Phoenix Rising from a Supernova's Ashes

A supernova may be the ultimate end of a star's life, but this may not be the story's end. Recent Spitzer results hint at new planetary systems arising from the ashes of the old. Dr. Deepto Chakrabarty and Zhongxiang Wang discuss their startling discovery.
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![]() 07.22.10 Unsettled Youth: A Chaotic Planetary SystemDuring the infancy of our solar system, when our planets had not yet settled down into their orbits, this was a dange... |
![]() 07.22.10 Unsettled Youth: A Chaotic Planetary SystemDuring the infancy of our solar system, when our planets had not yet settled down into their orbits, this was a dange... |
![]() 06.01.10 Swirling Clumps of Planetary MaterialSomething appears to be pushing around a large clump of material that is in orbit of this star, and it's moving fast ... |
![]() 02.05.10 Trigger Happy Star FormationFrom recent discoveries made by two of NASA's Great Observatories comes new insight into how stars are created. Large... |
![]() 09.04.09 Baby Stars Found Jumbled In Galactic CenterAt the center of our Milky Way galaxy is an area previously unseen by astronomers. Shrouded by clouds of swirling dus... |
![]() 04.07.09 Cool Stars Have Different Mix of Life-Forming ChemicalsIt's life, Jim, but not as we know it! Well, at least the building blocks of life. A new study from NASA's Spitzer S... |
![]() 01.28.09 Exoplanet with Wild Temperature SwingsTalk about hot flashes! A planet that heats up to extreme temperatures in a matter of hours before quickly cooling ba... |
![]() 12.12.08 Dim DwarfsThe new record-holder for dimmest known star-like object in the universe goes to twin brown dwarfs, each of which shi... |
![]() 11.13.08 Twin Asteroid BeltsThe star Epsilon Eridani is even stranger than fiction. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has shown it has two asteroid ... |
![]() 09.18.08 Water Hit with Young Star's Best ShotWater is being blasted to pieces by a young star's laser-like jets, according to new observations from NASA's Spitzer... |
![]() 08.25.08 Spitzer's Fifth AnniversaryNASA's Spitzer Space Telescope continues to surprise astronomers. On its fifth anniversary, we recap some of this Gre... |
![]() 07.15.08 Brightest Star in the Galaxy has New CompetitionA contender for the title of brightest star in our Milky Way galaxy has been unearthed in the dusty metropolis of the... |
![]() 06.13.08 Missing Spiral ArmsAs a result of a new Spitzer Space Telescope study, two of our own Milky Way Galaxy's spiral arms have gone away. |
![]() 05.23.08 Holes on MarsSpitzer isn't the only infrared mission. Infrared images from another of NASA's robotic missions help us understand m... |
![]() 03.24.08 Diamondoids in SpaceDiamonds may be rare on Earth, but surprisingly common in space -- and new research shows that the infrared eyes of N... |
![]() 02.25.08 Common EarthsTerrestrial planets might form around many, if not most, of the nearby sun-like stars in our galaxy. These new result... |
![]() 02.04.08 Cosmic SuburbiaYoung city dwellers on Earth aren't the only ones rushing to suburbia to start families. New observations from NASA's... |
![]() 12.19.07 Uncommon MoonsNew observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope suggest that moons like Earth's -- that formed out of tremendous... |
![]() 10.22.07 Galactic Thief Caught Stealing GasA big galaxy, spotted stealing gas from a passing galaxy about half its size, was caught red-handed by the Spitzer Sp... |
![]() 10.09.07 Dust in the Wind of Black HolesThe dust that makes everything around us -- and even ourselves -- may have come from black holes. |
![]() 10.03.07 Building an Earth?An infant Earth may be forming in a star system over 400 light-years away, according to new results from the Spitzer ... |
![]() 09.12.07 Neon Signs in SpaceA recent detection of neon gas in planet-forming disks may help us better understand how planets form and whether or ... |
![]() 08.16.07 Putting the Brakes on Star FormationSpitzer learns why one class of galaxy seems to have trouble forming new stars. |
![]() 08.10.07 Planets with Four Suns?New results from the Spitzer Space Telescope hint that other solar systems may be even more exotic than we've ever im... |
![]() 05.14.07 A Tale of Two Worlds -- One Hot, One WindyAstronomers have studied two very intriguing planets beyond our solar system -- one super hot, one super windy. This ... |
![]() 03.29.07 Double Sunsets in Distant SkiesOnce thought to be the stuff of science fiction, double sunsets may be much more common in the universe than previous... |
![]() 02.21.07 Hunting for Molecules on Faraway PlanetsA first from the Spitzer Space Telescope. A new finding is a stepping stone to eventually studying signs of life on w... |
![]() 02.21.07 Atmospheres on Alien WorldsUsing the Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers have for the first time discovered what the atmosphere is like on plan... |
![]() 01.09.07 Pillars of DestructionHubble's "Pillars of Creation" within the Eagle Nebula is one of the most famous astronomical images of all time. But... |
![]() 12.18.06 Spitzer Sees the LightIn the beginning there was darkness...but now, Spitzer Scientists say they are seeing the universe's first light. |
![]() 12.05.06 Wounded Comet Spills Secrets About Distant Solar SystemsCould Comet Tempel 1 provide the key to understanding solar systems beyond our own? Dr. Carey Lisse talks with Linda ... |
![]() 09.27.06 A Galactic Soap OperaOur story begins in the deep, dark universe, where galaxies, like people, lead fascinating lives, filled with drama. ... |
![]() 09.08.06 Cosmic Disk Brakes for Spinning StarsCan planet-forming disks put the brakes on spinning stars? Dr. Luisa Rebull discusses Spitzer results that may solve ... |
![]() 08.14.06 Piercing the Sword of OrionAstronomers have long scrutinized the vast and layered clouds of the Orion nebula, an industrious star-making factory... |
![]() 06.23.06 Last of the Great ObservatoriesYears before Spitzer was launched into space, the entire mission was cancelled! Dr. George Rieke discusses the incred... |
![]() 06.05.06 Unmarked Grave of a Dead StarSpitzer has found a supernova remnant that no other telescope has seen. Dr. Patrick Morris discusses his team's disco... |
![]() 05.11.06 Searching for Solar Systems Like OursAre solar systems like our own common in the universe, or is ours an oddball? Dr. Lynne Hillenbrand discusses her wor... |
![]() 04.05.06 Spitzer Finds Hints of Planet Birth Around Dead StarNASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has uncovered new evidence that planets might rise up out of a dead star's ashes. (JP... |
![]() 04.05.06 Phoenix Rising from a Supernova's AshesA supernova may be the ultimate end of a star's life, but this may not be the story's end. Recent Spitzer results hin... |
![]() 03.16.06 Seeing Smoke from a Galactic FireMichelle Thaller speaks with Dr. George Helou about a striking new image of Galaxy M82, the discovery of mysterious o... |