This fluffy ball contains the story of the universe
More than 10 thousand years ago, a star in our galaxy exploded. Nearly 500 years later, the imprint of that explosive burst is still visible—and it’s very fluffy.
More than 10 thousand years ago, a star in our galaxy exploded. Nearly 500 years later, the imprint of that explosive burst is still visible—and it’s very fluffy.
Things from space can have quite the impact on the lifeforms trying to chill here on Earth. The most obvious example of this is the meteor impact that casually wiped out three-fourths of the planet’s plant and animal life.
We’re finding more clues for what that mysterious bright flash was last year, but we’re still not sure what exactly it was.
This could be the last decade that cosmologists debate how fast the universe is expanding.
It appeared as a flash of light on the arm of a distant spiral galaxy. It outshone neighboring stars, an attention-grabbing display of brilliance that peaked after 2.2 days in the sky. Then it was gone, dimming slowly as researchers raced to focus more telescopes on the ephemeral event.
Victor Buso was looking forward to testing his brand-new camera. He had no idea he would help capture the start of one of the most unpredictable events in the universe; a supernova.
Scientists are genuinely perplexed by a star that seems to keep exploding—possibly over the course of decades.
History, astronomy, and huge nuclear explosions all wrapped up in one.
A galaxy passing in front of a supernova does trippy things to its light. Read on.
Scientists aren’t sure why or how these stars detonate, but recent observations of a six-hour-old supernova are shedding light on the star’s final moments