Astronomers have discovered a rapidly growing supermassive black hole in the very early Universe, which provides new clues on its formation. The galaxy, named COS-87259, contains over a billion solar masses worth of interstellar dust and is forming stars at a rate 1000 times that of our Milky Way.
SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateFeb 24, 2023
Astronomers propose that X7 is a cloud of dust and gas ejected during the collision of two stars. The object's shape and velocity have changed dramatically as it approaches the black hole, showing significant changes over a relatively short time scale.
SourceUniversity of California - Los Angeles·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·DateFeb 24, 2023
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A team of scientists has discovered six massive galaxies in the early universe, challenging current theories on galaxy formation. These galaxies are estimated to be as mature as the Milky Way and were found when the universe was only 3% of its current age.
SourcePenn State·JournalNature·TypeObservational study·DateFeb 22, 2023
An international team of astrophysicists has discovered six potential galaxies emerging in the universe's earliest moments, containing as many stars as the Milky Way. These ancient structures are gigantic and massive, contradicting current cosmological theory, with calculations suggesting they formed hundreds of new stars a year.
SourceUniversity of Colorado at Boulder·JournalNature·DateFeb 22, 2023
Researchers used the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument to study the motions of nearly 7500 stars in the inner halo of the Andromeda Galaxy. They found telltale patterns that revealed how these stars began their lives as part of another galaxy, shedding light on galactic immigration events.
SourceAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateFeb 8, 2023
A mysterious, extremely remote celestial body has been identified as a young, compact galaxy forming stars at an incredibly high rate of 1000 times the Milky Way's. Its features were finally described by a team from SISSA using ALMA interferometer technology.
SourceScuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeObservational study·DateFeb 7, 2023
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Astronomers have uncovered a rare binary star system that has the right conditions to trigger a kilonova, an ultra-powerful explosion created by colliding neutron stars. The system, CPD-29 2176, is one of only about 10 such systems thought to exist in the Milky Way Galaxy.
SourceAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)·JournalNature·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateFeb 1, 2023
Researchers found that the stellar initial mass function varies with metallicity and age of stars, affecting galaxy formation and chemical enrichment estimates. The study used LAMOST telescope data to count red dwarf stars and measure their metallicity, revealing a variable abundance of low-mass stars in the Milky Way.
SourceChinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters·JournalNature·DateJan 18, 2023
Astronomers have released a colossal dataset revealing 3.32 billion celestial objects in unprecedented detail, covering 6.5% of the night sky. The Dark Energy Camera Plane Survey captures stars, star-forming regions, and dark clouds with innovative data-processing techniques.
SourceAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeObservational study·DateJan 18, 2023
A team of researchers has discovered three ultra-faint dwarf galaxies around a Milky Way-mass galaxy, providing insights into the formation and evolution of these enigmatic objects. The findings may help develop universal models for how the universe's oldest galaxies formed.
SourceDartmouth College·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeObservational study·DateJan 11, 2023
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Researchers used the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury Triangulum Extended Region — or PHATTER — survey to study the Triangulum galaxy. The team discovered two drastically different structures depending on the age of the stars, with younger and older stars having distinct distributions.
SourceUniversity of Washington·TypeObservational study·DateJan 11, 2023
Researchers used variable stars as standard candles to measure galactic distances, tracing the outer limits of the Milky Way's halo. The study confirms theoretical estimates and provides a powerful tool for studying the galaxy's size and mass.
SourceUniversity of California - Santa Cruz·DateJan 9, 2023
The James Webb Space Telescope has detected galaxies with stellar bars, similar to the Milky Way, at a time when the universe was just 25% of its present age. This discovery shakes up galaxy evolution scenarios and challenges theoretical models.
SourceUniversity of Texas at Austin·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·TypeObservational study·DateJan 5, 2023
Researchers used new data from the European Space Agency's GAIA space observatory to project the orbits of satellite galaxies into the past and future, revealing the plane form and dissolve in a few hundred million years. The findings remove one of the main objections to the validity of the standard model of cosmology.
SourceDurham University·JournalNature Astronomy·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateDec 19, 2022
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Scientists measure antihelium nuclei survival rate at ALICE experiment, laying foundation for dark matter search. Galaxy found to be 50% permeable for antinuclei, with implications for future experiments and search for antimatter in space.
SourceTechnical University of Munich (TUM)·JournalNature Physics·DateDec 12, 2022
The FAST telescope has detected unprecedented detail about the distribution of neutral hydrogen gas in the Milky Way, revealing fine structures across 88 square degrees. The team also found evidence for magnetic field reversals along spiral arms and confirmed shell-type supernova remnants.
SourceScience China Press·JournalScience China Physics Mechanics and Astronomy·DateDec 10, 2022
The WALLABY survey has mapped over 600 galaxies, including many new discoveries, and will catalog over a quarter of a million galaxies to measure dark-matter distribution and galaxy evolution. The radio telescope's ability to peer through stars and dust in the Milky Way enables scientists to study the universe at unprecedented scales.
SourceInternational Centre for Radio Astronomy Research·JournalPublications of the Astronomical Society of Australia·TypeSurvey·DateNov 15, 2022
Astronomers have discovered the closest-known black hole to Earth, a dormant stellar-mass black hole located about 1600 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus. This discovery was made possible by precise observations of the motion of the black hole's companion star using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph instrument.
SourceAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·TypeObservational study·DateNov 4, 2022
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Astronomers using the VLA discovered that fast-moving cosmic ray electrons drive winds in the neighboring galaxy M33, slowing down new star formation. This finding challenges previous theories, suggesting cosmic rays are a more general cause of galactic winds.
SourceNational Radio Astronomy Observatory·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·TypeObservational study·DateOct 25, 2022
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.
SourceUniversity of Sydney·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateSep 29, 2022
A team of researchers at Lund University used Gaia space telescope data to study the outer disk of the Milky Way, finding large parts vibrate due to a passing dwarf galaxy. This 'galactic seismology' provides clues about Sagittarius' history and orbit around our home galaxy.
SourceLund University·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateSep 23, 2022
A new simulation suggests that gravitational interactions, not over-eating, are responsible for the Milky Way Galaxy's peanut-shaped and nuclear bulges. The study reveals a clear break in star ages between the two types of bulges, indicating when the bar formed.
SourceNational Institutes of Natural Sciences·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateSep 9, 2022
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.
SourceNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeObservational study·DateSep 8, 2022
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A team of researchers has discovered that gamma-ray radiation from the Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy can be explained by millisecond pulsars, ruling out dark matter annihilation as a possible explanation. The study reveals that these stellar objects are efficient accelerators of high-energy electrons and positrons.
SourceUniversiteit van Amsterdam·JournalNature Astronomy·DateSep 6, 2022
A team of researchers has detected a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way filled with dark matter using gamma-ray emissions. The discovery was initially thought to be indicative of dark matter annihilation, but further analysis reveals that millisecond pulsars are more likely to be the source of the emission.
SourceKavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe·JournalNature Astronomy·DateSep 6, 2022
A new study suggests that the solar system's transit through the four primary spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy may have seeded enhanced production of continental crust on early Earth. The researchers found a correlation between periods of increased crust generation and the solar system's movement into spiral arms, possibly due to co...
SourceGeological Society of America·JournalGeology·DateAug 24, 2022
New research from Curtin University reveals that comets may have formed Earth's early continents when the Solar System passed through densely populated areas of the Milky Way Galaxy. The study found a rhythm of crust production every 200 million years matching the system's transit through galaxy arms.
SourceCurtin University·JournalGeology·TypeObservational study·DateAug 24, 2022
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A team of astronomers, known for debunking black hole discoveries, found a dormant stellar-mass black hole in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The newly discovered black hole is at least nine times the mass of the Sun and orbits a hot star weighing 25 times the Sun's mass.
SourceCenter for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian·JournalNature Astronomy·DateJul 18, 2022
A CSU researcher has obtained photographic evidence of milky seas observed from both the Earth's surface and space at the same time. The observations were made possible by a private yacht's encounter with the rare phenomenon off the coast of Java, providing new insights into its formation.
SourceColorado State University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeImaging analysis·DateJul 15, 2022
A team of researchers has discovered a wide range of nitriles, key molecular precursors for life, in the interstellar molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027 near the Milky Way center. The study provides important insights into the chemical ingredients available in the nebula that give rise to our planetary system.
SourceFrontiers·JournalFrontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences·TypeObservational study·DateJul 8, 2022
A team of astronomers has created a detailed map of the molecular emissions surrounding red hypergiant star VY Canis Majoris. The image sheds light on the mechanisms involved in the final stages of extreme supergiant stars, offering new insights into their processes.
A team of researchers suggests millisecond pulsars could be responsible for the unexplained gamma-ray signal from the Milky Way center. The study proposes a new population of astrophysical sources in the Galaxy's center, which would help understand the star formation history of our Milky Way.
SourceKavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe·JournalNature Astronomy·DateJun 12, 2022
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Researchers at UC Berkeley have detected a possible free-floating black hole in the Milky Way galaxy using gravitational microlensing. The object's mass is estimated to be between 1.6 and 4.4 times that of the sun, but its nature as a black hole or neutron star remains uncertain.
SourceUniversity of California - Berkeley·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·TypeObservational study·DateJun 10, 2022
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.
SourceUniversity of Copenhagen - Faculty of Science·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·DateMay 25, 2022
Researchers have found a significant number of massive black holes in dwarf galaxies, contradicting previous assumptions that they are rare. The newly discovered black holes offer insights into the life story of the Milky Way's supermassive black hole and its potential mergers with other galaxies.
SourceUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateMay 24, 2022
The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration has captured the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. The image reveals a dark central region surrounded by a bright ring-like structure, indicating the presence of a massive object four million times more massive than our Sun.
SourceUniversity of the Witwatersrand·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateMay 13, 2022
A team of University of Illinois researchers, led by Charles Gammie, has captured the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. The image reveals a dark central region surrounded by a bright ringlike structure, providing valuable clues about the workings of such giants.
SourceUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateMay 12, 2022
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The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has captured the first image of Sagittarius A*, a black hole at the center of the Milky Way, revealing a ring-like structure and shadow. The observation confirms Einstein's theory of general relativity and provides new insights into giant black holes.
SourceGoethe University Frankfurt·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·TypeObservational study·DateMay 12, 2022
The Event Horizon Telescope captured the first image of Sagittarius A*, a hot and dense black hole surrounded by superheated gas, improving our understanding of black holes. The Frontera supercomputer supported this achievement through innovative data-driven astronomy.
SourceUniversity of Texas at Austin, Texas Advanced Computing Center·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateMay 12, 2022
A team of astronomers, including those from MIT's Haystack Observatory, has captured the light around our own supermassive black hole, revealing for the first time an image of Sagitarrius A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The resulting image reveals SgrA* in a glowing, donut-shaped ring of light.
SourceMassachusetts Institute of Technology·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateMay 12, 2022
For the first time, astronomers have captured an image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, revealing a dark central region surrounded by a bright ring-like structure. The observation provides valuable clues about the workings of such giants and confirms that the object is indeed a black hole.
SourceInstitute for Advanced Study·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateMay 12, 2022
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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.
SourceMassachusetts Institute of Technology·JournalNature·DateMay 4, 2022
Researchers find that black holes go through a 'hard' and 'soft' state during outbursts, with the final flash possibly indicating a brief expansion of the corona. The findings help scientists understand how supermassive black holes shape galaxy formation.
SourceMassachusetts Institute of Technology·DateMay 2, 2022
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.
SourceUniversity of Sydney·JournalNature Astronomy·DateApr 14, 2022
A recent study from Lund University reveals new information about the movement patterns of white dwarfs in the Milky Way. The researchers mapped the three-dimensional velocity distribution for the largest catalogue of white dwarfs to date, providing a detailed picture of their velocity structure.
SourceLund University·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateMar 23, 2022
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Researchers at Lund University mapped Ytterbium's origin to supernova explosions, revealing new opportunities for studying galaxy evolution. The study provides insight into the element's dual cosmic origins from heavy and regular stars.
Researchers analyzed individual stars to identify components of the Milky Way, finding that it consumed smaller galaxies. The study used advanced spectrographic techniques to measure elemental abundances, providing early insights into the galaxy's formation and evolution.
SourceARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3D (ASTRO 3D)·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·TypeObservational study·DateFeb 21, 2022
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.
SourceRensselaer Polytechnic Institute·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateFeb 17, 2022
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.
SourceUniversity of Notre Dame·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·DateFeb 10, 2022
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Researchers discover nearly 1,000 mysterious filaments stretching up to 150 light years long, found in pairs and clusters, with magnetic fields amplified along the filaments. The study sheds new light on the origins of these structures, which are likely related to past activity of the Milky Way's central supermassive black hole.
SourceNorthwestern University·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·TypeObservational study·DateFeb 2, 2022
Researchers have found the Milky Way to be significantly lighter than previously thought, with a total mass of 500-800 billion solar masses. This new estimate is based on high-precision data from Gaia EDR3 and advanced dynamical modeling methods.
SourceChinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateJan 12, 2022
A team of researchers led by Alexis Andrés analyzed 15 years' worth of data from NASA's Swift Observatory to find that Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, flares irregularly both day-to-day and in the long term.
SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateJan 12, 2022
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.
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Researchers have discovered at least 70 new free-floating planets, each roughly the mass of Jupiter, in a nearby region of the Milky Way. The discovery was made using observations and archival data from several observatories, including NSF's NOIRLab facilities.
SourceAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)·JournalNature Astronomy·TypeObservational study·DateDec 22, 2021
An international team of astronomers has created a new map of the Milky Way's outer disc, showing remains of tidal arms excited from interactions with satellite galaxies in the distant past. The map reveals numerous previously unknown filamentary structures at the edge of the disc.
SourceKavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateDec 17, 2021
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.
SourceChalmers University of Technology·JournalNature Astronomy·TypeObservational study·DateDec 16, 2021
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...
SourceAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)·JournalAstronomy and Astrophysics·TypeObservational study·DateDec 14, 2021
An international team of astronomers has created a new map of the Milky Way's outer disc using data from the Gaia space mission. The findings reveal many previously unknown coherently rotating filamentary structures at the edge of the disc.
SourceUniversity of Barcelona·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateDec 14, 2021
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A mini-jet has been found near the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, indicating periodic outbursts. The discovery was made using multi-wavelength observations from various telescopes and suggests that the black hole is not a sleeping monster but rather dynamically variable.
SourceNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·DateDec 9, 2021
Astronomers at UT Austin's McDonald Observatory have discovered a massively dense black hole at the center of dwarf satellite galaxy Leo I, revealing an unprecedented mass ratio between the galaxy and its central black hole. This finding shakes up our understanding of galaxy evolution and dark matter distribution.
SourceUniversity of Texas at Austin·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeObservational study·DateDec 1, 2021