Articles tagged with Observational Astrophysics
Researchers found that stars in large middle-aged clusters are of similar age, suggesting a complex formation process. The discovery challenges current understanding of stellar evolution and may require re-evaluation of models.
Astronomers have successfully detected a super-Earth's transit using a ground-based telescope, marking the first time this has been done. The transit occurred in front of a bright Sun-like star and demonstrates that small planets can be characterized with existing facilities.
A team of astronomers successfully measured the passing of a super-Earth in front of a nearby Sun-like star using a ground-based telescope. The detection bodes well for characterizing dozens of super-Earths revealed by upcoming surveys.
A team led by Andrea Ghez determined that G2 is most likely a pair of binary stars that had been orbiting the black hole in tandem and merged together into an extremely large star. The research suggests that many of the stars at the center of the galaxy are massive and mostly binaries.
Astronomers have discovered a pulsar that emits an incredible amount of energy, shining brighter than previously thought possible. This find challenges the previous assumption that ultra-luminous X-ray sources are likely black holes.
Researchers found large patches of trace gases shining brightly near Titan's poles, with unexpected east-to-west variations. These findings are consistent with observations made by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which found cloud caps and high concentrations of gases over the poles.
Researchers at the University of Bonn and Cardiff develop a new observational strategy for imaging extremely distant galaxies, using ALMA radio telescope data. This method improves upon previous efforts by accurately estimating molecular hydrogen presence in these galaxies, providing insights into galaxy formation and star creation.
Researchers from around the world have successfully explained the formation and propagation of stellar jets emitted by young stars. The team used a patented experimental device and numerical simulations to demonstrate that interstellar magnetic fields play a key role in confining these jets, which can travel vast distances.
New observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) suggest that miniature solar flares called 'nanoflares' could be partly responsible for heating the Sun's million-degree corona. High-energy electrons generated by these nanoflares may deposit energy in the plasma, leading to coronal heating.
Researchers analyzed images from the Russian spacecraft RadioAstron and found small spots in the overall image, which they call substructure. This phenomenon can be used to infer the actual size of the underlying source, including the black hole's emission region.
A team of scientists used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to create a detailed map of the atmosphere of WASP-43b, an extremely hot and gaseous planet. The findings reveal that the planet has extreme temperature fluctuations between day and night, with winds howling at supersonic speeds.
Scientists from China and the US report results from the first stage of the PandaX-I experiment, a dark matter search in an underground lab. The data from this experiment place strong constraints on previously reported dark matter-like signals.
The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) mission has captured a unique perspective on an X-class solar flare, highlighting the transition region and corona. The observations provide insight into the dynamics of these powerful flares, which can have significant effects on Earth's magnetic field and radiation environment.
The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will image the entire visible sky twice per week, providing a vast amount of information on short-lived transient events, dark matter, and dark energy. The project is a partnership among NSF, DOE, and private contributors, with operational support from researchers worldwide.
Scientists observed six minutes worth of data from NASA's EUNIS mission, gathering strong evidence for nanoflares as the source of the sun's corona heat. The detection is consistent with only one current theory: constant bursts of impulsive heating provide the mysterious extra heat.
Astronomers have mapped the mass within a galaxy cluster, MCS J0416.1-2403, more precisely than ever before using unprecedented depth of data from Hubble's Frontier Fields programme. The team identified 51 new multiply imaged galaxies around the cluster, quadrupling the number found in previous surveys.
The Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST) mission aims to study dark energy, the mysterious form of energy that accelerates the universe's expansion. ATLAST would also detect signatures of life in the atmospheres of Earth-like planets and resolve stars in distant galaxies.
Scientists observe electrons jumping between molecular fragments up to a distance of about 20 Ångström, marking the transition from molecular to atomic regimes. The study provides insights into charge transfer mechanisms that play a role in numerous chemical processes, including photosynthesis and solar cells.
Researchers simulate bubble universe collisions to predict observable signatures, ruling out certain models and providing a proof of principle for the multiverse hypothesis. By producing testable predictions, the multiverse model has crossed the line between appealing story and real science.
Researchers at the Telescope Array observatory detected a disproportionate number of high-energy cosmic rays emanating from a specific area in the northern sky. The discovery provides a promising lead in identifying the sources of these enigmatic particles, which are believed to originate from beyond our galaxy.
Scientists have discovered the corona extends far beyond previous observations, with implications for NASA's Solar Probe Plus mission. Direct measurements of the heliosphere's inner boundary provide new insights into solar particle behavior and the origin of the solar wind.
Researchers David Trilling and Michael Mommert found asteroid 2011 MD to be 65% empty, consisting of a cloud of rocks or dust with a solid rock at its nucleus. This challenges long-held assumptions about the nature of small asteroids.
Researchers investigated two successive three-ribbon solar flares using high-resolution data, revealing a 'fish-bone-like' morphology and surge-like flows. The study suggests magnetic reconnection along the coronal null line is involved in producing the flares and associated coronal mass ejections.
The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) successfully observed a gigantic coronal mass ejection (CME) on May 9, 2014. The spacecraft caught the event in extraordinary detail, revealing its unprecedented size and structure.
The Palomar Transient Factory successfully observed a supernova exploding in real-time, providing unique spectral features that suggest its progenitor was a nitrogen-rich Wolf-Rayet star. This discovery will aid in understanding massive star evolution and identifying potential supernova precursors.
For the first time, scientists have direct confirmation that a Wolf-Rayet star died in a violent explosion known as a Type IIb supernova. The discovery was made using the iPTF pipeline, which caught the supernova within hours of its explosion and triggered ground- and space-based telescopes to observe the event.
Researchers have discovered a gas giant exoplanet, GU Psc b, located 2,000 times closer to its star than Earth is to the Sun. The planet's massive size and distance from its star make it an ideal object for studying giant exoplanets.
Researchers have detected circularly polarized light from a recently formed black hole, confirming a theoretical model. The discovery was made using the VLT telescope and is considered an extraordinary event due to its high degree of polarization.
The Cosmic Web Imager has obtained three-dimensional pictures of the intergalactic medium, revealing the structure of the IGM for the first time. The instrument has detected a possible spiral-galaxy-in-the-making, three times the size of the Milky Way.
A team of astronomers has developed a viable model for the planetary system orbiting the star 55 Cancri, solving long-standing mysteries about the masses and orbits of its two giant planets. The study reveals that their particular masses and orbits are preventing the system from self-destructing anytime soon.
Researchers use NASA's SDO to map dynamic magnetic fields and brightpoints in the sun's atmosphere, revealing deep-seated activity and potential cells of flowing material. This breakthrough offers near real-time mapping of the sun's interior, affecting solar flares and other events.
Cosmic slurp: Researchers used NSF XSEDE supercomputers to simulate tidal disruptions of stars by supermassive black holes, predicting their observational signatures. This will help advance our understanding of galactic physics and properties of supermassive black holes.
Researchers at Northwestern University are observing the closest approach between Sgr A*, a supermassive black hole, and gas cloud G2, which could reveal insights into black hole growth. The data from Chandra X-ray Observatory and Very Large Array may provide clues about the feeding habits of these massive objects.
Astronomers have observed a miniature planet, Chariklo, with two rings of ice and pebbles located between Saturn and Uranus. The discovery was made using a new camera at the Danish telescope in Chile, which revealed two thin rings separated by 14 km.
Researchers at SISSA have discovered that neutron stars can be described with just three parameters: mass, angular momentum, and quadrupole moment, independent of the equation of state. This finding has major implications for understanding these complex objects.
The APF facility consists of a 2.4-meter telescope and the Levy Spectrometer, which Vogt designed and optimized specifically for planet hunting. Repeated measurement of a star's spectrum enables astronomers to detect the tiny wobble induced in a star by the gravitational tug of an orbiting planet.
A team of astronomers discovered mature galaxies at a record-breaking distance, containing 100 billion stars each. These galaxies formed rapidly over 1 billion years, with star formation rates hundreds of times higher than observed today.
Scientists studying the closest, brightest supernova in decades discovered it exhibited unusual characteristics, including rapid brightening. The findings may provide new clues to how stars explode and improve distance measurements, constraining the nature of dark energy.
Astronomers have observed huge clouds of gas circling supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, revealing a previously unknown phenomenon. These clouds can intermittently dim X-ray sources, providing evidence for their existence and confirming predictions made by recent models.
In 1917 Einstein applied general relativity to a static universe, introducing the cosmological constant to address gravitational collapse. He resisted expanding universe views despite contemporary suggestions from astrophysicists Alexander Friedman and Georges Lemaître.
Circumbinary planets are thought to have formed far from their binary star systems before migrating to their current location. Researchers used computer simulations to model the early stages of planet formation around Kepler-34(AB)b and found that the majority must have formed much further away.
Astronomers plan observations of supernova SN 2014J with NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and other space missions. The event provides an opportunity to study how interstellar dust affects its light.
A team of astronomers discovered a primordial galaxy, Himiko, seen at 800 million years after the Big Bang. The observations using Hubble and ALMA revealed intense star formation, but puzzlingly low metal content, challenging current star formation theories.
A team of scientists has detected for the first time in an individual object the kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect, a change in the cosmic microwave background caused by massive moving objects. The observation was made using the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory and confirms predictions of cosmological theory.
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory detected cosmic neutrinos, overcoming challenges in building a colossal detector deep under the ice at the South Pole. This achievement gives astronomers a new way to study the cosmos.
IRIS has captured detailed images of the interface region between the sun's surface and corona, revealing more violent and turbulent phenomena than previously understood. The mission's observations also provide new insights into solar eruptive events and the dynamics of the low solar atmosphere.
The IceCube experiment has observed high-energy neutrinos from outside our solar system, hinting at the existence of cosmic accelerators. These astrophysical neutrinos may originate from supernovas, black holes, or pulsars.
Astronomers have observed a monster gamma-ray burst in the relatively nearby universe, revealing a giant star with a mass 20-30 times that of the Sun and rapidly rotating. The burst was so powerful that it could be observed for several months, providing insights into the properties of the original star.
Scientists have observed 28 extremely high-energy events that confirm the presence of astrophysical neutrinos from outside our solar system. These findings suggest the existence of cosmic accelerators accelerating particles to energies above 50 trillion electron volts, exceeding the LHC's proton acceleration capabilities.
Researchers at the BESIII experiment have observed two new charged charmonium-like states, Zc(4020) and a neutral X(3872), in high-energy collisions. These discoveries suggest the existence of a previously unknown family of four-quark objects.
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have observed a unique asteroid with six comet-like tails, challenging current understanding of asteroids and comets. The asteroid's rotation rate may have caused its surface to fly apart, ejecting dust into space.
Mészáros was honored for his groundbreaking research on gamma-ray bursts, developing the cosmological-fireball-shock scenario that has been confirmed by observations. He is also recognized for publishing numerous papers in this field and being a leading researcher in high-energy astrophysics.
Researchers provide physical explanation for Larson's Laws, showing that three correlations are due to the same underlying physics of supersonic turbulence. The study uses six simulations to support this interpretation and sheds light on molecular cloud structure formation.
Researchers Drs. Michael Hahn and Daniel Wolf Savin found evidence that magnetic waves can heat the corona, depositing most of their energy at low heights for widespread heat distribution. This discovery helps answer a 70-year-old solar physics conundrum about the Sun's extreme corona temperature.
The Journal of High Energy Astrophysics aims to publish impactful and rigorous papers on high energy phenomena, including black holes, neutron stars, and supernovae. The journal offers free online access for all articles published in the first year.
A team of astronomers reports key observations that confirm a theory describing how dust grains in interstellar space align themselves in the presence of magnetic fields. The findings have significant implications for understanding interstellar medium and novel observational tactics to probe magnetic fields.
Astronomers have discovered a massive population of globular clusters within Abell 1689, the largest number ever found. The study reveals that this galaxy cluster could contain over 160,000 globulars, with 10,000 identified in Hubble observations.
Scientists have overturned previous notions of how the sun's writhing insides move from equator to pole and back again. The team found a double-layered circulation system with two cycles on top of each other, providing new opportunities for studying solar magnetism and cycles.
Astronomers have imaged the carbon monoxide snow line around a young star, TW Hydrae, for the first time. The discovery sheds light on planet and comet formation, with implications for the origin of life.
Astronomers have tracked the orbital motion of 33,000 stars in one of the Galaxy's oldest globular clusters, offering new insights into the formation of the Milky Way. The study reveals two distinct generations of stars within globular cluster 47 Tucanae, differing in age by 100 million years.