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Thermonuclear blast sends supernova survivor star hurtling across the Milky Way

A team of scientists from the University of Warwick has discovered a white dwarf star that survived a partial thermonuclear supernova explosion. The star, SDSS J1240+6710, is traveling at an incredible velocity of 900,000 km/h and has a low mass consistent with the loss of mass during the explosion.

SourceUniversity of Warwick·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateJul 14, 2020

New collection of stars, not born in our galaxy, discovered in Milky Way

Researchers from Caltech and institutions like Northwestern University used deep learning and supercomputing to identify Nyx, a product of a long-ago galaxy merger. The discovery provides the first indication that a dwarf galaxy merged with the Milky Way disk.

SourceUniversity of Texas at Austin, Texas Advanced Computing Center·JournalNature Astronomy·DateJul 7, 2020
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation, USB-C)

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation, USB-C) provide clear calls and strong noise reduction for interviews, conferences, and noisy field environments.

Hubble finds best evidence for elusive mid-sized black hole

Astronomers have discovered a black hole weighing 50,000 times the mass of our Sun, offering the strongest evidence yet for intermediate-mass black holes in the universe. Hubble's observations confirmed that the object was tearing apart a star that passed too close, providing key evidence for its existence.

SourceNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateMar 31, 2020
SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB transfers large imagery and model outputs quickly between field laptops, lab workstations, and secure archives.

Dating a galaxy crash

A team of researchers used a single star affected by the Milky Way-Gaia-Enceladus collision to determine its age and date the event to approximately 11.5 billion years ago. The study provides insights into the impact of galaxy collisions on their evolution.

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·JournalNature Astronomy·DateJan 15, 2020

NASA's Webb to unveil the secrets of nearby dwarf galaxies

The James Webb Space Telescope will study dwarf galaxy companions to the Milky Way and Andromeda, gaining insights into galaxy formation and dark matter. By measuring star motions, researchers hope to determine if some galaxies are grouped in a flat plane, which would have significant implications for understanding their formation.

SourceNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center·DateNov 25, 2019

Heron survey fishes out detail in ghostly galaxy outskirts

The HERON collaboration completes the largest survey of nearby galaxy haloes, finding that diameter correlates with galaxy brightness; vast haloes found in bright galaxies, also seen in smaller discs. The team's low-cost system reveals faint stars tracing dark matter structures, offering new insights into galaxy evolution.

SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateOct 15, 2019
Rigol DP832 Triple-Output Bench Power Supply

Rigol DP832 Triple-Output Bench Power Supply powers sensors, microcontrollers, and test circuits with programmable rails and stable outputs.

Astronomers use giant galaxy cluster as X-ray magnifying lens

Researchers have successfully used a massive galaxy cluster as an X-ray magnifying glass to detect a tiny dwarf galaxy in its first, high-energy stages of star formation. The technique allows for the zooming in on extreme, distant X-ray-emitting phenomena and could be used to age-date different parts of a galaxy.

SourceMassachusetts Institute of Technology·JournalNature Astronomy·DateOct 14, 2019

Black holes stunt growth of dwarf galaxies

Researchers at UC Riverside discover large-scale winds associated with active black holes in small galaxies suppress star formation, impacting galaxy evolution. The team used the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data to identify 50 dwarf galaxies and found six of them showing signs of winds emanating from their active black holes.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·DateOct 11, 2019

The early days of the Milky Way revealed

A study led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias reveals the early days of the Milky Way's formation, identifying two distinct stellar components that merged to create our galaxy. The research uses accurate stellar ages and Gaia space telescope data to uncover the birth of the Milky Way with unprecedented detail.

SourceInstituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)·JournalNature Astronomy·DateJul 22, 2019

Fast radio burst pinpointed to distant galaxy

Researchers have localized a fast radio burst, FRB 190523, to a galaxy 7.9 billion light-years away, providing new clues in the ongoing cosmic mystery. The discovery suggests that every galaxy, including our Milky Way, can generate an FRB.

SourceCalifornia Institute of Technology·JournalNature·DateJul 2, 2019
Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M4)

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) runs demanding GIS, imaging, and annotation workflows on the go for surveys, briefings, and lab notebooks.

Pinpointing the extragalactic origin of a single fast radio burst

Researchers have localized a non-repeating fast radio burst (FRB) to a medium-sized galaxy over 4 billion light years away. The findings show that the burst source and host galaxy are distinct from those of the only other localized FRB, offering insights into the properties of these enigmatic events.

SourceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)·JournalScience·DateJun 27, 2019

Star with strange chemistry is from out of town

Researchers found a star in the Milky Way Galaxy with low magnesium levels and high Europium levels, indicating it formed elsewhere, likely in a now vanished dwarf galaxy. The discovery suggests galaxy evolution models are supported by the presence of similar chemical signatures in other stars from dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way.

SourceNational Institutes of Natural Sciences·JournalNature Astronomy·DateApr 30, 2019

Dark matter may be hitting the right note in small galaxies

Researchers propose dark matter scatters with each other like billiard balls to spread out evenly in small galaxies. This idea could solve the puzzle of why dark matter doesn't clump together as expected in bigger systems.

SourceKavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateFeb 27, 2019
GoPro HERO13 Black

GoPro HERO13 Black records stabilized 5.3K video for instrument deployments, field notes, and outreach, even in harsh weather and underwater conditions.

Dark matter on the move

Scientists have discovered that dark matter can be heated up and pushed outwards due to star formation in galaxies. This phenomenon, known as 'dark matter heating', has been observed in 16 dwarf galaxies with varying star formation histories.

SourceUniversity of Surrey·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateJan 3, 2019

Astronomers discover giant relic of disrupted 'tadpole' galaxy

A team of astronomers has identified a giant disrupted 'tadpole' galaxy 300 million light years away, with an elliptical head and a long straight tail. The galaxy is ten times larger than the Milky Way and contains a system of two close disc galaxies.

SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateNov 19, 2018

Astronomers discover giant relic of disrupted 'tadpole' galaxy

Researchers have identified a giant, exceptional relic of a disrupted galaxy, comprising an elliptical head and a long tail. The 'tadpole' galaxy is 1 million light-years long from end to end and contains two nearby galaxies within it.

SourceAmerican Friends of Tel Aviv University·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateNov 19, 2018
Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 Weather Station

Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 Weather Station offers research-grade local weather data for networked stations, campuses, and community observatories.

Gravitational waves could shed light on dark matter

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will enable astrophysicists to study gravitational waves emitted by black holes, which could unveil secrets about dark matter. Simulations suggest a connection between black hole merger rates and dark matter properties.

SourceUniversity of Zurich·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateOct 22, 2018

Gaia detects a shake in the Milky Way

The Gaia satellite has detected substructures in the Milky Way's star disk, indicating a 300-million-year-old gravitational disturbance caused by the Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy. Researchers used precise data to analyze shapes and twisting patterns, leading to new findings on galactic archaeology

SourceUniversity of Barcelona·JournalNature·DateSep 19, 2018
Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Apple iPhone 17 Pro delivers top performance and advanced cameras for field documentation, data collection, and secure research communications.

The Gaia Sausage: The major collision that changed the Milky Way galaxy

The Gaia Sausage refers to an ancient head-on collision between the Milky Way and a smaller dwarf galaxy, dubbed the Sausage galaxy. The impact, which occurred around 8-10 billion years ago, reshaped the galaxy's structure, forming its inner bulge and outer halo.

SourceSimons Foundation·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateJul 4, 2018

A galactic test will clarify the existence of dark matter

Researchers use computer simulations to test dark matter's presence in satellite galaxies, finding a relationship that could clarify its existence. The study uses radial acceleration relation data from the Gaia spacecraft to make predictions about the behavior of dwarf galaxies.

SourceUniversity of Bonn·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateJun 25, 2018

Hunting for dark matter in the smallest galaxies in the universe

Researchers from the University of Surrey have developed a new method to measure dark matter at the centre of tiny galaxies. The study used dense star clusters orbiting close to the centre of dwarf galaxies to calculate the inner dark matter density, finding less dark matter in some cases than predicted by models.

SourceUniversity of Surrey·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateApr 6, 2018
Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope

Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope combines portable Schmidt-Cassegrain optics with GoTo pointing for outreach nights and field campaigns.

Study reveals Milky Way stars being evicted by invading galaxies

A team of astronomers discovered that some stars in the Galactic halo are former residents of the Galactic disk, kicked out by invading dwarf galaxies. This finding confirms a new understanding of the Milky Way's history and future, revealing a complex interplay between galaxy interactions.

SourceColumbia University·JournalNature·DateFeb 27, 2018

Surprise: Satellite galaxies of Centaurus A are on a coordinated dance

Researchers found that 14 out of 16 satellite galaxies of Centaurus A orbit in a single plane and rotate coherently. This synchronized movement contradicts standard cosmology simulations, suggesting flaws in current theories of galaxy formation.

SourceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)·JournalScience·DateFeb 1, 2018

Oxygen-deficient dwarf galaxy hints at makings of early universe

A newly discovered dwarf galaxy in the constellation Lynx has extremely low oxygen levels, likely resembling early nascent galaxies. The finding suggests that these tiny star-forming galaxies can offer valuable insights into how the first galaxies formed 13 billion years ago.

SourceUniversity of Virginia·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateSep 25, 2017
DJI Air 3 (RC-N2)

DJI Air 3 (RC-N2) captures 4K mapping passes and environmental surveys with dual cameras, long flight time, and omnidirectional obstacle sensing.

Astronomers discover 'heavy metal' supernova rocking out

A team of astronomers has discovered a superluminous supernova in a spiral galaxy, which is rich in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. This discovery challenges current ideas about the origin of such powerful explosions.

SourceNorthwestern University·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateJul 31, 2017

Superluminous supernova marks the death of a star at cosmic high noon

A team of astronomers discovered a rare superluminous supernova in a distant galaxy 10 billion years ago. The brilliant explosion, one of the brightest ever recorded, occurred at cosmic high noon when the rate of star formation was at its peak.

SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateJul 21, 2017
Creality K1 Max 3D Printer

Creality K1 Max 3D Printer rapidly prototypes brackets, adapters, and fixtures for instruments and classroom demonstrations at large build volume.

Superluminous supernova marks the death of a star at cosmic high noon

Astronomers detected a rare superluminous supernova, one of the brightest ever seen, in a distant galaxy 10 billion light years away. The explosion occurred during the cosmic high noon period, when star formation peaked 3.5 billion years after the Big Bang.

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Cruz·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateJul 21, 2017

'Little Cub' gives astronomers rare chance to see galaxy demise

Astronomers have spotted a rare opportunity to study the demise of a dwarf galaxy called Little Cub, which is being consumed by a gigantic neighbouring galaxy. The process provides clues about how smaller galaxies lose their gas and eventually shut down star formation.

SourceDurham University·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateJul 3, 2017

Satellite galaxies at edge of Milky Way coexist with dark matter, says RIT study

A new RIT study confirms the coexistence of satellite galaxies and dark matter, shedding light on a long-standing debate. The research supports the current cosmological paradigm by showing that the vast polar structure of dwarf galaxies is an unstable feature that formed later in the galaxy's evolution.

SourceRochester Institute of Technology·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateMar 30, 2017

Astronomers identify purest, most massive brown dwarf

Scientists have identified a brown dwarf with a composition of over 99.99% hydrogen and helium, making it the most massive known to date. The discovery sheds light on the possibility of an undiscovered population of extremely pure brown dwarfs in our galaxy's ancient past.

SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateMar 24, 2017

Fast radio burst tied to distant dwarf galaxy, and perhaps magnetar

A team of researchers has localized the source of a Fast Radio Burst (FRB) to an older dwarf galaxy over 3 billion light years away. The galaxy is believed to harbor a supermassive black hole and may be connected to other energetic events such as supernovae and gamma-ray bursts.

SourceUniversity of California - Berkeley·JournalNature·DateJan 4, 2017
Sony Alpha a7 IV (Body Only)

Sony Alpha a7 IV (Body Only) delivers reliable low-light performance and rugged build for astrophotography, lab documentation, and field expeditions.

Precise location, distance provide breakthrough in study of fast radio bursts

Researchers have pinpointed the location in the sky of a Fast Radio Burst (FRB), allowing them to determine the distance and home galaxy of one of these mysterious pulses of radio waves. The precise location enables observations using multiple telescopes, which revealed a faint dwarf galaxy at the location of the bursts.

SourceNational Radio Astronomy Observatory·JournalNature·DateJan 4, 2017

Researchers get first look at new, extremely rare galaxy

Astronomers have discovered a rare Hoag-type galaxy with two circular rings, providing unique insights into galaxy formation and evolution. The galaxy's inner ring is older than its outer ring, suggesting different formation histories for the two components.

SourceNorth Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateJan 4, 2017

Mystery of ultra-diffuse faint galaxies solved

Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute have recreated characteristics of ultra-diffuse faint galaxies using computer simulations. The study reveals that supernovae explosions during star formation can push stars and dark matter outwards, causing galaxies to expand and become faint.

SourceUniversity of Copenhagen - Niels Bohr Institute·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateNov 28, 2016
Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars

Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars deliver bright, sharp views for wildlife surveys, eclipse chases, and quick star-field scans at dark sites.

Large number of dwarf galaxies discovered in the early universe

Astronomers have discovered a large population of distant dwarf galaxies that could reveal details about star formation in the early universe. These galaxies are 10 to 100 times fainter than previously observed galaxies, but produce more than half of the ultraviolet light during this era.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·DateNov 21, 2016

Reconciling dwarf galaxies with dark matter

Theoretical modeling work resolves debates on dwarf galaxy formation by accurately predicting their properties. The new simulation brings theoretical predictions into better agreement with observations of dwarf galaxies surrounding the Milky Way.

SourceCarnegie Institution for Science·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateSep 7, 2016

Detailed age map shows how Milky Way came together

Researchers used colors to identify the ages of over 130,000 stars in the Milky Way's halo, revealing a clear hierarchy with oldest stars at the center and younger ones further away. The study supports a hierarchical model of galaxy formation, suggesting that small mini-halos merged to form the Milky Way.

SourceUniversity of Notre Dame·JournalNature Physics·DateSep 6, 2016

Tiny, ancient galaxy preserves record of catastrophic event

Astronomers discovered a tiny, ancient galaxy that contains seven stars with heavy elements formed through rapid neutron captures, a process more common in rare cosmic collisions. The findings suggest that the heaviest elements on Earth originated in neutron star mergers.

SourceCarnegie Institution for Science·JournalNature·DateMar 21, 2016
GQ GMC-500Plus Geiger Counter

GQ GMC-500Plus Geiger Counter logs beta, gamma, and X-ray levels for environmental monitoring, training labs, and safety demonstrations.

Galaxy quakes could improve hunt for dark matter

A new method of galactoseismology has confirmed the existence of a dark-matter dominated dwarf galaxy and may help locate satellite galaxies. The method uses waves in the galactic disk to map the interior structure and mass of galaxies, offering a fresh perspective on understanding dark matter.

SourceRochester Institute of Technology·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateJan 7, 2016

Dark matter dominates in nearby dwarf galaxy

Astronomer Evan Kirby measures high concentration of dark matter in small dwarf galaxy Triangulum II, potentially making it a leading candidate for direct detection. The galaxy's unique characteristics and minimal background noise make it an ideal location to search for gamma-ray signals from colliding dark matter particles.

SourceCalifornia Institute of Technology·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateNov 18, 2015

Suzaku finds common chemical makeup at largest cosmic scales

A new survey using Japan's Suzaku X-ray satellite reveals that the elements necessary for stars, planets, and people were evenly distributed across the Virgo galaxy cluster at a scale of millions of light-years. This discovery suggests that the chemical makeup of the universe is well mixed, with little variation on the largest scales.

SourceNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateOct 26, 2015

Looking at the earliest galaxies

The discovery of over 250 dwarf galaxies at z=6-8 provides strong evidence that faint dwarf galaxies were responsible for cosmic reionization. The team's analysis determined that the smallest and most abundant galaxies in the study were vital to the process.

SourceEcole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne·DateOct 22, 2015
Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter

Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter measures wind, temperature, and humidity in real time for site assessments, aviation checks, and safety briefings.

Dartmouth-led black hole hunters tackle a cosmic conundrum

Researchers have found conclusive evidence of a black hole in Henize 2-10, a small, starburst galaxy. The team analyzed X-ray observations from four space telescopes over 13 years, confirming the presence of a supermassive black hole with a mass one million times that of the sun.

SourceDartmouth College·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateApr 20, 2015

Chemical fingerprints of ancient supernovae found

Researchers found two ancient stars in Sculptor dwarf galaxy with unusual chemical content, suggesting a single supernova explosion may have seeded the gas cloud. This discovery provides an unprecedented view of the earliest history of another galaxy.

SourceCarnegie Institution for Science·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·DateMar 23, 2015
Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C)

Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C) keeps Macs, tablets, and meters powered during extended observing runs and remote surveys.