Articles tagged with Observational Astronomy
For the first time, researchers have measured the global magnetic field of the solar corona. By applying magneto-seismology to observations from Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter (CoMP), they mapped the magnetic field in the global corona using wave propagation speed and density data.
NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) has observed unusual dimming in Betelgeuse, a star experiencing an early minimum brightness cycle. The observations, made between late June and early August, show that the star is dimming unexpectedly again, adding to ongoing questions about its behavior.
Researchers tracked the evolution of stellar eggs in Taurus, discovering internal structures and bipolar gas streams that indicate a star's birth. The team used ALMA's compact array to observe starless cores and found evidence for 'first hydrostatic cores,' short-lived objects formed before a baby star's birth.
Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet, K2-25b, that is surprisingly dense for its size and age, defying current planet formation theories. The exoplanet, orbiting a young star in the Hyades cluster, has a mass of 25 Earth-masses and a size slightly smaller than Neptune.
The Apple Fire in Banning Canyon, California, has consumed 20,516 acres and is burning in an area with not had fire activity in recent years. NASA satellites provide critical information on the fire's spread, detecting actively burning fires and tracking smoke transport.
Scientists developed a new model using NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory data, predicting seven of the Sun's biggest flares from the last solar cycle. The model identified key characteristics in active regions, including magnetic reconnection and unstable arches, to predict massive flares.
Astronomers have successfully detected a superflare on the nearby red dwarf AD Leonis, with one flare being 20 times larger than those emitted by our sun. The high-quality data from the Seimei Telescope has revealed intriguing phenomena, including an increase in high-energy electrons and unusual light patterns.
Astronomers using TESS and Spitzer data report the discovery of AU Mic b, a Neptune-like planet that orbits its young star in under 10 days. The system offers a unique laboratory for studying planetary atmospheres and interactions with stars.
Astronomers have detected a supermassive black hole's heartbeat, which has been ongoing for over ten years. The signal was spotted again in 2018 using X-ray satellite observations, providing valuable information about the black hole's event horizon.
Astronomers have observed a confirmed heartbeat in a supermassive black hole for over ten years, with the signal repeating every hour. The research provides new insights into the black hole's size and structure close to its event horizon.
A four-year study at Jodrell Bank Observatory reveals a repeating Fast Radio Burst (FRB) follows a cyclic pattern with radio bursts observed every 90 days, followed by a silent period of 67 days, repeating every 157 days. This discovery provides an important clue to identifying the origin of FRBs.
Researchers analyzed over 200,000 spiral galaxies, finding a pattern of asymmetry in their spin directions that suggests the early universe may have been spinning. The study also reveals complex cosmological multipoles, which indicate a non-symmetric structure to the universe.
A three-year study of Westerlund 2, a massive young star cluster, reveals that the material surrounding stars near the centre is mysteriously devoid of dense clouds of dust. This is caused by the brightest stars eroding and dispersing the discs of gas and dust of neighbouring stars.
Researchers used TESS data to detect regular patterns in delta Scuti star pulsations, allowing them to understand the internal structure of massive nuclear furnaces. The findings provide a window into the past, enabling scientists to study how stars and their planets form and change over time.
High-resolution images capture Ryugu's asteroid surface in exceptional detail, revealing its geological history and color variations. The touchdown operation also disturbed a dark coating that corresponds to the surface's reddish materials, suggesting rapid solar heating during a temporary orbital excursion.
Researchers analyzed 369 solar-like stars and found that the Sun is less magnetically active and variable than similar stars. The study suggests that most stars are five times more variable than the Sun over the last 140 years, with potential explanations including long-term variability or unrecognized differences.
Researchers at NAOJ have demonstrated a new technique to reduce quantum noise in gravitational wave detectors, increasing sensitivity and allowing for the detection of fainter waves. This technique, known as frequency dependent vacuum squeezing, will enable improved sensitivity at both high and low frequencies simultaneously.
Astronomers previously believed Fomalhaut b to be a planet, but Hubble observations reveal it may have been a cloud of dust particles from a titanic collision. The object's unusual brightness and trajectory are explained by a massive dust cloud experiencing radiative forces from the central star.
Researchers report a catastrophic collision between two large asteroids in the Fomalhaut system, producing a large dust cloud that gradually dispersed over time. The observations suggest rare collisions of this magnitude are expected to be rare in dynamically quiescent systems.
Researchers at the University of Arizona conclude that Fomalhaut b, a suspected exoplanet, was likely an expanding cloud of dust from a cosmic collision. The team's analysis of Hubble data reveals characteristics that suggest the planet may never have existed.
Astronomers analyze archival Hubble data to reveal possible explanation for Fomalhaut b's disappearance: a massive dust cloud produced in a collision between two large bodies orbiting the nearby star Fomalhaut. The team suggests this event may have occurred only every 200,000 years.
NASA analyzed severe storms in the southern US, creating an animation of powerful thunderstorms that brought heavy rainfall and spawned destructive tornadoes. The analysis used NASA's Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) algorithm to estimate near-realtime precipitation rates.
Physicists have discovered a new phase of motion in ring-shaped polymers under shear, where they 'inflate' and stabilize themselves. This behavior is not seen in other forms of polymers, such as linear chains or stars.
Astronomers analyzed two outbound comets and found their paths align with an interstellar origin scenario. The results suggest that these comets likely came from outside the Solar System, improving our understanding of the outer Solar System's origins.
Astronomers have cataloged signs of 9 heavy metals in supergiant and giant stars, allowing researchers to study the chemical composition and evolution of galaxies. By analyzing these elements, scientists can reconstruct the history of galaxies, including events like binary neutron star mergers that affected the Milky Way.
The East Asia VLBI Network observed the afterglow of TeV Gamma-Ray Burst 190114C, providing unique opportunities to study its progenitor and pre-burst medium. The non-detection results place strong upper limits on parameters extracted from different theoretical models of GRBs.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft captured images of material being ejected from asteroid Bennu's surface, revealing three discrete events of particle ejection. The authors suggest micro-meteorite impacts and dehydration as possible causes, with implications for the asteroid's evolution.
WFIRST's wide-field surveys will study galaxy distributions and dark matter effects, providing new insight into its fundamental nature. The mission aims to fill gaps in understanding dark matter, tracing its role in galaxy formation and evolution.
Researchers have made a novel discovery about galactic winds, observing a huge outflow of gas extending far beyond a galaxy. The study's findings provide direct evidence for the role of galactic winds in creating the circumgalactic medium.
A University of Oklahoma-led study found a significant increase in photosynthesis in the Amazon rainforest during the dry season, as measured by satellite-based solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence. The study provides new insights into the dynamics of Amazonian photosynthesis and its impact on global atmospheric carbon concentrations.
A research team at the University of Tsukuba studied ancient cuneiform tablets and matched them with tree-ring radioisotope data to identify three possible magnetic storms that occurred around 679-655 BCE. This work may help modern astronomers predict future solar flares or coronal mass ejections.
Astronomers have observed the first confirmed interstellar comet, 2I/Borisov, using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The comet has a central concentration of dust around its nucleus and is traveling at an extraordinary speed of 110,000 miles per hour.
Astronomers detected a massive planet, GJ 3512b, orbiting the small red dwarf star GJ 3512, defying predictions of theoretical models. The discovery poses questions about planetary formation mechanisms and encourages further research.
NASA's Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) estimated heavy rainfall totals of 16-24 inches between Freeport and Beaumont, Texas, and 6 inches in southwestern Louisiana. The IMERG product provides near-real-time rain estimates every 30 minutes, combining satellite observations with other data sources.
Tropical Depression Imelda brought heavy rainfall to northeastern Texas, with NASA estimating over 10 inches of rain fell between Houston and Beaumont. The storm's rainfall totals are expected to produce significant flash floods, prompting flash flood watches for parts of eastern Texas and western Louisiana.
Molecular clouds in distant galaxies have higher mass, density, and internal turbulence than those in nearby galaxies, producing more stars. The international team used ALMA to detect clouds in a Milky Way progenitor 8 billion light-years away.
Heavy rainfall from Hurricane Dorian has left over three feet of rain in the Bahamas and is now affecting South Carolina, with accumulation totals exceeding 10 inches off-shore. NASA's IMERG product provides near-realtime rain estimates using satellite observations, helping to track the storm's movement and intensity.
Researchers compared observations with model simulations, revealing gaps in smoke plume rise and duration modeling. The study found that solar heating warmed air within the plume, causing it to self-loft to nearly 23 kilometers, but observed smoke lifetime was 40% shorter than calculated models due to photochemical loss of organic carbon.
Researchers have charted the Milky Way in three dimensions using thousands of pulsating stars, revealing a warped and twisted stellar disc. The new map provides a broad view of our place among the stars and constrains the previously observed shape of the Galaxy's disk.
Astronomers have discovered that high-density gas, the material for stars, accounts for only 3% of the total mass of gas distributed in the Milky Way. This finding implies a small number of opportunities to form stars and will be investigated further using Fugin data.
Massive wildfires in Ontario and Manitoba produce massive amounts of smoke moving southeast into Michigan, over the Great Lakes, and into Minnesota. The smoke is carried on the jet stream, with actively burning areas outlined in red on satellite imagery.
A team of international experts agrees that Oumuamua, the first recorded interstellar visitor, has natural origins. The research team reviewed available evidence and found properties consistent with objects in our own solar system. Oumuamua's orbit and path match predictions made by Jedicke and his colleagues before its discovery.
Researchers discovered hints of the sun's internal clock behaving erratically, switching between normal and alternate states. The team found intriguing discrepancies in the sun's magnetic fields that could provide clues to its internal behavior.
A new study reveals no significant correlation between galaxy bulge size and spiral arm winding, contradicting a key assumption in Hubble's model. The findings suggest that most spirals may not be static density waves after all.
NGC 4621, also known as Messier 59, is an elliptical galaxy exhibiting signs of star formation contrary to typical elliptical galaxies. Located approximately 50 million light-years away, the galaxy was observed using Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys.
New observations using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveal that some of the earliest galaxies in the Universe were significantly brighter than anticipated. The excess light suggests that these galaxies released high amounts of ionising radiation, which may have played a key role in the Epoch of Reionisation.
Astronomers detect unusual chemical signature in ASASSN-18tb supernova, potentially resolving longstanding mystery surrounding their origins. The discovery offers new insights into the mechanism and players involved in creating Type Ia supernovae.
Astronomers created a comprehensive 'history book' of galaxies using 16 years' worth of Hubble observations, covering 265,000 galaxies that stretch back 13.3 billion years. The new image mosaic provides a wide portrait of the distant universe, chronicling galaxy assembly over time.
Messier 75 is a globular cluster located approximately 67,000 light-years away from Earth in the Sagittarius constellation. The cluster features an enormous core with about 400,000 stars, making it one of the most densely populated clusters ever discovered.
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have strengthened the case for new theories to explain the forces shaping the cosmos. The latest Hubble measurements suggest a faster expansion rate in the modern universe, contradicting expectations based on early universe observations.
The Hayabusa2 mission has provided new insights into the composition and origin of the Ryugu asteroid, revealing it to be a porous 'rubble pile' with a highly porous interior and low density. The asteroid's surface is also characterized by hydrated minerals, which are ubiquitous across its dark surface.
Researchers at Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics used the Dalian Coherent Light Source to study vacuum ultraviolet water photochemistry, identifying rotationally hot OH radicals. Highly excited 'super rotors' were observed from water photodissociation at 115.2 nm, revealing interesting dissociation mechanisms.
Researchers observe two massive protostars forming a binary star system, separated by 180 astronomical units and orbiting each other every 600 years. The study suggests that the stars are formed from a common disk during the initial collapse of the cloud.
Researchers have spotted two rings of dust around a young star, suggesting the formation of a planetary system similar to our own. The observations provide clear answers to previous models, with one ring at the asteroid belt location and the other at the Neptune orbit.
A new mathematical model predicts a potentially catastrophic geomagnetic storm has only a 0.46-1.88% chance in the next decade, significantly lower than previous estimates. The researchers used historical data and measured solar surface perturbations to make their calculation.
A new study using ice cores and tree rings reveals a third massive solar storm in history, occurring in 660 BCE, with others in 775 CE and 994 CE. These rare events pose a risk to electrical grids, communication systems, and air traffic.
NGC 6052 is a pair of colliding galaxies visible in the Hercules constellation, consisting of two galaxies merging due to gravity. The Milky Way will undergo a similar collision with Andromeda in approximately 4 billion years.
A study by KU Leuven reveals that red giants lose less mass than previously thought, as their stellar winds are affected by an overlooked partner star. This discovery challenges the long-held assumption of high mass loss rates for these stars.
The Earth's magnetic shield exhibits drum-like vibrations in response to strong impulses, as observed through NASA THEMIS satellite data. These findings have implications for understanding space weather and its potential effects on technology like power grids and GPS.
Astronomers have created a 3D picture of the Milky Way's outer regions using variable stars. The team found that the galaxy's S-like stellar disk is warped in a progressively twisted spiral pattern.