Artwork showing five common types of galaxy. Clockwise from top left these are: spiral, lenticular, barred spiral, elliptical and irregular. Elliptical galaxies are common, and contain mainly old stars. They also have relatively less gas and dust tha...

This shows a hypothetical spiral galaxy seen from an oblique angle. A red dwarf star has been ejected by the galaxy at high speeds and will wander the void between galaxies. Such objects are known as free-floating stars....

Artwork of a black hole. A black hole is a region of spacetime where the gravity is so powerful that not even light can escape them. They are created when massive stars die. This one is surrounded by an accretion disc of material, the light from whic...

Artwork of a black hole seen from an orbiting planet. A black hole is a region of spacetime where the gravity is so powerful that not even light can escape them. They are created when massive stars die. This one is surrounded by an accretion disc of ...

Artwork of a black hole seen from an orbiting planet. A black hole is a region of spacetime where the gravity is so powerful that not even light can escape them. They are created when massive stars die. This one is surrounded by an accretion disc of ...

Scale of the Universe. Illustration depicting the scale of the Universe. From upper left are the smallest objects: the fundamental particles, atoms, molecules such as DNA, and bacteria. The scale expands further: from a human to the Earth itself to t...

Two white dwarfs are approaching each other on an inbound spiral that can only result in destrucion, sending gravitational waves deep into the cosmos. They will soon collide to form a Type 1a supernova....