Articles tagged with Observational Astrophysics
Astrophysicists explain the Brightest of All Time (BOAT) cosmic explosion, revealing a narrow jet embedded within a wider gas outflow. The GRB's uniqueness was due to mixing between stellar material and the jet, masking characteristic signatures.
Researchers have detected complex organic molecules in a galaxy more than 12 billion light-years away from Earth. The study used the James Webb Space Telescope and gravitational lensing to observe the galaxy's atomic and molecular composition, revealing insights into the formation of galaxies, their lifecycle, and how they evolve.
A New Jersey Institute of Technology research team has been awarded a $4.64 million grant to continue studying the Sun's explosive activity at Big Bear Solar Observatory. The team will use the observatory's unique imaging capabilities and stable seeing conditions to investigate solar phenomenon as activity on the Sun ramps up.
Astronomers at MIT and University of Wisconsin have discovered two validated planets, K2-416 b and K2-417 b, in Kepler's last week of high-quality data. The third planet candidate, EPIC 246251988 b, orbits its star every 10 days and is slightly farther away from Earth than the other two.
A team of astrophysicists and citizen scientists have identified three potentially habitable exoplanets discovered during NASA's Kepler space telescope's final days of operation. The planets, including K2-416 b and K2-417 b, are between the size of Earth and Neptune and orbit their stars closely.
Researchers discovered that black hole jets exhibit surprising variability in x-ray emissions over short time scales, contradicting a long-held theory. This finding opens up new possibilities for understanding particle acceleration in these jets and potentially elsewhere in the universe.
A new study reveals that asteroid Dinkinesh is remarkably small, making it the smallest asteroid to be approached by Lucy. It is a stony, S-type asteroid composed mainly of silicates and some metal.
A team of astronomers has observed the most luminous quasar in 9 billion years, shedding light on its interaction with its environment. The study found that the quasar's black hole is growing at a rate of 100 solar masses per year and emitting powerful winds into the host galaxy.
Astronomers have discovered an Earth-sized planet, LP 791-18d, with active volcanoes that could sustain an atmosphere, potentially allowing for liquid water and life. The planet's unique tidal locking creates a permanent day and night side, with the night side possibly experiencing condensation of water vapor.
Astronomers have discovered an Earth-size exoplanet, LP 791-18 d, that may be covered in volcanoes. The planet's high volcanic activity could sustain an atmosphere and potentially support liquid water on its night side.
A study by UCLA astronomers reveals that none of the 16 young supermassive stars orbiting the Milky Way's black hole are found in pairs, contradicting previous assumptions about stellar formation. The researchers suggest that the extreme environment around the black hole may be driving nearby binary stars to merge or be disrupted.
A team of astronomers has discovered chemical traces of supermassive stars in globular proto-clusters, born 440 million years after the Big Bang. The study suggests that these 'celestial monsters' enriched the original gas cloud with chemical elements, explaining abundance anomalies in their stars.
The discovery of two shadow puppets in the disk of young star TW Hydrae suggests that planets may be forming in a complex system. The shadows are thought to be caused by the gravitational pull of two planets in slightly different orbital planes, with one planet likely to be Jupiter-mass.
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a second shadow sweeping across the face of TW Hydrae's vast pancake-shaped gas-and-dust disk, suggesting the presence of two planets in slightly different orbital planes. The disks are likely proxies for these planets, which could be lapping each other as they whirl around the star.
A Cornell astrophysicist explains how the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) satellite detected polarized X-rays from a magnetar, revealing 'photon metamorphosis' – a transformation of X-ray photons. The phenomenon is a natural consequence of quantum electrodynamics under strong magnetic field conditions.
A team of scientists at MIT and elsewhere have observed a star engulfing a nearby planet, a phenomenon that will also befall Earth in 5 billion years. The star's outburst was followed by a colder, longer-lasting signal, indicating the presence of gas from the star condensing into dust.
An international research team explores ultra-fast gas emissions from active galactic nuclei, which significantly change galaxy ecosystems. The study confirms the existence of these powerful emissions and their role in regulating star formation.
Scientists identify tidal disruption event at infrared wavelengths, revealing the closest example of a black hole devouring a star. The discovery suggests that conventional X-ray and optical surveys may have missed similar events in young, star-forming galaxies.
Researchers discovered two massive touching stars that will eventually become black holes and collide, generating waves in space-time. The stars are currently feeding each other every three days before the smaller star collapses into a black hole in 700,000 years.
The CHIME/FRB Collaboration has doubled the number of known repeating fast radio bursts to 50, shedding light on their mysterious origins. The new discoveries suggest that all fast radio bursts may eventually repeat, with different characteristics than one-off bursts.
Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole consuming a giant star, producing a long-lived transient object that is orders of magnitude brighter and more energetic than any recorded before. The object, named Scary Barbie, has lasted over two years and may be visible for years to come.
Researchers found Dark Matter does not consist of ultramassive particles but rather ultralight particles that travel like waves. The discovery resolves an outstanding problem in astrophysics and provides new insights into the nature of Dark Matter.
A new study from NASA's Chandra program reveals that exploded stars can pose a significant risk to nearby planets due to intense X-ray radiation, potentially altering atmospheric chemistry and causing mass extinctions.
The Indian government has granted final approvals for LIGO-India, a gravitational-wave detector that will improve the localization of sources. The facility will join a global network, increasing precision and filling blind spots, enabling scientists to study black holes and the universe's expansion.
Astronomers use the Hubble Space Telescope and Keck Observatory to measure the 3D shape of galaxy M87, revealing a 'potato-shaped' triaxial form. The team also determines the mass of the supermassive black hole at the galaxy's core, estimating it at 5.4 billion solar masses.
Astronomers have mapped the M87 galaxy's 3D structure and determined its supermassive black hole has a mass of 5.37 billion times that of the sun. The galaxy's asymmetrical shape allows for more precise measurements, including the rotation rate of 25 kilometers per second around an axis 40 degrees from the long axis.
A team of scientists from Kyoto University has confirmed that galaxy alignments can be a powerful probe for dark matter and dark energy. The analysis of 1.2 million galaxy observations verified general theory of relativity at vast spatial scales, providing strong evidence for gravity's role in shaping the universe.
A UTSA-led research team has discovered a new exoplanet using indirect methods. The exoplanet, HIP 99770 b, is about 14 to 16 times the mass of Jupiter and orbits a nearly twice-as-massive star. This breakthrough opens a new avenue for scientists to discover and characterize exoplanets.
The Princeton-led team measured the dark matter's 'clumpiness,' finding a value of 0.776 that conflicts with the Cosmic Microwave Background's value of 0.83. The discrepancy suggests the standard model might be incomplete or has an error, prompting further investigation.
Researchers found consistent results between observations and theory, showing that clusters have become more centrally concentrated over time. The study provides strong support for the Lambda-CDM paradigm by demonstrating agreement between the observed and simulated concentration-mass relation of galaxy clusters.
Researchers have developed an AI algorithm that can remove atmospheric blur from astronomical images, resulting in more accurate scientific measurements and clearer data. The tool produces faster and more realistic images than current methods, producing 38.6% less error compared to classic methods.
Astronomers have observed an extremely rare and aspherical Fast Blue Optical Transient (FBOT) explosion 180 million light years away. The explosion, similar to a flat disc shape, challenges scientists' current understanding of stellar explosions.
Researchers modeled how elements move across star-forming regions, finding that galactic winds influence temperature and metal distribution. The study's findings suggest a non-spherical wind pattern, contrary to previous spherical models.
The Swift Observatory team, led by Maia Williams, detected the brightest gamma-ray burst ever recorded, GRB 221009A. The burst was incredibly bright and had an afterglow that was more than 10 times brighter than any previous observation.
Researchers have discovered a possible correlation between gravitational waves from neutron star mergers and fast radio bursts, two phenomena long shrouded in mystery. The study found that an observed FRB occurred just 2 ½ hours after a neutron star merger event, suggesting a potential link between the two events.
Astrophysicists used AI to improve mass estimates of galaxy clusters by adding a simple term to an existing equation. The new equation downplays the importance of complex cores in calculations, providing more reliable mass inferences.
Scholars developed an AI program using symbolic regression to improve mass inferences of galaxy clusters. The new equations extract jelly at the center and concentrate on doughy outskirts for reliable mass inferences.
Scientists have identified clouds made from silicate particles on a distant planet using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. The team discovered an atmosphere constantly rising and mixing, bringing hotter material up and pushing colder material down.
The study identifies five exoplanets that resemble Venus in terms of radii, masses, and atmospheric conditions. By observing these 'exo-Venus' planets using the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists hope to uncover valuable insights into Earth's future and the possibility of a runaway greenhouse climate.
Astronomers have discovered a galaxy with a unique activity in its core, leading to a reclassification as a giant radio galaxy. The PBC J2333.9-2343 galaxy has a blazar at its center with jets that changed direction drastically by up to 90 degrees.
A new study reveals that intergalactic gas can activate and feed supermassive black holes at the heart of galaxies. The researchers found a direct connection between gas outside galaxies and active supermassive black holes, with misaligned gas playing a significant role in their growth.
Scientists have created a synthetic survey that showcases what can be expected from the Roman Space Telescope’s future observations. The simulation contains 33 million galaxies and 200,000 foreground stars, helping scientists plan observing strategies and test data analysis methods.
Researchers from Shanghai Astronomical Observatory detect radio recombination lines of carbon and oxygen ions for the first time, using the TianMa 65-m Radio Telescope. The discovery allows for accurate measurement of element abundances and has significant implications for studying interstellar chemistry and molecular formation.
Researchers studying ancient quasars have discovered a rapid increase in warm carbon around 13 billion years ago, potentially linked to the 'Epoch of Reionisation' and large-scale heating of gas. This finding provides new insights into the evolution of the universe's chemical composition.
Researchers from ETH Zurich, Harvard, and Cambridge join forces to study chemical and physical processes of living organisms and environmental conditions for life on other planets. Synthetic cells enable scientists to deconstruct complex systems, understand basic principles of life and evolution.
Astronomers have discovered the tightest ultracool dwarf binary system ever observed, consisting of two stars that orbit each other in less than one Earth day. The newly discovered LP 413-53AB system is estimated to be billions of years old, similar to our sun, and has an orbital period three times shorter than previous discoveries.
A rare quasar triplet formed a massive black hole with a mass of 10 billion solar masses, according to recent simulations. The triple system, composed of three galaxies with supermassive black holes at their centers, is believed to be the progenitor of ultra-massive black holes.
Researchers studied a Type 1a supernova in a faraway spiral galaxy, NGC 1566, to understand how certain chemical elements are emitted into the surrounding cosmos. The study confirms that ejecta doesn't escape the confines of the explosion, validating many assumptions about how complex entities work.
A University of Queensland-led research team is using an unusual caesium atom to search for dark matter particles. The team's work may also improve atomic theory calculations and technology, such as navigation systems.
An international team of astrophysicists has discovered six potential galaxies emerging in the universe's earliest moments, containing as many stars as the Milky Way. These ancient structures are gigantic and massive, contradicting current cosmological theory, with calculations suggesting they formed hundreds of new stars a year.
A team of researchers has discovered evidence of 'cosmological coupling' between black holes and the universe's expanding energy. By studying supermassive black holes in ancient galaxies, they found that these black holes gain mass over billions of years, matching predictions for black holes that cosmologically couple with vacuum energy.
Researchers found that kilonovae, caused by neutron star collisions, produce spherical explosions with symmetrical shapes. The discovery may provide a new key to fundamental physics and measuring the Universe's age.
A team of researchers has successfully modeled the complex fluctuations in soft X-ray signals detected by satellites using numerical methods. They were able to capture how the signal varied with the orbital motion of the satellite and reproduce it up to a factor of two, an impressive feat in the field.
The James Webb Space Telescope has identified ice in deeper regions of interstellar molecular clouds, revealing unprecedented insights into the abundance of icy compounds. The team discovered complex organic molecules, such as methanol and potentially ethanol, suggesting that prebiotic molecules may be common in planetary systems.
Astronomers have released a colossal dataset revealing 3.32 billion celestial objects in unprecedented detail, covering 6.5% of the night sky. The Dark Energy Camera Plane Survey captures stars, star-forming regions, and dark clouds with innovative data-processing techniques.
A team from UNIGE has observed a sample of planets at the edge of the Hot Neptune Desert to understand its creation. They found that most of these planets have an orbit misaligned with the stellar equator, indicating disruptive migration processes.
An international team of scientists suggests that an outward, fast migration of Jupiter can distort the configuration of Trojan swarms, resulting in more stable orbits in one swarm than the other. This new mechanism provides a natural explanation for the observed asymmetry in the number of asteroids in the L4 and L5 swarms.
Researchers detect radio signal from record-breaking distance galaxy, measuring gas composition and gaining insights into the early universe. The signal was amplified by a factor of 30 using gravitational lensing, allowing scientists to study a previously inaccessible region.
Scientists have identified a new Earth-size world, TOI 700 e, orbiting within the habitable zone of its star, making it an exciting prospect for further study. The planet is likely rocky and might be tidally locked, offering insights into our solar system's history.
Researchers at the University of Washington have discovered a unique binary star system where a small companion star is surrounded by a large disk of dusty material. The companion star caused a seven-year-long eclipse of the main star, Gaia17bpp, which is one of the longest recorded eclipses.