Articles tagged with Observational Astrophysics
Scientists analyzed data from a devastating 2006 Java earthquake that triggered a tsunami, leading to the development of an early warning system for earthquakes. Researchers also studied tectonic processes causing subsidence in Louisiana, while investigating ways to monitor volcanic explosivity through ground deformation near vents.
Astronomers found that black holes of all sizes follow the same 'feeding' process, with characteristic timescales changing linearly with mass and inversely with accretion rate. This discovery helps determine black hole masses in hard-to-reach cases.
Scientists have detected loops and rings of hot gas surrounding the supermassive black hole, indicating periodic eruptions that generate pressure waves and sound. The sound waves are found to be more discordant and complex than previously detected, with a range of frequencies below middle C.
Researchers used Hubble Space Telescope to explore galaxy formation during first 900 million years after Big Bang. They found a significant increase in bright galaxies around 13 billion years ago, providing evidence for hierarchical theory of galaxy formation.
For the first time a star has been observed as it goes supernova – a mind-bogglingly powerful explosion that briefly outshines an entire galaxy. UK scientists used NASA's Swift satellite and a combination of orbiting and ground-based observatories to catch the event in real-time.
Researchers have found evidence of a binary system in the Quintuplet cluster, where two massive stars are orbiting each other. The discovery of 'pinwheel-shaped' dust spirals around these stars provides further proof of their dual nature and corrects previous estimates of their sizes.
Scientists have discovered large, rotating disc galaxies that formed on a rapid time scale, just 3 billion years after the Big Bang. These findings reveal unprecedented details about the anatomy of these distant proto-disc galaxies, including their gas motions and star formation rates.
Scientists using NASA's FUSE satellite discovered more 'heavy' hydrogen in the Milky Way than expected, altering theories about star and galaxy formation. The finding indicates that destruction of deuterium has been occurring at a slower rate than previously thought.
A recent survey of galaxies observed along the sightlines to quasars and gamma-ray bursts has revealed a striking inconsistency. Galaxies appear to be four times more common in the direction of gamma-ray bursts than in the direction of quasars, contradicting basic concepts of cosmology.
The MAGIC team discovered variable gamma-ray emission from microquasar LS I +61 303, revealing a direct relationship between the stars' interplay and gamma-ray production. The findings suggest that gamma-ray emission could be a common property of microquasars, contradicting previous expectations.
A team led by FSU physicist Sam Tabor has discovered a novel form of radioactive decay in which two protons are ejected simultaneously from a silver atom. This unexpected finding expands knowledge of nuclear physics and has implications for astrophysics and the production of elements on Earth.
Researchers have discovered a remarkably stable indentation in the fabric of space and time, created by the spin of a black hole. The finding is based on identical patterns observed in X-ray light emitted near the black hole nine years apart, using NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer.
A team of scientists measured gas motions within 10 light-years of a supermassive black hole, confirming main theories at unprecedented scales. The observations revealed dynamic shifts in the gas and showed spiral arms pulling gas from distant regions.
Astronomers have created detailed maps of invisible dark matter in two young galaxy clusters, lending credence to the theory that galaxies form at dense regions of cosmic webs. The study used the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys to overcome atmospheric turbulence and measure subtle gravitational lensing effects.
Scientists have discovered energetic plumes extending 300,000 light years into a massive galaxy cluster. The plumes are caused by explosive venting from a supermassive black hole and demonstrate the far-reaching influence of a black hole on intergalactic distances.
Researchers confirm that Einstein's cosmological constant behaves like dark energy, driving the acceleration of the universe. The study uses innovative imaging data from the Supernova Legacy Survey, which reveals a precision of 10% and challenges theoretical ideas about dark energy.
Astronomers find a dense whirling ball of neutrons in an extremely young star cluster, challenging the idea that nature can make black holes. The discovery shows massive stars may not collapse into black holes as predicted, but instead create neutron stars with a greater influence on future generations of stars.
A team led by Neil Gehrels' Swift science team detected the afterglow of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) with a redshift of 6.29, confirming Lamb and Reichart's earlier prediction from 1999. This discovery smashes the old distance record by 500 million light years.
A recent study by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory suggests that the sun contains nearly three times more neon than previously believed. This discovery has solved a critical problem with understanding how the sun works. The increased amount of neon plays a crucial role in energy flow from nuclear reactions to space.
The newly discovered planet, orbiting Gliese 876, is the smallest and first rocky terrestrial planet found around a normal star. Its surface temperature may be too hot for life as we know it due to its close proximity to the star.
X-ray flashes and gamma-ray bursts, two powerful cosmic explosions, have long been linked in theory. New satellite data, however, suggests that these events may not be as connected as previously thought, contradicting popular theories.
Astronomers observed a binary star system called RX J0806.3+1527, where the white dwarf pair has an estimated mass of one-half the sun and orbits at a rate consistent with gravitational wave predictions. The system is believed to be among the brightest sources of gravitational waves in the galaxy.
Observations of SN 2003jd reveal aspherical explosion, supporting hypothesis that Type Ic supernovae can produce gamma-ray bursts. The findings also suggest that the direction-dependent shape of the oxygen line is a key indicator of an aspherical explosion.
A new study reveals that Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) can originate from tiny magnetic regions on the Sun, challenging current theories. The research used data from NASA/ESA's SOHO spacecraft and found that these mini-CMEs were energetic enough to reach Earth, causing aurora and disrupting satellite communications.
The Chandra X-ray Observatory has observed an X-ray outburst from the highly evolved red giant star Mira A, revealing a bridge of hot matter streaming between it and its companion white dwarf. The detection provides insights into interactions between binary systems, including those with a collapsed star.
Researchers using the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey observe a fundamental constant unchanged over 7 billion years. The fine structure constant affects atomic interactions and light emission, with no variation detected in distant galaxies.
Researchers have found that some galaxies and their central black holes underwent a phenomenal growth spurt, setting the stage for the birth of quasars. The study used Chandra X-ray observations to track the growth of supermassive black holes alongside the formation of stars in these galaxies.
Researchers have directly measured light from two confirmed extrasolar planets, HD 209458b and TrES-1, using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The gas giants, similar to Jupiter, orbit close to their stars and radiate strongly in the infrared, with temperatures reaching up to 1,574 degrees Fahrenheit.
Astronomers have detected periodic X-ray variations in a galaxy, suggesting a massive black hole with a mass of approximately 10,000 Suns. This finding provides strong evidence for the existence of intermediate-mass black holes, which could bridge the gap between stellar-mass and supermassive black holes.
A team of researchers has found evidence of dark energy in the universe's cosmic neighborhood, with billions of galaxies emerging from a sea of dark energy. The findings provide supporting evidence for the presence of dark energy, which is causing the universe to accelerate in expansion.
The Einstein@Home project enlists thousands of home computers to analyze data from LIGO and GEO-600 detectors, searching for subtle ripples in space-time predicted by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. By involving hundreds of thousands of people, the project aims to discover gravitational waves and validate theoretical physics.
A team of astronomers has discovered a remote galaxy cluster that is as massive as several thousand galaxies like our Milky Way and is located 9,000 million light-years away. The cluster contains reddish and elliptical galaxies with old stars, indicating it formed when the Universe was less than one third of its present age.
A team of researchers has discovered a web-like system of gas clouds containing the missing baryons, which are thought to make up half of the universe's mass. The clouds, detected using X-ray telescope data, have temperatures of around 1 million degrees Celsius and are spread over vast distances.
Astronomer Dr. Schaefer has discovered a long-lost star catalog of Hipparchus, an ancient Greek astronomer, on the Roman statue Farnese Atlas. The catalog, which dates back to 129 B.C., was previously thought to be lost and its accuracy questioned.
Astronomers discovered a record-breaking eruption of hot gas and cavities in galaxy cluster MS 0735.6+7421, fueled by a super massive black hole growing at an incredible rate. The event generated energy equivalent to hundreds of millions of gamma-ray bursts.
Using the Spitzer Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory, researchers observed the Kepler's supernova remnant, uncovering a bubble-shaped shroud of gas and dust expanding at 4 million miles per hour. The observations revealed distinct features, including heated interstellar dust and regions of hot gas.
The SNEWS system, an international collaboration of neutrino observatories, aims to provide astronomers with a prompt alert for galactic supernovas. This network can electronically compare data to increase scientists' confidence that a neutrino signal is really from a supernova.
Astronomers have discovered a Jupiter-sized gas giant orbiting a star located 500 light-years from Earth. The newly found world circles its star every 3.03 days at a distance of only 4 million miles, much closer and faster than Mercury in our solar system.
Scientists have discovered a distant planet using the transit technique and spectroscopy, revealing key findings about TrES-1's atmosphere and orbit. The discovery marks the first extrasolar planet found by a dedicated survey of thousands of relatively bright stars.
Astronomers using the European AVO Virtual Observatory have discovered a whole population of obscured, powerful supermassive black holes in the GOODS survey fields. The team found thirty objects, which they believe were underestimated by a factor of two to five.
Researchers used the Gemini telescope to produce sharp infrared images of quasar host galaxies, finding only one convincing detection that was unremarkable in size and brightness. This challenges previous assumptions about the relationship between quasars and their host galaxies.
A team of astronomers at Penn State used the Hobby-Eberly Telescope to detect a cometlike body falling onto a massive, very young star. The infall, which occurred about 3200 years ago, provided dramatic spectral variations in the star's light. This discovery sheds light on planetary formation and the evolution of massive star systems.
Astronomers have successfully detected their first two near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) using a refurbished telescope at the Australian National University's Siding Spring Observatory. The discoveries, made on March 29, include an 100-meter and 300-meter asteroid that pose no direct threat to Earth.
The GEMS consortium presents the largest contiguous color image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, comprising over 40,000 galaxies. The team uses this image to investigate how large galaxies evolved over the last nine billion years.
The Gemini Deep Deep Survey has revealed a greater abundance of more massive and older galaxies than expected, dating back to the early universe. The discovery challenges current models of galaxy formation and suggests an accelerated growth phase for galaxies.
A team led by Reinhard Genzel reports detecting powerful infrared flares from a region just outside the supermassive black hole, indicating rapid rotation. The observed signals suggest that the black hole's fundamental orbital time is about half of the maximum spin allowed by general relativity.
The DEEP2 Redshift Survey has produced the first detailed maps of galaxy distribution in the early universe, revealing large-scale structures and differences in galaxy clustering. These maps show similar structures to those seen in the local universe but at an earlier stage of development.
A team of researchers has made a groundbreaking discovery linking black hole growth to galaxy evolution. The study found that more than 20,000 galaxies contain growing black holes, mostly in massive galaxies with recent star formation. As the rate of black hole growth increases, so does the amount of recent star formation.
A new 3D map of local space reveals the Sun at the center of an irregular cavity, surrounded by a dense wall of gas. The map suggests that interlocking cavities and tunnels were created by supernovas or strong stellar winds.
Researchers have found evidence of high-speed winds blowing copious amounts of gas from the cores of quasar galaxies, powered by black holes. The winds may regulate black hole growth and create new stars, with a wind transporting substantial amounts of carbon, oxygen, and iron into the interstellar medium.
Researchers detected a sudden cooling of the star Rho Cassiopeiae in 2000, resulting in an unprecedented mass ejection into space. The star is now considered one of the brightest yellow hypergiants in the Milky Way, with a luminosity over half a million times that of the Sun.
Researchers discovered that giant solar loops can erupt explosively, releasing massive amounts of plasma and heat. The longer the loop, the more likely it is to erupt, posing a threat to satellites and space weather.
Researchers at Ohio University have discovered a massive X-ray disk in an elliptical galaxy, revealing complex dynamics and challenging previous assumptions about galaxy formation. The giant disk is 90,000 light years wide and spinning through the galaxy, suggesting that elliptical galaxies may not be as simple as previously thought.
Astronomers detected two active black holes at the center of galaxy NGC 6240 using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The binary black hole system will eventually merge, producing massive gravitational waves detectable by LISA.
Astronomers uncover a star with extremely low element abundance, providing a unique window into the Milky Way's early stages. The discovery challenges current theories and offers hope for finding 'unpolluted' Big Bang material.
Researchers tracked a star's orbit around a suspected black hole in the Milky Way, revealing its massive gravitational pull. The observation provides key evidence for the existence of a supermassive black hole at the galaxy's center.
Adaptive optics systems are expanding ground-based astronomy capabilities, enabling unprecedented views of the universe. The technology has already produced eightfold improvements in image quality at observatories like the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii.
Astronomers detect ND3, the first molecule with three deuterium atoms, in a molecular cloud at distances of 500 to1000 light-years from Earth. The discovery suggests that gas-phase reactions are responsible for producing molecules in interstellar space.
Brown dwarfs have long been observed to appear brighter as they cool, but scientists couldn't explain the phenomenon until now. Using a model that takes into account cloudy storm patterns, researchers have found that atmospheric weather on brown dwarfs can cause them to brighten, similar to Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
The DEIMOS instrument will multiply the power of current Keck spectroscopy by a factor of seven, enabling observations of distant galaxies and shedding light on the formation and evolution of galaxies. With its massive detector and advanced optics, DEIMOS will create the most comprehensive map of the distant universe ever attempted.