Researchers from the University of Sydney explain that the James Webb Space Telescope's 'spiderweb' image is not an alien megastructure but rather a series of concentric dust shells created by a binary system. The team discovered that the stars in the system interact through stellar winds, producing shock fronts and spiral-shaped plumes.
The discovery confirms the existence of precession in a binary black hole system, where one black hole distorts space-time and causes its orbit to wobble back and forth. This effect is 10 billion times stronger than previously measured, providing insights into Einstein's theory of general relativity.
Astronomers have observed dust plumes from the binary star system WR140 being accelerated into interstellar space by intense starlight. The team used the James Webb Space Telescope to capture images of the dusty plumes, which form a cone-shaped shock front between the two stars.
Astronomers have discovered a stellar binary with an extremely short orbit of just 51 minutes, confirming a decades-old prediction. The system is believed to be a cataclysmic variable, in which a white dwarf is accreting material from its companion star.
A new study has created the first map of the Milky Way's ancient dead stars, which reveals a 'galactic underworld' stretching three times the height of the galaxy. The map shows that almost a third of objects have been flung out from the galaxy, with neutron stars and black holes formed when massive stars collapse.
Researchers Konstanze Zwintz and Thomas Steindl develop new model to study pre-main sequence stars, shedding light on their early formation and its effects on stellar evolution. The model improves understanding of the chaotic phase of star birth and its impact on oscillation behavior.
Researchers have discovered young stars spiraling into the center of a massive cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. The spiral motion is thought to be feeding star formation in a river-like motion of gas and stars, an efficient way to fuel star birth.
Researchers at the University of Sheffield have proposed a novel origin for Jupiter-like planets around massive stars. Massive stars can capture or steal planets from other stars in densely populated stellar nurseries, a process known as a 'planetary heist'.
Astronomers used the VLBA to trace a wobble in a nearby star's motion and discovered a Jupiter-like planet orbiting one of its stars. The planet has twice the mass of Jupiter and orbits every 284 days, with an inclined orbit of 148 degrees from the stars.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham have developed a new model to better understand the impact of oscillations in binary neutron stars on gravitational wave detection. This could significantly improve our understanding of neutron stars and their properties.
Researchers have discovered a new millisecond pulsar in the globular cluster NGC 6397, shedding light on the apparent overabundance of isolated pulsars. The newly found pulsar, PSR J1740-5340B, has a faint radio signal and extended quiescent periods, suggesting it may be representative of a subgroup of hard-to-detect binary pulsars.
Researchers discovered a Neptune-sized planet around a bright blue star, shedding light on the dearth of Hot Neptunes. The planet's proximity to its star makes it susceptible to stripping of its gas, but it may survive for a billion years.
Researchers at the University of Innsbruck developed a quantum computer that can perform arbitrary calculations using quantum digits (qudits), exceeding classical computers' efficiency. This innovation unlocks more computational power with fewer quantum particles.
Researchers have discovered a new technique for detecting dim bodies, including planets, orbiting Cataclysmic Variables (CVs). The method analyzes changes in brightness caused by perturbations of a third body orbiting the inner two stars. Two out of four studied CV systems show signs of planetary mass objects in orbit around them.
Astronomers have discovered a unique triple star system consisting of two binary stars and one massive tertiary star. The system is incredibly luminous due to its compact nature and was initially detected by amateur astronomers using NASA's TESS observatory data.
Astronomers have found that denser and more turbulent environments tend to form binary/multiple stellar systems. The study used the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to analyze the Orion Cloud complex, revealing that about 13 dense cores are giving birth to binary/multiple stars.
A team of Chinese and Australian astronomers has discovered direct evidence for binary common envelope evolution, a key process in star evolution. The observation provides a way to accurately characterize this process through direct detection.
Astronomer Frank Kiwy uses Astro Data Lab to discover 34 new ultracool dwarf binary systems in the Sun's neighborhood, expanding knowledge of brown dwarfs and their companions. The discovery nearly doubles previously known samples, shedding light on how often brown dwarfs have companions.
Researchers investigate how varying morphologies in organic solar cells affect their performance, revealing the importance of balancing donor and acceptor phases to optimize carrier generation and transport. The study provides insights into optimizing device performances by controlling blended thin film morphology.
Astronomers used the Gemini South telescope to capture high-resolution images of dusty disks around 44 young massive stars. The survey found that smaller star-mass systems have ringed structures, while more massive systems do not.
A Northwestern University-led team of astrophysicists observed a star-forming cloud and discovered a twisted magnetic field that suggests the formation of a binary star system. The researchers believe a previously hidden sibling star may be responsible for the twisted field, which shifted the dynamics of the cloud to form a new star.
Researchers combined knowledge from nuclear theory, nuclear experiment, and astrophysical observations to gain new insights into neutron star matter. The study found a higher pressure at intermediate densities in neutron stars using data from heavy-ion collision experiments.
Researchers used a new simulation code to study the formation of star clusters and found that massive stars can eject off-center bubbles in the Orion Nebula. The simulations matched observations, showing that ejected stars can initiate ionized bubbles before falling back into the cluster.
A team of astronomers found that black holes played a crucial role in preventing rejuvenated star formation in massive quiescent galaxies. By analyzing the combined light from thousands of galaxies, they discovered a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus that may have heated the galaxy's gas, preventing new stars from forming.
Researchers have found that stars in distant galaxies are typically more massive than those in the Milky Way, changing our understanding of astronomical phenomena like black holes, supernovae, and galaxy death. This discovery may also explain why galaxies die and stop forming new stars.
Researchers found that binary star systems form planets in a different way than single stars, which can significantly impact the search for alien life. The study used ALMA telescopes to observe a young binary star system and discovered a cyclic pattern of gas and dust movement that may trigger bursts of material towards the star.
Researchers found that planetary systems around binary stars form differently than those around single stars, potentially creating new targets for extraterrestrial life. The study also suggests that comets could play a key role in delivering organic molecules necessary for life.
The Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a surviving companion star to SN 2013ge, providing crucial insight into the binary nature of massive stars. The finding sheds light on the puzzle of hydrogen loss pre-supernova and supports the theory that most massive stars are paired.
Researchers have identified the rarest type of black widow binary yet, featuring a pulsar and a third star that orbits every 10,000 years. The system, ZTF J1406+1222, has the shortest orbital period ever recorded, with the pulsar and companion star circling each other in just 62 minutes.
Astronomers at the University of Sydney have discovered slimmer red giant stars, which have undergone dramatic weight loss. The unusual stars are thought to have lost mass due to their stellar neighbors, providing valuable insights into star evolution and life in the Milky Way.
Researchers from Purdue University and other institutions have discovered a supermassive black hole binary system, consisting of two black holes that orbit each other. The system is significant due to its close separation, which may lead to a merger releasing massive energy in gravitational waves.
Researchers observed a binary star system in formation, revealing two stars with disks of gas and dust surrounding them. The newly discovered disks may be the beginnings of new planet systems that will orbit the binary stars in the future. This study provides unprecedented detail on a binary system in formation.
Researchers used simulations to compare Einstein's theory and modified gravity, finding that 'dark gravity' may be equally good at explaining data from binary neutron star collisions. This could lead to the discovery of new phenomena detectable by next-generation gravitational interferometers.
A recent analysis of the 2017 GW170817 merger suggests that a rapid spin delay may have prolonged the merger, producing excess X-ray emissions. The radiation is thought to be produced by shocked material in the circumbinary medium, hinting at a bounce from the delayed collapse.
Astrophysicists have calculated the original mass and size of a dwarf galaxy torn apart in a collision with the Milky Way billions of years ago. The reconstructed galaxy's stars now stream through the Milky Way, carrying information about its gravitational field.
A team of astronomers has discovered a rare pair of brown dwarfs that have the widest separation of any brown dwarf binary system found to date. The two brown dwarfs are about 12 billion miles apart, or three times the separation of Pluto from the Sun.
Researchers have discovered a strange new type of star with surfaces composed of carbon and oxygen, the by-product of helium burning. The stars' unusual composition suggests they may have formed through rare stellar mergers, but current models cannot fully explain their origins.
Researchers created a new sample catalog of over 24 million stars to decipher the chemical history of the Milky Way Galaxy. The catalog provides detailed information on elemental abundances, distances, motions, and ages of individual stars, allowing for a better understanding of the galaxy's formation and evolution.
Researchers found that passing stars, misaligned binary stars, and passing gas clouds can warp protoplanetary discs, disrupting spiral structures. This warping heats up the disc, making it harder for planets to form via gravitational instability.
Researchers found that massive stars can be far from their birthplace due to mergers of medium-mass stars. The study of HD93521 and IT Librae reveals that these stars can rotate quickly enough to create black holes with large spins.
Researchers discovered that a large cavity in the discs surrounding evolved binary stars could be evidence of planet formation. The presence of heavy elements on the surface of dying stars suggests that dust particles rich in these elements were trapped by planets, supporting this hypothesis.
Researchers use ALMA and VLA to detect chaotic dust and gas streams caused by an intruder object interacting with the binary protostar. The study provides evidence of flyby events in nature, which can dramatically perturb circumstellar disks and impact planet formation.
Astronomers have discovered a binary system consisting of a rapidly spinning neutron star and the precursor to an extremely-low-mass white dwarf, dubbed a 'cosmic spider'. The system emits powerful gamma-rays and has been observed using the SOAR Telescope in Chile.
The ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3D has discovered that the youngest generation of stars will eventually stop contributing metals back to the universe. This change affects the composition of the galaxy over time, with around half of the carbon and all elements heavier than iron synthesized by stars like our Sun.
A unique stellar structure in the Milky Way, C-19, has been found to consist of stars with extremely low metallicity, challenging current understanding of star formation models. This discovery provides a direct window into the earliest ages of star formation and the development of stellar structures in the distant past.
A team of researchers discovered 170 previously unknown free-floating planets (FFPs) in the Upper Scorpius young stellar association. This is the largest sample of FFPs found in a single association, suggesting that dynamical ejection from planetary systems may be an important mechanism for their formation.
Researchers studied 15 unusual stars in the Milky Way galaxy, discovering that all have recently undergone a rare phase where one star engulfs another. The findings provide new insight into the sky's most dramatic phenomena and may help answer questions about how stars live and die.
A team of astronomers has made the most precise measurements yet of the motions of stars around Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. The research, using cutting-edge facilities like Gemini Observatory and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, shows that nearly all of the mass c...
Three young stars have been discovered at the center of our galaxy, contradicting initial assumptions about a gas and dust cloud called G2. The unusual temperature of G2 has sparked debate among astronomers, but new observations reveal it is actually composed of three evolving young stars.
A team of astronomers discovered eight new stars and three more previously known stars belonging to the rare 'Main-sequence Radio Pulse emitters' (MRPs) using the GMRT. These discoveries suggest that MRPs may be more common than thought, but are difficult to detect due to their radio pulses being visible only at certain times.
Researchers detected a planet in a 200-day orbit around two stars using TESS data from just one sector over 27 days. The discovery was made possible by observing the planet's transits and eclipses, providing new insights into circumbinary planets.
Astronomer Dr. Lauri Jetsu discovers multiple new companion star candidates for the eclipsing binary Algol AB, with orbital periods between 20 and 219 years. The companions are too faint to be detected by modern space telescopes, but their periodic signals can predict observed O-C changes.
A new study suggests that a gravitational 'kick' from colliding supermassive black holes could be responsible for the strange shape of stars at the center of the Andromeda Galaxy. The team used computer simulations to track the consequences of such a merger, finding that it could knock millions of stars into wonky orbits.
Researchers at MIT and UNH find that binary neutron star mergers produce two to 100 times more heavy metals than neutron star-black hole mergers. The study suggests that binary neutron stars are a likely cosmic source for gold, platinum, and other heavy metals.
Researchers analyze iron-mass fraction of low-mass rocky exoplanets and find correlation with host star compositions, suggesting role of planet formation processes in shaping final composition. The study reveals distinct populations of super-Earths and super-Mercury class exoplanets with differing compositions.
Scientists have discovered radio waves coming from 19 distant red dwarf stars, suggesting the presence of hidden planets. The discovery uses the world's most powerful radio telescope, LOFAR, and indicates a scaled-up version of Jupiter-Io interaction with a planet in the star's magnetic field.
A new study reveals how supernovae explosions of massive stars can form heavy neutron star binaries, resolving a puzzle from gravitational wave observatories LIGO and Virgo. The team's results show that the explosion energy determines whether a stripped star forms a neutron star or black hole.
A study of 104 transgender and non-binary youth found a 60% decrease in moderate and severe depression and a 73% decrease in suicidality after receiving puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones. The study suggests that access to gender-affirming medical care is critical for ensuring the well-being of young people.
Researchers analyzed ALMA data to create the first animation of a young twin star system's orbital motion over three years. The study found that the disks surrounding each star are significantly misaligned with respect to each other, supporting the idea that the system was formed via molecular cloud fragmentation.
A team of astronomers has observed six massive galaxies in the early universe that have mysteriously stopped forming stars due to depleted gas reserves. The discovery was made possible by the Hubble Space Telescope's high resolution and gravitational lensing, allowing researchers to study these galaxies in unprecedented detail.