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Latest about stars

Weird repeating nova explosion is one of the hottest blasts ever seen
By Shreejaya Karantha published
Researchers conducted the first-ever near-infrared analysis of an extragalactic recurrent nova and found it is one of the hottest nova explosions ever discovered.

The James Webb telescope reveals the truth about a planet that crashed into its own star
By Elana Spivack published
Scientists thought they saw a distant star swallow a planet for the first time ever. But new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest something very different, but equally rare, may have happened instead.

Astronomers are shocked to find our galaxy's nearest neighbor is being torn to shreds
By Ben Turner published
An analysis of star movements from the Gaia spacecraft reveals that the Small Magellanic Cloud — a satellite galaxy bound to the Milky Way — is being torn apart by its larger neighbor.

Gaia telescope retires: Scientists bid farewell to 'the discovery machine of the decade' that mapped 2 billion Milky Way stars
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
After 11 years mapping the Milky Way, the European Space Agency's Gaia space telescope has retired. Scientists hailed it as "the discovery machine of the decade."

NASA's SPHEREx telescope 'opens its eyes on the universe', taking stunning debut image of 100,000 galaxies and stars
By Ben Turner published
SPHEREx's first images — containing roughly 100,000 points of light stars, galaxies and nebulae — have confirmed that the telescope is working according to its design.

Space photo of the week: Hubble zooms in on the glittering galaxy next door
By Jamie Carter published
The Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy about 200,000 light-years from the solar system, can be seen with the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere.

Vernal equinox: How to see spring begin, just by looking at the stars
By Jamie Carter published
You can tell spring has officially begun in the Northern Hemisphere just by looking at the stars. Here's how to easily spot the Spring Triangle without a telescope.

The universe's water is billions of years older than scientists thought — and may be nearly as old as the Big Bang itself
By Joanna Thompson published
A new study suggests that water first appeared in the universe just a couple hundred million years after the Big Bang — meaning life could have evolved billions of years earlier than previously thought.

Space photo of the week: Hubble hunts a stellar 'imposter' hiding in the Great Bear
By Jamie Carter published
The legendary Hubble Space Telescope has turned its gaze to the Ursa Major-adjacent galaxy UGC 5460, revealing spiral arms, star clusters and a possible supernova "imposter".

Fast radio burst traced to the outskirts of an ancient 'graveyard' galaxy — and the cause remains a mystery
By Jenna Ahart last updated
Scientists have traced a repeating fast radio burst (FRB) to the edge of an ancient galaxy where star formation has drastically dropped. Researchers are struggling to explain what caused it.
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