Articles tagged with Observational Astrophysics
Researchers using advanced methods have measured corotation radii in over 100 galaxies, finding that many bars are rotating slower than previously thought. The team's findings suggest that dark matter halos may not be necessary to explain the observed behavior of galaxy bars.
Researchers observed a protostar and found that gas can shed angular momentum by being cast into the vertical direction, creating a 'traffic jam' near the centrifugal barrier. This behavior aligns with calculations using a ballistic model, shedding light on the dynamics of stellar formation.
Scientists have discovered incredibly rapid gas flares from a white dwarf binary star system for the first time. The unusual activity was observed at radio wavelengths in SS Cyg, one of the brightest variable stars in the constellation of Cygnus.
LIGO researcher Gabriela González has received the National Academy of Sciences Award for Scientific Discovery for her work on gravitational wave astronomy. She shares the award with David Howard Reitze and Peter R. Saulson, who have also contributed significantly to the field over 19 years.
The H0LiCOW collaboration has made a new measurement of the Hubble constant using quasars and gravitational lensing. The result agrees with recent independent studies but disagrees significantly with cosmic microwave background measurements, potentially indicating new physics beyond the standard cosmological model.
The Hubble Constant measurement by the H0LiCOW collaboration hints at 'new physics' beyond the standard model of cosmology. The team used gravitational lenses to measure the universe's expansion rate, which is crucial for confirming or refuting the current picture of dark energy and dark matter.
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.
Astronomers discovered a rare event where a star was destroyed by a massive black hole's gravitational tides, producing an unusually bright flash of light. The event occurred in a distant 'red' galaxy with older stars, defying typical supernova models.
Researchers studied 36 mini-spiral galaxies and found a link between ordinary matter and dark matter. The structure of dark matter mimics visible matter in its own way, disagreeing with current hypotheses.
Researchers have observed powerful whirlwinds shooting out of the rotating disc of a newly formed star. The wind is thought to slow down the rotation, allowing the material to contract and form planets.
Dome A's extreme dryness allows for terahertz observations, previously hindered by Earth's atmosphere. Researchers can now gain new insights into star and galaxy formation.
A team of astronomers discovered that a massive flare in a distant galaxy was actually a tidal disruption event caused by a rapidly spinning supermassive black hole. The finding marks the first time a TDE has been used to study black hole spin, providing new insights into stellar death.
A team of UCLA astronomers observed a galaxy and found that stars are responsible for producing dust, a key component of rocky planets. The researchers focused on a galaxy with two young clusters of stars and constructed a map tracing the dust in the galaxy.
Researchers used asteroseismology to determine the oblateness of a slowly rotating star, revealing a difference of only 3 kilometers between equatorial and polar radii. The star's small oblateness is surprising, as it rotates three times more slowly than the Sun.
A new tabletop device could detect elusive neutrinos more efficiently, simplifying scientists' ability to study the sun. Researchers discovered a connection between neutrino decay fluctuations and solar rotation, providing strong evidence for this method.
Researchers have discovered complex systems of concentric rings surrounding young stars, formed by the interaction between protoplanetary discs and growing planets. These findings provide new insights into planet formation, shedding light on the dynamics of innermost disc regions.
Astronomers using Kepler and Swift missions discover 18 stars that rotate rapidly, producing X-ray emissions at more than 100 times the sun's level. These stars are believed to have formed from the merger of two sun-like stars in close binary systems.
Researchers found a dozen previously unknown RR Lyrae stars at the center of the Milky Way, indicating that galactic bulges may have formed through merging ancient globular clusters. The discovery provides strong evidence for an important theory of galactic evolution.
Researchers have observed a binary star system with two stars and three rotating planet-forming accretion discs, all misaligned with each other. The discovery challenges current understanding of planetary system formation and prompts further study to understand the physics behind this unusual system.
Astronomers captured the best view yet of a breaking apart comet using NASA's Hubble telescope. The images show 25 fragments drifting away from the comet at walking speed, suggesting it may be spinning so fast that material is ejected from its surface.
Astronomers analyze Kepler observations of KIC 8462852 and find the star dimming slowly for almost three years before suddenly losing 2% of its brightness. The star's unusual behavior has sparked speculation about comets, alien megastructures, or planetary collisions, but the new findings will make it harder to explain.
Researchers at the University of Surrey have discovered hundreds of undetectable black holes within a globular cluster, overturning old theories on their formation. The study uses advanced simulations to map the cluster and its behavior, revealing the effects of these massive objects on the surrounding stars.
The winners of the 2016 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics reveal their 40-year journey to detect gravitational waves. They share their insights on the challenges and breakthroughs in eavesdropping on space-time ripples, which have captured the world's imagination.
Researchers used advanced instrument MOSFIRE to quantify oxygen in COSMOS-1908, a galaxy 12 billion years old. The measurement provides insights into how matter cycles in and out of galaxies, allowing for better understanding of galaxy evolution and formation.
Astronomers using NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope discover a new type of exotic binary star system where a rapidly spinning white dwarf powers electrons to almost the speed of light, causing radiation blasts that lash the companion red dwarf star, resulting in dramatic pulses every 1.97 minutes.
Researchers at the University of Warwick have discovered a new type of exotic binary star that produces powerful beams of particles and radiation, affecting its nearby companion star. The star, AR Scorpii, has a white dwarf with intense magnetic fields that accelerate electrons in the atmosphere of the red dwarf to close to the speed o...
Astronomers have discovered a unique white dwarf binary system, AR Scorpii, exhibiting powerful radio pulses that are unlike anything seen before from a white dwarf. The system's rapidly spinning white dwarf accelerates electrons, releasing radiation in a lighthouse-like beam that affects its cool red dwarf companion.
Researchers have detected spiraling plasma around a magnetic field in the active nucleus of galaxy Cygnus A, providing insights into the cosmic monster's influence on its surroundings. The observations also confirm that the plasma is highly confined by the effect of the magnetic field.
Researchers used the Gran Telescopio CANARIAS to observe a superluminous supernova almost from its occurrence, revealing surprising behavior including an initial increase in brightness followed by a decline and later stronger increase. The study sheds new light on these rare events, which are up to 100 times more energetic than Type 1a's.
Astronomers confirm 104 exoplanets outside our solar system using NASA's Kepler spacecraft on its K2 mission. The discoveries include a planetary system with four promising rocky planets orbiting the M dwarf star K2-72.
Astronomers discovered a rare cosmic tadpole galaxy, LEDA 36252, with its bright head and elongated tail. The galaxy features surprisingly young stars with a total mass equivalent to 10,000 Suns, indicating a recent burst of star formation triggered by the accretion of primordial gas.
Computer simulations of evolving binary stars predict the formation of massive black hole binaries that can be detected by LIGO. The simulations show a high likelihood of these events occurring due to the production of low-metallicity stars in the early universe.
Scientists observed gravitational waves for the second time, produced during the merger of two black holes. The detection was made possible by the enhanced capabilities of Advanced LIGO and Virgo detectors.
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory has detected a second pair of colliding black holes, validating the landmark discovery from earlier this year. RIT scientists played a crucial role in identifying and analyzing the gravitational wave signal, revealing diverse sizes and spins among black holes in the universe.
The KELT Follow-Up Network, the largest coordinated network of its kind, contributed key observations to confirm the existence of Kepler-1647 b. The planet, a gas giant, orbits two stars and takes nearly 3 years to complete its orbit, making it the longest-period transiting exoplanet found so far.
Astronomers have discovered a new 'Canarias Einstein ring', a rare and unusual phenomenon that provides insight into the composition of distant galaxies. The discovery was made using data from the Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC) and offers valuable information about the structure of gravitational fields and dark matter in galaxy lenses.
Italian researchers used Hubble data and computer models to identify two objects as potential seeds for supermassive black holes. These early black hole seed candidates are seen less than a billion years after the Big Bang and have an initial mass of about 100,000 times the Sun.
Researchers at the IAC discovered a powerful wind of neutral material in the outer layers of V404 Cygni's accretion disc. This wind regulates accretion, causing shorter outbursts, and has been detected for the first time in a black hole system.
A team of astrophysicists has detected an intense wind in the neighborhood of a black hole, which is formed in the outer layers of the accretion disc. The wind has a high velocity of 3,000 km/s and plays a crucial role in regulating the accretion of material by the black hole.
The Gruber Foundation Cosmology Prize recognizes the first observation of gravitational waves by the LIGO team, confirming a key prediction of Einstein's theory of general relativity. This achievement opens up new means of studying the universe and provides direct evidence for the existence of black holes.
Researchers use ALMA's high-resolution data to map the rotation of cold molecular gas and dust orbiting a giant elliptical galaxy, determining the massive supermassive black hole at its center has a mass 660 million times greater than the Sun. The precise measurement is among the most accurate for a galaxy's central black hole.
Astrophysicists have observed a distant star in Andromeda with a different positioning of sunspots, indicating a magnetic field driven by unique internal dynamics. The star's rapid rotation creates a powerful magnetic field, resulting in asymmetrical distribution of sunspots on its surface.
Astronomers have linked a record-breaking cosmic neutrino, Big Bird, detected in 2012 to a powerful outburst from the black hole at PKS B1424-418. The association is supported by data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and other space-based observatories.
The PIPER (Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer) balloon mission aims to detect primordial gravitational waves and prove the universe expanded faster than light after the Big Bang. The discovery could establish a link between gravity and quantum mechanics, resolving long-standing puzzles in physics.
A giant star exploded 30 million years ago in a galaxy near Earth, releasing energy equivalent to 100 million suns. The analysis revealed the star's mass, radius, and chemical composition before its spectacular demise.
Scientists at NJIT's Big Bear Solar Observatory captured unprecedented images of a recent solar flare, including bright flare ribbons and coronal rain. These observations provide new insights into the complex dynamics of the Sun's atmosphere and the massive eruptions on its surface.
Scientists observed a current sheet during a December 2013 solar flare, confirming the role of magnetic reconnection in solar flares. The detailed measurements from three NASA missions provide unprecedented insight into the complex physics behind solar eruptions.
Astronomers discover that the 'afterglow' of a fast radio burst was actually a persistent radio source from a supermassive black hole. The discovery resolves the mystery of the black hole's behavior, which varies randomly due to scintillation and changes in matter consumption.
A Penn State-led research group has been selected by NASA to build a new instrument to detect planets orbiting stars outside our solar system. The NEID instrument will use the tiny gravitational tug of planets on their stars to discover and measure the orbits of rocky planets with liquid water.
The mission aims to observe the emission of soft X-rays from solar particles colliding with Earth's upper atmosphere and neutral gases in interplanetary space. The data will help scientists understand charge exchange processes, atmospheric loss on Mars, and radiation effects on near-Earth space.
Scientists René Heller and Ralph Pudritz suggest focusing on Earth's transit zone, where our planet passes in front of the sun, to maximize the chances of detecting signals from extraterrestrial observers. The proposed method involves studying the dimming of starlight as a planet crosses its host star's face.
Researchers have observed that three years after its explosion, the brightness of a type Ia supernova continues to shine brighter than expected. This finding suggests that the powerful explosions produce an abundance of heavy cobalt, which provides an extra energy boost.
Astronomers have discovered a binary star system with the longest duration stellar eclipse, lasting three and a half years, and the longest period between eclipses in a binary system. The system, TYC 2505-672-1, is approximately 20 astronomical units from Earth and consists of two red giant stars.
A team of astronomers searched for visible light after the first direct detection of gravitational waves by LIGO, but found none. The Dark Energy Camera was rapidly pointed at the location of the event, using large telescopes to scan a vast sky area.
Researchers have discovered young populations of stars within globular clusters that originated from external gas and dust, rather than internal processes. This study suggests that globular clusters can form new stars by 'adopting' stray cosmic gases, turning a complex picture into a more nuanced one.
Researchers discovered young star populations in old globular clusters that formed from gas flowing in from outside the cluster itself. This challenge traditional understanding of star birth and highlights the complex nature of globular clusters.
Scientists propose using 'primordial standard clocks' to label and reconstruct the expansion or contraction history of the primordial universe. This method enables researchers to distinguish between competing scenarios and verify the evolutionary history of our universe.
A new theory suggests a novel way to probe the beginning of space and time, shedding light on initial conditions. The researchers propose using 'primordial standard clocks' to put time labels on seed fluctuations, allowing for the distinction between inflation and contraction scenarios.
A team of astronomers has detected a gas cloud with a wide velocity dispersion, suggesting the presence of an intermediate mass black hole. The cloud's elliptical shape and composition indicate a compact but low-density component and a dense component extending 10 light years.
Astronomers have witnessed a cosmic explosion about 200 times more powerful than a typical supernova, shedding light on the mysterious 'superluminous' explosions. The record-breaking blast, ASASSN-15lh, shone with 570 billion times the brightness of the Sun and is thought to be an outstanding example of a rare stellar scenario.