Articles tagged with Stars
Astronomers have observed the early formation of galaxies and found that stars were forming inside them much faster in the past. The rapid star birth is using up more cosmic dust, which is becoming cleaner as the universe evolves.
Researchers used computer modeling to investigate galaxy colors and their relation to evolution. They found that rare green galaxies are likely at a critical stage of transformation from blue to red as they age. The study suggests that these galaxies' unique colors can provide insights into the processes driving their evolution.
Astronomers have discovered a ring structure of complex organic molecules around a Solar-type protostar, providing direct evidence that interstellar materials are fed into the rotating disk structure. The distribution of these molecules reveals new perspectives on planetary system formation and chemical composition.
A new study in Nature predicts hundreds of massive black hole mergers each year observable with the second generation of gravitational wave detectors. The model takes into account differences in binary black hole production across the universe.
Astronomers have discovered a newborn exoplanet, K2-33b, which is five-10 million years old and orbits its star once every five days. The discovery provides an extraordinary snapshot of the planet formation process, allowing researchers to study how planets form and develop.
Researchers detected billowy clouds of cold, clumpy gas streaming toward a black hole, suggesting two dinner modes for black holes: slow grazing on diffuse hot gas and quick consumption of clumps of cold gas. The findings represent the first direct evidence to support the hypothesis that black holes feed on clouds of cold gas.
Research suggests that galaxies actively launch large amounts of oxygen, carbon, and iron atoms up to a million light years away from their surroundings, leaving them with depleted reserves. This process, driven by violent supernovae and supermassive black holes, can take over 10 billion years.
Astronomers have discovered a new 'Canarias Einstein ring', a rare and unusual phenomenon that provides insight into the composition of distant galaxies. The discovery was made using data from the Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC) and offers valuable information about the structure of gravitational fields and dark matter in galaxy lenses.
Researchers used high-tech laser scanning, photogrammetry, and 3D mapping to create a detailed digital representation of the Rising Star Cave System and Dinaledi Chamber. The precise reconstruction provides new insights into the chamber's structure and location, as well as the fossil site's formation processes.
A team of researchers has discovered a new class of galaxies where supermassive black holes trigger powerful winds that prevent future star formation. These 'red geysers' lack young stars despite having abundant gas, and their outflowing winds heat surrounding gas through shocks, ultimately suppressing stellar birth.
A new class of galaxies called 'red geysers' has been discovered, hosting low-energy supermassive black holes that drive intense interstellar winds. These winds suppress star formation by heating up the ambient gas in galaxies and preventing it from cooling and condensing into stars.
A new phenomenon dubbed 'red geysers' has been identified in galaxies, which host low-energy supermassive black holes driving intense interstellar winds. These winds prevent gas from cooling and condensing into stars, maintaining quiescence in galaxies.
Researchers found two gaps in the gas disk that overlap with dust gaps, suggesting infant planets carve out the gaps. The team estimates a planet mass 0.8 times Jupiter's at the inner gap, but the outer gap's origin remains unclear.
A team of astronomers has measured the mass of an ultra-diffuse galaxy using the Gran Telescopio CANARIAS, revealing it is composed primarily of dark matter with very few stars. The findings suggest that such galaxies could exist due to a large amount of dark matter protecting them from destruction.
Allan Sandage's last paper reveals that physicist George Gamow and astronomer Walter Adams had previously discovered subgiants in the 1940s, which would have accelerated the development of stellar evolutionary theory. The study shows that these early findings were largely ignored due to biases in the time.
The Kepler-223 planetary system has unusually long-term stability due to gravitational interactions between its four planets, which return to the same positions relative to each other and their host star. Numerical simulations suggest that slow migration during formation could have placed these planets into their balanced configuration.
Researchers found that hot dust in the distant universe is often caused by three or four galaxies instead of a single one. This study applied statistical methods to data from the Herschel Space Observatory and dropped the number of stars these galaxies have to be producing by a third.
A new paper uses exoplanet discoveries to estimate the probability of advanced life evolving on habitable planets. The authors find that unless the odds are extremely low, humanity is likely not the universe's first technological civilization. They calculate a 'pessimism line' below which human uniqueness would be impossible.
A new study has mapped the climate patterns on a super-Earth planet, revealing a significant temperature difference between its dayside and nightside. The research found that processes similar to those on Earth, such as high winds or lava flows, are at work on this distant world.
A new optical technology developed by Russian physicists can significantly improve the detection of exoplanets, allowing for direct observation of their images. The 'smoothed' light technique uses adaptive optics to remove atmospheric distortions, enabling telescopes to resolve the faint signals of Earth-type planets.
A Penn State-led research group has been selected by NASA to build a new instrument to detect planets orbiting stars outside our solar system. The NEID instrument will use the tiny gravitational tug of planets on their stars to discover and measure the orbits of rocky planets with liquid water.
A team of astronomers has found evidence that quasars' energy feedback may have slowed down star formation in the universe about 11 billion years ago. The study used data from multiple telescopes to detect the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect, a phenomenon caused by high-energy electrons disturbing the Cosmic Microwave Background.
A team of researchers, led by UC Riverside graduate student Irene Shivaei, used a combination of near-infrared spectrometer and infrared images to study 17 bright distant galaxies. They compared various observables, including ultraviolet light, infrared light, and nebular emission lines, to estimate the star-formation rate. The study i...
Astronomers at UMass Amherst report the discovery of eight 'outrageously luminous' galaxies, which outshine previously brightest known galaxies. The newly observed galaxies are estimated to be about 10 billion years old and formed only 4 billion years after the Big Bang.
Astronomers have observed the inner portion of a protoplanetary disk surrounding HL Tau, with VLA images showing a distinct clump of dust containing roughly 3-8 times the mass of Earth. The region is thought to be where Earth-like planets would form.
Researchers have created a 3D map of interstellar dust reddening across three-quarters of the visible sky using data from almost one billion stars. This map reveals the structure and history of our galaxy, including the distribution of dust in the disk and the presence of ghostly trails indicating collisions with other galaxies.
The STARS4ALL project aims to reduce light pollution in European night landscapes, promoting environmental protection and economic savings. The initiative includes 10 projects, such as broadcasting astronomical events, creating a logo for sustainable lighting, and involving citizens in change-making movements.
A new space imaging technique, using charge injection devices, may help scientists directly image exoplanets next to bright stars. This technology has been successfully tested, enabling the detection of objects 70 million times fainter than the host star's light.
Researchers suggest that twin black holes detected by LIGO might have formed inside a single, massive star. The star's death generated a gamma-ray burst, which was observed by the Fermi Space Telescope.
Astronomers have found a massive tail of hydrogen gas extending from a nearby galaxy, measuring five times longer than the galaxy itself. The discovery suggests that this phenomenon is common in galaxy clusters, and could be indicative of many other galaxies having similar features.
Researchers discovered young star populations in old globular clusters that formed from gas flowing in from outside the cluster itself. This challenge traditional understanding of star birth and highlights the complex nature of globular clusters.
Researchers have discovered young populations of stars within globular clusters that originated from external gas and dust, rather than internal processes. This study suggests that globular clusters can form new stars by 'adopting' stray cosmic gases, turning a complex picture into a more nuanced one.
Researchers used intensity interferometry to study light propagation in curved spaces, demonstrating the importance of surface curvature on geometry and physics. The findings have implications for astronomical observations and manufacturing techniques, potentially leading to new materials and optical systems.
Researchers identified massive stars moving at supersonic speeds, creating bow shocks that help locate them. The team used infrared data to find over 200 images of fuzzy red arcs, which turned out to be stars in various stages of evolution.
An international team of astronomers found strong magnetic fields are common in stars, contradicting previous assumptions. The study used data from NASA's Kepler mission to analyze over 700 red giant stars and discovered that many host internal magnetic fields up to 10 million times stronger than Earth's.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has photographed a newborn star with twin jets, reminiscent of a Star Wars lightsaber, in the Orion B molecular cloud complex. The protostar is feeding on surrounding material and shooting gas into space, creating shock fronts that heat up the surrounding gas.
Astronomers measured the density of photon fog between Earth and quasar PKS 1441+25 using high-energy gamma rays. The data validated theoretical models for the number and brightness of stars and galaxies in the universe going back 7.6 billion years.
A team of scientists has discovered a hungry black hole swallowing a star at the centre of a nearby galaxy. The discovery confirms their theories about the nature of black holes and reveals faint jets of material shooting out from the supermassive black hole.
An international team of astrophysicists led by Johns Hopkins University scientist Sjoert van Velzen witnessed a star being destroyed by a supermassive black hole, ejecting a jet of plasma at nearly the speed of light. The team observed this event over several months using multi-wavelength telescopes and satellites.
Researchers found that tiny dips in a star's brightness can indicate a planet passing in front of it, but star KIC 8462852 had deep and irregular dips. The astronomers concluded that the destruction of a family of comets near the star is the most likely explanation for the mysterious dimming.
Researchers from the University of Sydney and other institutions have directly observed a planet in formation for the first time. The planet, located 450 light years away, is surrounded by a vast disc of dust and gas, and its presence has been confirmed through images and spectral fingerprint analysis.
Researchers identified ancient stars in the Milky Way's center with extremely low metal content, suggesting they formed in the early universe. These stars contain chemical fingerprints indicating possible hypernova deaths, which could aid understanding of the Universe's evolution over billions of years.
Scientists have discovered a new exoplanet, GJ 1132b, that is rocky and Earth-sized, orbiting a small star just 39 light-years from Earth. The planet's surface temperature is estimated to be around 500 degrees Fahrenheit, making it uninhabitable for life as we know it.
Astronomers have found nine ancient stars near the Milky Way's center, forming before the galaxy existed, with surprising purity and a possible hypernova origin.
Astronomers have identified a type of gas found in galaxy voids that appears to fuel star formation under certain conditions. Researchers used radio telescopes to measure atomic gas levels in galaxies with gamma-ray bursts, finding large amounts of the gas near these events.
Astronomers have discovered an adolescent protostar, CARMA-7, exhibiting rapid-fire growth spurts and intermittent jets streaming away from its poles. This finding provides insights into chaotic stellar formation in the densely packed Serpens South star cluster.
A new study suggests that disk gaps may be a cosmic illusion and not necessarily caused by hidden planets. The researchers used models to show that growth, migration, and destruction of small particles can create apparent gaps in the disk.
Scientists have simulated 3D exotic clouds on GJ1214b, an exoplanet with a flat spectrum that indicates high-altitude clouds or haze in its atmosphere. The clouds could be of salt and are thought to form deep in the atmosphere before rising into the upper atmosphere.
A team of astronomers has used data from the VVV survey to discover a previously unknown component of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. The new component is a thin disc of young stars across the galactic bulge, which was buried behind thick clouds of dust.
Researchers observe closest tidal disruption event in nearly a decade, gaining new understanding of black hole effects on nearby stars. The study reveals details about the formation of an accretion disk and the expulsion of gas from the black hole.
Researchers using ALMA telescope detected a burst of new stars in seven distant galaxies nine billion years ago. The galaxies' gas content was already depleted despite high rates of star formation, suggesting an increase in efficiency above the main sequence. This study pushes galaxies at z~1.6 well-above the star-forming main sequence.
Astronomers have discovered fast-moving wave-like features in the debris disc of star AU Microscopii, which could be a sign of something unusual. The ripples are racing away from the star at speeds of up to 40,000 kilometers per hour, making them unlike anything ever observed before.
Researchers discovered massive dead galaxies with stellar content similar to local elliptical galaxies, revealing the formation and evolution of massive galaxies. The team found progenitors of these dead galaxies when they were forming stars at an earlier cosmic epoch, uncovering a consistent picture of galaxy history.
Researchers propose a new technique to detect stars at galactic center by looking for radio waves from supersonic stars. Stars with high speeds can create shock waves, producing radio emission that can be detected.
Researchers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to locate compact regions within the nearby dwarf irregular galaxy Wolf--Lundmark--Melotte that can emulate larger galaxies' star-forming environments. These discoveries shed light on how dense star clusters can form in low-density, gas-poor galaxies.
Researchers found nearly 10 times more faint, early galaxies than previously detected in deep Hubble surveys. They used a new statistical method to parse out signals from noise in the images.
Astronomers have developed a new technique to measure distances between stars with far greater precision than existing methods. By analyzing the spectra of identical 'stellar twins', researchers can determine the distance between two stars without relying on models, which are often inaccurate.
Researchers have observed a massive transformation in galaxy structure, with disc-shaped galaxies becoming oval-shaped galaxies. The study provides the first direct evidence of this 'metamorphosis' and sheds light on the processes that caused it.
A new study proposes that if life can travel between stars through panspermia, it would spread in a characteristic pattern, creating clusters of life-forms. These clusters could resemble bubbles in a pot of boiling water, growing and overlapping with each other.
Astronomers using Gemini Observatory's new Planet Imager have probed a newly discovered world in unprecedented detail. The planet, 51 Eridani b, is about two times the mass of Jupiter and features a Solar System-like atmosphere with methane detection.