Astrophysics

Birth of a black hole from a collapsing star – The black hole itself is not visible; around it is an expanding envelope of dust and gas that is drawn in. Credit: Keith Miller, Caltech/IPAC – SELab.

A star in Andromeda “disappeared” without a supernova – and appears to have collapsed directly into a black hole

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Analysis of observations from 2005 to 2023 indicates a “failed supernova”: core collapse into a black hole, ejection of outer layers, creation of dust and infrared glow that could remain visible for decades to come
A combination of infrared and X-rays reveals a nascent cluster with hot gas – already a billion years after the Big Bang. From the article in Nature.

Galaxy cluster at the beginning of the universe: Webb and Chandra found hot gas earlier than expected

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The two space telescopes revealed a nascent galaxy cluster (“protocluster”) in which a hot gas cloud emitting X-rays also appears, a sign of “virial heating” and advanced gravitational collapse – already when the universe was about a billion years old.
Supernova. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Radio signals reveal star's final years before violent supernova

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Monitoring lasting about 18 months showed that the star emitted helium-rich gas in the last years of its life; the data hint at a binary system and a new “window” for studying stellar deaths via radio
A map of the sky created by the Gaia space telescope. (credit: ESA)

Milky Way neutrino roadmap could guide hunt for galactic sources

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New model ranks regions in the galaxy where high neutrino flux is expected, in the context of massive stars and interstellar gas
Artist's impression of space weather around the dwarf star M TIC 141146667. The torus of ionized gas is shaped by the star's magnetic field and rotation, with two dense, tightly packed clumps on opposite sides of the star. Credit: Illustration by Navid Marvi, Carnegie Science

Natural space weather stations may help understand what makes planets habitable

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Cold plasma torus around young red dwarfs causes periodic dimming – providing a “space weather station” to measure particles and magnetic fields from afar
An artist's impression of the accretion disk around a black hole, where the inner region of the disk wobbles. In this context, wobble refers to the orbit of material around the black hole changing direction around the central body. Credit: NASA

Astronomers confirm Einstein's theory: Black hole distorts space-time

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First direct observation of "frame dragging" phenomenon confirms century-old prediction from general relativity
The gravitational lens of the pair of galaxies VV-191 in a joint photograph by Hubble and Webb. Credit: Science: NASA, ESA, CSA, Rogier Windhorst (ASU), William Keel (University of Alabama), Stuart Wyithe (University of Melbourne), JWST PEARLS Team, Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

Measuring dark matter and seeing ancient stars

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Prof. Adi Citrin of Ben-Gurion University, using the Webb Space Telescope, maps dark matter in galaxy clusters and exploits the strong gravitational lenses created by the clusters to observe galaxies, massive black holes
Left: The star field around the host galaxy of GRB 250702B; Right: A close-up of the galaxy from the Gemini North telescope, after more than two hours of observation, with the galaxy still appearing faint due to dust. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA.

Record-breaking gamma-ray burst lasts more than seven hours, challenging existing explanations

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Infrared and optical observations from NOIRLab and Gemini observatories indicate a relativistic jet formed in an extremely dense and dusty environment in a massive galaxy
The planet Uranus. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Uranus and Neptune may be rockier on the inside than previously thought

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New models, based on fits to gravity measurements, expand the range of scenarios for the composition of ice giants and offer an explanation for their unusual magnetic fields
A large planet close to its sun (hot Jupiter). Illustration: depositphotos.com

New method reveals: Some hot Jupiter-type planets migrated “quietly” into the disk

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Calculation of orbital rotation times for more than 500 planets indicates a group that could not have reached its current orbit in chaotic migration – and suggests an ordered disk migration
New high-precision measurements of the masses of phosphorus-26 and sulfur-27 have shed light on how nuclear reactions occur during explosive X-ray bursts in neutron stars (artist's illustration). Illustration: depositphotos.com

Decoding the most powerful explosions in the universe: New data on X-ray bursts

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New precise measurements of the masses of two rare isotopes change our understanding of a critical reaction in X-ray bursts
The study investigates EMRIs (Extreme Mass Ratio Inward Spirals): systems in which a relatively small, compact body (for example, a black hole formed by the collapse of a single star) orbits and gradually moves inward toward a much more massive black hole, usually at the center of a galaxy. During this inward journey, the smaller body generates a continuous gravitational wave signal. Credit: ESA

Gravitational waves may reveal hidden dark matter around massive black holes

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A full relativistic model suggests that the signature of EMRIs - inward spirals of a small black hole into a supermassive black hole - will carry "fingerprints" of dark matter concentrations, which future detectors like LISA could measure.
The star system GK Persei, where a famous nova occurred, as seen by the Chandra X-ray telescope. An even brighter nova is expected to erupt from the V Sagittae system within the next century. (Credit: NASA Goddard)

The cannibal star V Sagittae: ​​New study maps the system on the way to a daylight supernova

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Recent spectroscopic analysis reveals that a hungry white dwarf and its solar-mass companion, enveloped in a giant gas disk and an extremely soft X-ray source, are on track to become a visible nova in the coming years and an extremely bright supernova in the 21st century.
Illustrative photo of WASP-107b. The planet's low density and intense radiation from its parent star allow helium to escape from the planet and create an asymmetric, extensive, and sparse shell around it. Infrared observations with the James Webb Space Telescope allow this phenomenon to be seen. Credit: University of Geneva/NCCR PlanetS/Thibaut Roger

James Webb Space Telescope reveals 'super-bloated' planet losing its helium atmosphere

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An international team has discovered vast helium clouds migrating away from the exoplanet WASP-107b.
The binary system, one of whose members is the black hole Cygnus X-1. From Wikipedia

Balloon-launched telescope observations reveal how material falls into the black hole in Cygnus X-1

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A team of researchers used the balloon-borne XL-Calibur telescope to measure polarized X-rays from the black hole Cygnus X-1 in unprecedented detail, revealing new clues about how hot material twists and turns.
When two black holes collide, they release gravitational waves that allow scientists to determine their mass and spin. In January 2025, LIGO detected GW250114, the clearest signal yet of a black hole merger, providing new insights into these mysterious cosmic giants. Credit: Maggie Chiang for Simons Foundation

Hawking was right: New data confirms black holes never shrink

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The sharpest and brightest gravitational signal ever measured, GW250114, allows the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA collaboration to test Hawking's surface theorem and Einstein's prediction with unprecedented precision. Black holes "ring" after
A stunning Hubble view of NGC 1511 reveals a spiral galaxy shaped by cosmic upheavals. Involved in dramatic encounters with its smaller neighbors in the past, the galaxy still bears the scars - twisted arms, distorted gas and a weak hydrogen bridge connecting it to a nearby companion. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Thilker

This chaotic spiral galaxy is still recovering from a cosmic collision

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NGC 1511's chaotic history with nearby galaxies has left it connected by gas streams and filled with distorted structures.
The contraction of the universe. From Wikimedia Commons

The universe will "end in a big crunch," warns physicist

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A physicist suggests that the universe has only been around for half of its 33 billion-year lifespan, and will one day change direction.
Artist's impression of J1539+5027, a binary white dwarf system with a period of 6.9 minutes, consisting of a tidally heated white dwarf (in yellow) and its more dense companion (in blue). It is about to begin mass transfer. Credit: KyotoU / Lucy McNeill

Hotter than expected: Tidal heating “inflates” white dwarfs

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Researchers have built a small but powerful detector to find gravitational waves in a hidden frequency range. The discovery could reveal unseen black hole activity and echoes from the early universe. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The small device that will open a new window to the universe: a compact gravitational wave detector for the millihertz range

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UK researchers present a desktop detector based on optical resonators and atomic clocks, which opens access to the “middle domain” of gravitational waves and could reveal binary white dwarfs, black hole mergers and a stochastic background – and a bridge
Does dark matter change the color of light? Illustration: depositphotos.com

According to a new theory, we've been looking for dark matter the wrong way.

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But the York researchers say the light may change its color slightly depending on the type of dark matter it encounters. If this theory is confirmed, this effect could provide a new way to study the hidden component.
A chain of plasmoids forms in the equatorial plane along the streamer sheet, where the particle density (left part) is higher. Here, magnetic fusion occurs, accelerating particles to very high energies (right). Particles also reach relativistic velocities along the spin axis and eventually form the jet, which is driven by the Blandford-Zenaik mechanism. In gray: magnetic field lines. Credit: Meringolo, Camilloni, Rezzolla (2025)

Scientists have solved a century-old black hole mystery

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A new physical model combines observations and simulations and explains key processes in the vicinity of black holes — from jet emissions to extreme mass growth
Caption: Artist's illustration of two supermassive black holes (MBHs) within a galaxy. A tidal disruption event occurs around the supermassive black hole off the center of the galaxy, and material from a disintegrated star swirls into a bright accretion disk, which releases an energetic jet and produces two bright radio bursts. Credit: NSF/AUI/NSF NRAO/P. Vosteen.

Star-bursting by a black hole rarely occurs outside the center of the galaxy

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The Exit from the Cosmic Dark Ages. Prof. Renen Barkana, Tel Aviv University

Radio wave measurements from the moon may reveal the secrets of dark matter

Tel Aviv University research suggests using antennas on the moon to measure signals from cosmic darkness – just 100 million years after the Big Bang – and reveal the nature of dark matter
Cassiopeia A supernova. Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Danny Milisavljevic (Purdue University), Tea Temim (Princeton University), Ilse De Looze (UGhent). Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI).

James Webb Telescope reveals unprecedented details in supernova remnant Cassiopeia A

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Infrared image reveals complex structures, the "green monster," and a glimpse into the sources of cosmic dust – the building blocks of stars, planets, and life
The binary star system V Sagittae – 10,000 light-years from Earth – shines brightly because a voracious white dwarf is devouring its larger twin. Credit: University of Southampton

A hungry star is devouring its cosmic twin at a rate never before observed * In a few years we will be able to see the supernova in daylight

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The V Sagittae system, 10,000 light-years away, is expected to end in a supernova so bright it will be visible from Earth during the day.
Gravitational waves emitted by colliding black holes hold clues about these hidden objects. Credit: Maggie Chiang / Simons Foundation

The most powerful black hole collision since the phenomenon was discovered confirms Einstein's theory and Hawking's prediction

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An extremely strong gravitational wave measured at LIGO has made it possible for the first time to experimentally verify the principle that the area of ​​a black hole's event horizon cannot decrease. Concern: The government wants to close the LIGO project
This artistic rendering depicts small, primordial black holes. In reality, such tiny black holes would struggle to form the accretion disks that would make them appear as they do here. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Physicists: Within a decade, we may see a primordial black hole exploding

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New research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst indicates a probability of up to 90% for a primordial black hole to explode in the next decade – an event that could provide direct evidence of Hawking radiation and reveal the full list of all the universe's dark matter.
Illustration depicting the remnant of a star being thrown at tremendous speed into space from the scene of a supernova explosion caused by an interaction between a pair of white dwarfs.

Escape velocity: 2,000 kilometers per second – Research from the Technion reveals the origin of the fastest white dwarfs in the galaxy

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A team of researchers led by Dr. Hila Glantz and Prof. Hagai Peretz from the Technion found that a merger between special white dwarfs leads to a dramatic double explosion, leaving behind the remnants of stars that fly at dizzying speeds beyond the boundaries of the Milky Way.
Scanning electron microscope photograph of a micrometeorite impact crater with a particle of material from the asteroid Bennu.

The asteroid Bennu is a time capsule of materials that testify to its origin and the changes that have occurred over billions of years.

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Three papers by a team of researchers who analyzed samples from OSIRIS-REx, led by the University of Arizona, reveal unprecedented details about the composition and history of asteroid Bennu
Round chondrules seen in a thin section of the Allende meteorite under microscopic observation. Credit: Akira Miyake, Kyoto University.

Scientists date Jupiter's origin using ancient 'raindrops' of molten rock

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Researchers have developed computer simulations of Jupiter's growth and tracked how its gravity caused rapid collisions between rocky and water-rich planetesimals in the early solar system.
Spiral galaxy NGC 2835 is full of pink nebulae in a new Hubble image that reveals the life cycle of stars in stunning detail. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Chandar, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST team

Stunning pink nebulae glow in a spiral galaxy 35 million light-years away

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Combining Alpha-H data in this week's Hubble Space Telescope image reveals supernova remnants and planetary nebulae along the arms; PHANGS-HST scanned 19 nearby galaxies to catalog over 50,000 nebulae and understand the cycle
Image of Stokes curves and a black hole. Credit: KyotoU / Taiga Miyachi

Scientists discover spiral symphony hidden in black hole oscillations

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Precise analysis reveals complex frequency patterns and quasi-normal modes that had been lost to sight—and suggests a new way to improve the interpretation of black hole “resonance sounds” and the accuracy of gravitational wave measurements
The faint glow of individual stars lingering between two bright galaxies indicates that the galaxies are in an active merger—and that the galaxy clusters around them are also merging. The image was assembled from the entire 28 hours of observations by the 570-megapixel Dark Energy Camera (DECam), built for the U.S. Department of Energy and mounted on the National Science Foundation (NSF) 4-meter Victor M. Blanco Telescope at the Cerro Toluolo Inter-American Observatory. Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

Ghostly bridge of stolen stars reveals galactic 'tug of war'

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A million-light-year-long intracluster light bridge in the Abell 3667 cluster provides the first optical evidence of an aggressive merger between the cluster's two brightest galaxies—hinting at an ancient merger of two clusters
Prof. Tomer Wolansky. Photo: Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv 360 Podcast: The Whole Truth About Dark Matter | Particle Physics

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Two massive black holes have collided in deep space, creating a final monster that defies current theories. Scientists say it's the most massive, fastest-spinning merger ever discovered.

LIGO Detects Gravitational Waves from Extreme Black Hole Merger *Pushing the Limits of Einstein's Theory of Relativity

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A collision between two massive black holes creates a body that rotates at dizzying speeds and contradicts standard models – possibly resulting from previous mergers
A pair of black holes in a cosmic vortex about to collide. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Are We Reading the Universe Wrong? New Method Could Reveal Secrets of Colliding Black Holes

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Scientists have developed a revolutionary method for analyzing gravitational wave signals, which allows for more precise alignment between observations and theoretical models – and brings us closer to understanding the properties of black holes.
Bubbles above and below the Milky Way galaxy. Illustration: Fermi Telescope on NASA's website

“Impossible” Cold Clouds Inside Fermi Bubbles Located Above and Below the Milky Way

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Discovery of dense clouds of neutral hydrogen at the center of vast structures challenges hypothesis about age and stability of Fermi bubbles
A star that survived beyond a black hole. Rewrite a commentary on flashes of light from galaxies

For the first time, a star has been recorded surviving a devastating encounter with a black hole

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New research suggests that the flickering light emissions from the centers of galaxies do not always stem from star-devouring black holes – but sometimes from internal disk changes.
Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAOs) – the “sound of the Big Bang” – support the idea of a local vacuum. Credit: Gabriela Saccara, Perimeter Institute

New hypothesis: Earth may be inside a giant cosmic bubble that distorts the universe

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According to a new hypothesis by astronomers, Earth — and the entire Milky Way galaxy — may reside inside a giant, matter-poor hollow region about a billion light-years across. This region creates the illusion of
Our Possible Future: Three Scenarios for a Future Encounter Between the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies: Top Left: The two galaxies pass each other at a distance of a million light years. Top Right: As the distance between them decreases to 500 light years, the friction exerted by dark matter causes them to approach for a close encounter. Bottom: A distance of 100 light years leads to a collision. (Courtesy: NASA / ESA)

The Andromeda Galaxy may not collide with the Milky Way – contrary to what we thought

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A new study based on data from the Gaia spacecraft raises a possibility: the expected galactic collision may not occur at all, or at least be significantly delayed.
A galaxy surrounded by dark matter. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Were We Wrong About Dark Matter? Dwarf Galaxies Offer Surprising Clues

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New research reveals unusual clustering pattern in sparse dwarf galaxies – and may indicate that dark matter acts differently than we thought, perhaps even interacting with itself
This artist's impression shows how the magnetar shoots material out of the star's crust. The strong magnetic field lines (shaded in green) affect the flow of electric particles. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

When a neutron star explodes, gold is created on a massive scale

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Powerful magnetar flare reveals unexpected source of gold and platinum, offers solution to 20-year-old mystery
Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

The explosive secret that hides the violent past of carbonaceous meteorites

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A night full of stars. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Twinkle little star

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What are stars? Why do they twinkle? And how can we identify the planets closest to us in the starry sky?
A vast spiral galaxy alongside the Milky Way for a scale comparison of the universe. Credit: Bagchi and Ray et al/Hubble Space Telescope

Monstrous jets from black hole in spiral galaxy may foretell Milky Way's terrifying future

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A giant spiral galaxy with powerful jets from a black hole has shocked scientists, because it shows that even galaxies like ours can release dangerous radiation at some point.
Radiation from active galactic nuclei (AGN), usually thought to be deadly, may actually help life thrive – by strengthening the protective ozone layer in oxygen-rich atmospheres, thus making planets more resilient. Credit: IRLab/NSF/AURA/J. daSilva/M. Zamani

Black holes may contribute to the flourishing of life on nearby planets

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New research reveals that radiation from active galactic cores can strengthen the protective ozone layer in oxygen-rich atmospheres and protect life from extinction.
The composition of the universe. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Hidden change in dark energy could rewrite the laws of physics

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Dark energy may not be constant after all. DESI analysis of millions of galaxies shows signs that it may be evolving, suggesting a huge shift in cosmology
Illustration: An image showing the Orion Nebula in visible and infrared light. Astronomers have discovered that about 14 million years ago, the solar system sailed through the Orion Nebula, a dense region where stars are forming. This journey may have compressed the heliosphere and increased the amount of interstellar dust, which could have affected Earth's climate and left an imprint on the geological record. Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, and F. Summers, G. Bacon, Z. Levay, J. DePasquale, L. Hustak, L. Frattare, M. Robberto, M. Gennaro (STScI), R. Hurt (Caltech/IPAC), M. Kornmesser (ESA); Special thanks: A. Fujii, R. Gendler)

Scientists reveal that the sun's journey through the Orion Nebula could have changed Earth's climate

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About 14 million years ago, in the middle of the Miocene epoch, the solar system passed through the Orion Nebula. At the same time, the Earth cooled and the Antarctic ice sheet formed. Is there a connection between the two phenomena?
This artist's illustration shows a planet (left) that came too close to a white dwarf (right) and was torn apart by tidal forces from the star. The white dwarf is at the center, and a nebula appears as blue gas in the background. The planet is part of a star system that includes another planet in the upper left corner and another in the lower right corner. The engulfed planet may have originally been a considerable distance from the white dwarf, but has drifted inward due to gravitational interactions with other planets in the system. Credit: CXC/SAO/M.Weiss

Planet-devouring star observed for the first time

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Astronomers may finally solve a decades-old mystery: A strange X-ray signal from a dying star at the end of its life may indicate that the white dwarf destroyed a nearby planet.
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