All Stories by Ken Croswell
- Space
A rogue black hole is on the loose in our galaxy
Astronomers now agree there’s a lone black hole wandering around the Milky Way — the first solitary black hole ever detected.
- Space
A passing star could fling Earth out of orbit — or into the sun
Computer models show that a star's tug could send Mercury, Venus or Mars crashing into Earth — or let Jupiter eject our world from the solar system.
- Space
A nearby star system is likely sending lots of comets our way
This Alpha Centauri system loses comets and dust particles, but it produces only about 10 of the several trillion meteors that Earth sees each year.
- Space
Born in deep shadows? That could explain Jupiter’s strange makeup
Dust that blocked sunlight might have caused the gas giant to form in a deep freeze, a new study suggests.
- Space
Milky Way’s tidal forces are shredding a nearby star cluster
The nearest star cluster is being pulled apart, due largely to the tidal forces of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Bye bye, Hyades!
- Physics
Explainer: Stars and their families
Most pinpoints that light the night sky are raging infernos we call stars. As adults, many will create new elements that they later cast off into the cosmos.
- Space
This ‘Sombrero’ stole a big galaxy
The Sombrero Galaxy is an odd spiral galaxy that outshines all others within 35 million light-years of Earth. Its bright, iron-rich halo suggests it consumed one or more large galaxies.
