A Student Finds Three Galaxies and Possibly Solves a Mystery

It's not too often that a high school student-turned undergraduate gets three galaxies named after him, especially ones that are breaking the rules of star formation. Julian Shapiro, an astrophysics student at the University of California, Berkeley, found strange dwarf galaxies in the vicinity of the large spiral M101 while doing research into their star formation rates as a high school student. They're now known as Shapiro I, II, and III. In the process, he's become an inspiration to other students who might be interested in astrophysical research.

Webb Observes "Extreme Debris Disks," Providing a Window into the Early Solar System

In the early history of our solar system, scientists theorize that a Mars-sized object called Theia smashed into the infant Earth, creating the Earth-Moon system. Using Webb, astronomers are studying young star systems to learn more about the early Solar System's evolution.

To Win A Nobel Prize, Go To The Ends Of The Earth

Neutrinos are persnickety particles. We couldn't really detect neutrinos from deep space until Francis Halzen had a brilliant, Nobel Prize-winning idea.

NASA Selects GIMLI to Search the Marius Lunar Pit for a Potential Lunar Base Site

NASA has selected a Planetary Science Institute-led proposal to investigate whether a potentially large underground cave extends beyond the opening of a lunar pit.

New Study Shows That Earth and Mars Had Different Origins

A surprising discovery suggests that Mars and Earth formed through different processes, which could help scientists confirm whether exoplanets are habitable.

Thousands of Black Holes Could Be Lurking in Our Backyard—and You Can Help Find Them

According to stellar evolution models, there should be hundreds of millions of black holes floating around in our galaxy. But so far we’ve only found 70. That’s in large part because they are so hard to find, but a citizen science project from the University of Southampton is actively seeking out these hidden monsters with the help of tens of thousands of amateur astronomers through a project on Zooniverse called [Black Hole Hunters](https://ift.tt/ZOwzmjg).

Wandering Black Holes May Hold Clues to the Evolution of the Universe

According to new research, "wandering" black holes may have left an imprint on the Universe as they traveled for billions of years.