The SMITHSONIAN ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY is a part of the Smithsonian Institution which, in conjunction with the Harvard ...

A mysterious black hole in a distant galaxy just woke up after decades of silence—and it’s putting on a cosmic light show!

This image of the Helix Nebula, released on March 4, 2025, shows a potentially destructive white dwarf at the nebula's center ...

Kilonova explosions from neutron star collisions may damage atmospheres and threaten life if nearby, according to a new study ...

Researchers have spent the past few years watching a black hole re-awaken roughly 300 million light-years away from Earth.

Of the heavy metals spewed by dying stars, the astronomers were particularly interested in iron-60. That’s because iron-60 is ...

A 40-year-old space enigma has been unraveled: a white dwarf star at the center of the Helix Nebula has been annihilating a ...

A massive black hole at the heart of a galaxy in the Virgo constellation is waking up, shooting out intense X-ray flares at ...

We all know that black holes can devour stars, rip them apart and consume their remnants. But that only happens if a star ...

The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton is playing a crucial role in investigating the longest and most energetic bursts of ...

Decades of constant X-ray emission from the Helix Nebula’s white dwarf suggest debris from a Jupiter-sized planet steadily rains upon the star.

On Twin Peaks's 35th anniversary, Ray Wise (Leland) reflects on its cultural significance — and how he found out who killed Laura Palmer.