Milky Way

Astronomers have discovered a pair of young stars near the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy. Studying them can offer a rare glimpse into how stars can endure — at least briefly — the immense gravity exerted by such cosmic behemoths.

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured an image of a baby, Milky Way-like galaxy that formed more than 13 billion years ago. This "Firefly Sparkle" galaxy could reveal how our own galaxy evolved.

A shockwave caused by the galaxy NGC 7318b slamming into four other galaxies is akin to a "sonic boom from a jet fighter." Astronomers hope the event will reveal vital secrets about the often-violent evolution of our universe.

A 3D map of our cosmic neighborhood has revealed hot and cold regions as well as an "escape tunnel" from our local bubble.

The number of known galaxies circling the Milky Way is increasing as we develop new powerful telescopes.

The image of Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way, captured by the Event Horizon Telescope.

The first piece of the Euclid space telescope's map of the universe is crammed with 14 million galaxies and 100 million sources of light. The mapping project is now 1% done.

A probabilistic new map of the universe surrounding the Milky Way reveals that our galaxy is likely part of an even larger "basin of attraction" than we previously assumed.

Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory have released the largest infrared map of the Milky Way ever. The enormous dataset contains millions of new objects, and the researchers expect to scour it for discoveries for years to come.

The James Webb Space Telescope has taken things to the extreme, studying the outer edge of our own galaxy, the Milky Way and producing a stunning new image.