An unusual star may have swallowed its stellar companion and burped out a planet-forming cloud as a result, a new study reports. The star, called BP Piscium, is surrounded by a thick disc of gas and dust from which it appears to be sucking up new material at a prodigious rate. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Probing a glowing bubble of gas and dust encircling a dying star, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope reveals a wealth of previously unseen structures. The object, called NGC 2371, is a planetary nebula, the glowing remains of a Sun-like star. The remnant star visible at the center of NGC 2371 is the super-hot core of the former red giant, now stripped of its outer layers. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

By studying in great detail the 'ringing' of a planet-harbouring star, a team of astronomers using ESO's 3.6-m telescope have shown that it must have drifted away from the metal-rich Hyades cluster. This discovery has implications for theories of star and planet formation, and for the dynamics of our Milky Way. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Wikisky is a draggable, zoomable, web-based star map. If you click on a star or other object, it brings upvall the information you could want on it, including recent articles and photos. That and much more. picked by 2manyusernames 3 years ago

Star Wars Vs. Star Trek: The Infamous DMP Edition.... picked by Bornbad 12 months ago

Using observations from ESO's VLT, astronomers were able for the first time to reconstruct the site of a flare on a solar-like star located 150 light years away. The study of this young star, nicknamed 'Speedy Mic' because of its fast rotation, will help scientists better understand the youth of our Sun. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

A massive young star seems to have exploded before its time, new Hubble Space Telescope images reveal. The star, the heftiest to have been linked to a supernova explosion, could challenge models of when stellar furnaces end their lives. picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago

If you live in the southern or western parts of the United States, you'll have an opportunity on Nov. 3 to see a fat waning crescent moon gradually drift toward and ultimately hide the 1st-magnitude star, Regulus, the brightest star of the constellation Leo, the Lion. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

According to the Bible, when Jesus was born three Magi saw a star in the East that signaled the birth of a new king. But just what was it, from an astronomical point or view, that the Magi actually saw? Fred Grosse, a professor of physics and astronomy at Susquehanna University, gives scientific explanations for the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

A massive exploding faraway star _ the brightest supernova astronomers have ever seen _ has scientists wondering whether a similar celestial fireworks show may light up the sky much closer to Earth sometime soon. picked by AutumnLotus 3 years ago

A tiny star recently unleashed what is considered the brightest burst of light ever seen in the universe from a normal star. Shining with only 1 percent of the sun's light and boasting just a third of the sun's mass, this run-of-the-mill star previously was nothing to write home about. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Input your birthday and find your birthday star! A birthday star is a star whose light left said star about the time you were born. Mine is in the constellation Eridanus. It is called 40 Eridani in the Historia Cœlestis Britannica of John Flamsteed and Edmund Halley. It is called NS 0415-0739 A in the NStars database. It has visual magnitude 4.43 meaning that you could see this star with the ... read full post picked by KingKoopa 2 years ago

It confirms that Altair, one of the brightest stars in the night sky, is a rapidly spinning, non-spherical body. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

"Oh, A Cherry Coke..." Hilarious, albeit slightly NSFW language. picked by ReBoot 3 years ago

This is the weirdest thing I've seen all day. Enjoy folks. picked by LatueOfStiberty 3 years ago

How much fun can be had with just one frame of Star Wars? Well, as it happens, a lot of fun. This is a Flash collection of Photoshopped images, based on just that one frame. The static page is here. picked by TheStep 2 years ago

Matt Damon is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. picked by punthe 2 years ago

The fading glow of a "zombie" star reveals that its body remains plenty active, as seen in an incredible rotation rate. picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

In a distant galaxy, a star orbiting a massive central black hole strays too close to the insatiable giant and is torn apart. But before it can be devoured, the star lets out one last scream in a flare of light that slowly echoes across the galaxy. Astronomers on Earth pick up this faint call and use it to map the nucleus of the galaxy from which it emanated. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

An enormous eruption has found its way to Earth after travelling for many thousands of years across space. Studying this blast with ESA’s XMM-Newton and Integral space observatories, astronomers have discovered a dead star belonging to a rare group: the magnetars. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago