Stars

NASA has released a huge new report that astronomers are calling Hubble’s magnum opus. Analyzing 30 years of data from the famous space telescope, the new study makes the most precise measurement yet of how fast the universe is expanding.

Astronomers have discovered what may be the brightest pulsar in the sky. Despite its intense light the pulsar has long evaded detection, and was only revealed thanks to a telescope equipped with some cosmic “sunglasses.”

Astronomers have discovered a strange intergalactic ring that may be the first of its kind found. The large radio circle lurks between the Milky Way and a neighboring galaxy, and its discoverers suggest it may be the remains of an unusual supernova.

Hubble has spotted the most distant single star ever seen, about 12.9 billion light-years from Earth. The light from this star was emitted soon after the Big Bang, and has been magnified by a galaxy and stretched out by the expansion of the universe.

A strange star just got even stranger. In the midst of its death throes, the star V Hya has been belching out a series of rings and plumes of materials, in a pattern never before seen from a dying star.

The James Webb Space Telescope has snapped its first in-focus image. With this milestone, the telescope is now set to meet or even exceed its original science goals. It was also recently spotted by another spacecraft in the area.

A new signal deepens the mystery of fast radio bursts with a few oddities – it hails from an unexpected region of space, and its pulses are about a million times shorter than most, which could indicate many others like it are going undetected.

Astronomers have discovered a new type of star, and exactly how these weird white dwarfs came to be remains a mystery. They're covered in a layer of “ash” that’s usually produced by burning helium, indicating they may have formed as other stars collided.

Astronomers believe they’ve detected the first “rogue” black hole, roaming the galaxy alone. The object made itself known when it passed in front of a background star, bending the light with its extreme gravity.

Although it should be extremely common in the universe, dark matter has proven tricky to detect. Now researchers have proposed an intriguing new method to spot it – looking for shock waves as dark matter “asteroids” collide with stars.

Astronomers have discovered a bizarre radio signal in our galaxy that can’t be explained by any known object. When active the source gives off radio bursts lasting a minute, every 20 minutes, which should be impossible based on what we know about it.

The endless expanse of space is a beautiful and fascinating subject for photography. From the dramatic births and deaths of stars, to galactic glamor shots and planetary close-ups, here are some of the most breathtaking space photos of 2021.