

Is empty space really empty? This magnetic star may finally solve a 90-year-old mystery
Is empty space really empty? This magnetic star may finally solve a 90-year-old mystery

“We’re not just studying astronomical objects anymore; we’re using them to test the laws of nature.”

Astronomers witness the strange final moments of a massive star’s supernova death (video)
Astronomers witness the strange final moments of a massive star’s supernova death (video)

Astronomers have captured the death of a massive star from its first faint flash of X-rays, revealing an unusual supernova.