Articles tagged with Astrophysics
Researchers identified a group of unusual objects emitting long-duration outbursts of X-rays, which may be caused by binary star systems with white dwarfs and subgiant stars. The discovery of millinovae could provide insights into the astrophysics of Type Ia supernovae.
Astronomers have discovered the first binary star orbiting close to Sagittarius A*, a supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. This finding provides new insights into how stars survive in extreme environments and could pave the way for detecting planets near black holes.
A new study using the James Webb Space Telescope has reevaluated the atmospheric composition of Trappist-1 b, finding conditions that could support a thick CO2-rich atmosphere. Researchers propose that haze from hydrocarbon compounds in the upper atmosphere may explain this scenario.
The M87 black hole is observed to have a high-energy gamma-ray flare with an emission region of less than three light-days in size. The rapid variability in gamma rays suggests an extremely small flare region, which has different characteristics depending on the wavelength.
Researchers at GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH measure half-life of thallium-205 ion decay to understand Sun's long-term stability and its connection to Earth's climate. The experiment, known as LOREX, provides insights into the Sun's evolutionary history.
A new study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters finds that ultra-high energy cosmic rays are accelerated by magnetic turbulence, rather than shocks. This breakthrough discovery offers insights into the origin of these powerful particles and their role in astrophysics.
A new paper in JCAP proposes a way to test the anthropic principle, which suggests the universe is fine-tuned for life. The proposal involves confirming three conditions: cosmic inflation, axion existence, and dark matter not being made of axions.
A new detection method has been used to identify over 100 small asteroids in the main asteroid belt, ranging from bus-sized to stadium-wide. This breakthrough could aid in tracking potential asteroid impactors and provide insights into meteorite origins.
Researchers used rare data from a 2012 Venus solar transit to validate techniques for studying small exoplanets' atmospheres, similar to that of Venus. The study reveals signs of carbon dioxide in the Venusian atmosphere, which can be used to differentiate it from Earth's atmosphere.
Scientists have discovered birth sites of gigantic elliptical galaxies, suggesting large gas flows and galaxy collisions created these ancient systems. The research, published in Nature, may finally unravel the enigma of how these giant galaxies formed.
Researchers have discovered evidence of in situ spheroid formation in distant starburst galaxies, revealing that these galaxies can form directly through intense star formation. The study provides the first solid observational evidence for this process and has significant implications for models of galaxy evolution.
The Polymathic AI team has released two massive datasets for training artificial intelligence models to find and exploit transferable knowledge between seemingly disparate fields. The datasets include data from dozens of sources, covering astrophysics, biology, acoustics, chemistry, fluid dynamics, and more.
Researchers demonstrate transverse thermoelectric conversion in WSi2 for the first time, using mixed-dimensional Fermi surfaces to enable TTE effect. The study paves the way for developing new sensors and efficient thermoelectric materials.
Researchers at University of Arizona discovered a spike in carbon-14 dating to 664 B.C., pinpointing the last known extreme solar storm event. The study provides crucial data for scientists studying sun's activity and offers insights into massive storms' effects on Earth's atmosphere.
The DESI collaboration has released a new analysis of its data, weighing in on the standard model of gravity. The results reveal that galaxies cluster consistent with Einstein's general theory of relativity, providing precise tests of gravity at large scales.
Researchers discovered a class of unusually large and red galaxies, called Ultra-red Flattened Objects (UFOs), near the limit of Hubble's observable range. The James Webb Space Telescope's infrared capabilities allowed them to spot these 'dustier cousins' of the Milky Way.
Researchers successfully measured the bound-state beta decay of fully-ionized thallium ions, revealing key information about AGB star production and the Sun's formation time. The discovery allows for accurate calculations of radioactive lead production in these stars, providing insights into the solar system's early history.
Researchers observe oscillating pattern in light from binary supermassive black hole system AT 2021hdr, shedding light on tidal disruption of gas cloud. The system, located 1 billion light-years away, contains 40 million times the Sun's mass and will collide in approximately 70,000 years.
A team of astrophysicists has developed a novel method to search for black hole light echoes, which can provide direct evidence of photons circling black holes due to gravitational lensing. The technique allows for the measurement of black hole mass and spin, revolutionizing our understanding of black hole physics.
The NSF-Simons AI Institute for the Sky (SkAI), led by Northwestern University, will develop innovative AI tools capable of handling vast data from astronomical surveys. Funded by a $20 million grant, Argonne National Laboratory will help drive this revolution in astronomy.
Astronomers can now analyze powerful space explosions more efficiently using a novel model developed by Syracuse University physicist Eric Coughlin. The model helps track the evolution of shockwaves generated during these events, enabling researchers to infer properties such as energy. Coughlin's research will aid in the detection and ...
A new study using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has confirmed the presence of proplyds around brown dwarfs in the Orion Nebula. The team discovered 20 cool objects that are too small and cool to undergo hydrogen fusion, with two faint proplyds detected by Hubble previously.
Researchers found evidence that black holes contain dark energy, which could explain its mysterious nature. The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument provided data showing a correlation between the growth of black holes and the increase in dark energy density over time.
A team of researchers has discovered a new pattern in the high-energy jet of particles blasted by the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy Centaurus A. The study found that the speed of one knot in the X-ray jet was at least 94% the speed of light, significantly faster than previously measured speeds using radio observations.
Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have developed a highly accurate and affordable spectrometer that can be customized for specific applications. The device uses machine learning algorithms to reconstruct images with high accuracy, enabling astronomers to study phenomena such as exoplanet atmospheres and dark matter in faint galaxies.
Astronomers have observed a black hole triple system for the first time, featuring a central black hole consuming a star and a distant companion that orbits every 70,000 years. The discovery raises questions about the origins of the black hole itself.
A new study suggests that Betelgeuse's pulsing is due to an orbiting companion star known as the 'Betelbuddy'. The star acts like a snowplow, pushing light-blocking dust out of the way and making Betelgeuse appear brighter. Researchers used computer simulations to confirm this hypothesis, ruling out other possible causes.
Scientists from the Institute of Nuclear Physics have discovered that near-earth microquasars are a significant source of gamma photons with extremely high energies. This finding challenges the previous understanding of ultra-high energy cosmic radiation and opens up new avenues for research in the field.
Astronomers at Caltech have discovered that the well-studied brown dwarf Gliese 229B is actually a pair of tightly orbiting brown dwarfs weighing about 38 and 34 times the mass of Jupiter. This resolves the long-standing mystery about its dimness.
A team led by Sayak Bose has made significant progress in understanding the underlying heating mechanism of coronal holes. They found that reflected plasma waves can cause turbulence and heat coronal holes, providing the first experimental verification of Alfvén wave reflection.
Researchers at KIT have controlled tin-vacancy center qubits in diamonds using microwaves, achieving coherence times of up to ten milliseconds. This is a major improvement for the development of diamond-based quantum computers and secure fiber-based quantum communication.
Two UMD Astronomy space probes, AXIS and PRIMA, have advanced to the next round of consideration for a $1 billion NASA mission. AXIS will study X-rays from stars and black holes, while PRIMA will explore far-infrared radiation to understand galaxy formation.
The TESS mission has discovered a rare stellar triplet system with twin stars orbiting each other every 1.8 days, and a third star that circles the pair in just 25 days. The discovery sets a new record for the shortest outer orbital period of this type of system.
Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet orbiting Barnard's star, located six light-years away, which has at least half the mass of Venus and orbits its star in just over three Earth days. The discovery was made using ESO's VLT and confirms the existence of a new exoplanet candidate, while also hinting at the presence of three more.
Two new AI institutes will harness AI to analyze vast amounts of astronomical data, accelerating discoveries and democratizing access to research. Researchers at all career levels will gain access to trustworthy AI tools, enabling them to explore the cosmos with newfound insights.
A new study proposes that early dark energy could explain the formation of numerous bright galaxies in the early universe, resolving the 'Hubble tension' puzzle. The team modeled galaxy formation with a brief appearance of early dark energy, finding it fits observations and solves both puzzles.
A research team has successfully created and observed extreme conditions with a much smaller laser than before. They used a copper wire finer than a human hair to simulate the pressure and temperature of stars and planets, reaching densities eight times higher than normal copper and temperatures of 100,000 degrees Celsius.
Scientists found that a flyby of an alien star billions of years ago can explain the orbits of trans-Neptunian objects and the formation of irregular moons. The flyby caused some objects to be hurled into our solar system, which were then captured by giant planets as moons.
Researchers have developed a method using physics-informed neural networks to model the complex light scattering in exoplanet atmospheres. This breakthrough enables more accurate analysis of exoplanet atmospheres, particularly with regard to cloud influence and chemical composition.
Dr. Zewei Xiong has received an ERC Starting Grant to study collective neutrino oscillations in supernovae and neutron-star mergers. His project NeuTrAE aims to clarify lingering puzzles regarding neutrino flavor evolution, a crucial aspect of particle and nuclear astrophysics.
Researchers unveil previously unseen properties of neutron stars through gravitational wave analysis, providing insight into internal composition and dynamic material properties. The study places observational constraints on viscosity within neutron stars.
A new study uses observations from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft to measure the cosmic optical background, a phenomenon known as the universe's glow. The results suggest that the glow is roughly 100 billion times fainter than sunlight and provides valuable insights into the history of the universe since the Big Bang.
The EHT Collaboration has conducted test observations using ALMA and other facilities to detect light from distant galaxies at a frequency of around 345 GHz. The Collaboration achieved the highest resolution ever obtained from the surface of Earth, detecting details as fine as 19 microarcseconds.
Researchers led by Katherine Chworowsky found that early galaxies were not as massive as initially thought due to black holes' influence. The study suggests that these black holes consume gas, emitting heat and light that makes the galaxies appear brighter than they really are.
Researchers at Ohio State University have made the first direct observation of incredibly small time delays in a molecule's electron activity when exposed to X-rays. This breakthrough reveals complex interactions between electrons and other particles, shedding light on intricate molecular dynamics.
Simulations predict that the violent deaths of rapidly rotating stars can create detectable gravitational waves, which could aid understanding of collapsars and black holes. The signals from these events are strong enough to be picked up by LIGO and may already exist in datasets.
A new study published in Physical Review Letters suggests that nanohertz gravitational waves may not originate from supercool first-order phase transitions. Researchers found that such transitions would struggle to complete, shifting the frequency of the waves away from nanohertz frequencies.
A new study published in the Astrophysical Journal has found that galaxies in denser environments are up to 25% larger than isolated galaxies. Researchers used a machine learning tool to analyze millions of galaxies and found a clear trend: galaxies with more neighbors are also on average larger.
A team of researchers developed a new model that incorporates all necessary physical processes in planet formation, showing that annular perturbations can trigger the rapid formation of multiple gas giants. The results match latest observations and indicate more efficient and quick planet formation than previously thought.
Scientists find that magnetic field bends are absent inside the sun's corona, ruling out a key explanation for its high heat. The study suggests an indirect role of magnetic collisions in the formation of switchbacks and solar wind heating.
Researchers used hydrogen to track dark matter's presence in the universe, revealing a tension between observations and theoretical predictions. The findings suggest that an unknown particle or new physics may be responsible for this discrepancy.
Researchers found that pairs of supermassive black holes can merge due to previously overlooked behavior of dark matter particles, proposing a solution to the longstanding final parsec problem. This discovery provides insight into the nature of dark matter and its interaction with supermassive black holes.
A new study by Rice University's David Alexander and Anthony Atkinson extends the definition of a habitable zone for planets to include their star's magnetic field. Only two exoplanets, K2-3 d and Kepler-186 f, meet all conditions for potential habitability, suggesting that stellar magnetism is a crucial factor in determining planetary...
A team led by Jamie McCullough and Daniel Grün has analyzed the largest dataset to date, shedding light on what the color of various galaxies says about their true distance. The results make it possible to statistically determine the true distance of each galaxy observed in images taken by Euclid or the Dark Energy Survey.
Astronomers have discovered seven fast-moving stars in the Omega Centauri globular cluster, providing compelling evidence for the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole. The team analyzed over 500 Hubble images to search for signs of gravitational pull from the black hole.
Researchers at Lancaster University and others are building the most sensitive dark matter detectors using quantum technologies. They aim to detect dark matter particles weighing between 0.01 to a few hydrogen atoms, which could reveal the mass and interactions of these mysterious particles.
Scientists have developed a machine learning program that can identify blobs of plasma in outer space known as plasmoids. The program will analyze data from NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission to better understand magnetic reconnection and its effects on the electrical grid.
Researchers have proposed a new model explaining neutron star glitches, suggesting that the power-law behavior of glitch energies is due to the formation of twisted clusters of superfluid vortices. The study found that the exponent for the power-law behavior closely matched the observed data.
Researchers have discovered a hidden treasure in the Milky Way, identifying Cygnus X-3 as an ultra-luminous X-ray source. The use of X-ray polarized vision has revealed the configuration of dense matter surrounding the black hole, sparking new insights into extreme matter consumption.
New simulations show that neutrinos created during neutron star collisions can be trapped at the interface of merging stars and interact with matter for 2-3 milliseconds. This brief out-of-equilibrium phase is crucial in understanding the physics of these extreme events.