Topic: Milky Way Galaxy

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In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Looking deeper
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Dwarfs
In Pictures: Space Photos of the Day: Remarkable Hubble photos
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Spitzer Space Telescope
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Mergers and acquisitions

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Lyrid meteor shower lights up sky around world (+video)

Clear skies and the absence of a bright moon this past weekend made for a spectacular Lyrid meteor shower, which dazzles skywatchers around the globe.
Planets found at dawn of universe, but their existence is a mystery

Scientists have found two planets orbiting a star that formed only a billion years after the big bang. But the universe had few planet-making elements then, so how did the planets form?
Astronomers say that there are billions of potentially habitable planets in our galaxy (+video)

A team of European astronomers say that about 40 percent of red dwarf stars - the most common type of star in the Milky Way - have at least one planet whose temperatures would allow liquid water on the surface.
Study indicates existence of billions of habitable alien planets in Milky Way (+video)

A survey of red dwarf stars suggests that, in our galaxy alone, there are tens of billions of planets orbiting their stars' 'habitable zones.'
Planets hurtling near the speed of light? It's possible, study says.

Scientists want to know if planets can form near the supermassive black hole at the core of the galaxy. If so, the black hole could fling them out into space at enormous speeds that, from our vantage point, could appear to approach the speed of light.
Could free-floating 'nomad' planets carry seeds of life in the universe?

A 'nomad' planet of the right mass, with the right atmosphere, and some source of heat – perhaps radioactive decay or tectonic activity – could allow for life either on the surface or underground.
Black hole produces 'cosmic Category 5 hurricane'

A stellar-mass black hole, which is born when an extremely massive star collapses, typically contains about five to 10 times the mass of our sun.
Scientists unravel mystery of humongous space explosion (+video)

Great Eruption of Eta Carinae, a massive star some 7,500 light-years away that suddenly lit up the night sky for a decade beginning in 1838 is one of the most studied objects in the Milky Way. But it continues to puzzle astronomers.
Milky Way's enormous black hole gorges on asteroids (+video)

British astrophysicists think that asteroids are being devoured by the supernassive black hole at our galaxy's center, as evidenced by the daily X-ray flares detected by NASA's Chandra space telescope. Historical records indicate tha black hole may have even swallowed a planet.
Does the Milky Way galaxy have an evil twin?

The Hubble Space Telescope has detected a galaxy that is strikingly similar to our own Milky Way, but there's no reason to believe that it's evil.
Amazing planets: mini solar system, 'Star Wars' lookalike among new finds

The catalogue of newly found planets is becoming richer by the day. By one new estimate, virtually all the billions of stars in the Milky Way could have a planet orbiting them.
Most stars in our galaxy have planets, study suggests

Rocky, roughly earth-like planets orbiting stars seem to be the rule, rather than the exception, an new study reveals.
Scientists discover a real-life Tatooine orbiting two suns

But there are probably no jawas, moisture farmers, sand people, banthas, dewbacks, womp rats, sandcrawlers, a Pit of Carkoon, nor a strange old hermit who lives beyond the Dune Sea.
Scientists discover three smallest alien planets yet

All three exoplanets are thought to be rocky like Earth. However, their closeness to their star makes them too hot to be in the habitable zone, the area around a star neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water to exist on the surface.
New Earth-like planets: How did astronomers find them?

NASA's Kepler spacecraft has spotted a pair of rocky Earth-sized planets orbiting a distant star. How do you find a new planet?
ALMA telescope poised to peer into hidden corners of the cosmos

The ALMA radio telescope array set to come on line this week will give astronomers an unprecedented look into areas of the universe obscured from other telescopes – from star nurseries in other galaxies to the black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
Space exploration: Will budget cuts stall search for other Earths?

Astronomers are on the cusp of new discoveries in the search for distant planets that could have life. But budget cuts are forcing this branch of space exploration to turn to smaller, less-ambitious projects.
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Looking deeper
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Dwarfs
In Pictures: Space Photos of the Day: Remarkable Hubble photos
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Spitzer Space Telescope
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Mergers and acquisitions
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Exoplanets
Stars hurtling through space could someday mess up our cosmic neighborhood

Researchers calculated the orbits of 40,000 low-mass M-dwarf stars and found 18 that may come dangerously close to our cosmic neighborhood in the next billion years. While the chances of this actually happening are probably slim, researchers said, the results could be dramatic.
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Infrared