Astronomers Have Stumbled Upon One of the Most Ancient Stars in the Universe
A tiny star located about 1,590 light-years from Earth could be as old as 13.53 billion years, making it one of the most ancient stars ever discovered.
What Are These Mystery Puffs Near the Galactic Center?
The center of our galaxy is an extreme place that holds all sorts of mysteries. Among those enigmas are what appear to be gas clouds that somehow refuse to be pulled apart by the immense gravity of the galactic center.
The Andromeda Galaxy Is Not Nearly as Big as We Thought
The closest galaxy to our own is the majestic Andromeda galaxy, a collection of a trillion stars located a “mere” 2 million light years away. New research suggests that, contrary to previous estimates, this galaxy isn’t much bigger than the Milky Way, and is practically our twin. This means our galaxy won’t be…
Scientists Measure Furthest Part of Milky Way Yet
This might come as a surprise, but we don’t really know what our own galaxy looks like. We can only see it from our lonely point in space, and we can’t leave it to get a picture from up above. Scientists want to change that—and they’re getting closer.
A Vast and Spooky Void Is Influencing the Milky Way
“The void” is more than a metaphor for gnawing existential pain. In fact, new research from an international team of scientists suggests that a huge void outside our extragalactic neighborhood could be impacting the way our galaxy—and others around it—move.
This Is the Most Detailed Hydrogen Map of the Milky Way Ever CreatedÂ
Using two of the world’s largest configurable telescopes, scientists have created the most detailed map yet of hydrogen atoms the Milky Way.
Photos of These Bolivian Salt Flats Perfectly Reflect the Night Sky
Since finding a perfectly dark sky is rare in our electrically-powered world, we at Gizmodo like to highlight the areas that still remain and the photography projects that explore them. This week’s photo series comes from the Altiplano salt flats (Salar de Uyuni) in Bolivia, where a team journeyed to the site and…
Astronomers Have Discovered the Most Desolate Place in the Milky Way
An international team of astronomers has discovered a huge expanse of space near the center of the Milky Way that’s devoid of young stars. This stellar desert extends for 8,000 light-years from the galactic core—and it hasn’t produced new stars for hundreds of millions of years.
The Majority of Americans Can't See the Milky Way Anymore
Our world is getting brighter, as we turn more and more lights on across the planet. But all that light shining from the ground makes it harder to see the lights shining from the sky. It’s now gotten so bad that the Milky Way is almost impossible to see in most of the United States.
A Giant Galaxy Orbiting Our Own Just Appeared Out of Nowhere
Researchers scanning the skies just got a big surprise. They spotted a humongous galaxy orbiting our own, where none had been seen before. It appeared, seemingly, out of nowhere.
These Newly Discovered 'Super Galaxies' Are the Biggest and Brightest Ever Seen
Looking at these spiral galaxies glowing brightly against the dark, it’s hard to imagine that they could be so easily missed—but they were right up until now, when an astronomical survey catalogued them as equal to the biggest and brightest galaxies ever seen.
New Milky Way Map Reveals a View of Our Galaxy Four Times Bigger Than We've Ever Seen
Seven years after their last effort at mapping our Galaxy, the APEX telescope has given us something even more complete: A map of the galaxy that covers four times the area of its previous best.
Researchers Just Discovered Hundreds of Galaxies Hidden Behind the Milky Way
Astronomers just uncovered hundreds of hidden galaxies a mere 250 million light years away from Earth—well within our own galactic neighborhood. But how did they stay unknown for so long? The fault isn’t with them, it’s with our own Milky Way.
This Cosmic Fart Cloud Is On a Collision Course With Our Galaxy
The cosmos is littered with clouds of star-forming gas, but few are as well studied as the Smith Cloud, set to crash into our galaxy in 30 million years. God-fearing humans might ask: Where did this unholy dust ball come from, and why is it heading straight for us? Now, science has the answer.
This Is the Most Complete Picture of the Milky Way Ever Taken
How big is this photo? So big that just by taking it, astronomers found over 50,000 new stars and other bright space objects.
Video: What flying through the Milky Way must look like
Created by stitching together over 400,000 taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope, YouTube user daveachuk made this incredibly beautiful video that makes it feel as if you’re floating along the Milky Way. The finished footage is breathtaking and makes it seem as if you’re just looking out a window as you fly through the…
Our Best View Yet of the Galaxy’s Massive Electromagnetic Loop
Scientists working with the Planck Satellite have produced a new polarization map of the Milky Way in microwaves, providing an unprecedented view of a rather dramatic electromagnetic loop discovered over a half-century ago.
This Is Why It's So Hard To Get An Accurate Map Of The Milky Way
Mapping the outer fringes of our universe is, obviously, a tremendously tricky task. But we should be able to get the parameters of our own galaxy pretty easily, right? Well, maybe not. And there’s a reason why.
Andromeda And The Milky Way Might Collide Sooner Than We Think
The merger of the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxy won’t happen for another 4 billion years, but the recent discovery of a massive halo of hot gas around Andromeda may mean our galaxies are already touching.
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