Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scientists have finally solved the mysterious origins of the ‘BOAT’, possibly the largest cosmic explosion since the Big Bang. The brightest gamma-ray burst of all time (hence the abbreviation The Brightest Of All Time), also called the BOOT, appears to have been launched by a supernova explosion that … Read more
Scientists have discovered the gruesome secret behind the apparent youth of some stars at the heart of the Milky Way — stars that are participating in a kind of cosmic demolition derby around our Milky Way’s supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* or Sgr A*. Like a cosmic version of 17th-century serial killer Elizabeth Bathory, who … Read more
A new study of a rare and short-lived type of galaxy has revealed that such objects harbor dormant supermassive black holes that briefly awaken to tear apart a massive star and devour its remains like a giant cosmic breakfast. ‘Compact Symmetric Objects’ or CSOs are active galaxies from which two jets emerge at almost the … Read more
A neutron star is the remains of a massive star that once died during a supernova explosion. Overall, neutron stars are considered some of the most extreme objects in the known universe – and that’s especially true when these incredibly dense stellar remnants sit next to companion stars (that haven’t yet ‘died’) close enough to … Read more
Scientists may have discovered how a supernova relatively close to Earth became adorned with a remarkable “string of pearls” formation. Supernova 1987A (SN 1987A) represents the remnants of a massive cosmic explosion that ripped apart a massive star and left behind a neutron star surrounded by stellar material. It is located in a satellite galaxy … Read more