Artist’s impression of the bright core region of a quasar, an active galaxy. The supermassive black hole at the center is surrounded by a bright disk of gas and dust. The dust component further away can obscure the view of the interior and shines mainly in the mid-infrared range, light that can be analyzed by … Read more
Astronomers have discovered an unusual exoplanet that has managed to maintain its atmosphere despite intense nearby radiation from a giant red star. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that the rare planet, which should have been stripped to rock by radiation from its nearby host star, instead developed a puffy, less dense atmosphere. The planet, … Read more
New research shows that the Sun’s magnetic field originates near the surface and not deep within the star. . This upends decades of prevailing scientific thinking, which placed the field more than 130,000 miles below the surface of the sun. It also brings us closer to understanding the nature of the Sun’s magnetic field, which … Read more