High-speed gas shooting from the galaxy M87 is causing stars to go nova, a study suggests, and no one knows how. A nova occurs after a dense star known as a white dwarf receives gas from an orbiting star (SN: 2/12/21). As the white dwarf’s intense gravity squeezes the gas, it heats up and explodes, […]
Jupiter-sized planets are very rare around the least massive stars
If you’re looking to visit a gas giant planet in another solar system — or if you’re simply a science fiction writer who needs such a world for your story — you’d better steer clear of little red stars. A search for planets like Jupiter around low-mass red dwarf stars came up empty, researchers report […]