As a star nears the end of its life, it faces two very different fates: It can explode as a supernova, leaving behind a neutron star, or collapse and become a black hole. What determines the outcome ...

Summary Stars balance an inward pull from gravity against outward pressure produced by nuclear fusion. When massive stars ...

On July 4, 2025, astronomers watched a cosmic explosion do something it was not supposed to do. The event began with a ...

For decades, astronomers have identified collisions between two neutron stars through bursts of gamma rays that can disappear in less than two seconds. But some of these violent encounters may also ...

As a star nears the end of its life, it faces two very different fates: it can either explode as a supernova, leaving behind a neutron star, or it can ...

Learn more about magnetars and how they may also form from two colliding neutron stars.

Astronomers have found strong evidence that some mysterious, minutes-long X-ray flashes are produced when two neutron stars ...