“Black Hole Stars” Could Solve the Mystery of Little Red Dots

Artist’s impression of a black hole star (not to scale). The cut-out reveals the central black hole with it surrounding accretion disk. What makes this a black hole star is the surrounding envelope of turbulent gas. This configuration can explain what astronomers observe in the object they are calling “The Cliff.” (Credit : MPIA/HdA/T. Müller/A. … Read more

Civilization Can’t Arise Without Plate Tectonics And Carbon Dioxide

While plate tectonics may not be absolutely necessary for life, they may be necessary for a technological civilization to arise. Habitability may be possible on a static world, but habitability probably won’t persist long enough for a technological civilization like ours to appear. Plate tectonics regulates our planet’s climate, and without it, atmospheric CO2 would … Read more

Interstellar Objects Like Comet 3I/ATLAS Could Act As Planetary Seeds

The Gemini South Telescope captured this image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it sped through the inner Solar System. The comet’s coma and tail are growing as it approaches the Sun. Image Credit: By International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Shadow the Scientist, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=174444353 Comet 3I/ATLAS’s appearance in the inner Solar System in July 2025 … Read more

Astronomers Catch a Planet in the Act of Being Born

Protoplanets are celestial objects in the act of forming into full planets within the gas and dust disks surrounding hot, young stars. These objects, often several times the mass of Jupiter, are still embedded in their birth environments, actively feeding on surrounding material through their own circumplanetary disks. Unlike mature planets, protoplanets offer a rare … Read more

New Evidence Says An Exploding Comet Wiped Out The Clovis Culture And Triggered The Younger Dryas

This photo of comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE was taken in July 2020. There’s no doubt that comets have struck Earth in the past, and some have exploded in the air above the surface. One of these exploding comets could’ve triggered the Younger Dryas, bringing and end to the Clovis culture and wiping out megafauna. Image … Read more