star

Topic description and stories

The formation and evolution of the first stars and galaxies in a virtual universe similar to our own

Astronomers pinpoint when cosmic dawn occurred

24 Jun 2021

Cosmic dawn, when stars formed for the first time, occurred 250 million to 350 million years after the beginning of the universe, according to a new...

The colour of the sky from Gaia’s Early Data Release 3

Gaia: scientists take a step closer to revealing origins of our galaxy

03 Dec 2020

An international team of astronomers, led by the University of Cambridge, announced the most detailed ever catalogue of the stars in a huge swathe of...

Fast-moving gas flowing away from young star’s asteroid belt may be caused by icy comet vaporisation

30 Nov 2020

A unique stage of planetary system evolution has been imaged by astronomers, showing fast-moving carbon monoxide gas flowing away from a star system...

Artist's impression of gas giant exoplanet

Water common – yet scarce – in exoplanets

11 Dec 2019

The most extensive survey of atmospheric chemical compositions of exoplanets to date has revealed trends that challenge current theories of planet...

Artist's impression of CI Tau, Credit: Amanda Smith, Institute of Astronomy

Giant planets around young star raise questions about how planets form

15 Oct 2018

Researchers have identified a young star with four Jupiter and Saturn-sized planets in orbit around it, the first time that so many massive planets...

Artist's concept depicting one possible appearance of the planet Kepler-452b

Scientists identify exoplanets where life could develop as it did on Earth

01 Aug 2018

Scientists have identified a group of planets outside our solar system where the same chemical conditions that may have led to life on Earth exist...

Artist's impression of a collision between the Milky Way and a massive dwarf

The Gaia Sausage: the major collision that changed the Milky Way

04 Jul 2018

An international team of astronomers has discovered an ancient and dramatic head-on collision between the Milky Way and a smaller object, dubbed ‘the...

Artistic simulation of WASP127b, Credit: Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

Multiple metals – and possible signs of water – found in unique exoplanet

31 May 2018

An international team of researchers have identified ‘fingerprints’ of multiple metals in one of the least dense exoplanets ever found.

Gaia’s sky in colour – equirectangular projection , Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC

Gaia creates richest star map of our Galaxy – and beyond

25 Apr 2018

The European Space Agency’s Gaia mission has produced the richest star catalogue to date, including high-precision measurements of nearly 1.7 billion...