"Blue straggler" likely born from a collision of stars

A strange star has revealed to astronomers a mysterious past  - one that involves the merger of two ancient suns.

The Moons of Mars May Actually Be Fragments of Something Much Bigger

  • 27 Nov 2024

Martian moons could be a result of an early collision similar to that of Earth and Theia. This new model proposes an interesting middle way. Rather than an impact or direct capture, the authors propose a near miss by a large asteroid.

When Neutron Stars Collide, They Explode Like a Mini Big Bang

In August 2017, humanity observed a wonder. For the first time, we got to see two neutron stars colliding.

Milky Way's Mysterious Ripple Could Be a Scar From an Ancient Collision

Look hard enough at the roiling mist of gas and starlight that is our galaxy, and you'll find traces of a violent upbringing.

Milky Way may escape fated collision with Andromeda galaxy

For years, astronomers thought it was the Milky Way’s destiny to collide with its near neighbor the Andromeda galaxy a few billion years from now. But a new simulation finds a 50% chance the impending crunch will end up a near-miss.

Astronomers Witness Dark Matter Go Rogue in Epic Galaxy Cluster Collision

Two giant clusters of galaxies observed in the process of colliding are going so hard that their dark matter has basically detached from normal matter and flown ahead.

Dark Matter Solves The Mystery of How Supermassive Black Holes Exist

Dark matter could provide supermassive black holes the brakes they need to bring them crashing together at the end of a long, spiraling journey towards their destiny.

Double-record-breaking merging quasars found at "Cosmic Dawn"

Astronomers discovered the first pair of merging quasars from the Cosmic Dawn, 900 million years after the Big Bang.

Strange Blobs Deep Within Earth May Have Created Plate Tectonics

On the scale of cataclysmic events, the whomping impact of a Mars-sized object that crashed into Earth some 4.5 billion years ago ranks pretty highly: thought to have set in motion the movement of our planet's fractured, rocky crust.

Pluto got its "heart" in a violent collision 

The experts attribute the formation of the unique heart-shaped terrain to a colossal oblique-angle collision with a celestial body approximately 700 kilometers in diameter – roughly twice the size of Switzerland from east to west.

Incredibly Rare Cosmic Object Detected in Gravitational Waves For The First Time

A gravitational wave detected in May of last year has given us a type of cosmic collision we've never seen before.

Scientists discover alien planet debris buried deep under Earth's crust

Long ago, an alien planet crashed into Earth – causing a collision so big the debris formed the Moon and left mysterious remnants lodged deep in the Earth’s mantle.

Massive space explosion observed creating elements needed for life

Scientists have observed the creation of rare chemical elements in the second-brightest gamma-ray burst ever seen -- casting new light on how heavy elements are made.

Scientists see the first ever "afterglow" of two ice giant planets colliding

Researchers were caught by surprise when they observed what they believe to be the aftermath of two giant planets colliding.

Super Hefty Exoplanet Is Denser Than Steel, Scientists Say

A newly discovered exoplanet has characteristics so peculiar that astronomers think it must have experienced a giant collision some time in its past.