The most extreme fireworks in the universe are supposed to follow rules. Gamma-ray bursts, the brightest explosions known, are neatly sorted into categories, each tied to a familiar kind of cosmic ...

A single gamma-ray burst has forced astronomers to redraw their mental map of how the most violent explosions in the universe work. Instead of behaving like a textbook blast, this eruption stayed ...

XMM-Newton has been surprised by a rare type of galaxy, from which it has detected a higher number of X-rays than thought possible. The observation gives new insight into the powerful processes ...

A black hole is more than just a region of space where nothing escapes. It can also become a powerful cosmic engine. When matter spirals inward, falling into its grasp, the black hole doesn't just ...

Astronomers have reached deeper into the heart of a brilliant cosmic engine than ever before, using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to capture a rare, close-up view of a quasar’s core. Quasars are some ...

Outside Eve Ostriker’s office door stretches the universe, dotted with orange galaxies against the black backdrop of space. The mural lines the hallway in Princeton’s astrophysical sciences building, ...