NAOJ

Meteorites tell us that a supernova may have exploded near the Sun when it was still forming – but if so, how did the solar system survive the blast? A new study suggests an explanation

Astronomy

A supernova went off right next to the young Sun – how did it survive?

Radioactive isotopes found in meteorites suggest a supernova went off right near the Sun as it was forming – but that should have blasted the young solar system away. So how did we survive? A new study proposes an explanation.

An artist's impression of planets orbiting a supermassive black hole

Astronomy

Thousands of Super-Earths could orbit huge black holes, says study

Every planet we know of orbits a star – but that might not be a universal rule. According to calculations by researchers at NAOJ, planets could technically form around supermassive black holes, creating vast planetary systems of thousands of worlds.

A computer simulation of a spiral galaxy, like the Milky Way, forming. These simulations suggest that the outer halo is made up of stars from other galaxies

Astronomy

Star unlike any found in the Milky Way appears to be an intergalactic intruder

Astronomers have discovered a star in the Milky Way that doesn’t belong. Known as J1124+4535, the star has a chemical composition unlike any others ever observed in our home galaxy, suggesting it’s an intergalactic interloper that may have come from a dwarf galaxy swallowed up by the Milky Way.