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Canadian telescope directly maps earliest glow of hydrogen, opening a new window on the universe

Researchers at the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) have successfully mapped the earliest glow of hydrogen gas from deep in the universe's past using only its own data. This breakthrough enables a faster, less expensive method for studying dark energy, a mysterious force driving the universe's expansion.

SourceUniversity of British Columbia·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·DateSep 28, 2026

Dying radio galaxies reveal a shorter, more dynamic afterlife of black hole jets

Astronomers have discovered a new population of faint, rapidly fading remnant radio galaxies, revealing a shorter, more dynamic afterlife of black hole jets. The study found that these remnants are relatively young, with ages ranging from 8-42 million years, and span a wide range of evolutionary stages.

SourceUniversity of Cape Town - Faculty of Science·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·TypeObservational study·DateAug 18, 2026

Why SETI might have been missing alien signals

A new study by the SETI Institute suggests that stellar activity and plasma turbulence near a transmitting planet can broaden an otherwise ultra-narrow signal, spreading its power across more frequencies. This makes it more difficult to detect in traditional narrowband searches.

SourceSETI Institute·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·DateMar 5, 2026

The leaking star cluster

Astronomers have detected a new gamma-ray source near Westerlund 1, a young massive star cluster in the Milky Way. The source is connected to a 'nascent outflow' of particles driven by the cluster's collective wind, creating a cavity in the interstellar medium.

SourceMax-Planck-Institut fur Kernphysik·JournalNature Communications·TypeObservational study·DateDec 9, 2025

Astronomers detect radio signals from a black hole tearing apart a star – outside a galactic center

A team of astronomers has discovered the first tidal disruption event producing bright radio emission outside the center of a galaxy. The event revealed the fastest-evolving radio emission ever observed from a black-hole-driven stellar disruption, suggesting delayed and complex processes in the aftermath of the disruption.

SourceThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeObservational study·DateOct 15, 2025

‘Root beer FLOAT’ burst’s home is located with extraordinary precision

Researchers pinpointed the location of the brightest fast radio burst (FRB) ever recorded, RBFLOAT, to a single spiral arm of a galaxy 130 million light-years away. The precision was achieved using the CHIME/Outrigger array, allowing scientists to explore the environment and potentially shed light on the nature and origins of these mys...

SourceNorthwestern University·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·TypeObservational study·DateAug 21, 2025

New insights into planet formation from public data with new imaging technique

Researchers discovered signs of planet formation in disks around still-forming baby stars, suggesting planets begin to form earlier than previously believed. The new high-resolution images show ring or spiral patterns in 27 of the disks, providing a better understanding of when planet formation begins.

SourceNational Institutes of Natural Sciences·JournalPublications of the Astronomical Society of Japan·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJun 24, 2025

Scientists may have solved a puzzling space rock mystery

Researchers analyzed over 8500 meteoroids and found that the atmosphere and Sun act like giant filters, destroying fragile carbon-rich meteoroids before they reach the ground. This discovery reshapes how scientists interpret meteorites collected so far and could influence future asteroid missions.

SourceCurtin University·JournalNature Astronomy·TypeObservational study·DateApr 14, 2025

Brown astronomers create new technique to eliminate signals disrupting sensitive radio telescopes

Astronomers at Brown University have created a new method to pinpoint and filter out unwanted radio frequencies, crucial for preserving high-quality observations in the face of increasing satellite activity. By combining near-field corrections and beamforming techniques, researchers successfully tracked an airplane transmitting a telev...

SourceBrown University·JournalPublications of the Astronomical Society of Australia·TypeObservational study·DateFeb 12, 2025

Astronomers may have discovered the answer to a mysterious stellar event

Researchers from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research have discovered a possible explanation for a rare and mysterious stellar event. By conducting a meta-analysis of existing data, they were able to identify key factors contributing to this phenomenon, shedding light on its underlying mechanisms.

SourceInternational Centre for Radio Astronomy Research·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·TypeMeta-analysis·DateNov 26, 2024

Space oddity: Most distant rotating disc galaxy found

Astronomers have detected the most distant Milky-Way-like galaxy, REBELS-25, with a rotation and structure similar to our own galaxy. The galaxy is estimated to be 700 million years old, challenging current understanding of galaxy formation.

SourceESO·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateOct 7, 2024

Black holes are messy eaters

Research reveals that supermassive black holes consume about 3% of the gas flowing towards them, while the remaining 97% is ejected and recycled back into the host galaxy. Gravitational instability drives the inflow, and most expelled outflows are not fast enough to escape the galaxy.

SourceNational Institutes of Natural Sciences·JournalScience·TypeObservational study·DateNov 2, 2023