the Sun

miscellanyHubble Space TelescopeMarsclimate changesupernovaeexoplanetscometssolar systemESA2025Jupiterwhite dwarfsPlutoaliensdustasteroidsneutron starsastrophotographymeteoritesstar clustersvolcanoesmathEarthcosmologypulsarsmoonsthe SunscifiFast Radio BurstsVera Rubin ObservatorynebulaAstronomybrown dwarfsNASAPoliticsgalaxy clusterslight pollutionplanetary nebulaedebunkingblack holesphysicsTVgravitational lensingVenusAbout the newsletterMoonAbout mespace explorationimpactsnovaebinary starsSgr A*starsTNOssciencegalaxiesJWSTGamma-ray burstsdark matterColliding galaxiesMilky Way GalaxyScientific AmericanGaia
Hubble Space TelescopeHubble Space Telescope
+7+7
The Red Spider Nebula: JWST’s view of gorgeously dying star

The Red Spider Nebula: JWST’s view of gorgeously dying star

In stellar death lies great beauty, and amazing science

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
miscellanymiscellany
+6+6
The astronomer who discovered what the universe was made of

The astronomer who discovered what the universe was made of

Cecelia Payne-Gaposchkin was an amazing scientist, and her work wasn’t all that long ago

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
Hubble Space TelescopeHubble Space Telescope
+4+4
Hubble (accidentally!) catches a comet tearing itself apart

Hubble (accidentally!) catches a comet tearing itself apart

Images show it fragmenting into several smaller pieces. Plus: I’m on EnterpriseSplaining.

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
supernovaesupernovae
+4+4
A red supergiant that isn’t yellow
Premium

A red supergiant that isn’t yellow

WOH G64 has apparently kept its hue. Also, the sun does seem to be able to fry asteroids that venture too close

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
asteroidsasteroids
+5+5
Standing up for Science rally, Physics Girl is back, and we need to find more asteroids

Standing up for Science rally, Physics Girl is back, and we need to find more asteroids

I’m angry about anti-science attacks, Dianna Cowern has made a new video, and a graph shows why we need to look for near-Earth asteroids

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
supernovaesupernovae
+7+7
Watch a supernova explosion sweep through space
Premium

Watch a supernova explosion sweep through space

Animation shows X-rays from an exploded star as it expands over the decades

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
the Sunthe Sun
+4+4
Solar eclipse seen from space!

Solar eclipse seen from space!

Also, a small galaxy may be currently ramming through the Milky Way, so there’s that too

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
Hubble Space TelescopeHubble Space Telescope
+3+3
The most difficult planet Hubble’s ever seen
Premium

The most difficult planet Hubble’s ever seen

In 1995 it slewed almost too close to the Sun

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
exoplanetsexoplanets
+4+4
Today’s the day. Or is it?

Today’s the day. Or is it?

It depends on what you mean by “day”. Also, old stars eat their planets!

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
Hubble Space TelescopeHubble Space Telescope
+6+6
Happy solstice, and a gorgeous galaxy with which to measure the Universe

Happy solstice, and a gorgeous galaxy with which to measure the Universe

The longest night is now behind us, and a Hubble image of a galaxy used as a ruler

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
EarthEarth
+5+5
Today our planet will not be destroyed. Probably.

Today our planet will not be destroyed. Probably.

I mean, no promises. But it won’t be because the Maya predicted it.

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
star clustersstar clusters
+4+4
Watch the Geminids! And a cluster’s stars swirl down the drain.

Watch the Geminids! And a cluster’s stars swirl down the drain.

A great meteor shower for the weekend, and a gorgeous star cluster slowly spins

Philip Plait
Philip Plait