Galaxies

All stars are born in groups but then slowly disperse into space. A new theory seeks to explain how these groups form and fall apart or, in rare cases, persist for hundreds of millions of years

A Jupiter-like gas giant, 335 light-years from Earth, is caught in the process of formation by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile

The discovery could help astronomers better understand how these behemoths grow

Cassini's observations are giving scientists a look at processes that occur during star explosions

NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory captures video of superheated plasma loops far larger than Earth as they rain down on solar surface

Rocketing through space at more than three million kilometers per hour, six speedy stars were likely ejected from the giant black hole in the center of the Milky Way

Water on the moon was there as the moon formed, not delivered later by solar wind and comets

Beneath its pretty pink exterior, Messier 106 harbors a monster black hole that gobbles up matter at the galaxy’s center

Astronomers estimate 4.5 billion Earth-like planets are spread throughout the Galaxy

The solar system's moons may have emerged from long-gone planetary baubles

Scientific American contributing editor George Musser answers viewer questions submitted to YouTube's Spacelab Channel

Scientists have found evidence of polar lights on exoplanets and hope the discovery will add insight as to the strength of a planet's magnetic field