Supernova from the Universe’s Childhood
A massive galaxy cluster acts as a giant lens. Its gravity warps the fabric of space, and the light of distant objects, bending around this curvature, is amplified and split into multiple images.
The Star That Exploded Twice
A light bulb that doesn't burn out but flares brighter and brighter until it blows the whole fixture apart. That's roughly how the most massive stars in the universe die. When a star's core heats up to billions of degrees, pairs of particles (electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons) begin to form.
Requiem of a Torn Star: Infrared Excess and the Birth of a Corona
When a star ventures too close to a supermassive black hole, a cosmic requiem plays out — a tidal disruption event. Thanks to photometry and spectroscopy, astronomers discern every instrument in this orchestra.