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This artist concept portrays the brown dwarf W1935, which exhibits signs of glowing methane—possibly caused by aurorae!

This artist concept portrays the brown dwarf W1935, which exhibits signs of glowing methane—possibly caused by aurorae!

Brown Dwarf Aurorae

Brown dwarf W1935 exhibits signs of glowing methane—possibly caused by aurorae!

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Cas A from Chandra
Hunting the Green Monster

Cassiopeia A is one astronomical object that looks exactly like what it is—a star that exploded 350 years ago!

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HYan Image
Just Wonderful Space Telescope News

JWST launches the first day of astronomy’s big meeting with news about science, technology, and galaxies!

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Artist impression of the debris disk surrounding star HD53143.

Artist impression of the debris disk surrounding star HD53143. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO); M. Weiss (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Disks and Planet Formation

The connection between disks and planet formation continues to expand as astronomers view them in new detail.

Exoplanet
Lisa Kaltenegger on Looking for Signs of Life

Should we be afraid of contact from extraterrestrials?

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Fermi bubbles

A snapshot from the Digital Universe shows a representation of the Fermi bubbles emerging from our Milky Way galaxy. Lines show the view from Earth to distant quasars, used to determine that the Fermi bubbles formed millions of years ago during an outburst from the Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole.

Of Bubbles and Black Holes

You may have heard the rumor—that a supermassive black hole lurks at the center of our galaxy? It's true.

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Two merging black holes

Simulation of light emitted by two merging supermassive black holes surrounded by nearly transparent gas. (Image courtesy NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.)

Black Holes Near and Far

How do black holes form? And why do they always feel like the popular kids in school?

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AB Aurigae

Planets form in disks around young stars, and this image shows a face-on view of AB Aurigae, which shows a “twist” near the center where a planet is likely forming. The image was taken by the Very Large Telescope (VLT), operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

Thoughts from a Planetarian: Universe Update for May 2020

Join us on a journey through the Universe as we share recent news from the cosmos.

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NASA Artemis
Thoughts from a Planetarian: Who Sold the Moon?

Humankind has its eyes on the Moon’s resources. Should we strip-mine the Moon? Why or why not?

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Artists Illustration of two neutron stars colliding

Artists illustration of a neutron star collision. Image Source: NASA

A Stellar Smash Up Makes Waves—and What Else?

News Headline, Gravitational waves, gamma ray bursts, and reading between the lines.

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NASA/JPL-Caltech/Vivien Parmentier/Aix-Marseille University (AMU)
The Life of Water on an Ultrahot Jupiter

Even water needs sunscreen when the stars are this close.

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Image courtesy of NASA Image Gallery
Radiation: An Obstacle for Life

We're well-protected from solar radiation. But what about life on other planets and moons? Could it survive?

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TESS, NASA
Your Space Trash—My Space Treasure?

Could we use space debris to find technologically advanced life on other planets?

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Small, Spinning Galaxies

Big surprises coming from little galaxies…

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