In the center of our galaxy, gigantic, balloon-like structures of high-energy radiation extend thousands of light-years above and below the Milky Way’s plane. Known as the Fermi bubbles, the massive lobes may have been the result of a violent outburst in our galaxy’s recent past. A new discovery of cold hydrogen clouds embedded inside the […]
New Images Show Andromeda Galaxy as You’ve Never Seen It Before
Andromeda lies 2.5 million light-years away from the Milky Way, a spiral galaxy similar to our own that has allowed scientists to better understand our galactic home. A new composite image reveals our closest galactic neighbor in five different wavelengths of light, combined together to create a stunningly detailed view of Andromeda. Telescopes capture images […]
The Milky Way’s Black Hole Is Producing a Brilliant Light Show
The black hole at the center of our galaxy is experiencing a flurry of flares, ranging from flickers to brilliant eruptions, according to a team that analyzed data from recent observations by the Webb Space Telescope. The observations detailed the extreme environment in the immediate vicinity of Sagittarius A* (pronounced A-star), the supermassive black hole […]
Astronomers Track a Runaway Star and Its Planet Traveling at Hyperspeed
A small star and its orbiting planet are flying through the Milky Way at record pace, according to a NASA team’s analysis of the object. The system is believed to be traveling at least 1.2 million miles per hour (1.93 million kilometers per hour), according to a NASA release, which would make the exoplanet the […]