A massive filament of gas and dust, designated X7, has been elongated during its long approach to the Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. See W.M. Keck Observatory imagery of X7 ...

What if the Milky Way’s central “black hole” isn’t a black hole at all? A new model proposes that an ultra-dense dark matter core could mimic its gravitational pull.

In 2014, a NASA telescope observed that the infrared light emitted by a massive star in the Andromeda galaxy gradually grew brighter. The star glowed more intensely with infrared light for around ...

This week in science: Mysterious molecules on Mars are tricky to explain without life; a compound that cuts cholesterol as a ...

Invisible forces, capable of shaping entire galaxies and accelerating cosmic winds to dizzying speeds, have just been observed by astronomers in Arp 220. This merging galaxy system is located ...

Scientists have named two systems of colliding supermassive black holes after Lord of the Rings locations, Gondor and Rohan.

Recent observations suggest that 'runaway' black holes are tumbling through the cosmos. Building on decades of theory, the discovery adds a remarkable new chapter to the story of the universe.

A massive star 2.5 million light-years away simply vanished — and astronomers now know why. Instead of exploding in a supernova, it quietly collapsed into a black hole, shedding its outer layers in a ...

PARIS, France - Surprised astronomers said Thursday they have discovered a star with planets in a bizarre order that defies scientific expectations -- and suggests these faraway worlds formed in a ...

Through nine questions, from the merely intriguing to the existential and utterly bonkers, this special feature confronts the staggering vastness of the cosmos and our place in it.

That unicorn exists in Ely, Nevada – a mountain town where one-bedroom apartments regularly rent for under $700 a month, a figure that might make big-city dwellers choke on their $7 lattes.

Half Moon Pond State Park in Benson, Vermont is precisely that kind of magical realm—a place where reality seems enhanced, ...