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Astronomers spot alien planet system being born before their eyes
By Elizabeth Howell published
Astronomers spotted a baby star displaying the very first signs of planet formation in the zone surrounding it, similar to how our own solar system was born.

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS transforms into a giant 'cosmic rainbow' in trippy new telescope image
By Harry Baker published
New photos, including a striking technicolor timelapse, show off the newly discovered interstellar object 3I/ATLAS as it shoots toward us through the solar system.

'Ice cube' clouds discovered at the galaxy's center shouldn't exist — and they hint at a recent black hole explosion
By Brandon Specktor published
Twin orbs of superhot plasma at the Milky Way's center known as the "Fermi bubbles" contain inexplicable clouds of cold hydrogen, new research reveals. They could help scientists figure out when our galaxy's black hole last erupted.

Largest known Martian meteorite on Earth sells for $5.3 million at auction
By Harry Baker published
The largest known Martian meteorite, NWA 16788, has been sold at auction for $5.3 million. The hefty chunk of the Red Planet, which weighs 54 pounds, could help unravel new secrets about Mars — if it's allowed to be studied.

Behold, 'The Beast': Gigantic animal-like plasma plume 13 times wider than Earth hovers over the sun
By Harry Baker published
Astrophotographers have snapped stunning shots of a giant shapeshifting solar prominence, dubbed "The Beast," which appeared over the sun's northeastern limb on July 12 and rained impossibly fast fire over our home star.

Giant space 'boulders' unleashed by NASA's DART mission aren't behaving as expected, revealing hidden risks of deflecting asteroids
By Harry Baker published
Debris released from the asteroid Dimorphos during NASA's DART mission has a higher momentum and less random distribution than expected, which "changes the physics we need to consider when planning these types of missions," researchers say.

'Interstellar visitor' 3I/ATLAS could be the oldest comet ever seen — and could grow a spectacular tail later this year
By Harry Baker published
New simulations have narrowed down where the newly discovered interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS likely came from, revealing it could be more than 3 billion years older than the solar system.

Scientists detect most massive black hole merger ever — and it birthed a monster 225 times as massive as the sun
By Ben Turner published
New gravitational wave findings from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration report the discovery of the largest black hole merger ever. It could lead to evidence of an extremely rare type of black hole.
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