Articles tagged with Observational Astrophysics
Researchers have proposed a new model to explain turbulent processes in plasmas, which are estimated to make up 99% of the universe's visible matter. The findings suggest that magnetic reconnection plays a crucial role in plasma turbulence, providing a conceptual shift in understanding its dynamics and properties.
Scientists have observed a contracting white dwarf for the first time, providing insights into young stars' evolution. The discovery suggests that young white dwarfs contract as they age, challenging current understanding of their behavior.
The Zwicky Transient Facility's (ZTF) new survey camera captures hundreds of thousands of stars and galaxies in a single shot, taking its first image of the sky, dubbed 'first light.' ZTF aims to discover objects and events varying in brightness over time, including explosive supernovae, hungry black holes, and asteroids/comets.
The UW Department of Astronomy is joining the ZTF team to develop new methods for identifying celestial objects in the night sky. The ZTF's massive real-time data stream will impact studies of stars, our solar system, and the evolution of our universe.
The James Webb Space Telescope has released early data from its first five months of operations, targeting Jupiter and its moons, organic molecule-forming infant stars, supermassive black holes, and baby galaxies. The observations will explore exoplanet atmospheres using infrared spectrographs and peer into the distant universe to exam...
Astronomers study distant galaxy's gravitational lensing, revealing smaller-than-thought giant clumps. Groundbreaking observations and simulations confirm turbulent nature of distant galaxies.
A team of scientists has discovered a remarkable exception to existing theories on supernovae, with a star that exploded multiple times over 50 years. The star, iPTF14hls, was initially observed as an ordinary supernova but grew brighter and dimmer at least five times.
Astronomers have detected the second most distant star-forming galaxy in the universe, born 12.8 billion years ago, using the Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT). The galaxy is one of the first massive galaxies to form and was observed with high precision using millimeter waves.
An international team of researchers has made a groundbreaking discovery about matter accretion in young stars, allowing for more accurate calculations of the accretion rate. This finding is crucial for understanding the life cycle of stars and their growth under gravity's influence.
Recent study finds that galaxy clusters' density is smaller than predicted, and brightest cluster galaxies wobble, indicating a shallower central density. This suggests the existence of exotic forms of dark matter.
Researchers detect electromagnetic waves from neutron star merger, confirming predictions of heavy element production. The event is a milestone in understanding astrophysical processes and requires precise nuclear data to be fully understood.
The team used the Swope telescope to discover the light produced by the merger and obtained the earliest spectra of the collision. These observations may allow scientists to explain how many of the universe's heavy elements were created.
The LIGO detector has confirmed a 1989 prediction made by Prof. Tsvi Piran that neutron star mergers produce gamma-ray bursts and synthesize heavy elements like gold and uranium. This confirmation solves several puzzles in astronomy and opens new ways to understand the universe.
Third-year physics graduate students Kaitlin Rasmussen and Devin Whitten witnessed the historic event using the 2.5-meter Irénée du Pont Telescope in Chile. The observation provided valuable insights into the rapid-neutron capture process, a key mechanism for forming heavy metals like gold, platinum, and uranium.
A new model reveals that neutral particles facilitate magnetic field penetration through the Sun's surface, producing spicules. This leads to the generation of Alfvén waves, which are thought to heat the sun's atmosphere and propel the solar wind.
A new telescope attachment using custom beam-shaping diffusers enables highly precise ground-based observations of exoplanets. The technology minimizes distortions caused by the Earth's atmosphere, allowing for stable and smooth images that are essential for maximizing precision in measurements.
The LIGO and Virgo Scientific Collaborations have detected a fourth gravitational wave signal, confirming Einstein's theory of general relativity. The detection was made using advanced optical interferometers and marks the first time three observatories have witnessed a merger at once.
For the first time, three detectors tracked gravitational waves emitted by a merger of two black holes, allowing scientists to more closely locate their birthplace in space. The detection highlights the scientific potential of a three-detector network of gravitational-wave detectors.
A decade-long study by the Pierre Auger Collaboration has found six percent greater rate of extragalactic cosmic rays from one side of sky than other, suggesting acceleration sites are outside Milky Way. The observatory's detection provides compelling evidence for extragalactic origin of ultra-high energy cosmic particles.
The Pierre Auger Collaboration reports that cosmic rays with energies a million times greater than the protons accelerated in the Large Hadron Collider come from much further away. The study discovered an anisotropy in the arrival directions of over 30,000 cosmic particles, indicating an extragalactic origin.
A study published in Science confirms that the highest energy cosmic rays bombard the Earth come from outside the Milky Way Galaxy. The Pierre Auger Observatory collected data from 12 years, revealing an anisotropy in the distribution of arrival directions of cosmic particles.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales have successfully detected polarised light from a rapidly spinning star for the first time. Using a highly sensitive piece of equipment, they measured Regulus' spin rate of 96.5% of its break-up velocity, equivalent to 320 km/s.
Researchers at Niels Bohr Institute used computer simulations to study the influence of local environmental conditions on star formation. Their findings suggest that factors such as magnetic fields and turbulence play a crucial role in shaping the star formation process.
A team of physicists led by Hai-Bo Yu propose a new theory that dark matter particles strongly collide with each other in the inner halo of galaxies, explaining diverse galactic rotation curves. This self-interacting dark matter model thermalizes the inner halo, tying ordinary and dark matter distributions together.
Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet, GJ 436b, with a huge gas cloud resembling a comet's tail, caused by intense stellar irradiation. The planet's atmosphere loses hydrogen due to the star's radiation, forming a massive cloud that absorbs UV radiation.
A team of researchers discovered a way to use ultraviolet light observations to determine characteristics of superluminous supernovae previously unknown. They found that Gaia16apd was most likely an shock-interacting supernova, and their technique could help identify the explosion mechanism of future supernovae.
A recent study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society reveals that comet nuclei contain 40% organic matter by mass, which was produced in interstellar space before the formation of our solar system. This finding has significant implications for the origin of life on Earth and potentially other planets.
Researchers have developed a new algorithm to enhance observations from the Kepler Space Telescope and perform detailed studies of stellar variability. The technique, called halo photometry, reveals pulsations in B-type stars with day-long periods, offering insights into poorly understood processes in their cores.
The Kepler Space Telescope's K2 Mission has observed detailed variations in the brightness of stars in the Seven Sisters star cluster. The team developed a new algorithm to measure relative changes in brightness, overcoming instrumental effects and revealing slow-pulsating B stars.
Researchers have discovered two detached, eclipsing double white dwarf binaries with orbital periods under an hour, producing significant gravitational waves. One binary is believed to be a new verification source for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, a gravitational wave satellite.
A team of astronomers used the MUSE instrument on the VLT to study how gas can be stripped from galaxies, focusing on extreme jellyfish galaxies. Six out of seven jellyfish galaxies were found to host a supermassive black hole feeding on surrounding gas.
Astronomers have caught a cosmic event in great detail, observing a supernova and its explosive ejecta slamming into a nearby companion star. The discovery was made possible by a specialized survey taking advantage of recent advances in linking telescopes across the globe.
A solar filament rose from the surface of the Sun but collapsed due to invisible magnetic forces, preventing an eruption. Scientists used data from multiple NASA observatories and ground-based telescopes to track the event and develop a model that explains how the Sun's magnetic landscape terminates eruptions.
TESS will survey stars up to 100 times brighter than Kepler, finding thousands of new exoplanets around bright nearby stars. The mission will provide ideal targets for follow-up observations with the James Webb Space Telescope.
A new study reveals the elemental composition of the Sun's corona is strongly linked to its 11-year solar magnetic activity cycle. This discovery suggests that changes in magnetic activity may influence the heating of the Sun's corona, and potentially other star atmospheres.
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.
Researchers have produced new maps of dark matter dynamics in the Universe, revealing detailed information about matter streams and velocities. This study uses legacy survey data to build on previous research and provides insights into the nature of dark matter.
A team of researchers has made the best measurement yet of molecular gas, a raw material for star formation, in three massive galaxy clusters in the early universe. The study found that cluster galaxies have more fuel available to form stars than previously thought.
Researchers from HKUST and Harvard University found a connection between density distributions in the universe and the nature of smallest particles. They argue that the universe could be used as a 'collider' to explore new physics beyond the Standard Model.
The Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission has started its science operations on the International Space Station (ISS). It will help scientists understand the nature of neutron stars using X-ray measurements. The mission aims to determine how matter behaves in their interiors.
A team of UA astronomers proposes a scenario that reconciles observed disk features and the population of planets in our galaxy. They simulated protoplanetary disks using synthetic observations to account for the formation of multiple gaps, challenging conventional theories.
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.
Researchers have detected orbital motion in a pair of supermassive black holes, marking the first-ever 'visual binary' of such systems. The two black holes are estimated to complete an orbit every 30,000 years and may merge millions of years later.
A unique data center for cosmological simulations, Cosmowebportal, has been initiated by astrophysicists from TUM and LRZ. The facility pools the results of the Magneticum Pathfinder simulations, allowing scientists to explore and analyze the universe's evolution.
Researchers found that nearly all sunlike stars form with a companion, but these companions often escape and merge with other stars. The study's findings have implications for the origins of galaxies and suggest that many stars are born in pairs, like our sun and its long-lost sibling.
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers measured the deflection of light rays as they passed near a white dwarf star, providing a solid estimate of its mass. The result confirms theoretical predictions and offers insights into the star's structure and composition.
An international research team led by Kailash C. Sahu observed the gravitational microlensing effect in a star other than the Sun, confirming a key prediction of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. The study determined the mass of a white dwarf star, providing new insights into galaxy evolution and the history of stars.
A new study by UW-Madison undergraduate Ben Hoscheit confirms the idea that our galaxy lives in an enormous void, seven times larger than average. The findings help ease tension between different measurements of the Hubble Constant, resolving a long-standing discrepancy among cosmologists.
KELT-9b, a Jupiter-like gas giant, has a 'year' of only 1.5 days and orbits an extremely hot star that radiates more ultraviolet radiation than our sun. The planet's atmosphere is constantly blasted with high levels of radiation, making it inhospitable to life.
KELT-9b, a gas giant exoplanet, has a day-side temperature of 4,600 Kelvin, making it hotter than most stars. Its atmosphere is constantly bombarded by stellar radiation due to its tidally locked orbit, preventing the formation of molecules on its surface.
KELT-9b orbits a star more than twice as large and nearly twice as hot as our sun, causing its atmosphere to puff up like a balloon. The planet's day side is perpetually bombarded by stellar radiation, making it inhospitable for life.
Scientists have discovered an exoplanet, KELT-9b, hotter than most stars, with a day-side temperature of 4,600 Kelvin. The planet's atmosphere is being evaporated due to intense ultraviolet radiation from its host star.
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) has confirmed the third detection of gravitational waves, revealing a population of black holes that were previously unknown. The detected black holes have masses ranging from 21 to 49 times that of the sun, shedding light on the existence of heavy black hole pairs.
Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology contributed to the measurement of a newly discovered black hole's tilt and spin, which can reveal clues about how massive stars die. The findings support Einstein's general theory of relativity and rule out extreme predictions for black hole spins.
A NASA team led by Manuel Quijada is investigating techniques for creating highly reflective aluminum mirrors sensitive to the infrared, optical, and far-ultraviolet wavelength bands. They aim to develop a coating that improves reflectance in the far ultraviolet while allowing observations in other wavelength bands.
Researchers at Monash University have identified a new concept called 'orphan memory,' which challenges current understanding of gravitational waves. They found that high-frequency waves leave behind a signature that LIGO can detect.
Astronomers predict that combining NIRISS and NIRSpec on James Webb Space Telescope will maximize information content about exoplanet atmospheres. This combination allows for the observation of key chemical compounds such as water, methane, and carbon dioxide.
A team of scientists found a massive wave of hot gas in the Perseus galaxy cluster using Chandra X-ray Observatory data and computer simulations. The wave is thought to have formed billions of years ago after a small galaxy cluster grazed Perseus, causing its gas supply to slosh around an enormous volume.
Astronomers have discovered a unique ultra-slow pulsar XB091D in the Andromeda galaxy, believed to have captured a companion only a million years ago. The pulsar's acceleration is linked to its interaction with an ordinary star, providing new insights into neutron star rejuvenation.
A rocky super-earth, LHS 1140b, has been discovered orbiting an M-type star in the habitable zone, making it a promising candidate for atmospheric study and search for life. The planet's size and mass indicate a rocky composition, and its distance from the star allows for relatively cool temperatures.