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A look inside stars and planets

A research team has produced the first experimental verification of a theoretically predicted flow state in the interiors of rapidly rotating celestial bodies. The experiment replicated the physical processes that occur in stars and planets, providing a robust experimental basis for testing theoretical models.

SourceHelmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateAug 26, 2026

The spin behind fading black hole flares

Researchers at Syracuse University found that stellar spin can explain the fading of black hole flares in repeating partial tidal disruption events. The study suggests that stars with rapid initial spin may produce flares that decline in brightness over time. This new understanding provides insight into the complex interactions between...

SourceSyracuse University·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·DateAug 20, 2026

New AI model detects hidden signs of solar eruptions hours before they emerge

A new AI model, EarlyDetect, can detect precursor signals of active region emergence in the Sun's acoustic activity and magnetic field, forecasting solar eruptions nearly nine hours in advance. This technology has the potential to allow satellite communications companies or power grid companies to prepare for solar storms.

SourceNew Jersey Institute of Technology·JournalJournal of Geophysical Research Machine Learning and Computation·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateAug 14, 2026

Capturing the cosmic ‘drift’ before a star is born

A team of researchers from Kyushu University and Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics have detected ambipolar diffusion in a prestellar core, weakening magnetic support and leading to gravitational collapse. This finding provides insight into early star formation and the creation of stellar systems like our own.

SourceKyushu University·JournalAstronomy and Astrophysics·TypeObservational study·DateJul 10, 2026

You just ate that planet, didn't you?

Researchers discovered a sun-like star TOI-5882 with unusually high lithium concentrations, suggesting it has consumed a planet in the past. The team used spectroscopy to analyze light from the star and compared its results to control stars, finding that TOI-5882's lithium content is among the highest ever observed.

SourceUniversity of Michigan·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·DateJun 15, 2026

Listening to the Sun reveals previously hidden changes to solar cycle

Researchers use helioseismology to track sound waves inside the Sun, finding a gradual change in structure just beneath the surface that spans multiple cycles. This discovery reveals a shift towards more tightly confined magnetic activity near the surface, with implications for space weather predictions.

SourceUniversity of Birmingham·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·TypeExperimental study·DateMay 27, 2026

Cosmic blowtorches: How quasars shut down star formation in the early universe

A team at the University of Arizona discovered exceptionally fast and powerful galactic winds from quasars a billion years after the Big Bang. These winds could have caused galaxies to lose gas supplies, effectively shutting down star formation. The study suggests that quasars with extreme outflows were more common in the early univers...

SourceUniversity of Arizona·JournalNature·TypeObservational study·DateMay 7, 2026

Study: New explanation for unique ‘negative superhump’ features of deep-space binary star systems

A team of astrophysicists offers a new explanation for negative superhumps in cataclysmic variable star systems, proposing an eccentric accretion disk model. This theory explains the prevalence of negative superhumps across a wide range of binary star masses and may also explain positive superhumps in high mass ratio systems.

SourceUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·TypeObservational study·DateMar 23, 2026

UCSB researcher bridges the worlds of general relativity and supernova astrophysics

A team of international researchers led by a UC Santa Barbara graduate student has confirmed a long-standing theory of stellar death by applying the principles of general relativity to a superluminous supernova. The discovery suggests that a magnetar, a rapidly spinning neutron star with a massive magnetic field, powers the supernova, ...

Kissing the sun: Unraveling mysteries of the solar wind

A University of Arizona-led research team has measured the dynamics and ever-changing hot gas shell from where the solar wind originates. The study helps scientists answer fundamental questions about energy and matter moving through the heliosphere, affecting space weather events and planetary orbits.

SourceUniversity of Arizona·JournalGeophysical Research Letters·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJan 29, 2026

Astronomers surprised by mysterious shock wave around dead star

Researchers have imaged a beautiful shock wave around a dead star, RXJ0528+2838, which challenges our current understanding of how dead stars interact with their surroundings. The team found that the white dwarf has been expelling a powerful outflow for at least 1000 years, driven by its strong magnetic field.

SourceESO·JournalNature Astronomy·DateJan 12, 2026

Uranus and Neptune might be rock giants

A new study by the University of Zurich suggests that Uranus and Neptune may be more rocky than icy, challenging their classification as ice giants. The researchers developed a unique simulation process to model the planets' interiors, which found that the two planets could have either water-rich or rock-rich compositions.

Our solar system is moving faster than expected

A study from Bielefeld University reveals that the solar system is moving more than three times faster than predicted by current models. This deviation was detected using data from radio galaxies, which emit strong radio waves and can penetrate dust and gas.

SourceBielefeld University·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeObservational study·DateNov 13, 2025

The NSF Inouye Solar Telescope delivers record-breaking images of solar flare, coronal loops

Astronomers captured dark coronal loop strands with unprecedented clarity during an X1.3-class flare, measuring 48.2 km in width, the smallest ever imaged. The team's high-resolution images offer a potential breakthrough in resolving the fundamental scale of solar coronal loops and improving space weather forecasting.

SourceAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateAug 25, 2025

Biggest boom since Big Bang: Hawaiʻi astronomers uncover most energetic explosions in universe

Astronomers have discovered the most energetic cosmic explosions yet discovered, named 'extreme nuclear transients' (ENTs), which occur when massive stars are torn apart after wandering too close to a supermassive black hole. ENTs release vast amounts of energy visible across enormous distances and remain luminous for years.

SourceUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa·JournalScience Advances·TypeObservational study·DateJun 4, 2025

Dark matter formed when fast particles slowed down and got heavy, new theory says

Researchers at Dartmouth College propose a new theory on the origin of dark matter, suggesting it could have formed from high-energy massless particles that rapidly condensed into cold, heavy particles. The theory can be tested using existing observational data, including the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation.

SourceDartmouth College·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateMay 14, 2025

The quest for room-temperature superconductors

Physicists at Queen Mary University of London have discovered that room-temperature superconductivity may be theoretically possible within the laws of our Universe. The research reveals that fundamental constants such as electron mass and Planck constant govern the upper limit of superconducting temperature, which comfortably includes ...

SourceQueen Mary University of London·JournalJournal of Physics Condensed Matter·DateMar 5, 2025