Astronomical Discoveries
- All
- News
-
Astronomers Successfully Weigh a Starless ‘Rogue Planet’ Drifting Through the Milky Way
Astronomers have precisely measured the mass of a rogue planet wandering through the Milky Way using a rare gravitational microlensing event. By combining observations from ground-based telescopes across three continents with data from ESA’s Gaia spacecraft, researchers determined the planet’s distance and found it to be about the mass of Satur...
-
NASA Finds Most Distant Calm Galaxy Cluster Ever Seen in Early Universe
Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have discovered SPT-CL J2215-3537, a massive galaxy cluster located 8.4 billion light-years away. Nicknamed the “Champagne Supernova” cluster, it is the most distant relaxed cluster ever observed, showing no signs of recent collisions. Its calm structure and active star formation challenge ex...
-
JWST Reveals Powerful Winds and Dense Atmosphere on Scorching Exoplanet TOI-561b
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have found compelling evidence that TOI-561b, an ultra-hot rocky exoplanet orbiting its star every 11 hours, still retains a dense atmosphere. Temperatures measured on both its day and night sides are far lower than expected for a bare rock, implying powerful winds and efficient heat transport. ...
-
The Most Exciting Exoplanet Discoveries of 2025: Know the Strange Worlds Scientists Have Found
Astronomers marked a milestone year as confirmed exoplanets surpassed 6,000 in 2025. Discoveries ranged from planets orbiting two suns to worlds losing their atmospheres or forming in real time. The findings reshaped ideas about how planets form, survive, and evolve across the Milky Way.
-
Hubble Captures Rare Collision in Nearby Planetary System, Revealing Violent Planet Formation
Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have witnessed rare collisions between rocky bodies in the Fomalhaut system. The glowing debris clouds created by these impacts offer a unique glimpse into how planets form and highlight challenges in identifying true exoplanets.
-
Astronomers Observe Black Hole Twisting Spacetime for the First Time, Confirming Einstein’s Theory
Astronomers have directly observed a black hole twisting spacetime for the first time, confirming Einstein’s long-standing prediction. The effect was detected during a violent stellar destruction event, where repeating X-ray and radio signals revealed a slow cosmic wobble. The discovery provides new insight into black hole spin, jets, and extreme...
-
JWST Detects Thick Atmosphere on Ultra-Hot Rocky Exoplanet TOI-561 b
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered compelling evidence of a thick atmosphere surrounding TOI-561 b, an ultra-hot rocky exoplanet orbiting its star every 11 hours. Despite extreme radiation and molten surface conditions, the planet appears cooler than expected, suggesting heat-redistributing atmospheric winds and volati...
-
Galaxy Collisions Found to Activate Supermassive Black Holes, Euclid Data Shows
Astronomers using ESA’s Euclid telescope and AI analysis have found that merging galaxies are significantly more likely to host active supermassive black holes. The gravitational chaos of a collision drives gas toward the galactic core, igniting AGN activity. This discovery strengthens the link between galaxy interactions and the energetic proces...
-
ESA Telescopes Capture Ultra-Fast Winds Blasting From Distant Supermassive Black Hole
Astronomers have witnessed an extraordinary black hole outburst in the galaxy NGC 3783, where material was blasted into space at nearly 20% the speed of light. Triggered by an intense X-ray flare, the ultra-fast winds reveal how supermassive black holes can violently shape their surroundings and influence the evolution of entire galaxies.
-
Indian Team Finds 53 Massive Quasars Blasting Jets Millions of Light-Years Long
Astronomers in India have identified 53 previously unknown giant radio quasars powered by supermassive black holes, each releasing enormous plasma jets reaching up to 7.2 million light-years—nearly 50 times the Milky Way’s diameter. Using GMRT data, the team expanded the catalog of known giant quasars and offered valuable clues about how black ...
-
James Webb Space Telescope Finds Unexpected Ultraviolet Radiation Around Young Protostars
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected unexpected ultraviolet radiation around five young protostars in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud. Since infant stars are not expected to emit UV light, the finding challenges long-standing star-formation models. Researchers ruled out external illumination from nearby stars, concluding the...
-
X-Ray Nebula Discovery Brings Astronomers Closer to Solving Cosmic Ray Mystery
A new study has linked an unexplained LHAASO detection to a pulsar-powered X-ray nebula, confirming it as a rare PeVatron capable of accelerating particles to extreme energies. The discovery is a major step toward solving the long-standing mystery of galactic cosmic rays. Researchers are now combining X-ray, gamma-ray and neutrino observations to t...
-
James Webb Space Telescope May Have Spotted the Universe’s First Stars, Astronomers Say
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected a distant, metal-poor galaxy whose unusually massive, ultraviolet-bright stars match the expected signatures of Population III — the universe’s first stars. Through the help of gravitational lensing and Webb’s infrared sensitivity, researchers observed light from just 800 million ...
-
Astronomers Capture First-Ever Early Snapshot of Supernova Shock Wave Using ESO’s VLT
Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope have captured a rare early look at supernova SN 2024ggi, just one day after its discovery. The blast shockwave appeared olive-shaped—not spherical—revealing surprising asymmetry in the explosion. Recorded with the FORS2 instrument, the data shows the shock-breakout phase in unprecedented detail. Th...
-
Astronomers Detect "Super-Earth" Just 18 Light-Years Away In Habitable Zone
Researchers at UC Irvine and their partners published their study in The Astronomical Journal.
-
Astronomers Successfully Weigh a Starless ‘Rogue Planet’ Drifting Through the Milky Way
Astronomers have precisely measured the mass of a rogue planet wandering through the Milky Way using a rare gravitational microlensing event. By combining observations from ground-based telescopes across three continents with data from ESA’s Gaia spacecraft, researchers determined the planet’s distance and found it to be about the mass of Satur...
-
NASA Finds Most Distant Calm Galaxy Cluster Ever Seen in Early Universe
Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have discovered SPT-CL J2215-3537, a massive galaxy cluster located 8.4 billion light-years away. Nicknamed the “Champagne Supernova” cluster, it is the most distant relaxed cluster ever observed, showing no signs of recent collisions. Its calm structure and active star formation challenge ex...
-
JWST Reveals Powerful Winds and Dense Atmosphere on Scorching Exoplanet TOI-561b
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have found compelling evidence that TOI-561b, an ultra-hot rocky exoplanet orbiting its star every 11 hours, still retains a dense atmosphere. Temperatures measured on both its day and night sides are far lower than expected for a bare rock, implying powerful winds and efficient heat transport. ...
-
The Most Exciting Exoplanet Discoveries of 2025: Know the Strange Worlds Scientists Have Found
Astronomers marked a milestone year as confirmed exoplanets surpassed 6,000 in 2025. Discoveries ranged from planets orbiting two suns to worlds losing their atmospheres or forming in real time. The findings reshaped ideas about how planets form, survive, and evolve across the Milky Way.
-
Hubble Captures Rare Collision in Nearby Planetary System, Revealing Violent Planet Formation
Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have witnessed rare collisions between rocky bodies in the Fomalhaut system. The glowing debris clouds created by these impacts offer a unique glimpse into how planets form and highlight challenges in identifying true exoplanets.
-
Astronomers Observe Black Hole Twisting Spacetime for the First Time, Confirming Einstein’s Theory
Astronomers have directly observed a black hole twisting spacetime for the first time, confirming Einstein’s long-standing prediction. The effect was detected during a violent stellar destruction event, where repeating X-ray and radio signals revealed a slow cosmic wobble. The discovery provides new insight into black hole spin, jets, and extreme...
-
JWST Detects Thick Atmosphere on Ultra-Hot Rocky Exoplanet TOI-561 b
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered compelling evidence of a thick atmosphere surrounding TOI-561 b, an ultra-hot rocky exoplanet orbiting its star every 11 hours. Despite extreme radiation and molten surface conditions, the planet appears cooler than expected, suggesting heat-redistributing atmospheric winds and volati...
-
Galaxy Collisions Found to Activate Supermassive Black Holes, Euclid Data Shows
Astronomers using ESA’s Euclid telescope and AI analysis have found that merging galaxies are significantly more likely to host active supermassive black holes. The gravitational chaos of a collision drives gas toward the galactic core, igniting AGN activity. This discovery strengthens the link between galaxy interactions and the energetic proces...
-
ESA Telescopes Capture Ultra-Fast Winds Blasting From Distant Supermassive Black Hole
Astronomers have witnessed an extraordinary black hole outburst in the galaxy NGC 3783, where material was blasted into space at nearly 20% the speed of light. Triggered by an intense X-ray flare, the ultra-fast winds reveal how supermassive black holes can violently shape their surroundings and influence the evolution of entire galaxies.
-
Indian Team Finds 53 Massive Quasars Blasting Jets Millions of Light-Years Long
Astronomers in India have identified 53 previously unknown giant radio quasars powered by supermassive black holes, each releasing enormous plasma jets reaching up to 7.2 million light-years—nearly 50 times the Milky Way’s diameter. Using GMRT data, the team expanded the catalog of known giant quasars and offered valuable clues about how black ...
-
James Webb Space Telescope Finds Unexpected Ultraviolet Radiation Around Young Protostars
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected unexpected ultraviolet radiation around five young protostars in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud. Since infant stars are not expected to emit UV light, the finding challenges long-standing star-formation models. Researchers ruled out external illumination from nearby stars, concluding the...
-
X-Ray Nebula Discovery Brings Astronomers Closer to Solving Cosmic Ray Mystery
A new study has linked an unexplained LHAASO detection to a pulsar-powered X-ray nebula, confirming it as a rare PeVatron capable of accelerating particles to extreme energies. The discovery is a major step toward solving the long-standing mystery of galactic cosmic rays. Researchers are now combining X-ray, gamma-ray and neutrino observations to t...
-
James Webb Space Telescope May Have Spotted the Universe’s First Stars, Astronomers Say
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected a distant, metal-poor galaxy whose unusually massive, ultraviolet-bright stars match the expected signatures of Population III — the universe’s first stars. Through the help of gravitational lensing and Webb’s infrared sensitivity, researchers observed light from just 800 million ...
-
Astronomers Capture First-Ever Early Snapshot of Supernova Shock Wave Using ESO’s VLT
Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope have captured a rare early look at supernova SN 2024ggi, just one day after its discovery. The blast shockwave appeared olive-shaped—not spherical—revealing surprising asymmetry in the explosion. Recorded with the FORS2 instrument, the data shows the shock-breakout phase in unprecedented detail. Th...
-
Astronomers Detect "Super-Earth" Just 18 Light-Years Away In Habitable Zone
Researchers at UC Irvine and their partners published their study in The Astronomical Journal.
