First-of-its-kind cosmic collision spotted 25 light-years from Earth

Astronomers initially thought the dramatic burst of light was a new exoplanet. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. What astronomers initially suspected to be a new exoplanet is actually a never-before-seen, head-on cosmic crash. As detailed in a study published today in the journal, researchers describe the aftermath of two separate collisions between two small, rocky cosmic objects called planetesimals . However, their findings were only made possible by some eagle eye imaging courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope .