Scientists may be searching for Earth-like worlds around stars like our sun, but a new study suggests that the best places to look for planets that can support life may be the dying stars called white dwarfs. Full story
Astronomers have discovered a dozen previously unknown double-star systems, each on a course to end in spectacular explosions detonated by the crash between their two small, dense stars. Full story
Two massive Jupiter-like planets were recently discovered orbiting around two extremely close sister stars an unexpected find, given the disturbing gravitational effects within most binary star systems that usually disrupt planets from forming. Full story
An unexpected and powerful new kind of star explosion has been discovered in the heavens: a so-called gamma-ray nova that radiates the most energetic form of light in the universe. Full story
Astronomers have found evidence of buckyballs — carbon molecules shaped like soccer balls — in the nebula around a distant white dwarf star. The discovery marks the largest molecules known to exist in space. Full story
Shuttle crewmates for Hubble's final fix-up list their favorite images from the famous space telescope.
Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopy of this inconspicuous blue object — SDSS1102+2054 — reveals it to be an extremely rare stellar remnant: a white dwarf with an oxygen-rich atmosphere.
A simulation of a star's final hours may help scientists uncover what triggers its death. The program simulated the death of a white dwarf , which is a compact remnant of a star similar to our sun.
This artist's concept illustrates a dead star, or white dwarf, surrounded by the bits and pieces of a disintegrating asteroid. The scene suggests the raw material for planets like Earth are common. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
