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NASA's Fermi traces the history of starlight across cosmos

Scientists used data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to measure all starlight produced over 90% of the universe's history. This analysis provides a reference for future missions exploring stellar evolution and confirms previous measurements of star-formation rates.

SourceNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center·JournalScience·DateNov 29, 2018

The 'Chinese Pyramids' and the pole star

Researchers discover Chinese pyramids exhibit surprising orientation patterns, defying expectations of traditional funerary practices. The study suggests that ancient Chinese emperors intentionally aligned their pyramids to the star Polaris, reflecting a deeper understanding of celestial movements and astronomy.

SourcePolitecnico di Milano·JournalArchaeological Research in Asia·DateNov 28, 2018

Astronomers discover giant relic of disrupted 'tadpole' galaxy

A team of astronomers has identified a giant disrupted 'tadpole' galaxy 300 million light years away, with an elliptical head and a long straight tail. The galaxy is ten times larger than the Milky Way and contains a system of two close disc galaxies.

SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateNov 19, 2018
Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor

Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor tracks ventilation quality in labs, classrooms, and conference rooms with long battery life and clear e-ink readouts.

Scientists discover new 'pinwheel' star system

Researchers have discovered a new massive star system dubbed 'Apep,' featuring a slow-moving dust pinwheel that defies current theories on how large stars die. The system's unusual rotation is thought to cause the star to collapse at its poles before the equator, producing a gamma-ray burst.

SourceNew York University·JournalNature Astronomy·DateNov 19, 2018

Astronomers discover giant relic of disrupted 'tadpole' galaxy

Researchers have identified a giant, exceptional relic of a disrupted galaxy, comprising an elliptical head and a long tail. The 'tadpole' galaxy is 1 million light-years long from end to end and contains two nearby galaxies within it.

SourceAmerican Friends of Tel Aviv University·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateNov 19, 2018

Earth's magnetic field measured using artificial stars at 90 kilometers altitude

Researchers have successfully measured the Earth's magnetic field in the sodium layer of the mesosphere using laser-generated artificial stars. This technique allows for ground-based observations of the mesosphere, previously difficult to access, and holds promise for monitoring space weather and measuring electrical currents.

SourceJohannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz·JournalNature Communications·DateNov 14, 2018

Slow death of nearby galaxy

Researchers have observed a powerful outflow of hydrogen gas from the Small Magellanic Cloud, indicating it may eventually stop forming new stars. The discovery provides insight into the evolution of galaxies and the potential source of gas for the enormous Magellanic Stream surrounding the Milky Way.

SourceCSIRO Australia·JournalNature Astronomy·DateNov 9, 2018
Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope

Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope combines portable Schmidt-Cassegrain optics with GoTo pointing for outreach nights and field campaigns.

Aging a flock of stars in the Wild Duck Cluster

Researchers found that the Wild Duck Cluster's stars are older than initially thought due to their rotational periods, which affect their hydrogen core mixing and lifetime. This discovery sheds light on how stars form and evolve, challenging previous assumptions about open clusters.

SourceUniversity of Arizona·JournalNature Astronomy·DateNov 8, 2018

Astronomers witness slow death of nearby galaxy

Researchers observed a powerful outflow of hydrogen gas from the Small Magellanic Cloud, a tiny dwarf galaxy. The discovery provides the first clear observational measurement of mass lost from a dwarf galaxy, shedding light on its slow death and potential impact on the surrounding Milky Way galaxy.

SourceAustralian National University·JournalNature Astronomy·DateOct 29, 2018
Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Apple iPhone 17 Pro delivers top performance and advanced cameras for field documentation, data collection, and secure research communications.

Study provides new insight into why galaxies stop forming stars

A team of UC Riverside-led scientists have made the best measurement yet of why star formation stops in galaxy clusters in the early universe. They found that it takes a galaxy longer to stop forming stars as the universe gets older, with quenching timescales varying across 70 percent of the universe's history.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·DateOct 23, 2018

Supermassive black holes and supercomputers

Researchers used supercomputers to simulate early universe, revealing formation of first stars and galaxies. Metal-enriched gas enabled rapid star formation, leading to smaller, more numerous stars and galaxy evolution.

SourceFrontiers·JournalFrontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences·DateOct 17, 2018

Galactic archaeology

Researchers from Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias have discovered a star with an atmosphere devoid of metals, which is believed to be one of the oldest objects in the Milky Way. The study provides valuable information about the origin of the universe and the formation of the first stars.

SourceInstituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateOct 10, 2018

Astronomers discover sonic boom from powerful unseen explosion

Researchers have discovered a sonic boom from an immense, unseen gamma-ray burst explosion. The blast generated two jets of gamma rays that crashed into surrounding gas, producing a shock wave akin to a sonic boom. This finding provides crucial new insight into the nature of gamma-ray bursts and their jets.

SourceDunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateOct 4, 2018
DJI Air 3 (RC-N2)

DJI Air 3 (RC-N2) captures 4K mapping passes and environmental surveys with dual cameras, long flight time, and omnidirectional obstacle sensing.

Thanks to help from Hubble, the first confirmed exomoon?

Researchers observed transit timing variations in Kepler-1625b's HST-recorded transit, suggesting the presence of an exomoon. The moon would have caused a delay in the transit start time, which occurred nearly 80 minutes earlier than expected.

SourceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)·JournalScience Advances·DateOct 3, 2018

Where are they?

A team of UCSB students, led by Philip Lubin, are searching for signs of alien life in Andromeda using a suite of telescopes and photonic technology. They aim to detect potential signals from civilizations using optical beams that could be visible across the universe.

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Barbara·DateSep 27, 2018

Gaia detects a shake in the Milky Way

The Gaia satellite has detected substructures in the Milky Way's star disk, indicating a 300-million-year-old gravitational disturbance caused by the Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy. Researchers used precise data to analyze shapes and twisting patterns, leading to new findings on galactic archaeology

SourceUniversity of Barcelona·JournalNature·DateSep 19, 2018

Magellanic Clouds duo may have been a trio

Researchers suggest the Large Magellanic Cloud may have engulfed a third luminous galaxy, explaining why stars in the cloud rotate at different rates. This phenomenon could also help explain the 'age-gap' problem observed in the cloud, where there are very old and young star clusters.

SourceInternational Centre for Radio Astronomy Research·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateSep 17, 2018
Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm)

Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm) tracks health metrics and safety alerts during long observing sessions, fieldwork, and remote expeditions.

Fierce winds quench wildfire-like starbirth in far-flung galaxy

Astronomers have detected the most-distant galactic 'wind' of molecules ever observed, seen when the universe was one billion years old. The galaxy SPT2319-55, 12 billion light-years away, shows a powerful outflow of hydroxyl (OH) molecules, which could help regulate starbirth and galaxy growth.

SourceNational Radio Astronomy Observatory·JournalScience·DateSep 6, 2018

Galactic 'wind' stifling star formation is most distant yet seen

For the first time, researchers have observed a powerful 'galactic wind' of molecules in a galaxy 12 billion light-years away, providing insights into how early galaxies regulated their growth. The wind was detected in a galaxy called SPT2319-55, which is more than 1 billion years old.

SourceUniversity of Texas at Austin·JournalScience·DateSep 6, 2018

The 'Gloo' behind James Webb Space Telescopes Spider technology

The James Webb Space Telescope relies on innovative components like the 'Spider', a thermally isolating device with Kevlar fibers, to accurately detect light from distant galaxies and celestial objects. This cutting-edge technology enables the telescope to observe objects in the Kuiper Belt and study the universe's origins.

SourceNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center·DateAug 22, 2018

Pairs of small colliding galaxies may seed future stars

Researchers found that dwarf-galaxy mergers can replenish a galaxy's supply of star-making fuel, like the Milky Way's. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds hold enough gas to replenish half of the Milky Way's supply, with their gas footprint continuing to expand even after collision.

SourceColumbia University·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateAug 9, 2018
Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 Weather Station

Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 Weather Station offers research-grade local weather data for networked stations, campuses, and community observatories.

Chinese astronomers discover most lithium-rich giant in galaxy with LAMOST

A team of Chinese astronomers has discovered the most lithium-rich giant known to date using the LAMOST telescope. The star's lithium abundance is approximately 3,000 times higher than that of typical giants, providing valuable insights into the universe's evolution and Big Bang theory.

SourceChinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters·JournalNature Astronomy·DateAug 6, 2018

Pair of colliding stars spill radioactive molecules into space

Astronomers discover rare radioactive molecule 26AlF in debris of ancient stellar merger CK Vul, revealing insights into star formation and galactic evolution. The detection marks the first time this isotope has been found outside our solar system.

SourceNational Radio Astronomy Observatory·JournalNature Astronomy·DateJul 30, 2018

NASA's TESS spacecraft starts science operations

TESS starts its search for planets, monitoring the nearest and brightest stars for periodic dips in their light, which suggest a planet may be passing in front of its star. The mission aims to discover thousands of exoplanets, some potentially supporting life.

SourceNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center·DateJul 27, 2018

UMass Amherst Astronomer heading to Chile on 'astronomical pilgrimmage'

Astronomer Daniel Wang will collaborate with Jorge Cuadra in Chile to study the massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, aiming to understand its interactions with the galactic ecosystem. This research has significant implications for our understanding of galaxy-wide properties and astrophysical processes.

SourceUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst·DateJul 27, 2018

Young galaxy's halo offers clues to its growth and evolution

Researchers used the Keck Cosmic Web Imager to examine Q2343-BX418, a young galaxy about 10 billion light years away, providing insights into its gas halo and its role in star formation. The study suggests that the galaxy's surrounding gas is giving off a specific type of light, offering clues to its evolution.

SourceW. M. Keck Observatory·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateJul 24, 2018
SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB transfers large imagery and model outputs quickly between field laptops, lab workstations, and secure archives.

NASA's Webb Space Telescope to inspect atmospheres of gas giant exoplanets

The James Webb Space Telescope will observe the atmospheres of gas giant exoplanets, including WASP-79b and WASP-43b, to detect water, carbon monoxide, and other molecules. The telescope aims to understand the physical processes responsible for these variations and their implications for potentially habitable planets.

SourceNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center·DateJul 11, 2018

A galactic test will clarify the existence of dark matter

Researchers use computer simulations to test dark matter's presence in satellite galaxies, finding a relationship that could clarify its existence. The study uses radial acceleration relation data from the Gaia spacecraft to make predictions about the behavior of dwarf galaxies.

SourceUniversity of Bonn·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateJun 25, 2018

The McMaster recipe for star clusters

Researchers Corey Howard, Ralph Pudritz and William Harris use supercomputer simulations to re-create star cluster formation. The study shows that massive star clusters are the natural outcome of large gas collections, and can be used to reverse-engineer galaxy conditions.

SourceMcMaster University·JournalNature Astronomy·DateJun 25, 2018

Old star clusters could have been the birthplace of supermassive stars

A team of astrophysicists propose a new model for the formation of globular clusters and supermassive stars. They suggest that a runaway collision process between densely packed stars in globular clusters could form a supermassive star, explaining the unusual chemical elements found in these clusters.

SourceUniversity of Surrey·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateJun 21, 2018
AmScope B120C-5M Compound Microscope

AmScope B120C-5M Compound Microscope supports teaching labs and QA checks with LED illumination, mechanical stage, and included 5MP camera.

UNH researcher captures best ever evidence of rare black hole

Researchers capture strong evidence for intermediate-mass black holes using satellite imaging and multiwavelength radiation flares. The discovery provides insight into the nature of these elusive objects and their potential prevalence in galaxy peripheries.

SourceUniversity of New Hampshire·JournalNature Astronomy·DateJun 18, 2018

Astronomers see distant eruption as black hole destroys star

A team of scientists tracked a stellar death caused by a supermassive black hole ripping apart a star in the Arp 299 galaxy. The researchers directly imaged the formation and expansion of a fast-moving jet of material ejected when the black hole destroyed the star.

SourceNational Radio Astronomy Observatory·JournalScience·DateJun 14, 2018

New GAIA data reveals mergers in Milky Way

Researchers found relics of merger events in the Milky Way halo using Gaia Data Release 2. Five small clusters and a large 'blob' of stars indicate massive and smaller merger events shaped the galaxy. This study provides insights into the Milky Way's evolution, with further analysis to reveal more about its formation.

SourceUniversity of Groningen·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateJun 12, 2018
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation, USB-C)

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation, USB-C) provide clear calls and strong noise reduction for interviews, conferences, and noisy field environments.

Astronomers find a galaxy unchanged since the early universe

Researchers have found a rare galaxy, NGC 1277, that has remained unchanged since its formation in the early universe. The discovery provides valuable information about galaxy evolution, as it has preserved its original composition and structure over billions of years.

SourceInstituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)·JournalNature·DateJun 7, 2018
Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter

Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter measures wind, temperature, and humidity in real time for site assessments, aviation checks, and safety briefings.

Lightening up dark galaxies

A team of astronomers has identified at least six strong candidates for dark galaxies by leveraging the ultraviolet light from quasars to 'illuminate' gas in the intergalactic medium. The discovery could help fill a gap in our understanding of galaxy evolution, as it provides direct evidence for the existence of dark galaxies.

SourceETH Zurich Department of Physics·DateMay 23, 2018

A new map for a birthplace of stars

A new map for a birthplace of stars provides unprecedented detail of the structure of the Orion A molecular cloud. The maps will help researchers calibrate star formation models for extragalactic studies and better understand how fast and efficiently stars form in the region.

SourceYale University·DateMay 18, 2018
Meta Quest 3 512GB

Meta Quest 3 512GB enables immersive mission planning, terrain rehearsal, and interactive STEM demos with high-resolution mixed-reality experiences.

Stars formed only 250 million years after the Big Bang

A team of international astronomers has detected oxygen in a galaxy 13.28 billion light-years away, revealing that stars formed at an unexpectedly early stage in the universe's history. The discovery provides insight into the formation of galaxies and sheds light on the 'cosmic dawn' era.

SourceUniversity College London·JournalNature·DateMay 16, 2018

ALMA finds most-distant oxygen in the universe

Astronomers discover faint signal of oxygen in galaxy MACS1149-JD1, which is 13.28 billion light-years away and contains chemical maturity that suggests stars were forming as early as 250 million years after the Big Bang. This detection pushes back our understanding of cosmic dawn and the earliest phases of star formation.

SourceNational Radio Astronomy Observatory·JournalNature·DateMay 16, 2018

ALMA finds oxygen 13.28 billion light-years away

Astronomers detected a faint signal of oxygen 13.28 billion light-years away using ALMA, indicating mature star formation in a young galaxy. The observation suggests stars formed 250 million years after the Big Bang.

SourceNational Institutes of Natural Sciences·JournalNature·DateMay 16, 2018

Could a multiverse be hospitable to life?

New research suggests that life could be common throughout the multiverse due to dark energy's impact on star and planet formation. The findings contradict the long-held notion that a specific amount of dark energy is necessary for life to emerge, raising questions about the multiverse theory's ability to explain cosmic origins.

SourceDurham University·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateMay 13, 2018

At long last, a 3D picture of an interstellar cloud, a clue to star formation

Reconstructing the 3D structure of an interstellar cloud is critical for understanding the processes occurring within it. The authors successfully modelled the cloud's density using fast magnetosonic waves, showing that Musca is a vast sheet-like structure, not a long filament.

SourceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)·JournalScience·DateMay 10, 2018
Creality K1 Max 3D Printer

Creality K1 Max 3D Printer rapidly prototypes brackets, adapters, and fixtures for instruments and classroom demonstrations at large build volume.

Burst of newborn stars in young star cluster puzzles astronomers

A team of researchers detected two distinct sequences of blue straggler stars in a young globular cluster, NGC 2173, using the Hubble Space Telescope. This finding challenges the generality of explanations for similar blue straggler sequences and presents unexpected observational results.

SourceChinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters·DateMay 3, 2018

The laws of star formation challenged

Researchers challenged the existing understanding of star formation by observing a distant molecular cloud, W43-MM1, with ALMA. Contrary to previous findings, they discovered an overabundance of massive cores and underrepresentation of less massive cores.

SourceCNRS·JournalNature Astronomy·DateApr 30, 2018

Be wary of cosmetic surgeons' online reviews

A Northwestern University study found that online ratings for cosmetic breast augmentation surgeries are highly polarized, with some reviews written by non-patients. The importance of interactions with the doctor's support staff is highlighted as a key factor in patient satisfaction.

SourceNorthwestern University·JournalPlastic & Reconstructive Surgery·DateApr 26, 2018

Assembly of massive galaxy cluster witnessed for the first time

Astronomers have observed a colossal cluster of galaxies for the first time, containing at least 14 galaxies packed into an area four times the diameter of the Milky Way's galactic disk. The cluster is churning out stars at an incredible pace, with rates ranging from 50 to 1,000 times higher than expected for solitary galaxies.

SourceSimons Foundation·JournalNature·DateApr 25, 2018
Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars

Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars deliver bright, sharp views for wildlife surveys, eclipse chases, and quick star-field scans at dark sites.

NASA teams study the agency's future in astrophysics

NASA is studying four potential flagship missions to explore the universe, including direct imaging of Earth-like planets and investigation of first black holes. The agency will use advanced tools to overcome technical challenges and achieve unprecedented picometer-level stability.

SourceNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center·DateApr 24, 2018

Galaxies grow bigger and puffier as they age: New study

A new international study has found that galaxies grow bigger and more ordered with age, with stars moving in all directions. The research team measured the movement of stars in 843 galaxies using an instrument called SAMI on the Anglo-Australian Telescope.

SourceAustralian National University·JournalNature Astronomy·DateApr 23, 2018

New microscope reveals biological life as you've never seen it before

A team of scientists, led by Nobel laureate Eric Betzig, have developed a new microscope that captures real-time, incredibly detailed images and 3D videos of biology. The microscope uses adaptive optics and lattice light-sheet to study cellular and sub-cellular life on whole living organisms.

SourceBoston Children's Hospital·JournalScience·DateApr 20, 2018
Rigol DP832 Triple-Output Bench Power Supply

Rigol DP832 Triple-Output Bench Power Supply powers sensors, microcontrollers, and test circuits with programmable rails and stable outputs.

Hello DARKNESS

A team of UCSB physicists has created a device named DARKNESS, the first 10,000-pixel integral field spectrograph designed to overcome the limitations of traditional semiconductor detectors. This instrument enables direct imaging of planets around nearby stars and can detect fainter planets with higher contrast ratios.

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Barbara·JournalPublications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific·DateApr 16, 2018

Hunting for dark matter in the smallest galaxies in the universe

Researchers from the University of Surrey have developed a new method to measure dark matter at the centre of tiny galaxies. The study used dense star clusters orbiting close to the centre of dwarf galaxies to calculate the inner dark matter density, finding less dark matter in some cases than predicted by models.

SourceUniversity of Surrey·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateApr 6, 2018

Farthest star ever seen in the universe detected

Researchers have discovered the farthest individual star ever seen, Icarus, 9 billion light years away, by magnifying its brightness with the gravity of a larger object. This breakthrough study uses gravitational lensing to exclude the possibility that dark matter is made up mostly of large black holes.

SourceKavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe·JournalNature Astronomy·DateApr 2, 2018
Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas, 2nd Edition

Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas, 2nd Edition is a durable star atlas for planning sessions, identifying targets, and teaching celestial navigation.

Is the Milky Way getting bigger?

A team of astronomers has found that galaxies like the Milky Way are slowly increasing in size due to star formation on their outskirts. The study, led by Cristina Martínez-Lombilla, reveals a growth rate of around 500 meters per second, which is fast enough to cover the distance from Liverpool to London in about twelve minutes.

SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·DateApr 2, 2018

First age-map of the heart of the Milky Way

A new age-map of the Milky Way's center shows that a period of star formation lasting around 4 billion years created the complex structure. The map, produced by an international team, combines data from millions of stars and spectroscopic surveys, revealing that the bar-shaped structure was formed about 7 billion years ago.

SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·DateApr 2, 2018