Articles tagged with Observational Astrophysics
Researchers analyzed gravitational-wave data from LIGO and Virgo detectors, revealing an oval orbit just before merger, which is unlikely according to theoretical models. The study corrects underestimated black hole mass and overestimated neutron star mass, suggesting a birthplace in an environment with many interacting stars.
Astronomers have imaged and modeled an exceptionally rare supernova that could provide a new way to measure the universe's expansion rate. The supernova, known as SN Winny, is a superluminous stellar explosion 10 billion light-years away and appears five times in the night sky due to gravitational lensing.
Researchers discovered a star in the Andromeda Galaxy that vanished without going supernova, instead collapsing directly into a black hole. The team's analysis revealed the process of stellar collapse and provided evidence for convection's role in shaping a black hole's outer layers.
A University of Arizona-led research team has measured the dynamics and ever-changing hot gas shell from where the solar wind originates. The study helps scientists answer fundamental questions about energy and matter moving through the heliosphere, affecting space weather events and planetary orbits.
Researchers created the highest resolution map of dark matter, showing its interaction with normal matter through gravity. The new data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope confirms previous research and provides new details about dark matter's influence on the Universe.
Scientists used multiple space-based instruments to track the evolution of a solar eruption, observing how it reduced background cosmic-ray activity. This approach has potential for improving space-weather forecasting and protecting satellites, astronauts, and power grids.
Researchers have imaged a beautiful shock wave around a dead star, RXJ0528+2838, which challenges our current understanding of how dead stars interact with their surroundings. The team found that the white dwarf has been expelling a powerful outflow for at least 1000 years, driven by its strong magnetic field.
Scientists at CU Boulder have solved a pressing mystery about the universe's gravitational wave background by revealing the role of smaller galaxies in galaxy evolution. The new study suggests that when a smaller supermassive black hole merges with a larger one, the smaller black hole gains mass, producing larger gravitational waves.
Researchers identified nine objects with characteristics of stars and galaxies, sparking new questions about the cosmos. These 'platypus galaxies' have narrow emission lines indicative of active star formation, defying expectations.
The CTAO's southern array will be the first gamma-ray observatory to be built in Chile, providing new insights into high-energy Universe events. Construction began on the telescope foundations at ESO's Paranal site in Chile's Atacama Desert.
The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory has begun construction on its southern site in Chile, paving the way for the world's largest and most powerful observatory for gamma-ray astronomy. The CTAO will focus on understanding relativistic cosmic particles, probing extreme environments, and searching for dark matter.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured a cosmic fender bender, revealing two luminous clouds of debris from violent collisions between space rocks. The discovery offers insights into planet formation and asteroid composition, shedding light on the structure of asteroids crucial for planetary defense programs.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) has been upgraded with 145 low-noise amplifiers, allowing for more sensitive measurements of cosmic radiation. This enables researchers to study dark and distant regions of the universe, gaining insights into star and galaxy formation.
Scientists have discovered a rare superkilonova event, which may have produced gravitational waves and light, as detected by LIGO and Virgo. The candidate kilonova AT2025ulz showed signs of a supernova before fading and brightening again in red wavelengths.
Astronomers at Northwestern University have directly imaged a Tatooine-like exoplanet orbiting two suns, revealing unique insights into how planets form around multiple stars. The discovery provides an unprecedented look at the complex dynamics of binary systems and offers new opportunities to test theories of planet formation.
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.
Two new research projects will bring advanced tools to Lick and McDonald Observatories, studying planet and star formation. The programs aim to extend the scientific reach of mid-sized telescopes, delivering new insights and demonstrating technologies for larger observatories.
A team from Maynooth University is using the Mauve telescope to investigate how stars and planets form, focusing on Herbig Ae/Be stars. The research aims to identify variability and search for signs of early planet formation.
Scientists at NJIT's Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research tracked the impact of recent X-class solar flares on Earth's upper atmosphere. The flares triggered radio blackouts across Africa and Europe, producing auroras that reached unusually low latitudes, including as far south as Florida.
The team discovered a flat, spherical gas and dust structure resembling a diamond ring, formed by a massive star's radiation and winds. The 'Diamond Ring' is around 20 light years in diameter and shines strongly in infrared light.
A study from Bielefeld University reveals that the solar system is moving more than three times faster than predicted by current models. This deviation was detected using data from radio galaxies, which emit strong radio waves and can penetrate dust and gas.
Astronomers have observed the unique shape of a supernova explosion in unprecedented detail using ESO's VLT. The shape, resembling an olive, was revealed through spectropolarimetry, which allows for the measurement of polarisation and inference of object geometry.
Astronomers have successfully installed lasers on the eight-metre telescopes at Paranal, enabling the creation of an artificial star to correct atmospheric blur. This upgrade unlocks a greater observing power and wider sky coverage for the VLTI, allowing for deeper observations of faint targets.
Physicists compare black hole shadow images to alternative theories of gravity, showing differences in extreme cosmic objects. High-resolution measurements could test Einstein's theory and confirm or refute exotic possibilities.
A stunning image of a 'cosmic bat' has been captured by the VLT Survey Telescope, featuring large clouds of gas and dust. Located 10,000 light-years away, this stellar nursery is a vast cloud of cosmic material from which stars are born.
A new study uses general-purpose AI to classify real cosmic events and explain its reasoning without complex training. The model achieved approximately 93% accuracy and provided plain-English explanations for every classification.
Astronomers have identified a rogue planet with a mass five to 10 times that of Jupiter, growing at an unprecedented rate of six billion tonnes per second. The discovery provides valuable insights into the formation and growth of rogue planets, suggesting they may share a similar path to star formation.
Astronomers searching for evidence of early cosmic light found that the universe was in a warm state before it became visible. The discovery suggests that the universe's brightness increased significantly, marking a pivotal moment in its evolution.
The new emulator Effort.jl allows researchers to analyze complex data sets faster and more efficiently than ever before. It uses state-of-the-art numerical methods and clever preprocessing strategies to achieve exceptional computational performance, making it possible to explore cosmic scenarios without waiting hours for each simulation.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University predict that detecting radio waves from the cosmic dark ages can help resolve the nature of dark matter. The study uses computer simulations to show that dense clumps of dark matter formed throughout the Universe, pulling in hydrogen gas and causing it to emit intense radio waves.
Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery of a colossal bridge of neutral hydrogen gas linking two dwarf galaxies. The Virgo cluster plays a significant role in this phenomenon.
The Event Horizon Telescope collaboration unveils dynamic environment with changing polarization patterns near M87*'s supermassive black hole. The new images show how the environment around the black hole may be changing more than previously thought.
The LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA Collaboration has used the sharpest gravitational wave signal to precisely test Hawking's area theorem and confirm the remnant black hole's nature. The detection confirms that the surface area of the remnant increased, consistent with Hawking's prediction.
A team of astronomers has detected an unprecedented gamma-ray burst (GRB) that repeated several times over the course of a day, defying current understanding of these powerful events. The source was pinpointed to be outside our galaxy, with evidence suggesting it may reside in another galaxy, several billion light-years away.
Astronomers discovered a greedy white dwarf star consuming its closest celestial companion at an unprecedented rate. The study found that the super-dense white dwarf is burning brightly due to the mass transfer between the two stars, potentially leading to a massive explosion visible from Earth.
Researchers developed a new AI method called Deep Loop Shaping to quiet unwanted noise in LIGO's detectors, achieving 30-100 times better performance than traditional methods. This technology will help improve LIGO's ability to detect bigger black holes and build next-generation gravitational-wave detectors.
Astronomers have devised a method to map the spottiness of distant stars using observations from NASA missions, improving understanding of planetary atmospheres and potential habitability. The new model, called StarryStarryProcess, can help discover more about exoplanet properties.
Researchers at Ohio State University suggest a large cloud of dust and gas occluded Earth's view of the star ASASSN-24fw, causing its brightness to dim by 97% before brightening again. The team proposes that this disk is likely made up of carbon or water ice close in size to a large grain of dust.
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...
Researchers have discovered a massive gas and dust bubble surrounding the red supergiant star DFK 52, which contains as much mass as our own Sun. The bubble is expanding at an incredible rate and was likely formed when the star ejected part of its outer layers in a powerful explosion around 4000 years ago.
Physicists from the University of Copenhagen have discovered a step-like signature that resembles the signature of an elusive axion particle using galaxy clusters. This method has greatly increased what we know about axions, allowing researchers to narrow down the space where it can be found.
Researchers used infrared images to spot bright objects, then applied the 'dropout' technique to confirm their nature. The study could challenge current ideas about galaxy formation in the early universe if confirmed.
Researchers detected sulfur in both gas and solid phases using data from the XRISM spacecraft, providing unprecedented insight into its presence in the universe. The findings are based on measurements of X-rays from two binary star systems and suggest that sulfur can easily change between these forms.
Astronomers have detected a newborn planet in action, carving out an intricate pattern in the gas and dust surrounding its young host star. The planet candidate is estimated to be twice the size of Jupiter and has been observed shaping its surroundings within the protoplanetary disc as it grows into a fully formed planet.
Researchers observed a flare caused by a star falling onto a black hole and surviving the encounter. The discovery suggests that these flares may be part of a longer, more complex story about supermassive black holes.
Researchers identified early moment of planet formation around star beyond Sun, marking window to past of our Solar System. The discovery provides a unique analogue for studying early planet formation processes.
Researchers successfully demonstrate Fermi acceleration mechanism with ultracold atoms, unlocking new understanding of cosmic rays behavior. The technology has the potential for high-precision control over particle acceleration and opens new possibilities for investigating phenomena relevant to high-energy astrophysics.
Researchers have found visual evidence of a double detonation process in the remains of a star that exploded twice, providing new insights into the mechanism behind Type Ia supernovae. This discovery confirms a long-standing hypothesis and offers a tangible explanation for these cosmic events.
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured the direct image of a previously unknown exoplanet, TWA 7 b, located within a disk of rocky debris and dust. The exoplanet is ten times lighter than previously captured ones and more similar to Earth than gas giants.
Researchers surveyed luminous infrared galaxies to gain insight into galaxy formation in the early universe and possibly the Milky Way. They discovered massive clumps of newborn stars, unlike anything seen in the Milky Way.
A new Johns Hopkins study suggests that supermassive black holes could generate high-energy particles similar to those produced by human-made particle colliders. The research proposes using observatories tracking cosmic events to detect these particles, offering a potential cheaper alternative to expensive facilities.
The MISTRAL receiver, installed on the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT), enables wide-field imaging of weak and extended sources. It achieves this by containing 415 Kinetic Inductance Detectors cooled to absolute zero, producing highly detailed images of celestial objects in diverse astrophysical contexts.
Scientists have developed a groundbreaking adaptive optics system that removes blur from images of the Sun's corona, revealing clearest images to date. The technology has produced remarkable observations of fine-structure in the corona, including raindrops and turbulent internal flows.
Researchers find over 500 dense star-forming cores with possible protoplanetary disks in the Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone. Dual-band observations reveal unexpected spectral reddening, suggesting the presence of these early stages of solar system formation.
Researchers use NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to investigate a protoplanetary disk around a young star in the Lobster Nebula. They found sufficient solid material to potentially form at least 10 rocky planets and detected various molecules that contribute to planetary atmospheres.
A team of astronomers observed a rare cosmic collision where one galaxy is pierced by intense radiation from a quasar, leading to the disruption of stellar nurseries. The study used ALMA and ESO's VLT telescopes to reveal the effects of this radiation on the internal structure of the gas in the regular galaxy.
Researchers at ICRAR have found that galaxies forming stars rely on the location of atomic hydrogen gas, not its total amount. Higher-resolution observations allowed for unprecedented mapping of gas distribution in 1,000 galaxies.
Researchers discover over 500 dense cores in Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone, which may indicate widespread presence of protoplanetary disks. The findings propose two scenarios: self-absorption of smaller structures within dense cores or growth of dust grains in these systems.
Astronomers used NASA's NICER to map debris from cosmic black holes, revealing the physical environment of repeating X-ray outbursts near monster black holes. The study found that each impact resulted in about a Jupiter's worth of mass reaching expansion velocities around 15% of the speed of light.
A scientist from Tokyo Metropolitan University has resolved the thirty-year mystery of dissonance in gravitational waves emitted by a black hole. The phenomenon was caused by resonance between two distinctive modes, which is not a rare incident but turns up universally in a range of modes.