If you were attacked by a greedy vampire star or risked falling into two dueling black holes, you’d probably run away too! One of these terrifying scenarios is likely responsible for sending a low-mass star across the Milky Way at a staggering million miles per hour (1.6 million kilometers per hour). This is approximately 1,500… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific breakthroughs and more. For nearly 50 years, the scientific community has been grappling with an important problem: There is not enough visible matter in the universe. All the matter we can see—stars, planets, cosmic dust, and everything in… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. For nearly 50 years, the scientific community has been grappling with an important problem: There is not enough visible matter in the universe. All the matter we can see—stars, planets, cosmic dust, and everything in… Read More »
Astronomers have detected flares and echoes from Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way. These “cosmic fireworks” and X-ray echoes could help scientists better understand the dark and silent cosmic titan around which our galaxy revolves. A team of Michigan State University researchers made the groundbreaking discovery… Read More »
One of the most profound messages Stephen Hawking left to humanity is that nothing lasts forever, and scientists may finally be ready to prove it. This idea was conveyed in arguably Hawking’s most important work: the hypothesis that black holes “leak” thermal radiation, evaporating in the process and ending their existence in a final explosion.… Read More »
The search for tiny black holes, missing from the Big Bang, may be about to heat up. Just as the trail of such tiny black holes appears to have cooled, an international team of scientists has found clues in quantum physics that could reopen the case. One reason why the hunt for these so-called primordial… Read More »
Researchers have discovered that elusive intermediate-mass black holes can form in dense star clusters containing tens of thousands to millions of tightly packed stars, called “globular clusters.” An intermediate-mass black hole has a mass between 100 and 10,000 suns. They are heavier than solar-mass black holes, which have masses between 10 and 100 solar masses,… Read More »
When a star is born or dies, or any very energetic event occurs in the universe, it emits X-rays, which are high-energy particles of light invisible to the naked eye. These x-rays are the type doctors use to take pictures of broken bones in the body. But instead of looking at the shadows cast by… Read More »
A pink and purple spiral in space, a white line emerging from its center. Astronomers have witnessed the existence of massive black holes that shoot powerful beams of particles into space and then switch targets and fire at new celestial targets. This cosmic firing range, reminiscent of the destruction of the planet Alderaan by the… Read More »
New research has revealed that the secrets of the Sun’s magnetic field, which has remained a mystery for four centuries, may be close to its surface. The sun’s magnetic field is responsible for producing dark spots called sunspots, explosive solar flares, and even explosive eruptions called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). However, since astronomers began investigating… Read More »