In almost every astronomy news story, we see reports of black holes, sun-like stars, massive stars, nebulae, galaxies, star clusters, and much more. Each one is interesting, of course. But there's something less frequently mentioned, yet even more intriguing: neutron stars. I'd say neutron stars are my favorite in astronomy. A star's life […]
The Eagle Nebula is a nebula in the Serpens constellation, discovered in the mid-1700s. It lies 7,000 light-years away from us, is 7.5 light-years across, and is 5.5 million years old. The Pillars of Creation, known as the Pillars of Creation, are located here, where star production is intense. The Pillars of Creation certainly deserve their name.
Food pills are always a staple of science fiction. But they could be a reality for our galaxy. Galaxies are essentially star-making factories. Our galaxy has been producing stars for 8 billion years. So how does it source them? When old stars die, some of their gas is dispersed into interstellar space, but the vast majority remains in the long-lived dwarf star (white dwarf, neutron star, […]
It's been a long time since astronomers have succeeded in simulating a galaxy based on the actual physical laws of a galaxy throughout the universe's history. Astronomers have long attempted to simulate a galaxy through the age of the universe by incorporating physical laws such as gravity, gas chemistry, and the evolution of the universe. But their results have always been that all the gas is quickly absorbed and sinks to the center of the galaxy. […]
M42, or the Orion Nebula as it's known (I won't use the term "nebula" anymore because of the "What the hell?" jokes), is 1,500 light-years away from us and 15 light-years in diameter. It's the brightest nebula in the sky, visible even to the naked eye (you need sharp eyes). It's the first nebula new to skygazing often finds, especially in the winter months. Located in the constellation Orion, just […]
Of the four fundamental forces in the universe, gravity is perhaps the strangest. It's the most powerful force, holding everything together even across hundreds of millions of light-years. At smaller distances, it holds the reins of power, just as our solar system does. Yet, even a tiny magnet […]
