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supernovaesupernovae
+3+3
What triggers lightning? Exploding stars.

What triggers lightning? Exploding stars.

And also black holes. Yes, seriously.

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
galaxy clustersgalaxy clusters
+4+4
A SUPER supermassive black hole

A SUPER supermassive black hole

The central black hole in the galaxy Holmberg 15A is very, very beefy

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
exoplanetsexoplanets
+7+7
White Dwarf stars are dead, but they still feed... on planets
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White Dwarf stars are dead, but they still feed... on planets

Observations show a lot of these stars are actually zombies. Also: moving an Earth-threatening asteroid just got a bit harder

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
dustdust
+2+2
The nebula comes on little cat feet

The nebula comes on little cat feet

Carl Sandburg wasn’t talking about a vast cloud of gas and dust, but the poem still works for the Cat’s Paw nebula

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
supernovaesupernovae
+3+3
A second star for Betelgeuse?!

A second star for Betelgeuse?!

Astronomers post a possible binary companion for the soon-to-be supernova

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
exoplanetsexoplanets
+4+4
JWST directly images a cold exoplanet, the Flyeye asteroid hunter is now online
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JWST directly images a cold exoplanet, the Flyeye asteroid hunter is now online

14 Her c is around our same age, and ESA has a new telescope to look for space rocks

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
NASANASA
+4+4
NASA declaration against Trump’s science attacks, more dusty WR star spirals

NASA declaration against Trump’s science attacks, more dusty WR star spirals

The Voyager Declaration takes a stand against budget cuts, and a gorgeous JWST image of Wolf-Rayet star dust expulsion

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
cosmologycosmology
+5+5
The Owl Galaxies are hiding a secret in plain sight. But what is it?

The Owl Galaxies are hiding a secret in plain sight. But what is it?

It might be a supermassive black hole, or it might be a bazillion newborn stars

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
climate changeclimate change
+3+3
Did an asteroid impact dam up the Grand Canyon 56,000 years ago?
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Did an asteroid impact dam up the Grand Canyon 56,000 years ago?

The Meteor Crater asteroid impact may have created an ancient lake. Also, Arctic sea ice again way too low

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
climate changeclimate change
+4+4
The Sun’s south pole seen for the first time!

The Sun’s south pole seen for the first time!

Previously hidden by geometry, the Sun’s austral pole is revealed. Bonus: some (rare) good climate news!

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
supernovaesupernovae
+2+2
The biggest black hole merger ever detected so far rocked the Universe

The biggest black hole merger ever detected so far rocked the Universe

The gravitational waves they emitted were fiercely powerful, but where did the black holes come from?

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
supernovaesupernovae
+2+2
A colossal explosion sent antimatter heading toward us at nearly the speed of light
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A colossal explosion sent antimatter heading toward us at nearly the speed of light

That’s a fun headline to write! The good news is we’re safe and the science is awesome.

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
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