How puffy white dwarfs could shed light on mysterious dark matter

White dwarfs are giving up more of their secrets, with the discovery that the hotter they are, the puffier their outer layers are. While this finding may sound immaterial, understanding the structure of white dwarfs could ultimately prove key in discovering what mysterious dark matter is made from. White dwarfs are the core remains of … Read more

There’s a weird, disappearing dark spot on Saturn’s moon Enceladus

Of all the planets in our solar system, Saturn is by far the mooniest. And that’s saying a lot. Sure, we’re here in our corner with our single friend, The Moon™, but Neptune wanders the universe with 16 known companions, Uranus boasts 28 of its own, and there are a whopping 95 moons in the … Read more

Astronomers discover 7 new ‘dark comets,’ but what exactly are they?

Scientists have discovered seven more “dark comets,” and analysis of this haul suggests that the puzzling planetoids are divided into two distinct families, further deepening the mystery of why these objects look like asteroids but behave like comets. Of late, the dividing line between asteroids and comets has become blurred. There are “main-belt comets,” also … Read more