Articles tagged with Observational Astrophysics
The team observed an 'inside-out' growing galaxy in the early universe using the James Webb Space Telescope. This type of growth had been predicted by theoretical models but was never directly observed until now. The research found that the star formation activity is rising towards the outskirts, indicating a rapid growth rate.
The WVU STARS-UP program pairs two-year colleges with nearby four-year institutions to provide astrophysics and astronomy research opportunities. The goal is to create a sustainable pipeline for careers in STEM, focusing on underrepresented students from low socioeconomic communities.
A team of astronomers discovered new insights into the forces that shape protoplanetary disks using the James Webb Space Telescope. They traced disk winds in unprecedented detail, revealing an intricate structure and a pronounced central hole inside each cone-shaped envelope of winds.
Two UMD Astronomy space probes, AXIS and PRIMA, have advanced to the next round of consideration for a $1 billion NASA mission. AXIS will study X-rays from stars and black holes, while PRIMA will explore far-infrared radiation to understand galaxy formation.
The TESS mission has discovered a rare stellar triplet system with twin stars orbiting each other every 1.8 days, and a third star that circles the pair in just 25 days. The discovery sets a new record for the shortest outer orbital period of this type of system.
A Southwest Research Institute-led team has detected carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on Charon's surface, revealing insights into the moon's geological processes and formation. The presence of these substances suggests that Charon's surface is altered by solar ultraviolet light and energetic particles.
Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet orbiting Barnard's star, located six light-years away, which has at least half the mass of Venus and orbits its star in just over three Earth days. The discovery was made using ESO's VLT and confirms the existence of a new exoplanet candidate, while also hinting at the presence of three more.
The SAGA Survey has found that the Milky Way Galaxy appears to be an outlier in terms of its satellite galaxies, having acquired only two large satellites recently compared to other systems. The survey also explores the mechanisms that would stop star formation in these small galaxies, finding that environmental factors play a role.
This study reveals how Mars' induced magnetosphere responds to solar wind conditions, including IMF strength, dynamic pressure, and EUV flux. The research finds significant positive correlations between magnetic field residuals and IMF intensity and solar wind dynamic pressure.
A team of researchers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope found more black holes than previously reported in the early universe. The new result sheds light on how supermassive black holes were created and can help scientists understand galaxy evolution.
A new study proposes that early dark energy could explain the formation of numerous bright galaxies in the early universe, resolving the 'Hubble tension' puzzle. The team modeled galaxy formation with a brief appearance of early dark energy, finding it fits observations and solves both puzzles.
Convection motions have been tracked in detail on a red giant star for the first time, providing new insights into stellar behavior. The observations reveal giant, hot bubbles of gas appearing on the surface and sinking back into the star's interior faster than expected.
Astronomers have detected two closely spaced supermassive black holes in the nearby universe using NASA's Hubble and Chandra telescopes. The black holes are fueled by infalling gas and dust, causing them to shine brightly as active galactic nuclei (AGN).
UNLV astrophysicists found evidence suggesting the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, Sgr A*, is likely the result of a past cosmic merger. The study utilized data from the Event Horizon Telescope's 2022 observation of Sgr A* to investigate various growth models and demonstrated that the misaligned spin prop...
Drs Johanna Vos aims to better understand weather patterns on extrasolar worlds using the James Webb Space Telescope. Her Exo-PEA project will reveal dominant atmospheric processes governing giant world weather, expanding our understanding of planetary atmospheres.
A research team at Lund University has discovered a small exoplanet, TOI-1408c, with an unusual orbital motion that deviates from predicted behavior. The planet's interactions with its star and other planets offer insights into the complexity of planetary system formation.
A new study uses observations from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft to measure the cosmic optical background, a phenomenon known as the universe's glow. The results suggest that the glow is roughly 100 billion times fainter than sunlight and provides valuable insights into the history of the universe since the Big Bang.
The James Webb Space Telescope has identified six likely rogue worlds, including the lightest ever found with a dusty disk around it. These objects offer insights into how stars and planets form, suggesting that gas giants can form in disks around young stars.
Researchers led by Katherine Chworowsky found that early galaxies were not as massive as initially thought due to black holes' influence. The study suggests that these black holes consume gas, emitting heat and light that makes the galaxies appear brighter than they really are.
An international team of astronomers has disproven a 'conspiracy' that stars and dark matter interact in inexplicable ways. By using advanced modeling techniques, they found that the similarity in galaxy density is due to how astronomers measured and modeled galaxies, rather than an actual interaction between stars and dark matter.
A new study published in Physical Review Letters suggests that nanohertz gravitational waves may not originate from supercool first-order phase transitions. Researchers found that such transitions would struggle to complete, shifting the frequency of the waves away from nanohertz frequencies.
A new study has confirmed that plasma bubbles are the key to understanding fast radio bursts (FRBs), with researchers detecting the weakest persistent radio emission ever recorded for an FRB. The data suggests that a magnetar or high-accretion X-ray binary is powering these mysterious events.
The Ariel Data Challenge 2024 aims to extract faint exoplanetary signals from noisy space telescope observations, with a focus on overcoming noise sources like 'jitter noise'. The competition offers a unique chance for data scientists and AI enthusiasts to contribute to cutting-edge research in exoplanet atmospheres.
Researchers used hydrogen to track dark matter's presence in the universe, revealing a tension between observations and theoretical predictions. The findings suggest that an unknown particle or new physics may be responsible for this discrepancy.
Researchers found an intermediate-mass black hole in star cluster IRS 13 near SgrA*, suggesting it could be a 'seed' for the central supermassive black hole. The discovery provides insights into the galaxy's evolution and the formation of intermediate-mass black holes.
Astronomers at MIT and Penn State have discovered a new 'progenitor' of hot Jupiters, a highly eccentric planet with an orbit providing clues to its evolution. The planet, TIC 241249530 b, is expected to become a scorching hot Jupiter in about 1 billion years.
Astronomers have uncovered 21 neutron stars in wide orbits around stars like our Sun, revealing the first dark neutron star population. The discovery was made possible by the European Space Agency's Gaia mission, which scanned the sky and measured wobbles of over a billion stars.
Researchers propose that simple forms of ultra-light scalar field matter could generate detectable gravitational wave backgrounds soon after the Big Bang. This discovery could shed light on dark matter and its role in the universe's mass, offering a new avenue for fundamental physics research.
A team of astronomers used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to create the most accurate three-dimensional understanding of stars' movements within the Draco dwarf galaxy. This allowed them to build a more precise model of dark matter distribution, which aligns with cosmological models and suggests a cusp-like structure.
Researchers recreated the structure of supernova remnant SN 1181 using a new computer model, explaining its double shock formation. The study also found that high-speed stellar winds may have started blowing from its surface within the past 20-30 years.
Researchers at Lancaster University and others are building the most sensitive dark matter detectors using quantum technologies. They aim to detect dark matter particles weighing between 0.01 to a few hydrogen atoms, which could reveal the mass and interactions of these mysterious particles.
Astronomers have observed five young massive star clusters in the Cosmic Gems arc galaxy for the first time, revealing details about infant galaxies and globular cluster formation. The study uses gravitational lensing to resolve small scales in the distant galaxy, providing a unique window into the early Universe.
A team of scientists from the University of Warsaw detected a population of massive black holes, which could comprise at most a few percent of dark matter. The findings were published in Nature and the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series.
For the first time, a team of French scientists has observed brown dwarfs orbiting very close to bright stars using precise astronomical imaging. The findings provide new insights into the formation of these unusual celestial objects and massive exoplanets.
A new dataset from the VELOCE project has collected over 18,000 high-precision measurements of Cepheid radial velocities, providing insights into the structure and evolution of these stars. The data reveal complex patterns in pulsations that cannot be explained by traditional models, suggesting intricate processes within the stars.
Researchers discovered nine X-ray flares from Sagittarius A* and analyzed a decade's worth of data to understand the black hole's environment. They also examined the black hole's activity using echoes from a giant molecular cloud, providing insights into its past activity.
Astronomers have discovered a sulfurous atmosphere on the smallest and coldest exoplanet known, providing clues to its formation process. The planet's unique orbit and composition offer insights into how planets are created.
Astrophysicists record radio emissions from Earth and view it as an exoplanet to understand potential signals from intelligent life. The mission marks a major achievement for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured evidence of a cataclysmic asteroid collision in the Beta Pictoris star system, which is thought to be similar to our own solar system's early stages. The collision is believed to have occurred about 20 years ago and pulverized the asteroids into fine dust particles.
Researchers analyzed NASA satellite images of Jupiter's cyclones and found that storms are fueled by processes similar to those on Earth. Fronts in the space between cyclones also contribute to energy transport, sustaining giant storms.
The MIRI Mid-INfrared Disk Survey (MINDS) discovered a large variety of carbon-rich gases in the disk surrounding a very low-mass star. This finding suggests that rocky planets with Earth-like characteristics may form more efficiently than Jupiter-like gas giants in such disks.
Sean McWilliams' team will study stellar-mass and massive binary inspirals, improving modeling accuracy for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). The project aims to enhance the instrument's science mission by making necessary dramatic improvements in modeling accuracy.
Researchers captured a volcanic event on Io using the Large Binocular Telescope's SHARK-VIS instrument, achieving higher resolution than ever before with Earth-based observations. The images reveal surface details equivalent to taking a picture of a dime-sized object from 100 miles away.
The NASA TESS-Keck Survey catalog features 126 exotic planets with detailed measurements allowing for comparisons with our solar system. Several planets stand out as touchstones for deepening astronomers' understanding of planetary formation and evolution.
A team of UH astronomers has discovered a diverse range of exotic exoplanets using the TESS-Keck Survey, which provides new insights into their properties and environments. The study reveals rare worlds with extreme environments and potentially habitable planets.
Astronomers uncover evidence of a massive star's quiet demise into a black hole without a supernova explosion. The VFTS 243 system shows minimal signs of an explosion, offering insight into stellar evolution and collapse theories.
Scientists have discovered a new planet called WASP-193b that is 50% bigger than Jupiter yet has a density comparable to cotton candy. The planet's low density makes it an outlier among the over 5,400 planets discovered so far.
A research team from the University of Science and Technology of China studied a rare tidal disruption event (TDE) with an unprecedented early optical bump. The 'bump' lasted nearly a month and was separated by two months from the main peak, deviating from traditional TDE light curves.
Astronomers have discovered an enormous circular radio feature around a galaxy, dubbed the Cloverleaf, which was created by clashing groups of galaxies. The XMM-Newton satellite has detected X-ray emission associated with this structure for the first time, revealing clues about its formation and the merger process.
A new study using the James Webb Space Telescope found that the universe's early galaxies developed and matured much faster than previously believed. Almost 20% of disc galaxies observed had bar formations, indicating a more settled stage in galaxy evolution.
Researchers at Kyushu University discovered that baby stars expel plumes of dust, gas, and electromagnetic energy in a phenomenon called 'interchange instability', releasing magnetic flux within the protostellar disk. This finding sheds new light on how baby stars develop and may be crucial for understanding star formation.
Astronomers have detected a 'glory', a luminous phenomenon like a rainbow, in the atmosphere of WASP-76b, an ultra-hot giant exoplanet. The phenomenon occurs when light is reflected by clouds made up of perfectly uniform droplets, which could be iron or water.
A team of researchers, including Tom Maccarone, discovered a new phenomenon in the interaction between relativistic jets and neutron stars. The findings suggest that a thermonuclear burst occurs on the surface of neutron stars, leading to low-energy X-ray production.
For the first time, astronomers have measured the speed of fast-moving jets in space, crucial to star formation and the distribution of elements needed for life. The jets of matter, expelled by stars deemed 'cosmic cannibals', were found to travel at over one-third of the speed of light.
Astronomers have discovered a new black hole behavior where a smaller black hole repeatedly punches through the disk of a larger black hole, releasing plumes of gas. The findings challenge conventional views on black hole accretion disks and suggest they may be more varied in their contents.
A team of scientists detected the tiniest 'starquakes' ever recorded in the smallest and coolest dwarf star, Epsilon Indi. The detection was made possible by the ESPRESSO spectrograph at the European Southern Observatory's VLT, allowing for unprecedented precision levels.
A team from the University of Copenhagen contributed to an Antarctic experiment studying neutrinos, which may hold the answer to whether gravity also exists at the quantum level. The study found no conclusive changes in neutrino properties, but the results do not exclude the possibility of quantum gravity.
The expansion rate of the universe is faster than predicted, according to NASA's Webb and Hubble telescopes. By combining data from both telescopes, scientists have ruled out measurement errors as the cause, suggesting that new physics may be at play.
Astronomers discover tiny, red versions of massive black holes that could change our understanding of their origins. The 'baby quasars' are small-scale black holes with masses between ten and a hundred million solar masses, observed using the James Webb Space Telescope.
A study using machine learning classifies galaxy mergers and finds that mergers are not strongly associated with black-hole growth. Cold gas at the center of the host galaxy is necessary for rapid growth, suggesting a more complex relationship between galaxy evolution and supermassive black holes.