Astronomers have detected a dazzling flash of ultraviolet light from an exploding white dwarf for the second time, and could give researchers important clues as to what stimulates the disappearance of these ancient worn-out stars. The researchers noticed this unusual supernova, called SN2019yvq, last December, just one day after the …
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The answers to many questions in astronomy are hidden behind the veil of deep time. One of those questions is about the role that supernovae played in the early Universe. The job of the first supernovae was to forge the heaviest elements that were not forged in the Big Bang. …
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A star discovered at full speed by the Milky Way is so strange that astronomers can only conclude that it was ejected during a very unusual supernova event. The star, a white dwarf about 1,430 light-years away called SDSS J1240 + 6710, and nicknamed Dox, advances at 250 kilometers per …
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Why was Betelgeuse toned down so dramatically? In October 2019 it began to weaken. It is a variable star, which becomes brighter and weaker in a cycle of about 420 days, so it is not unusual. But this time it started to fade … and then it didn’t stop. Normally …
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