Black widow binary stars consist of a neutron star consuming a nearby companion star. Find out how scientists used a new technique to find one of these rare systems, and why their discovery has two other unique characteristics.
Category: Stars
Discoveries related to stars and related objects like galaxies and black holes.
Hubble Telescope Finds Most Distant Star Ever Seen
The Hubble Telescope has just located a star that's 12.9 billion light-years away. Find out why this discovery offers new insights into how our Universe began.
Big Bang Afterglow Showing How Galaxies Form
The Big Bang Afterglow is known as the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Discover how combining CMB data with galactic observations is unlocking the secret of galaxy formation. (4:30 min read)
Tidal Dwarf Galaxy Reveals Clues About Star Formation
A tidal dwarf galaxy has been the target of an international research team. Discover how their discoveries challenge what we thought we knew about how stars form. (4:30 min read)
Fast Radio Burst Puzzle Solved by Using Four Telescopes
Fast radio bursts have puzzled astronomers since their discovery in 2007. Find out how scientists have revealed their origin and their variability. (3:30 min read)
Dimming of Betelgeuse Explained by Hubble Telescope
The dimming of Betelgeuse, a bright red star, excited stargazers last year. Find out how the Hubble Space Telescope helped explain what happened.(4:45 min read)
Pulsar and Neutron Star Offer Clues to Cosmic Enigmas
A pulsar and a neutron star with a huge size difference have been discovered in a binary star system. Find out why this could unlock the mysteries of the cosmos. (4:30 min reading time)
Quasar Discovery Challenges Black Hole Theories
A quasar discovery suggests that stars existed much earlier than scientists thought. Find out why this challenges our understanding of black hole formation. (5:00 min read)
Star Formation Started Earlier than Thought
Star formation was the subject of an ESA study using the Hubble Telescope. Find out why what they didn’t find was more important than what they did. (4:00 min read)
Galaxy Formation: New Wolfe Disk Upends Old Theories
Galaxy Formation in the early Universe was thought to be a chaotic series of collisions. Find out how a newly discovered disk galaxy calls that idea into question. (4:00 min read)