gaia

Latest in gaia

While it was getting ready to power down its Gaia spacecraft, the European Space Agency encountered some unusual resistance.

Scientists Tried to Kill Spacecraft But It Was So Tough That It Refused to Die

By Victor Tangermann

An $800-million-dollar space telescope has been damaged by a tiny piece of space debris that's said to be smaller than a grain of sand.

Expensive Space Telescope Damaged by Small Space Rock

By Noor Al-Sibai

Earthlings, meet your celestial neighbor: an absolutely massive black hole, which is lying dormant in a nearby binary star system.

Scientists Discover Closest Known Black Hole to Earth

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

An invisible force is tearing apart the closest star cluster to the Solar System — and astronomers are trying to figure out why.

Science & Energy

Something Is Ripping Apart the Nearest Star Cluster to Earth

By Victor Tangermann

Astronomers have discovered a planetary fragment orbiting a white dwarf, and it could yield new insights into the future of our own solar system.

Science & Energy

Astronomers Discover Hannibal Lecter Stars That Wear Planet Corpses

By Tony Ho Tran

European Space Agency scientists put out a time-lapse video showing how the Milky Way galaxy will evolve over 400,00 years.

Science & Energy

Dazzling Video Shows How Milky Way Will Evolve Over 400,000 Years

By Dan Robitzski

The European Space Agency compiled the most detailed map of the Milky Way galaxy in history, plotting the location and course of nearly 2 billion stars.

Science & Energy

This Is the Most Detailed Map of the Milky Way in History

By Dan Robitzski

New research has uncovered a stellar stream comprising 4,000 stars flowing through the Milky Way remarkably close to the Earth.

Science & Energy

Scientists Found a “River of Stars” Flowing Through the Milky Way

By Kristin Houser

In about 10 billion years, our sun will likely harden into a giant crystal orb — a fate that will be shared with many other white dwarf stars.

Science & Energy

In About 10 Billion Years, Our Sun Will Harden Into a Giant Crystal

By Jon Christian

Researchers looking at Gaia satellite data have discovered a new galaxy orbiting the Milky Way, and not only is it massive, it's also "ghostly."

Science & Energy

Scientists Discover a “Ghost of a Galaxy” Orbiting the Milky Way

By Kristin Houser