Astronomers discover ‘heavy metal’ supernova rocking out
Many rock stars don’t like to play by the rules, and a cosmic one is no exception. A team of astronomers has discovered that an extraordinarily bright supernova occurred in a surprising location....
NASA has selected nine proposals for Explorers Program
NASA has selected nine proposals in its Explorers Program to study the Sun and general space environment. There are five Heliophysics Small Explorer mission proposals, two Explorer Missions of...
Astronomy: Make a plan to view the American eclipse safely
If you haven’t already heard about it, the Great American Eclipse of 2017 is going to come your way on Aug. 21. Skies will darken to varying degrees at mid-afternoon across the entire USA on that...
You can watch the Great American Eclipse in 4K on Astronomy.com
On August 21, chances are that if you’re able to get yourself into the path of totality on the continental U.S., you will. But what if you can’t travel into totality, or what if it’s cloudy at your...
Gamma-ray burst captured in unprecedented detail
Gamma-ray bursts are among the most energetic and explosive events in the universe. They are also short-lived, lasting from a few milliseconds to about a minute. This has made it tough for...
After a century, world-class astronomy returns to Birr Castle
Birr Castle’s status as a world-class place for astronomy research has been restored with the opening of the Irish Low Frequency Array Radio Telescope (I-LOFAR). The €2 million I-LOFAR is part of a...
New Horizons’ next target: spotted
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft changed our view of the outer solar system forever when it flew by Pluto in 2015. Now, it’s on its way to the next destination: a Kuiper Belt object (KBO) known only...
The Year’s Best Astronomy Photos Will Transport You to Another World
The Royal Observatory Greenwich in the UK has shortlisted its nominees for its annual Insight Astronomer of the Year competition. From stunning aurora and shooting stars through to solar flares and...
