Of local bubbles, and star birth and death
New discovery adds to knowledge of how stars are made, and how they die.
Almost all of the young stars within hundreds of light-years of Earth are on the fringe of a giant “local bubble” in ...
Astrophysics
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You may have missed…
Goldfish driving, Moon mysteries, stellar fly-bys and other science you may have missed this week.
Teaching a goldfish to drive Israeli scientists have taught a goldfish how to drive, and it’s probably the best th...
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Have we spotted the birth of a black hole?
Two new observed supernovae are special: they’re partial blasts that mark the birth of a black hole.
Astronomers using a small telescope on top of California’s Mt Palomar, outside of San Diego, have detected not one bu...
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Dark energy survey creates largest 3D map of the universe
New instrument has already mapped more galaxies than all other 3D surveys combined.
On a mountaintop near Tucson, Arizona, a telescope is changing our view of the cosmos. The Dark Energy Spectroscopic ...
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You may have missed…
Stellar magnetism and frisky fairy-wrens.
Purple-crowned fairy-wrens get frisky outside breeding season Researchers and ecologists in the central Kimberley ...
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Why are planets spherical?
A battle between gravity and rotation gives our planets their shape.
Why are the Sun, the planets and their moons all spherical in shape? Lionel Wait, what? The Earth is actually...
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9 coolest black hole stories of the year
There was so much epic research into these cosmic monsters that it was hard to narrow down the list.
We still don’t understand a lot about black holes – objects that are so massive and sense that nothing can escape the...
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Parker Solar Probe becomes first spacecraft to touch the Sun
NASA probe has made humanity’s first true visit to a star.
Astrophysicists have just announced that NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has done what was once thought impossible – touch ...
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Video
Alan Duffy: a passion for science
Outgoing RiAus Lead Scientist Alan Duffy chats about astrophysics and science communication.
From staring at the night sky in Northern Ireland to now directing the Space Technology and Industry Institute at Swi...
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You may have missed…
Fishing snow monkeys, an ultralight exoplanet, a dinosaur treasure trove, and more.
Snow monkeys fishing in the winter Most monkeys are found in warm climates, but Japanese macaques are an adaptable...
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Could gravitational waves help us find dark matter?
Astronomers use super-sensitive instruments to look for boson clouds, a leading contender for dar...
Over the last few years, gravitational waves have revolutionised physics. Sensitive instruments like the Laser Interf...
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Exoplanets dodge bombardment in their infancy
The fragile orbits of the TRAPPIST-1 planets confirm their gentle start to existence.
In 2017, NASA announced the discovery of seven rocky, Earth-sized planets orbiting in the habitable zone of a star ca...