Astronomy

Normal matter has an “evil twin” that annihilates on contact, and despite decades of study antimatter remains very mysterious. So what actually is it? Where is it? Why is it important to understand? And why hasn’t it already destroyed the universe?

A huge new dataset could soon help unlock the mystery of fast radio bursts (FRBs). Within a few weeks, over 1,600 new signals were detected coming from one of the most well-studied sources, essentially ruling out a leading hypothesis on their origin.

Astronomers have detected a strange radio source from near the center of the Milky Way. The signal repeats seemingly at random and can’t be attributed to any known astronomical object, leading the team to consider that it may be something brand new.

Astronomers have discovered strange radio signals that could be coming from unseen planets. Models suggest that interactions between the magnetic fields of planets and their host stars produce radio emissions – a new potential way to detect planets.

One Sun is plenty for our solar system, but some planets have been found orbiting two stars at once. Now the ante has been upped again, with evidence emerging of a planet orbiting three stars at once.

An absolutely gigantic comet is currently barreling towards the solar system – and new observations have pinned down its size. Astronomers have measured C/2014 UN271 to be 150 km wide, making it comfortably the largest comet ever discovered.

Astronomers have discovered a big hole in space. New 3D visualizations of the Perseus and Taurus star-forming clouds have revealed a large cavity between them, possibly created in ancient supernova explosions.

An incredible image of a solar eclipse has won this year's Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. Selected from more than 4,500 entries, the shot was awarded alongside other highlights, including a technically masterful mosaic of our Milky Way.

Astronomers have spotted a new type of supernova for the first time. An unlucky star seems to have prematurely exploded after colliding with an extremely dense object, perhaps a black hole or a neutron star, creating a unique signature in the sky.

It looks like the James Webb Space Telescope might actually launch in October, for real this time. The perennially delayed instrument has completed its final tests and is now being prepped for shipment to the launch facility.

We might be one step closer to an answer for the intriguing cosmic mystery of fast radio bursts. By examining multiple “radio colors” simultaneously in a batch of repeating signals, astronomers have ruled out a leading model for their origin.

In the hunt for extraterrestrial life, most of our attention has been focused on Earth-like worlds. But now, astronomers have defined a new class of exoplanet called “Hycean” worlds that could be a promising place to find signs of life.