Buzz
Every day, an astonishing volume of data flows through our observatories, capturing signals from across the cosmos. While much of it may seem trivial to the general public, every piece holds value for science. Yet, some findings are so extraordinary or surprising that even those who are skeptical of the cosmos might find themselves grinning.
10. Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies
Galaxies appear in many shapes, and now we've identified a new variety: soft and airy, with a surprisingly low number of stars. Some of these ultra-diffuse galaxies span 60,000 light-years, nearing the size of our Milky Way, yet contain only 1 percent of its stars.
In a partnership involving Maunakea’s powerful Keck telescope and the smaller but uniquely named Dragonfly Telephoto Array, astronomers have uncovered 47 ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs). These galaxies are so star-deprived that stargazers would experience a dull, mostly empty night sky.
These peculiar cosmic outliers are so unusual that astronomers can’t yet explain their formation. The UDGs might be failed galaxies that ran out of gas, or even fragments torn away from larger galaxies. What’s even more perplexing is how they’ve survived: they were discovered in the Coma cluster, a chaotic region filled with dark matter and galaxies speeding around in all directions. Given the environment, it’s likely that these galaxies were distorted into their current shapes by the gravitational turmoil surrounding them.
9. A Comet Appearing to Self-Destruct
Comets are tiny and difficult to detect, but recently the Hubble Space Telescope caught a rare moment—a comet that seemed to break apart all on its own.
Comets are more delicate than they seem and can easily break apart from cosmic impacts or by getting too close to massive celestial bodies. However, asteroid P/2013 R3 unexpectedly disintegrated due to the gradual, cumulative effects of sunlight.
It may seem harmless to catch a few sun rays, but as sunlight beamed down on asteroid R3, it caused the asteroid to spin. The intensity of its rotation steadily increased, eventually causing it to break apart into approximately 10 large fragments, each weighing about 200,000 tons.
The fragments are drifting away from each other at a slow pace, leaving behind a trail of particles moving at a modest rate of 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) per hour. In cosmic terms, this is like a wounded snail struggling through thick, military-grade molasses.
Some fortunate future earthlings may get a chance to witness the aftermath, as fragments that don’t fall into the Sun’s grasp could eventually pass by Earth as meteors.
8. The Birth of a Star
Astronomers have been observing a developing star, named W75N(B)-VLA2, as it matures into a massive, fully-formed stellar object.
Located just 4,200 light-years away, VLA2 was initially detected in 1996 by the National Science Foundation’s Very Large Array (VLA), a large radio observatory situated in San Augustin, New Mexico. Upon its discovery, astronomers noticed a dense gas cloud emanating from the restless young star.
Then in 2014, astronomers refocused the VLA’s radio telescopes on W75N(B)-VLA2 to track the star’s progress as it entered its awkward teenage phase. Despite an astronomically brief period, the stellar infant had already undergone dramatic changes.
Fortunately, its development has proceeded according to scientifically anticipated models. Over the past 18 years, the surrounding gas has been stretched out by interactions with a vast ring of dust and debris encircling the star in its early stages.
7. A Strange Rocky Planet With Unusual Temperature Fluctuations
55 Cancri E, often called the “diamond planet,” has recently been found to have an even stranger characteristic—it can abruptly shift its temperature by as much as 300 percent. This is a unique phenomenon for a rocky exoplanet.
The temperamental 55 E is the closest planet in its system of five, and its environment is anything but calm. It orbits its star in a rapid 18 hours and is tidally locked, with one side constantly facing the star. With temperatures fluctuating between 1,000 and 2,700 degrees Celsius (1,800 and 4,800 °F), astronomers now hypothesize that the planet may be covered in erupting volcanoes.
This volcanic theory helps explain its strange temperature fluctuations but unfortunately rules out the idea of a diamond planet, as its carbon content appears to have been overestimated. This hypothesis finds support in our own solar system: Jupiter’s moon Io, similarly close to its parent planet, experiences tidal forces that have transformed it into a vast volcanic world.
6. Kepler 7b: The Strangest Planet
Gas giant Kepler 7b continues to astound. Initially, astronomers were fascinated by its unusually inflated structure. It’s 1.5 times the size of Jupiter but significantly less dense, making it about as light as Styrofoam. In fact, it would easily float on any ocean large enough to hold it.
In addition to its reputation as a gaseous puffball, astronomers succeeded in mapping its cloud cover in 2013, marking the first time this was achieved for a planet outside our solar system. Using infrared imaging, they measured the planet’s temperature between 800 and 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,500 to 1,800 °F). While hot, it’s much cooler than anticipated—Kepler 7b is actually closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun. After three years of study, the reason became clear: its high-altitude cloud cover reflects a significant amount of heat back into space.
Even more astonishing? One side of the planet is enveloped in clouds, while the other enjoys clear skies, creating a stunning visual resembling a planetary comb-over.
5. A Triple Jovian Eclipse
Eclipses are a frequent spectacle for us, so we might not fully appreciate just how extraordinary they are. Solar eclipses, in particular, are a rare cosmic alignment—the Sun’s diameter is 400 times that of the Moon, and it’s positioned 400 times farther away. Earth just happens to be in the perfect place at the perfect time to witness this incredible phenomenon. We’re fortunate to be alive when the cosmic bodies responsible for this event are moving into their current configurations in the night sky.
Solar and lunar eclipses are spectacular, but a triple Jovian eclipse is even more impressive. In January 2015, the Hubble Space Telescope captured the rare moment when three of Jupiter’s Galilean moons—Io, Europa, and Callisto—aligned perfectly in front of their massive parent planet.
Anyone observing from Jupiter’s intangible surface at that moment would have witnessed a mesmerizing triple solar eclipse, a celestial show we won’t see again until 2032. Fortunately, the moons’ orbits align in such a way that this recurring event happens with some regularity.
4. A Massive Star-Birthing Potential
Stars are social creatures and prefer to live in groups. The largest of these groupings are called globular clusters, which can contain up to one million stars. These clusters are scattered across the universe, with at least 150 of them residing in our Milky Way alone. They’re incredibly ancient, and their formation remains a mystery. However, a rare and astonishing discovery has been made—a globular cluster in its pre-birth stage, packed with gas but lacking stars.
Located deep within the Antennae galaxies, 50 million light-years away, lies a colossal cloud with the mass of 50 million suns, poised to potentially give birth to numerous stars. This is the first known example of such a phenomenon, and astronomers have compared it to a “dinosaur egg that’s about to hatch.” Though, in reality, it’s likely already gone through its starless phase long ago, as these regions are only star-free for about one million years.
This discovery is truly thrilling, as it may offer a rare glimpse into one of the oldest and most enigmatic processes in the universe. It's possible that regions like these are responsible for the creation of most, if not all, of the magnificent globular clusters we observe today.
3. Small Galaxies That Outperform Larger Ones in Star Formation
Dwarf galaxies may be tiny, but they pack a mighty punch, proving that in the cosmic game, size isn’t everything—it's the way you use it that counts. While astronomers have long studied mid- and high-mass galaxies to determine their star formation rates, it wasn’t until recently that they turned their attention to the smallest galaxies. By peering eight billion years into the past, they sought to uncover the link between galactic mass and star formation efficiency.
After Hubble observed the tiny galaxies in infrared, astronomers were shocked to discover that these diminutive galaxies formed stars at a much faster rate than their larger, more massive counterparts. This is surprising, as one might expect a larger gas reservoir to lead to more stars. Yet, the smallest galaxies proved to be the most efficient, capable of doubling their star count in a mere 150 million years.
In a typical galaxy, such rapid growth would take between one and three billion years of intense gravitational effort. Unfortunately, astronomers aren’t certain why these tiny galaxies are so prolific, but they are eager to uncover their secrets as they study similar galaxies at various stages of their evolution.
2. Perseid Meteors Strike the Moon
The Perseid meteor showers brighten our skies each year from mid-July to late August, but for those stargazing, the Moon may actually be the better target.
On August 9, 2008, amateur astronomers did just that and witnessed something extraordinary—lunar impacts. Rocks and space debris strike the Moon regularly due to its lack of atmosphere. But some of the Perseids, which are fragments from the decaying comet Swift-Tuttle, ended their journey in a brilliant burst of light on the lunar surface. Anyone with a modest telescope could see this cosmic spectacle.
Since 2005, NASA has monitored around 100 of these lunar impacts. With enough data, the hope is to better protect future astronauts from meteoroids that can strike with no warning. While predicting these strikes, which release energy equivalent to hundreds of pounds of TNT, is impossible, identifying any patterns could be invaluable for future space missions. So, if you’re planning a lunar vacation, you might want to check out a meteoroid hazard map online.
1. Rare Configuration Solves Cosmic Dust Mystery
NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, operates aboard a modified Boeing 747SP jumbo jet, soaring at altitudes of 12,000 meters (40,000 feet) and higher. This allows SOFIA to avoid atmospheric water vapor, which often distorts measurements, providing a clearer, unobstructed view of the cosmos.
Recently, SOFIA made a significant contribution to solving a cosmic puzzle. As many space enthusiasts know, stellar material is the foundation of all life and matter in the universe. However, the mystery remained—how do tiny grains of stardust survive the intense forces of supernovae, which are responsible for distributing them across the cosmos?
By looking deep into the 10,000-year-old remnant of the Sagittarius A East supernova with its infrared capabilities, SOFIA uncovered that dense gas regions surrounding the star protect cosmic dust particles. These regions act as a cushion, preventing the destruction of stardust as it rebounds from the shockwave of the preceding explosion.
Though only 7-20 percent of the cosmic dust surrounding Sagittarius A East survived the blast, that’s still enough to give rise to around 7,000 Earth-sized bodies.
