Articles tagged with Observational Astrophysics
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Researchers used Hubble to analyze the motion of over 30,000 stars in 47 Tucanae, linking their orbital motion to age for the first time. The study found two distinct populations of stars, with ages differing by less than 100 million years.
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.
Astronomers have observed a galaxy feeding on material from its surroundings, shedding light on galaxy formation. The study used ESO's VLT to analyze the properties of gas around the galaxy, providing unique insights into the growth of galaxies.
A team of astronomers has spotted a distant galaxy consuming nearby gas, which fuels star formation and drives rotation. This discovery supports the theory that galaxies pull in material to grow and form stars.
Astrophysicists used supercomputer simulations and traditional calculations to demonstrate that gas spiraling toward a black hole inevitably results in X-ray emissions. The study reveals high-energy light emission is not only possible but also an inevitable outcome of gas being drawn into a black hole.
A new NASA-led study confirms the production of high-energy X-rays from gas spiraling into a black hole. The research models the complex motions and turbulent magnetic fields in the accretion disk, reproducing important features long observed in active black holes.
Researchers have found evidence of an exoplanet forming at a distance of about 80 astronomical units (AU) from its star, TW Hydrae. The discovery is surprising as planets typically form closer to the central star.
IRIS aims to unravel the interface region by providing high-resolution images and spectrograph data, revealing structures like giant jets that affect the solar wind and Earth's climate. The mission will utilize advanced computing to interpret the light flowing out of this region.
A study published in Nature found that 70% of stars with high sodium content fail to reach the final red giant phase. This discovery challenges previous assumptions about the life cycle of low-mass stars, including our Sun.
Astronomers discovered a rare galaxy that turns gas into stars with near 100% efficiency, outperforming even the most efficient engines. This highly tuned galaxy forms stars at a rate hundreds of times faster than our Milky Way, with the majority of its starlight emitted by a small region.
Researchers discovered that the South pole vortex of Venus is composed of two main cloud layers, with centres of rotation at different altitudes forming a constantly evolving permanent structure. This phenomenon, known as super-rotation, occurs due to the planet's slow rotation speed and fast atmospheric rotation rate.
Researchers have discovered vigorous starbursts in young galaxies, indicating the universe produced stars much earlier than thought. The findings reveal a rate of star formation 1,000 times greater than today's Milky Way and provide new insights into the history of the universe.
Researchers observed four planets orbiting HR 8799 star using a new telescope imaging system, revealing chemical imbalances and unusual properties. The planets have methane or ammonia alone in their atmospheres, with little to no sign of their natural partners.
Astronomers used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to determine the age of the oldest known star, HD 140283, which could be as old as 14.5 billion years. The new age estimate reduces measurement uncertainty, overlapping with the universe's age, and provides a precise calculation of the star's intrinsic brightness.
Researchers used NuSTAR to observe X-rays emitted by hot gas near a supermassive black hole, ruling out obscuring clouds and conclusively measuring its spin rate. The findings provide crucial clues about the fundamental relationship between black holes and their host galaxies.
Astronomers have observed a main-belt comet trail caused by an impulsive short-lived event around July 1st, 2011. The dust structure reveals physical properties of particles and proportions of different sizes.
Scientists have observed a rare pre-explosion outburst occurring just one month before a massive star underwent a supernova explosion. The findings validate a particular model predicting this type of event and provide insight into the processes taking place in the cores of such massive stars.
Researchers have shown that performing an action on one particle can immediately affect another, even if they are separated by vast distances. This has implications for secure communication methods, as entangled photons could enable fast and private data transfer.
Scientists successfully demonstrated a new X-ray camera, STORM, that observed charge exchange processes near Earth's magnetosphere. This technology provides insights into the physical process and can help determine space weather in our solar system.
Scientists have proposed a theory that explains the formation of a mysterious 'ribbon' of energy and particles at the edge of our solar system. The retention theory suggests that neutral hydrogen atoms from the solar wind become trapped by intense waves in the magnetic field, creating the ribbon.
Scientists observed a flux rope forming ahead of time in a coronal mass ejection (CME), providing a case study on its formation. The high-temperature plasma glow helped highlight the flux rope, which was then severed from the sun's surface, releasing billions of tons of solar material.
Researchers observed a pulsar that dramatically changes its radio and X-ray emissions, defying existing theories on star emission. The study reveals the pulsar switches between two extreme states, one dominated by X-ray pulses and the other by organized radio pulses.
Researchers have discovered radio emissions from ultracool dwarfs that are powered by processes similar to Jupiter's auroras, indicating the presence of auroras outside our solar system.
The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) will study the lower levels of the sun's atmosphere, including the chromosphere and transition region. The mission aims to unravel how matter, light, and energy move from the surface to the corona, with implications for solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
Researchers from the University of York and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya have made significant discoveries about novae, explosive events driven by nuclear processes. The study's findings improve our understanding of key nuclear reactions and the final abundance of radioactive isotopes involved in these explosions.
Astronomers have detected giant outflows of charged particles from the center of our galaxy, stretching across half the sky and emitting an enormous amount of energy. The outflows were found to be driven by star formation and are carrying strong magnetic fields that may play a key role in generating the galaxy's overall magnetic field.
Astronomers have discovered a distant galaxy, MACS0647-JD, which offers a glimpse into the early universe 420 million years after the Big Bang. The galaxy was magnified by a massive cluster using gravitational lensing, revealing three images of the same object.
Astronomers have found a galaxy whose light traveled 13.3 billion years to reach Earth, offering a glimpse into the universe's early stages. The newly discovered galaxy, MACS0647-JD, is only a tiny fraction of the size of our Milky Way and may be one of many building blocks of a galaxy.
New observations of distant galaxies reveal that internal motions were more disordered in the past, and the Hubble sequence of well-ordered disk galaxies evolved from earlier chaotic forms. This challenges the long-held assumption about disk galaxy formation, finding they evolved gradually over 8 billion years.
Researchers studied 544 blue galaxies and found they gradually transformed into orderly disk-shaped systems, with increasing rotation speeds and organization. The study's findings contradict previous studies that examined only well-behaved galaxies.
A team of astronomers, led by Joel Kastner from RIT, has conducted the most comprehensive X-ray survey to date for planetary nebulae using Chandra's exceptional 'X-ray vision'. The study reveals new insights into the violent processes of stellar death and wind collisions in X-rays.
NASA's Swift satellite detected a rising tide of high-energy X-rays from a source near the center of the Milky Way galaxy, announcing the presence of a new stellar-mass black hole. The discovery was made using the Burst Alert Telescope and X-ray Telescope on Swift.
Researchers at MIT's Haystack Observatory have measured the radius of a black hole at the center of a distant galaxy using the Event Horizon Telescope. The measurement confirms Einstein's theory of general relativity by showing that the accretion disk is spinning in the same direction as the black hole.
Researchers measured lithium in Small Magellanic Cloud gas, finding more than predicted by Big Bang models. The discrepancy could indicate novel physics or dark matter particles.