How do stars form? Stellar outbursts may help explain how sun-like stars develop

Computer modelling supports the idea that nascent stars brighten dramatically during growth spurts, which could explain an astrophysical mystery Space 2 December 2021 By Will Gater Newborn stars appear as pink and red specks in the centre of this image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope NASA/JPL-Caltech/P.S. Teixeira (Center for Astrophysics) Powerful outbursts of energy from … Read more

Former NASA astronaut Leland Melvin aims to help the next generation reach for the stars

Former NASA astronaut Leland Melvin is working to help the next generation reach the same lofty heights that he did. Melvin, a retired NASA astronaut, completed two space shuttle missions to the International Space Station during his tenure, one in 2008 and the other in 2009. But in the years since then, Melvin has been … Read more

How the James Webb telescope will rewrite the story of the universe

The most anticipated space telescope ever is about to launch. It will give us a clear picture of the first stars and reveal the atmospheres of exoplanets too – if it unfolds without a hitch Space 8 December 2021 By Colin Stuart NASA, ESA, V. Ksoll and D. Gouliermis (Universität Heidelberg), et al.; Processing: Gladys … Read more

3 of the most exciting space telescopes planned for launch by 2034

The much-anticipated James Webb Space Telescope will soon launch. But with plenty more epic astronomy instruments planned over the next few years, the fun is just beginning Space 8 December 2021 By Colin Stuart As 2021 draws to a close, astronomers’ eyes are fixed firmly are on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is … Read more

Planets: An unexpected gas giant is orbiting a massive pair of stars

We thought that planets couldn’t form around stars with more than three times the mass of the sun, but planet b Cen (AB)b challenges the idea Space 8 December 2021 By Chen Ly The twin stars of the most massive planet-hosting star system to date, b Centauri, and its giant planet b Cen (AB)b ESO/Janson … Read more

Our Sun May Have Been Born With a Trouble-Making Twin Called ‘Nemesis’

A recent model on how stars are formed adds weight to the hypothesis that most – if not all – stars are born in a litter with at least one sibling. Our own star at the center of the Solar System is probably no exception, and some astronomers suspect that the Sun’s estranged twin might … Read more