Astrophysics

A colorful illustration of a black hole expelling a jet of material into space.

The UniverseJanuary 23, 2026

The biggest explosions in the universe, ranked

From planet-scorching stellar outbursts to cataclysms so powerful they shiver the very fabric of spacetime, these are some of the biggest blasts our cosmos has to offer

Phil Plait

This is a gif animation made up of false-colour images taken by ESA’s Proba-3 mission and NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. Against a dark background, the Sun’s disc is shown in dark orange, as captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. A thin halo of yellow light surrounds the Sun, giving it a luminous outline against the dark background of space. This yellow outline shows the Sun’s inner corona, as captured by Proba-3. Also in yellow, three solar prominence eruptions are visible, resembling bright yellow wave-like outburst extending outwards from the Sun. First, we can see a smaller one in the top right corner, followed by a larger one in the top left and a third one in the bottom right. The whole animation lasts about 4 seconds and plays in a loop.

AstrophysicsJanuary 21, 2026

Watch three solar prominences erupt in epic video

A European spacecraft caught rare footage of three successive prominences popping off the sun

Meghan Bartels

May Issue: Your Heart in Flames. Read Now!

Light flash flare effect of glittering sun or star

The UniverseJanuary 16, 2026

For Stars, It’s Not Easy Being Green

Stars emit lots of green light, but our eyes don’t let us see them that way

Phil Plait

A deep field image showing many distant galaxies, including an astrophysical object known as a “little red dot” at the center.

Black HolesJanuary 15, 2026

‘Little Red Dots’ Spied by JWST May Be Baby Black Holes in Disguise

Puzzling red spots in images from the James Webb Space Telescope are probably young supermassive black holes obscured by dense cocoons of gas

Lee Billings

An infrared image of Sagittarius B2, a molecular cloud in the galactic center taken with JWST

AstrophysicsJanuary 13, 2026

The Milky Way’s Central Black Hole May Have Appeared Shockingly Different Just a Few Hundred Years Ago

New research suggests that the x-ray light coming from the Milky Way’s central black hole Sagittarius A* has changed dramatically in the span of just a few hundred years

Jackie Flynn Mogensen

NASA’s Space Launch System rocket inside high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building

Space ExplorationDecember 30, 2025

Here’s What to Get Excited about in Space in 2026

From crewed lunar voyages to flight tests of fully reusable rockets and launches of new orbital telescopes studying the outer limits of the cosmos, 2026 should be a banner year for space science and exploration

Lee Billings

A comet with an elaborate tail dives toward the bottom center of the image, with astronomical observatories in the foreground.

AstronomyDecember 22, 2025

Behold the 10 Most Stunning Space Images of 2025

From an interstellar comet to breathtaking auroras and from brand-new rockets to iconic space telescopes, here are some of our favorite images from the cosmos in 2025

Meghan Bartels

Planet Earth appears to be melting, leaving a puddle of goo below it against a starry space background

The UniverseDecember 19, 2025

If I Stop the World, Will I Melt with You?

Depending on how you look at it, this catchphrase from a 1980s pop song is decently accurate: you can actually melt the planet if you stop its turning

Phil Plait

An edge-on illustration of a spiral galaxy is shown. It reveals the galaxy's thin disc and central bulge from the side. Overlaid is a data visualization, with colors ranging from blue to red.

The UniverseNovember 7, 2025

Our Milky Way’s warped disk keeps getting weirder

Observations show the disk of our galaxy is not flat but warped and waving. Astronomers are still working out the reasons why

Phil Plait

An artist's concept depicting a supermassive black hole in the process of shredding a massive star

AstrophysicsNovember 6, 2025

Record-Breaking Black Hole Blast Reveals Star’s Final Moments

A “superflare” 10 trillion times brighter than the sun is confirmed as the record holder for luminosity

Jenna Ahart, Nature magazine

A blue glowing explosion in space, reminiscent of a supernova or a gamma-ray burst

AstrophysicsNovember 5, 2025

Astronomers Are Agog over This All-Day Gamma-Ray Burst

A cosmic explosion known as GRB 250702B is by far the longest gamma-ray burst astronomers have ever seen—if it’s even one at all

Yvette Cendes

A relativistic jet erupts from the center of the elliptical galaxy M87.

The UniverseOctober 17, 2025

When a Galaxy Erupts, What We See Depends on How We See It

Voracious supermassive black holes light up the cores of “active” galaxies across the universe. How we see them, however, is a matter of perspective

Phil Plait

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