Astronomers have discovered the youngest known neutron-star binary, Circinus X-1, which is approximately 4,600 years old. The team used data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to determine the age of this record-breaking pair, revealing a unique opportunity to study matter under extreme conditions.
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory has discovered 28 high-energy neutrinos from outer space, with some having energies a thousand times greater than those created in particle accelerators. The detection provides evidence for cosmic acceleration and opens up new avenues for understanding the universe.
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory has detected 28 high-energy particle events from cosmic accelerators, providing the first solid evidence for astrophysical neutrinos. The signals are more than one million times more energetic than those observed in 1987 and originate from outside our solar system.
Researchers from the University of Leicester used satellite and observatory data to explain an unusually bright Gamma-ray Burst (GRB) observed in April 2013. The event was found to be caused by an extremely powerful stellar explosion producing a jet of matter moving at nearly the speed of light.
Researchers using a particle detector made of ice at the South Pole have found evidence of high-energy neutrinos originating from outside the solar system. This discovery has significant implications for neutrino astronomy and could lead to a better understanding of cosmic sources.
Scientists have observed solid evidence for high-energy neutrinos coming from cosmic accelerators beyond our solar system. The IceCube detector captured 28 neutrinos with energies greater than 30 TeV, including two above 1,000 TeV, hinting at the birth of neutrino astronomy.
Astronomers have observed a monster gamma-ray burst in the relatively nearby universe, revealing a giant star with a mass 20-30 times that of the Sun and rapidly rotating. The burst was so powerful that it could be observed for several months, providing insights into the properties of the original star.
Astronomers observed two nearby supernovae, SN 2012im and SN 2013ek, in spiral galaxy NGC 6984 using NASA's Hubble space telescope. The recent image reveals the second star that has exploded, forming a new Type Ib supernova visible near the center of the galaxy.
Researchers found iron concentration is uniform across Perseus Galaxy Cluster, indicating widespread dispersal of heavy elements in the early universe. The team attributes this to supernova explosions and active black holes, suggesting a period of intense cosmic activity.
Researchers at Caltech's intermediate Palomar Transient Factory have detected a rare type of supernova in a nearby galaxy, providing evidence for the theory that it originated from a Wolf-Rayet star. Additionally, they found the afterglow of a gamma-ray burst, precisely locating its position using optical telescopes alone.
Researchers have linked a new stripped-envelope supernova, named iPTF13bvn, to its star of origin using novel astronomical survey software. The team also pinpointed the first afterglow of a gamma-ray burst that was found by the Fermi satellite.
Astronomers at Queen's University Belfast have found that small and dense neutron stars with gigantic magnetic fields power the most luminous supernovae. Contrary to existing theories, these stars' findings suggest a new explanation for the brightest exploding stars in the universe.
Astronomers have discovered a millisecond pulsar with a unique dual identity, shifting between X-ray and radio emission in a phenomenon never before observed. The discovery represents a long-sought intermediate phase in the life of these powerful objects, offering a rare opportunity to study a pulsar's magnetic field in action.
A new analysis of cosmic microwave background radiation data has taken the furthest look back in time, revealing an excess of radiation that may indicate the presence of primordial neutrinos or dark energy. The findings challenge current theories on the universe's early expansion history.
A team of researchers studied an early galaxy using the ESO Very Large Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope, determining its size, mass, element content, and star formation rate. The study found that the galaxy contained a high proportion of heavier elements, similar to those in the centre and outer parts of the galaxy.
Messier 61 is a massive spiral galaxy with a diameter of 100,000 light-years, located 55 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy features six supernovae, making it one of the top galaxies for supernova observations.
Researchers have released a unique dataset based on 32 nights of repeated observations of SN 2011fe, providing unprecedented detail and a solid point of reference for Type Ia physics. The data reveals that the supernova is remarkably normal, passing important tests but not matching leading computational models.
The Cat's Paw Nebula is forming stars at an unprecedented rate of 200,000 suns' worth of material, with over 2,000 extremely young and still trapped inside their dusty cocoons. The cause of this 'mini-starburst' remains unclear, but its proximity to Earth makes it an ideal target for detailed study.
Astronomers have observed a spinning neutron star slowing down and spinning at a faster rate, providing clues to understand these dense objects. The discovery has important implications for understanding the extreme physical conditions present within neutron stars.
Researchers found Fe-60 iron atoms in sediments from ocean cores dating back to 2.2 million years ago, indicating a possible supernova impact on Earth. The discovery suggests that magnetotactic bacteria may have created magnetite crystals containing the radioactive isotope.
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has observed the remains of a star that exploded as a supernova around 600 years ago. The wispy gas structure, known as SNR B0519-69.0, is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud and features a striking blood-red color.
Researchers have confirmed Einstein's theory of general relativity by observing a unique binary star system with a massive neutron star and a white dwarf. The study found that the system's gravitational waves match exactly what Einstein's theory predicts, providing strong evidence for the validity of the theory.
A team of scientists discovered a unique double object consisting of a massive neutron star and its white dwarf companion, pushing the limits of physical theories. The discovery offers an opportunity to test Einstein's general relativity with unprecedented precision.
Researchers found two tiny silica grains in primitive meteorites, with unusual isotopic signatures suggesting they originated from a single core-collapse supernova. This discovery provides clues to the complex nuclear and convective processes operating within stars, shedding new light on stellar evolution and the solar system's formation.
A team of scientists has identified a new type of gamma-ray burst that lasts for several hours, challenging previous theories. The ultra-long bursts are thought to occur in the violent death throes of a supergiant star, with a massive explosion taking time to propagate through the star.
Astronomers analyzed X-ray observations from the Suzaku satellite to understand the composition of Kepler's supernova, finding it held roughly three times the amount of metals as the sun. This discovery will aid in fine-tuning knowledge of the universe beyond our galaxy.
Astronomers have found the farthest Type Ia supernova, named SN Wilson, with a distance of over 13.8 billion years ago. This discovery provides insights into how these stars explode and test theories about dark energy.
Astronomers have discovered a young supernova remnant, G306.3.9, located in the central regions of the Milky Way galaxy, estimated to be around 2,500 years old. The Swift and Chandra X-ray satellites detected the object, which is one of the 20 youngest known remnants identified.
Astronomers detect two Type 1a supernovae, designated Supernova 2013X and Supernova 2012ha, which provide valuable information for measuring cosmic distances. The explosions occurred hundreds of millions of years ago and have traveled to Earth, offering insights into the expansion of the universe.
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope's complex motion is visualized as a Spirograph-like pattern from the pulsar Vela. The pattern captures the spacecraft's 95-minute orbit around Earth and its precession, a slow circuit every 54 days. This data also shows the LAT's nodding pattern to capture the entire sky.
A team of astronomers used the VIMOS instrument on the VLT to study a one-thousand-year-old supernova remnant. They found evidence of rapidly moving protons in the gas, which could be the necessary seed particles for cosmic rays to form.
A new study confirms that cosmic rays are born in the violent aftermath of supernovas, exploding stars throughout the galaxy. Protons make up 90% of these particles, which are accelerated by shock waves and then decay into gamma-ray photons with distinctive signatures.
A new study offers conclusive evidence that cosmic ray protons within our galaxy are accelerated in the shock waves produced by supernovae. Researchers detected the spectral cutoff in the gamma ray spectrum due to the decay of neutral pions, connecting gamma rays to accelerated protons.
Scientists have found conclusive proof that supernova remnants accelerate cosmic rays to incredible speeds. The discovery was made using four years of data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and provides a key finding in the search for the sources of high-energy cosmic rays.
Scientists have observed a rare pre-explosion outburst occurring just one month before a massive star underwent a supernova explosion. The findings validate a particular model predicting this type of event and provide insight into the processes taking place in the cores of such massive stars.
A team of astronomers observed a massive star's mass-loss event about a month before its supernova explosion, providing evidence for a causal link between the two events. The study suggests that predicting such explosions could allow scientists to catch them in action.
Researchers found evidence of a 'penultimate outburst' in a massive star before its final detonation as a supernova, providing the first causal link between the two events. This discovery has significant implications for our understanding of what triggers a supernova.
A Type Ia supernova with a redshift of 1.71, dating back 10 billion years, has been detected using the Hubble Space Telescope's data by the Supernova Cosmology Project. This discovery provides valuable insights into the expansion history of the universe and the nature of dark energy.
Researchers are using a new approach to simulate supernovas and their remnants, shedding light on the physics of these events. The team hopes its models will help reveal details about the characteristics of supernova remnants, including those created during the explosion and those formed in interaction with surrounding medium.
Astronomers discovered a massive outburst in NGC 660, a spiral galaxy 44 million light-years away. The outburst was ten times brighter than the largest supernova and is likely caused by material pulled into a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy.
A team of astronomers has mapped enormous outflows of charged particles from the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy, stretching over 50,000 light-years. The phenomenon is driven by many generations of stars forming and exploding in the Galactic Centre over the last hundred million years.
The UVOT telescope on NASA's Swift satellite has captured over 100 breathtaking images of the cosmos, including comets, star clusters, and supernova remnants. These images provide valuable data for scientists studying gamma-ray bursts, stellar evolution, and the properties of rare stars.
Pulsars suddenly increase speed in brief events called 'glitches,' but researchers question this phenomenon's explanation. A mathematical model shows that the available superfluid in a pulsar's crust is too small to cause such friction, contradicting current thinking.
Researchers found iron 60, a radioactive sign of an exploding star, in low abundance and uniformly distributed in solar system material. The findings suggest the low levels of iron 60 likely came from long-term accumulation of iron 60 in interstellar medium rather than a nearby cataclysmic event.
Scientists have used an X-ray laser to measure atomic processes in extreme plasmas, revealing a surprising finding: collisions with electrons are not a factor in reducing X-ray signals. This discovery challenges existing models and paves the way for future research using free-electron lasers.
A team of astronomers has discovered an excess of X-ray radiation in the first few minutes of collapsing massive stars, potentially revealing the signature of the supernova shock wave. This breakthrough could enable the detection of new supernovae earlier than current methods, allowing for more precise monitoring and analysis.
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has awarded a $2.1 million grant to the University of California at Berkeley's Berkeley Center for Cosmological Physics to advance dark energy research through the BigBOSS project. BigBOSS aims to study dark energy with unprecedented precision using revolutionary technologies.
Researchers use Multi-Object Double Spectrograph to determine composition of Type Ia supernovae, finding them likely caused by interaction between two white dwarfs. This discovery sheds light on the expansion and acceleration of the universe, opening new ideas in understanding.
Astronomers have discovered a distant galaxy, MACS0647-JD, which offers a glimpse into the early universe 420 million years after the Big Bang. The galaxy was magnified by a massive cluster using gravitational lensing, revealing three images of the same object.
Researchers find two super-luminous supernovae at high redshifts, consistent with pair-instability supernova mechanism. The explosions are thought to have occurred in massive stars that formed in the early universe.
Southampton researchers have developed a model that explains how pulsars slow down with age. The spin rate of a pulsar slows down due to energy loss through radiation, but the exact mechanism was unclear until now.
NASA's Swift satellite detected a rising tide of high-energy X-rays from a source near the center of the Milky Way galaxy, announcing the presence of a new stellar-mass black hole. The discovery was made using the Burst Alert Telescope and X-ray Telescope on Swift.
Astronomers have detected a potentially most distant galaxy ever seen, offering a glimpse into the universe's earliest epochs. The galaxy, observed through gravitational lensing, has a redshift of 9.6 and is estimated to be less than 200 million years old.
Astronomers found a cloud of hydrogen and helium plunging toward the galactic center, which represents the remains of a planet-forming disk. The discovery suggests that planets can still form near black holes due to stars in a ring orbiting the galaxy's central black hole.
Researchers used a dying star's light to probe the gas conditions in a distant galaxy, revealing 'reassuringly normal' interstellar conditions. The study also provided insights into the formation of galaxies like our Milky Way.
A team of astronomers has discovered that at least some thermonuclear (Type Ia) supernovae originate from recurrent novae, contradicting previous theories. The study, led by Ben Dilday, reveals multiple ways to make a Type Ia supernova and has implications for understanding the differences seen in these 'standard candles'.
Astronomers collected evidence indicating that the progenitor system of a Type 1a supernova contains a red giant star. The discovery provides an explanation for why these events vary slightly from galaxy to galaxy, refining the accuracy of cosmic measurements.
Research models stellar explosions revealing neutrinos' previously unrecognized impact on supernovae's core and outer envelope. The study shows that neutrino interactions with halo neutrinos significantly alter the explosion's physics, changing element formation.
Notre Dame physicists are utilizing a new particle accelerator to recreate stellar nuclear processes in the lab. The research complements observational studies of new telescopes, shedding light on cosmic nucleosynthesis processes.
Researchers have discovered a binary star system, QU Carinae, which may produce a type Ia supernova. The system's white dwarf is accumulating mass from a giant star, producing sodium gas that could be detected after the explosion.