Articles tagged with Telescopes
The UK is leading the development of one of the core instruments of the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a mission to search for Earth-like planets and study their atmospheres. The observatory aims to answer whether we are alone in the universe with technological advances and scientific breakthroughs.
Astronomers have detected an atmosphere on a rocky planet, LHS 1140 b, in the habitable zone of its host star, which is consistent with conditions for liquid water and potentially life. The discovery was made using the WINERED spectrograph on the Magellan Clay telescope and reveals helium escaping from the upper atmosphere.
The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute has invested nearly $110 million in the Giant Magellan Telescope, supporting its development and critical milestone toward completion. This investment advances scientific instrument development and enables scientists to explore some of the universe's most profound questions.
Researchers have discovered two rare 'super-puff' planets with densities lower than candy floss, orbiting an F7-type dwarf star. The study provides a unique laboratory for understanding how these planets form and evolve, offering insights into their extremely low densities.
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University propose a compact X-ray telescope for mapping the entire Moon surface, overcoming technical challenges that have hindered previous missions. The team's simulations demonstrate feasibility and show that it could be done in two years with five key elements.
Researchers at Kyushu University used 3D computer simulations to understand the physics behind hub-and-spoke patterns in star-forming regions. The study shows that oblique shocks create invisible channels guiding compressed gas into central filaments, forming the radial shape of baby stars' cradles.
The partnership aims to create high-quality jobs, advance innovation, and establish the Coquimbo region as a leader in astronomy. A national visitor and education center will showcase technological innovation and scientific discoveries, supporting workforce development and promoting astronomy tourism.
Researchers from Kyushu University used ALMA to observe a baby star producing a giant ring of gas about 1,000 au in size, which helps the star release excess energy. The team found that this ring is slightly warmer than its surroundings and hypothesize it's produced through magnetic field threading.
Astronomers from the University of Waterloo have observed a distant jellyfish galaxy, providing rare insight into how galaxies were transformed in the early universe. The discovery challenges previous beliefs about galaxy clusters and their impact on galaxy properties.
VLITE has recorded data spanning an entire solar cycle, capturing periods of high and low solar activity, enabling researchers to study the physical processes that generate disturbances. The system also monitors millisecond pulsars, providing a natural navigation potential with applications in space exploration.
The James Webb Space Telescope reveals an extraordinary wealth of small organic molecules, including benzene and methane, in the deeply obscured nucleus of a nearby galaxy. The study suggests that cosmic rays are fragmenting PAHs and carbon-rich dust grains, releasing these molecules into the gas phase.
The Giant Magellan Telescope has appointed Daniel T. Jaffe as its new president, succeeding Robert Shelton, who announced his retirement last year. Jaffe brings decades of leadership experience in research, astronomy instrumentation, and academia to lead the observatory through its next phase of construction.
The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory has begun construction on its southern site in Chile, paving the way for the world's largest and most powerful observatory for gamma-ray astronomy. The CTAO will focus on understanding relativistic cosmic particles, probing extreme environments, and searching for dark matter.
A team of astronomers used NASA's JWST to reveal an alien atmosphere in the ancient, ultra-hot super-Earth TOI-561 b. The planet's thick atmosphere is upending conventional wisdom about ultra-short-period planets, and its composition could be representative of planets that formed when the universe was relatively young.
A SwRI-led study finds that quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) in solar flares are driven by dynamic oscillations in magnetic reconnection. This research could help refine traditional solar flare models, providing new insights into the mechanisms driving space weather.
The K-DRIFT pathfinder telescope, a compact off-axis freeform three-mirror system, has been developed to capture faint galactic structures. With its improved performance, the telescope achieves higher resolution and sharper images, paving the way for uncovering the hidden history of galaxy formation and evolution.
Michael Blanton will lead the Carnegie Science Observatories as its 12th director, focusing on large-scale astronomical surveys to constrain cosmological history. The new director brings a deep well of knowledge of instrumentation and data collection to oversee research at Pasadena's campus and Las Campanas Observatory.
Researchers used NASA's IXPE telescope to study the innermost region of an intermediate polar, revealing a surprisingly high degree of X-ray polarization and an unexpected direction of polarization. The team found that X-rays were emitted from a column of white-hot material pulled in by the white dwarf's strong magnetic field.
New research reveals Pleiades star cluster as core of larger structure spanning 1,950 light-years, with similar ages and chemical compositions among its members. The study uses rotation-based approach to identify stars sharing origin story.
Astronomers detect a distant galaxy with temperatures of 90 Kelvin, indicating an extreme star factory that could have produced stars at a rate 180 times faster than the Milky Way. This discovery provides insight into how galaxies formed quickly in the early universe.
Dr. Taft Armandroff has been elected chair of the Giant Magellan Telescope Board of Directors, while Dr. Brian Schmidt has been appointed as vice chair. They will guide the next phase of construction for the observatory.
Researchers at WVU are enhancing the calibration of radio telescopes to measure dark energy by analyzing the '21-centimeter signal' from neutral hydrogen atoms. This technique aims to improve the ability of radio telescopes to detect large-scale structures in the universe, such as galaxy clusters and voids.
Researchers at Aalto University have successfully connected a time crystal to an external system, enabling the development of highly accurate sensors and memory systems for quantum computers. This breakthrough could significantly boost the power of quantum computing by harnessing the unique properties of time crystals.
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Plato spacecraft has been completed with the installation of its sunshield and solar panels. The spacecraft is now set to undergo a series of tough exams before its planned launch in December 2026 on an Ariane 6 rocket.
A Northwestern University-led team of astronomers used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to capture the most detailed glimpse yet of a doomed star before it exploded. The study reveals that massive red supergiants rarely explode due to thick clouds of dust, but JWST's new capabilities can pierce through the dust to spot these phenomena.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has joined the Giant Magellan Telescope's international consortium, strengthening US leadership in astronomy. The partnership brings over 600 years of combined experience in building powerful telescopes and invests $1 billion in the observatory.
The CHARA Array will be upgraded with state-of-the-art optics and controllers, enabling simultaneous observations across visible and near-infrared wavelengths. This advancement will allow researchers to explore the universe in unprecedented detail, from local star systems to distant galaxies.
A new telescope shape, a one-by-20 meter rectangle, could separate stars from exoplanets and find half of all existing Earth-like planets within 30 light-years in less than three years. This design requires minimal technological development compared to other leading ideas.
Astronomers have detected a growing planet outside our solar system in a cleared gap of a multi-ringed disk of dust and gas. The discovery provides the first direct evidence that protoplanets can create these gaps, resolving a long-standing debate in the scientific community.
Astronomers captured dark coronal loop strands with unprecedented clarity during an X1.3-class flare, measuring 48.2 km in width, the smallest ever imaged. The team's high-resolution images offer a potential breakthrough in resolving the fundamental scale of solar coronal loops and improving space weather forecasting.
Researchers demonstrated a record-breaking long-distance THz wireless transmission of high-definition video over 1.2 km using an astronomical telescope with a quantum-limited superconductor-insulator-superconductor mixer at 500 GHz.
Researchers using the James Webb Telescope have discovered silicate clouds in the atmosphere of exoplanet YSES-1-c, which is thought to be linked to the planet's relative youth. The findings offer new insights into planetary formation and atmospheric processes, shedding light on how our own solar system may have formed.
Astronomers have discovered the most energetic cosmic explosions yet discovered, named 'extreme nuclear transients' (ENTs), which occur when massive stars are torn apart after wandering too close to a supermassive black hole. ENTs release vast amounts of energy visible across enormous distances and remain luminous for years.
Researchers use NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to investigate a protoplanetary disk around a young star in the Lobster Nebula. They found sufficient solid material to potentially form at least 10 rocky planets and detected various molecules that contribute to planetary atmospheres.
Researchers found that super-Earths can exist far from their host star like gas giants do from the sun. The team's results suggest these massive worlds are prevalent across the universe, with at least one super-Earth present for every three stars.
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) collaboration has produced the clearest images yet of the universe’s infancy. These new images show subtle variations in density and velocity of gases in the young universe, helping scientists answer longstanding questions about the universe’s origins.
Astronomers have discovered entwined dwarf stars emitting radio pulses, challenging the long-held assumption that only neutron stars were responsible for these emissions. The discovery was made using follow-up observations of two stars orbiting each other every two hours.
The Einstein Probe mission aims to probe X-ray transient sources and explosive astrophysical phenomena, contributing significantly to astronomical research. The mission's sophisticated observational instruments will enhance the detection of sudden X-ray transients and monitor variability in known celestial sources.
Researchers from UNSW Sydney have discovered a potential new exoplanet using the transit timing variation method. The new planet is estimated to be 10-16 times the size of Earth and orbits its star in under 16 days.
A team of Utah engineers has developed a large aperture flat lens that focuses light as effectively as traditional curved lenses while preserving accurate color. This technology could transform astrophotography imaging systems in space-constrained applications.
A team of researchers used JWST to study the exotic atmosphere of LTT 9779 b, revealing reflective clouds on its cooler western hemisphere. The planet's asymmetrical dayside reflectivity is driven by powerful winds that transport heat and cloud formation.
A team of researchers from Kyushu University discovered that about 60% of molecular clouds in the Small Magellanic Cloud had a filamentary structure, while 40% were 'fluffy' with higher temperatures. This finding provides new insights into star formation in early-universe-like environments.
The detection of a single muon from a cosmic neutrino interacting with the ARCA detector provides compelling evidence for the origin of the event. The ultra-high-energy neutrino has an estimated energy of 220 PeV, opening a new observational window on the Universe and expanding our understanding of high-energy phenomena.
Scientists studying neutron 'starquakes' hope to gain new insights into the properties of neutron stars, improving our understanding of the universe. This research has potential implications for fields like health, security, and energy.
Researchers use Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer to observe active galactic nucleus, revealing dusty outflowing wind and radio jet feedback. The study provides new insights into AGN's interaction with host galaxies.
An international team of researchers has found the first binary star in the immediate vicinity of Sgr A* by analyzing individual observations of dust sources. The discovery provides new clues to how young stars form close to the supermassive black hole, solving a long-standing mystery.
Northwestern University's expertise in AI and astrophysics enables the development of cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools for the Giant Magellan Telescope. The partnership will enhance the telescope's capabilities to search for Earth-like planets, investigate energetic explosions, and explore galaxy-black hole relationships.
A Virginia Tech-led team is searching for signs of dark matter in billion-year-old rocks. By analyzing crystal lattice structures, they aim to uncover miniature trails of destruction left by long-ago dark matter interactions.
Astronomers have reduced concerns about a potentially hazardous asteroid swarm near Earth after discovering fewer large space rocks than previously thought. The study found only a handful of asteroids, likely less than 14, that fit the large size class, suggesting a smaller parent object and reducing the risk of extinction-level events.
The SAGA Survey has found that the Milky Way Galaxy appears to be an outlier in terms of its satellite galaxies, having acquired only two large satellites recently compared to other systems. The survey also explores the mechanisms that would stop star formation in these small galaxies, finding that environmental factors play a role.
Researchers have observed a uniquely inflated and asymmetric exoplanet called WASP-107b using the James Webb Space Telescope. The exoplanet has an east-west asymmetry in its atmosphere, which may help scientists understand its climate and atmospheric dynamics.
A recent study tested the standard model of solar flares by comparing computer simulations with observational data from the McMath-Pierce telescope. The researchers found a significant delay in the paired chromospheric sources, which challenges the current energy transport mechanism by electron beam. This delay suggests that other fact...
The Soft X-ray Imager (SXI) is a wide-field X-ray telescope that will image Earth's magnetospheric boundaries, revealing invisible structures and processes. It is part of the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) mission, which aims to study the solar winds' impact on our planet's magnetic environment.
A new invention at TU Wien has created a method to dampen vibrations in precision devices such as high-performance astronomical telescopes. The technology uses electropermanent magnets, which are permanent magnets with a coil, to suppress vibrations efficiently and increase performance.
A new dataset from the VELOCE project has collected over 18,000 high-precision measurements of Cepheid radial velocities, providing insights into the structure and evolution of these stars. The data reveal complex patterns in pulsations that cannot be explained by traditional models, suggesting intricate processes within the stars.
A new study reveals that NASA's exoplanet-hunting satellite has observed the smaller black hole of a binary system directly for the first time. The discovery was made possible by the satellite's precise timing, which allowed researchers to detect a sudden burst of brightness from the smaller black hole.
Researchers captured a volcanic event on Io using the Large Binocular Telescope's SHARK-VIS instrument, achieving higher resolution than ever before with Earth-based observations. The images reveal surface details equivalent to taking a picture of a dime-sized object from 100 miles away.
Astronomers have discovered an enormous circular radio feature around a galaxy, dubbed the Cloverleaf, which was created by clashing groups of galaxies. The XMM-Newton satellite has detected X-ray emission associated with this structure for the first time, revealing clues about its formation and the merger process.
Researchers at Kyushu University discovered that baby stars expel plumes of dust, gas, and electromagnetic energy in a phenomenon called 'interchange instability', releasing magnetic flux within the protostellar disk. This finding sheds new light on how baby stars develop and may be crucial for understanding star formation.
Researchers used a powerful framework called THEMIS to generate clear images of the Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) black hole, revealing its plasma ring and magnetic field lines. The study provides strong evidence for the need of strong magnetic fields in the accretion disk to push accreting plasma around.