Katherine Rhode's five-year NSF CAREER award will fund a wide-field imaging survey of globular cluster systems in giant galaxies up to 65 million light years away. The goal is to quantify properties and test theories on galaxy formation.
Researchers at UCLA have discovered that larger clusters of Amyloid β-protein are more toxic to nerve cells, but smaller clusters outnumber them and are more common. This finding provides a new target for therapeutic drug development.
Researchers measured the motion of stars in a distant galaxy and found they are moving at incredible speeds, contradicting expectations of small galaxy size.
Astronomers discover rare 'Green Pea' galaxies through Galaxy Zoo project, finding compact galaxies forming stars at high rates. The galaxies, 10 times smaller than Milky Way and 100 times less massive, are surprisingly active in star formation.
The NASA Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has discovered a third class of active galaxies that emit gamma rays, opening a new window in the field. The telescope has detected gamma rays from dozens of galaxies beyond our own, including Seyfert galaxies and blazars.
Researchers found that turbulence created by material ejected from supermassive black holes' disks prevents cooling gas from forming stars. The discovery explains a long-standing mystery in galaxy cluster physics.
A team of researchers led by UC Riverside astronomer Gillian Wilson has completed the largest ever survey of very distant galaxy clusters. The SpARCS survey detects galaxy clusters using deep optical observations and infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope, revealing about 200 new cluster candidates.
Using XMM-Newton's new data, astronomers have mapped the region around a supermassive black hole, estimating its mass at 3-5 million solar masses. The observations also reveal rapid spinning and accretion rates that verge on theoretical limits.
A deep Chandra X-ray image has resolved a long-standing mystery about an X-ray glow along the plane of the Galaxy. The image reveals hundreds of point-like X-ray sources causing the glow, implying millions of such sources are responsible.
New calculations suggest hundreds of massive rogue black holes are left over from the early universe, potentially wandering the Milky Way's outer reaches. These relics could provide clues about galaxy formation history and the formation of black holes in the early universe.
Researchers at the University of Maryland are working on a project to analyze vast amounts of DNA sequencing data using remote computer clusters, also known as Cloud Computing. The goal is to determine whether this approach can be more cost-effective and efficient than traditional local clusters.
Astronomers have identified a triple merger of four separate galaxy clusters, the first time such a phenomenon has been documented. The galaxy clusters are involved in a cosmic free-for-all, with one collision after another occurring as galaxies pour into a region already full of galaxies.
A team of astronomers has found a sample of massive galaxies with properties suggesting they may have formed recently, running counter to widely-held beliefs. The discovery challenges our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution, offering new opportunities for research into the origin and early history of galaxies.
Astronomers have identified a new type of dwarf galaxy, formed out of pristine gas without dark matter. Led by Johns Hopkins University, the discovery was made using the Galaxy Evolution Explorer and suggests that these galaxies may be common throughout the early universe.
In a groundbreaking study, scientists have discovered that stars were forming at an incredible rate in the core region of an infant galaxy. With a diameter of just 4000 light-years, the star-forming core of J1148+5251 is incredibly productive and reaches its physical limit.
Researchers at Penn State University have discovered a way to produce hydrogen by exposing aluminum clusters to water, leveraging their unique geometric structures. The process enables the production of hydrogen gas without heat or energy input, opening up new possibilities for clean energy applications.
Astronomers have identified gas molecules in the host galaxy of a gamma-ray burst, providing insight into star formation when the universe was about one-sixth its present age. The study found hydrogen and carbon monoxide absorption lines, suggesting a thick molecular cloud similar to those that spawn stars in our galaxy today.
The Milky Way galaxy is rotating about 100,000 miles per hour faster than previously understood, increasing its mass by 50 percent. This increase in speed and mass brings the Milky Way closer to colliding with the Andromeda Galaxy or smaller nearby galaxies.
The University of Virginia is conducting a new project, APOGEE, as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III to study the chemical and dynamical fingerprints of Milky Way red giant stars. The team aims to understand the assembly of the Milky Way galaxy and its evolution.
A team of scientists used a natural cosmic lens to capture an image of a distant galaxy in the early Universe. The image shows a massive reservoir of gas and a supermassive black hole feeding a burst of star formation, indicating that the galaxy has collided with another.
A team of scientists has discovered a new population of colliding galaxy clusters that were previously undetected at shorter wavelengths. The discovery confirms theoretical predictions about particle acceleration through turbulent waves generated by violent collisions.
Researchers at Durham University and Caltech used gravitational lensing to study a young star-forming galaxy in the distant Universe, revealing its internal velocity structure and spiral disk. The findings provide insight into how the galaxy evolved into a present-day system like our Milky Way.
Astronomers used gravitational lensing and adaptive optics to observe a young star-forming galaxy, finding clear signs of orderly rotation and evidence for a spiral disk with a central nucleus. The study demonstrates the power of future telescopes like the Thirty Meter Telescope.
Astronomers have discovered evidence that high-speed collisions between large elliptical galaxies can prevent new stars from forming. The study found that gravitational interactions can heat up gas, making it difficult for stars to cool and form.
Researchers have directly measured a nascent galaxy's magnetic field, finding it is at least 10 times stronger than the average value in the Milky Way. This unexpected result presents a challenge to the leading theory of magnetic field generation and suggests that magnetic fields may play a key role in the evolution of galaxies.
Researchers identified an unexpected motion in distant galaxy clusters, suggesting gravitational attraction beyond the observable universe. The 'dark flow' is constant out to a billion light-years and flies in the face of predictions from standard cosmological models.
Astronomers study massive galaxies in clusters to understand their growth. The team observed four galaxy groups and found that three of them have a bright companion galaxy, indicating merging systems.
The Hubble Space Telescope has resolved individual threads of gas in the filaments of galaxy NGC 1275, revealing a magnetic structure that sustains them for over 100 million years. The discovery provides crucial clues about how giant black holes affect their surroundings.
A Dutch school teacher, Hanny van Arkel, discovered a mysterious gaseous object with a hole in the center while classifying galaxy images on the Galaxy Zoo project. Scientists are now investigating this phenomenon, known as 'Hanny's Voorwerp,' which they believe could be a new class of astronomical object, possibly a quasar.
Astronomers have tracked a recent supernova explosion in the Milky Way galaxy using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and NRAO's VLA. The discovery confirms the supernova is about 140 years old, making it the youngest recorded in the galaxy.
The galaxy proto-cluster LBG-2377 is the farthest ever detected, offering a glimpse into the universe's infancy when its light was emitted. Scientists believe it may grow into a massive galaxy cluster, born from a catastrophic event with gas and matter collapsing.
Researchers have identified a plant gene cluster that produces a triterpene compound, previously unknown in plants. The study reveals how plants can assemble beneficial gene clusters to produce valuable natural products.
The Triangulum Galaxy, located 2.9 million light-years from Earth, is ablaze with starbirth, according to a new image taken by NASA's Swift satellite. The image showcases the galaxy's high spatial resolution, revealing young, hot stars and star-forming gas clouds in unprecedented detail.
Researchers have discovered a giant hydrogen gas finger in the Milky Way Galaxy, which may indicate that nearby galaxies, such as the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, will eventually merge with our Galaxy. The study provides valuable insight into the galaxies' fate using CSIRO radio telescopes.
Astronomers have determined that a hyperfast star, HE 0437-5439, originated from the Large Magellanic Cloud, contradicting its initial assumption of coming from the Milky Way. The star's elemental composition and velocity indicate it was ejected from the LMC by a massive black hole.
The Arecibo Observatory has discovered methanimine and hydrogen cyanide, two key ingredients for life, in a distant galaxy. These molecules were found by searching for radio emission at specific frequencies, using the world's largest and most sensitive radio telescope.
The Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a double Einstein ring, caused by the bending of light from two distant galaxies behind a massive foreground galaxy. The discovery offers insights into dark matter and the nature of distant galaxies.
A research team led by Dieter Fenske has synthesized four large and silver-rich clusters, providing insights into the properties of nanoscale semiconductor materials. The clusters, composed of hundreds of atoms, have been characterized using X-ray crystallographic studies and mass spectrometry.
Astronomers have discovered a rare type of star system containing a black hole that suddenly began glowing brightly with X-rays. The system, dubbed CXOU J132518.2-430304, is thought to be a binary star system where one star collapsed to form a black hole.
Researchers found blue clusters of stars, nicknamed 'blue blobs', in a structure called Arp's Loop between M81 and M82 galaxies. The stars are less than 200 million years old and contain the equivalent of five Orion Nebulae.
Researchers solved a longstanding problem of the Cold Dark Matter cosmology model by exposing a critical relationship between interstellar gas and dark matter in galaxy birth. The study showed that dense gas clouds in galaxies form massive stars, which drive 'sloshing' effects that kick dark matter out of the galaxy's center.
A team from Rochester Institute of Technology has confirmed that supermassive black holes launch rotating winds that shape galaxies and regulate their growth. The findings, reported in Nature, provide direct observational confirmation of a long-standing theory about quasar winds.
Researchers at University of Bonn use computer simulations to understand how star clusters are formed from interstellar gas clouds and evolve over time. The study finds that small clusters are easily destroyed by radiation from stars, while heavy clusters survive longer.
An international team of scientists has identified a tiny galaxy, about half the size and one-tenth the weight of the smallest distant galaxies typically observed. The galaxy is 100 times lighter than our own Milky Way and is 100 times closer to us than the nearest known structure, the Virgo cluster.
Astronomers analyze galaxy clusters and discover that dark matter, a mysterious invisible force, has an incredibly long lifetime. The research suggests that axions, a type of particle with extra dimensions, could be the culprit behind this prolonged existence.
The Hercules Dwarf Galaxy, a tiny companion to the Milky Way, has been found to have an exceptional flat shape, unlike any other known galaxy. The galaxy's shape is likely due to its close proximity to the Milky Way and the gravitational forces that disrupt it.
Astronomers have witnessed the rare sight of four galaxies crashing into each other, kicking up billions of stars and forming a single, massive galaxy. The merger, observed using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and WIYN Telescope, provides unprecedented insight into how the most massive galaxies in the universe form.
A new study using Chandra finds that younger, more distant galaxy clusters contain far more actively growing supermassive black holes than older, nearby ones. This rapid growth allows these black holes to thrive and influence their host galaxies.
Astronomers have observed two Type II and Type Ia supernovae exploding in the same galaxy just 16 days apart. The rare event is unlikely to be related to anything unusual about the galaxy.
Researchers used supercomputers to simulate galaxy mergers, revealing the formation of a new type of structure - a central disk of gas that can be thousands of light years wide. The simulations predict that the gas in this disk will extract energy from the orbiting black holes, causing them to merge and produce strong gravitational waves.
Astronomers discover a bright arc of extremely hot gas in a massive galaxy cluster, suggesting an exceptionally dramatic event, such as a collision between two clusters. The temperature and mass of the cluster make it a giant among giants, with a quadrillion suns' worth of mass bound by its hot gas.
The Hubble Space Telescope provides a detailed view of Messier 81, revealing young blue stars and glowing regions of fluorescent gas. The galaxy's central black hole is 15 times the mass of the Milky Way's black hole.
Researchers used adaptive optics to precisely locate and study the environments of two supermassive black holes at the center of a galaxy merger. The observations revealed young star clusters and rotating disks of stars surrounding each black hole.
A team of astronomers has discovered a unique structure of dark matter in the galaxy cluster Cl 0024+17, with a ring shape unlike that of galaxies and hot gas. The discovery is among the strongest evidence for dark matter's existence, supporting theoretical models of its behavior under gravity.
A team of German astronomers has identified a new globular cluster in the Milky Way, comprising approximately 100,000 stars. The discovery is significant as it provides unique laboratory conditions to investigate various aspects of astrophysics and sheds light on the formation and evolution of galaxies.
The AEGIS survey reveals a consistent relation between galaxy mass and star and gas orbital speed over billions of years, constraining galaxy formation theories. The findings suggest fundamental properties of galaxies have changed little over the past 8 billion years.
Researchers used Hubble Space Telescope to reveal a large elliptical galaxy with hundreds of globular clusters at an unprecedented 1 billion light-year distance. The discovery provides insights into the age, origin, and evolution of these clusters.
Astronomers have discovered an enormous halo of red giant stars surrounding the Andromeda galaxy, extending beyond its visible disk and indicating that it may be five times larger than previously believed. The discovery is based on observations of over 500,000 light-years of starry space using advanced telescopes.
Scientists have discovered a supermassive black hole at the heart of a dwarf elliptical galaxy, VCC128, located 54 million light years away. The finding is significant as it shows that even small galaxies can host massive black holes, challenging previous assumptions.
Astronomers have observed a rare phenomenon of two supernovas occurring simultaneously in the same galaxy, with implications for our understanding of galaxy mergers. The high frequency of supernovas in NGC 1316 suggests that massive star formation may be driving this activity.