astrophysics

A decades-long search has revealed signs of a subtle outflow from the Milky Way’s central black hole. Something has been missing from the Milky Way’s central black hole. For more than half a century, astronomers searched for a telltale wind that theory said must be blowing from Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole [...]

A rare object from another star triggered an unprecedented search for technosignatures, drawing astronomers into one of the most intriguing investigations of the year.

Stonehenge, the infamous stone circle on Salisbury Plain, U.K., dates to around 2500 B.C.E. The monument is aligned so that if you are standing at the center of the ring on the summer soltice (which can be June 20, 21, or 22), the Sun rises over the Heel Stone; solstice celebrations are believed to have Continue reading "June 21, ca. 2500 BCE: Summering at Stonehenge" The post June 21, ca. 2500 B…

New research has failed to rule out self-annihilating dark matter as the source of a hotly debated gamma-ray emission known as the Galactic Center Excess radiating from the heart of the Milky Way.

A new James Webb telescope snap shows off the glowing gas, sculpted jets and newborn stars lurking within the giant cosmic cloud OMC-2, located in the Sword of Orion.

The Bullet Cluster is one of the most famous objects in astronomy. For years, many scientists have considered it one of the strongest pieces of evidence for the existence of dark matter, the mysterious substance thought to make up most of the matter in the universe. However, a new study suggests there may be another […] The post Iconic cosmic collision challenges long-held ideas about dark matter…

June’s Strawberry Moon will be the final micro moon of 2026, offering skywatchers a rare full moon that appears smaller and lower than usual.

A technique called echo mapping suggests supermassive black holes, like that at the heart of the Milky Way, are surrounded by clusters of dark matter.

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  June 19: Dione crosses due north of Saturn Highest in the south around 10:30 P.M. local daylight time is the constellation Libra, whose brightest star is Beta (β) Librae, also called Zubeneschamali. Nearly 12° below (south) of this star at that time Continue reading "The Sky Today on Saturday, June 20: Libra’s Ghost Clus…

Nature Astronomy, Published online: 19 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41550-026-02920-8 Decades of progress in photometric and spectroscopic surveys have led to successful searches for the descendants of the first stars in the nearby Universe, but the first generation itself is still elusive. The prospects for finding them look promising thanks to forthcoming survey facilities, which will open a window …

Millions of years ago, a massive star exploded somewhere far away in our galaxy. During this violent event, called a supernova, the dying star blasted huge amounts of matter into space. These materials included carbon, nitrogen and oxygen—the essential ingredients for life—as well as many other elements, some as heavy as iron. The explosion itself […] The post Mysterious cosmic rays are challengi…

The Sun is not a static, gentle star. It is a churning, magnetic powerhouse that bathes our solar system in radiation and particles, capable of launching billion-ton coronal mass ejections and intense solar flares. For data scientists and astrophysicists, this dynamic activity generates a data deluge so massive—petabytes annually—that generic tools simply crumble under the pressure. Welcome to th…

As part of Astrobites coverage of Black Space Week, we interviewed members of the Black in Astro community. Today's interviewee is Dr. Nola Haynes!

Astronomers have discovered an unexpected surprise on the famous “Pink Planet,” a strange world known as GJ504b. Using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scientists found that the object is surrounded by salty clouds and has an atmosphere filled with unusual chemicals. GJ504b was first discovered in 2013. It orbits a sun-like star about […] The post The universe’s famous ‘pink planet…

A new scientific idea suggests that lunar soil may preserve microscopic traces of extinct alien technology drifting through the solar system.

A distant galaxy nicknamed Shadow Blaster may have revealed a surprising source of cosmic neutrinos: extreme star formation instead of a supermassive black hole. The discovery suggests that hidden, dust-filled starburst galaxies could account for a significant fraction of the Universe’s high-energy neutrinos.

Short nights and bright stars make the midsummer night sky surprisingly beginner-friendly.

Millions of years ago two massive stars circled each other in a cosmic dance. Then one of the stars went supernova. The blast likely flung the exploded star’s companion across space, setting it adrift in the cosmos for tens of thousands of years before it, too, succumbed to the same explosive end. That, at least, is what astronomers believe may have happened to a newly identified pair of stellar …

The James Webb Space Telescope has found nearby brown dwarfs masquerading as far-distant galaxies. The discovery reinforces how, in astronomy, what you see isn’t always what you get

The process of mass accretion onto Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) plays a fundamental role in determining the final stellar mass and setting the initial conditions for planet formation. Despite its critical role, our understanding of accretion remains fragmented, particularly for what concerns the earliest, protostellar phases (Class 0/I). While the community has consolidated a comprehensive knowle…