A nearby supernova in 2023 offered astrophysicists an excellent opportunity to test ideas about how these types of explosions boost particles, called cosmic rays, to near light-speed. But surprisingly ...

Radiation is energy that moves from one place to another in a form that can be described as waves or particles. We are exposed to radiation in our everyday life. Some of the most familiar sources of ...

Although our galaxy's supermassive black hole is relatively placid, the center of the Milky Way wherein it resides is not a placid place. Its extreme location is rife with what can best be described ...

Above the cloud tops, thunderstorms throb with a complex, frenetic light show of high-energy radiation. A view from a retrofitted spy plane soaring at 20 kilometers up revealed storms glowing and ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Thunderstorms create a lot of wind, rain, and lightning, but many ...

The longest gamma-ray burst ever recorded did not roar for seconds or even minutes, but for a staggering seven hours, forcing astronomers to rethink how some of the most violent explosions in the ...

Researchers may have identified what could be a compelling clue in the ongoing hunt to prove the existence of dark matter. A mysterious diffuse glow of gamma rays near the center of the Milky Way has ...

Scientists had predicted based on theory that shrouded cosmic explosions that go unnoticed can be revealed by their light echoes. Now, astronomers have spotted such an explosion.

When faraway stars explode, they send out flashes of energy called gamma-ray bursts that are bright enough that telescopes back on Earth can detect them. Studying these pulses, which can also come ...