Articles tagged with Nebulae
The Crab Pulsar's unique zebra stripes are shaped by the combination of gravity's lensing effects and plasma's defocusing power. Light rays are spread apart by plasma and pulled inward by gravity, creating interference patterns that produce bright bands and darkness between them.
A team of astronomers using the WEAVE instrument discovered a bar-shaped cloud of iron atoms inside the iconic Ring Nebula. The iron bar is roughly 500 times longer than Pluto's orbit and has a mass comparable to Mars, raising questions about its formation and composition.
The Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has launched a new laboratory to investigate the chemical origins of planetary systems. The Nebular Origins of the Universe Research Laboratory aims to connect pre-planetary evolution to planetary formation, filling key data gaps in understanding the solar system's early history.
Scientists use XL-Calibur telescope to measure polarization of light around Cygnus X-1 black hole, gaining insights into matter's fall and energy release. The observations will be used to test computer simulations and shed light on black hole physics.
Astronomers used Gaia's data to create the most accurate 3D map of star-forming regions in our galaxy, revealing the location and ionization of hot young stars. The map extends to 4000 light-years from us and includes detailed views of notable nebulae.
Researchers found cosmic dust with crystalline structures and PAHs in the Butterfly Nebula, revealing how rocky planets form. The discovery provides a clearer picture of planetary nebula formation.
Scientists studied Sagittarius C using the James Webb Space Telescope to understand why fewer new stars are born in the region. They discovered powerful magnetic field lines that form long, bright filaments of hot hydrogen gas, slowing down star formation.
A new study by researchers from the University of Tokyo reveals that helium can bond with iron under extreme conditions, contradicting previous findings. The discovery suggests there could be significant amounts of helium in the Earth's core, potentially rewriting our understanding of the planet's origins.
The ESO's VISTA telescope captures the colourful extravaganza of RCW 38, a young star cluster located 5500 light-years away. The image reveals vibrant pink hues from gas clouds and multi-coloured dots representing young stars.
The final data release from NASA's NEOWISE mission encompasses over 26 million images and nearly 200 billion sources detected by the telescope. The new images showcase the full-sky coverage of the survey, revealing previously unseen regions of cosmic dust where stars are born.
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.
The European Southern Observatory's VISTA telescope has created the largest infrared map of the Milky Way, comprising over 200,000 images and covering an area equivalent to 8600 full moons. The dataset contains about 10 times more objects than a previous map released in 2012, including newborn stars, globular clusters, and brown dwarfs.
The James Webb Space Telescope has identified six likely rogue worlds, including the lightest ever found with a dusty disk around it. These objects offer insights into how stars and planets form, suggesting that gas giants can form in disks around young stars.
Astronomers have directly imaged a phenomenon long hoped for: aligned protostellar outflows in the Serpens Nebula. These structures offer a historical record of star formation and provide clues to the fundamental process of stellar rotation. The discovery was made possible by Webb's high spatial resolution and sensitivity in near-infra...
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured unprecedented detail of the Horsehead Nebula's top, showcasing its complex structure and composition. The telescope's observations reveal a network of thin features tracing dust particles swept away by UV light, as well as insights into the nebula's multidimensional shape.
Researchers discovered a rare binary system with a magnetic massive star, surrounded by a beautiful nebula. The more massive star appears younger than its companion, suggesting a merger event that created the surrounding cloud.
Researchers used ALMA to study a distant galaxy, detecting structures of star formation and possible death sites within the surrounding nebulae. The findings suggest a complex environment where many stars may form together as massive clusters.
The SuperBIT telescope has begun capturing high-resolution images of the Universe on its first research flight. It is investigating the mystery of dark matter, which is thought to be made up of particles that can bounce off each other during galaxy collisions.
Scientists measured and compared amino acid abundances with rocky components of Ryugu particles, demonstrating water's role in their formation. The results suggest more ice was present in the precursor of one particle than the other, which may have contributed to the high abundance of a specific amino acid.
Researchers studied a Type 1a supernova in a faraway spiral galaxy, NGC 1566, to understand how certain chemical elements are emitted into the surrounding cosmos. The study confirms that ejecta doesn't escape the confines of the explosion, validating many assumptions about how complex entities work.
The Butterfly Nebula's unique shape is caused by a second star orbiting the central star, creating wing-like lobes. New research reveals powerful winds are altering the material within these lobes, contradicting existing models of planetary nebulae formation and evolution.
A team led by University of Maryland astronomer Igor Andreoni discovered a bright optical flare caused by a dying star's encounter with a supermassive black hole. The event, AT2022cmc, is extremely rare and was found using a novel data pipeline that analyzed the Zwicky Transient Facility survey.
The Tianma 65-m radio telescope helped detect over 600 emission lines in the Orion Kleinmann–Low Nebula, including 21 new species. High-Δn RRLs and complex organic molecules like NH3 were also identified, providing valuable insights into the region's physical and chemical properties.
Researchers used ALMA to study 30 Doradus, a large star-forming region in the LMC, and discovered that gravity is shaping molecular clouds despite intense stellar feedback. The observations revealed a pattern of highly organized filaments, which are likely an important step in the process of star formation.
The samples returned from the Hayabusa2 mission provide valuable insights into the formation and evolution of our solar system. The study found that Ryugu contains hydrated minerals and evidence of freeze-thawing, indicating that it experienced both liquid and frozen water in its past.
Researchers used a new simulation code to study the formation of star clusters and found that massive stars can eject off-center bubbles in the Orion Nebula. The simulations matched observations, showing that ejected stars can initiate ionized bubbles before falling back into the cluster.
The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has released a breathtaking new image of the Flame Nebula, located within the constellation Orion. The image was captured using the ESO-operated Atacama Pathfinder Experiment and reveals a vibrant emission nebula with its surroundings.
Physicist Eve Armstrong aims to understand the origins of elements heavier than iron using weather prediction technique data assimilation. With a two-year NSF EAGER grant, she and her team will predict whether supernova stardust gave rise to these heavy elements.
A team of astronomers has uncovered the physical and chemical effects of a protostellar jet in the Orion Nebula, including compression, heating, and destruction of dust grains. The study reveals a significant increase in gas phase abundance of heavy elements such as iron and nickel.
A worldwide team of scientists has found evidence for a new type of stellar explosion - electron-capture supernovae. The discovery sheds new light on the thousand-year mystery of the supernova from A.D. 1054.
Researchers have confirmed the existence of an elusive new type of stellar explosion, the electron-capture supernova. This discovery sheds light on a thousand-year-old mystery surrounding the 1054 AD supernova visible globally, now believed to be an electron-capture supernova.
Astronomers will use the James Webb Space Telescope to study a region of gas and dust in the Orion Nebula called the Orion Bar, which is shaped by intense ultraviolet light from young stars. The team hopes to understand how massive stars influence their environments and even the formation of our own solar system.
A survey of star formation in the Orion Nebula Cluster found similar mass distributions for newborn stars and dense gas cores, suggesting that gas accretion rate determines final star mass. The results contradict the core-collapse model, supporting the competitive accretion model instead.
Researchers used SOFIA to study the effects of stellar winds on RCW 120, finding it expands rapidly at 33,000 mph, indicating a young age limit of less than 150,000 years. This discovery suggests that positive feedback processes trigger high star formation rates during the early universe.
A global science collaboration using NICER data discovered X-ray surges accompanying giant radio pulses from the Crab Nebula's pulsar. The finding shows that these bursts release dozens to hundreds of times higher total emitted energy than previously estimated.
The team used adaptive optics on the Gemini South telescope to reveal a wealth of detail in the nebula, including unusual structures and evidence for a jet of material ejected from a newly-formed star. The image provides the sharpest view to date of how massive young stars affect their surroundings.
The James Webb Space Telescope will survey the Trapezium Cluster in the Orion Nebula to understand how young stars and planets form. The team will study the distribution of masses, planet formation phases, and jets from young stars, shedding light on stellar nursery riddles.
A new analysis of the Curious Marie meteorite chunk reveals the presence of presolar silicon carbide grains, which were thought to be too fragile to have endured the high-temperature conditions near the sun's birth. This finding forces a revision in how scientists understand the environment in the early solar nebula.
A team of astrophysicists discovered a connection between the brightening of pulsar wind nebula and the spin-down rate transition in PSR B0540-69. The study found that the X-ray PWN around PSR B0540-69 increased by 32% over 400 days, indicating a sudden enhancement of the magnetic field that powers the pulsar wind.
Stellar winds from infant stars in the Orion Nebula disrupt the formation of new stars by blowing away seed material. The winds create a bubble that regulates physical conditions and influences star formation activity.
Researchers observe a supernova explosion that remained visible six years after the initial event, sparking predictions of a pulsar wind nebula. The phenomenon could shed light on the fundamental physics behind superluminous supernovae and their potential role in producing gravitational waves.
Researchers have found evidence of pre-solar interstellar dust in glassy grains called GEMS, which were formed in a cold environment. The discovery provides insight into the solar system's formation and the processes that created the planets.
Computer simulations led by the University of Leeds uncover that the Rosetta Nebula's central cavity is smaller than expected due to a thin disc-like structure of the cloud, focusing stellar winds away from its center. The findings provide new understanding of individual stars' roles in the nebula.
The Crab Nebula has been extensively studied, yet astronomers still have much to learn. By combining data from multiple telescopes, a team of scientists gained new insights into the object's complex physics.
Researchers have discovered and characterized 82 massive binary star systems in the Tarantula Nebula, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. The study provides new insights into the properties of these systems, which are expected to play a crucial role in shaping the chemical evolution of the universe.
A massive protostar underwent an intense growth spurt, reshaping its surroundings and emitting nearly 100 times more light. This event supports the theory that young stars can experience dramatic growth spurts, which may be triggered by star-forming gas crashing onto their surfaces.
Astronomers have found a massive, luminous nebula at the heart of a 'rotocluster' of early galaxies, which appears to be part of the cosmic web connecting galaxies. The newly discovered nebula, MAMMOTH-1, is thought to be powered by a hidden active galactic nucleus (AGN) that is strongly obscured by dust.
A team of astronomers used the MUSE instrument to study the effects of nearby massive star radiation on the pillars of the Carina Nebula. The research found a clear correlation between the radiation and the dissipation of the pillars, suggesting that photoevaporation plays a key role in shaping these structures.
Researchers find evidence of two separate eruptions in the mid-13th and mid-16th centuries, and another in the 19th century, revealing a more violent history for the star system. The team uses NASA's Hubble Space Telescope images to track the movement of gas ejected by Eta Carinae.
The Bubble Nebula, observed by Hubble, is a vast bubble being blown into space by a super-hot, massive star. The nebula is 7 light-years across and resides 7,100 light-years from Earth. A seething star forms this nebula, with gas escaping at over 4 million miles per hour.
Astronomers studied the ionized gas outflow from NGC 6240, a starburst galaxy driven by intense star-forming activity. They found complex structures in the H-alpha nebula, including large 'broken bubbles' and evidence of past superwinds.
Researchers have discovered a detailed record of an FRB, providing new insights into its origin and environment. The signal exhibited Faraday rotation and passed through two distinct regions of ionized gas, shedding light on the mysterious astrophysical phenomenon.
Researchers using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope discovered a new gamma-ray pulsar in the Large Magellanic Cloud, breaking records for luminosity and age. The discovery was made after reanalyzing data from the telescope's Pass 8 process.
New research using high-resolution observations reveals that magnetic fields in the Cat's Paw Nebula preserve their direction from large to small scales. This suggests that self-gravity and turbulence cannot significantly alter the field direction, allowing for a more detailed understanding of star formation.
A new survey of Carina Nebula helps astronomers understand the processes that may have contributed to the formation of our sun. The region contains dozens of examples of forming stars at various stages of development, providing insights into how solar-type stars evolve.
The VISTA telescope has mapped the central regions of the Milky Way in infrared light, revealing a pair of newly discovered classical Cepheid variables beyond the galactic bulge. The stars were detected at a distance of about 37,000 light-years and have a period of eleven days.
The new images show the pillars as eerie, wispy silhouettes against a background of stars, with newborn stars hidden within. The infrared view reveals dense knots of dust and gas at the pillar's ends, underscoring the dynamic and violent nature of star-forming regions.
Scientists mapped magnetic fields in a primitive meteorite, tracing back to the earliest steps of the solar system's formation. The findings point to shock waves traveling through the cloud of dusty gas around the newborn Sun as a major factor.
Researchers used extensive observations to develop the first high-resolution 3D model of the Homunculus Nebula, confirming features like arm-like protrusions and trenches. The new model suggests intense interactions between Eta Carinae's stars played a significant role in shaping the nebula.
The study provides new insights into stellar nurseries, showing that high-mass stars form in groups rather than alone and that these seeds can be fragmented into individual star seeds early in the formation process.