Articles tagged with Stars
A team of astronomers used NASA's Chandra X-ray space telescope to solve a long-standing mystery about super massive black hole accretion rates. They found that most SMBHs swallow very little cosmic material and instead reject hot gases due to their high temperatures.
Researchers at UC Berkeley propose that 'zombie vortices' play a crucial role in the birth of new stars. The team's computer models show how variations in gas density lead to instability, resulting in whirlpool-like vortices that help the star form.
Astronomers use Hubble to study distant galaxies 11 billion years ago, confirming the Hubble Sequence holds true as far back as 8 billion years. The study finds that all galaxies fit into different classifications of the sequence, with blue star-forming galaxies and massive red galaxies dominating at these early times.
Researchers have found that mature-looking galaxies existed 11.5 billion years ago, pushing back the timeline of galaxy formation by 2.5 billion years. This discovery confirms the Hubble Sequence, a classification system used to describe galaxy morphology, even at early stages of the universe's history.
Astronomers at Durham University developed a new way to measure supermassive black holes' spin, which is linked to their role in driving galaxy growth. The technique uses the distance between a black hole and its feeding disc to estimate spin.
A new UMD-led study suggests that a burst of star formation in galaxies can blow out most of the remaining gas, resulting in a long period of starvation. This process is crucial in understanding the universe's surprising paucity of high-mass galaxies.
Astronomers have tracked the orbital motion of 33,000 stars in one of the Galaxy's oldest globular clusters, offering new insights into the formation of the Milky Way. The study reveals two distinct generations of stars within globular cluster 47 Tucanae, differing in age by 100 million years.
Astronomers use ALMA to image a snow line around TW Hydrae, a young star 175 light-years away, providing clues about the early Solar System. The discovery sheds light on the role of snow lines in planet formation and potentially seeds life with essential organic molecules.
Researchers find that debris disks can produce narrow rings on their own, without the presence of a planet. Gas and dust interactions lead to clumping and pattern formation, making it harder for astronomers to detect planets.
For the first time, Hubble has measured the visible color of an exoplanet, revealing HD 189733b to be a deep azure blue due to its hazy and turbulent atmosphere. The planet's atmosphere is scorching with temperatures over 1000 degrees Celsius and features glass rain.
The NASA Hubble Space Telescope has confirmed the presence of a true blue planet, HD 189733b, by detecting changes in light color as it passes behind its star. The observations indicate a deep blue color due to a hazy atmosphere with high clouds containing silicate particles.
A team of astronomers has spotted a distant galaxy consuming nearby gas, which fuels star formation and drives rotation. This discovery supports the theory that galaxies pull in material to grow and form stars.
Researchers used CSIRO's Australia Telescope Compact Array to study distant star-forming clumps and discovered massive amounts of molecular hydrogen gas, a key fuel for star formation. The telescope's upgraded bandwidth and sensitivity enabled the detection of carbon monoxide, allowing scientists to estimate galaxy star-formation rates.
Cities are likened to social reactors and networks, attracting people and accelerating social interaction. The new framework predicts statistical relationships observed in thousands of real cities worldwide, providing insights into urban growth and development.
A team of scientists at the University of California, Irvine, has discovered a rare mega-galaxy dubbed HXMM01, which is 10 times larger than the Milky Way. The galaxy was formed after a 11-billion-year collision between two young galaxies and is rapidly fading away due to its own cataclysmic birth.
Researchers detected a surprising clutch of hydrogen clouds, each as massive as a dwarf galaxy, in the space between M31 and M33. The clouds were found to be traveling through space at velocities similar to their parent galaxies, suggesting they are independent entities.
A new study highlights how women credit themselves in joint success, finding that they undervalue their contributions when working with men but not with other women. The research contributes to a body of work on stereotypes affecting women in the workplace and underscores how gender influences individual performance expectations.
Astronomers discovered a rare galaxy that turns gas into stars with near 100% efficiency, outperforming even the most efficient engines. This highly tuned galaxy forms stars at a rate hundreds of times faster than our Milky Way, with the majority of its starlight emitted by a small region.
A team of astronomers at the University of Toronto propose a mechanism for forming very large stars, where baby stars are fed gas from surrounding older stars, allowing them to grow in mass. They observed evidence of this phenomenon in the Westerhout 3 cloud, located 6,500 light years from Earth.
Astronomers using NSF-funded South Pole Telescope and ALMA observatory discover galaxies producing stars at high rates, challenging previous understanding of galaxy formation. The discovery provides valuable data to refine computer models of star and galaxy formation in the early universe.
Researchers have discovered vigorous starbursts in young galaxies, indicating the universe produced stars much earlier than thought. The findings reveal a rate of star formation 1,000 times greater than today's Milky Way and provide new insights into the history of the universe.
Astronomers use ALMA to observe distant galaxies that churned out tens of thousands of stars each year at dawn of the universe. The study finds that these galaxies are more abundant than thought and host intense bursts of star formation.
Astronomers use ALMA to detect 26 distant galaxies, revealing the most distant detection of water in the cosmos. The findings show that star birth bursts occurred much earlier than previously thought, with some galaxies as bright as 40 trillion Suns.
A team of astronomers has discovered two ancient, highly active galaxies in the early Universe, formed soon after the Big Bang. These galaxies are characterized by an unusually high rate of star formation and will help improve our understanding of star formation in the early Universe.
A team of astronomers has found galaxies producing stars at a prodigious rate when the universe was just a billion years old. The discovery, enabled by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), provides valuable data for refining theoretical models of star and galaxy formation in the early universe.
Astronomers using ALMA telescope discover starburst galaxies earlier than thought, representing massive galaxies in energetic youth. These galaxies are forming 1,000 stars per year, compared to just 1 for the Milky Way, making them 'monstrous bursts of star formation'.
Astronomers found dust-enshrouded, star-forming galaxies that were previously unknown in the universe. The newly discovered galaxies produce stars at a prodigious rate, creating thousands of new suns annually.
Theoretical models demonstrate that gas giant planets can survive periodic outbursts of mass transfer from the gas disk onto the young star. These models show that Jupiter and Saturn could have formed through this process, supporting the presence of 20% of sun-like stars with gas giants.
Naveen Reddy, an assistant professor at UC Riverside, has been awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship to study the physics of early universe and extragalactic astronomy. The fellowship will support his research on faint galaxies in the distant universe.
The James Webb Space Telescope will be displayed life-size at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, featuring exhibits and educational activities for all ages. The telescope model weighs 12,000 lbs. and is being assembled at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
A Penn State research team has developed a new model to determine whether discovered planets can support liquid water and life. The updated model suggests that habitable zones are farther away from stars than previously thought, potentially reclassifying some previously believed habitable planets as non-habitable.
The G0.253+0.016 cloud defies conventional wisdom on star formation, with a dense gas content 25 times higher than the Orion Nebula but only producing small stars. The cloud's high velocities and presence of silicon monoxide suggest it may be two colliding clouds, preventing star formation due to its dynamic nature.
Astronomers have discovered hundreds of previously-unknown sites of massive star formation in the Milky Way, including the most distant such objects yet found. These regions serve as markers of the Galaxy's structure and help refine its understanding.
Astronomers discovered a mysterious planet circling the nearby star Fomalhaut with an unusual elliptical orbit. The team hypothesizes that another undetected planet may have gravitationally ejected Fomalhaut B, sending it on a collision course with a vast dust ring.
Astronomers have identified a new structure in the Milky Way, a long tendril of dust and gas dubbed a 'bone'. This feature is part of a web connecting spiral arms and is similar to fibulae found in human skeletons.
Farhad Zadeh has discovered a new tool for detecting dusty clouds and stars using radio waves, allowing astronomers to image exotic features in the galaxy's center. The technique reveals dark features that indicate interactions between cold gas clouds and hot radiation fields.
Researchers using NASA's Kepler spacecraft have found that about 17% of stars have an Earth-sized planet in an orbit closer than Mercury. This means there are at least 17 billion possible Earth-like planets in the Milky Way, with 50% of stars having a planet of Earth-size or larger in a close orbit.
Scientists have discovered six likely comets around distant stars, which could be a sign that comets are as common in other stellar systems as planets. The discovery was made using the high-resolution spectrograph of the McDonald Observatory telescope and suggests that comets may play a crucial role in planetary formation.
Astronomers from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Penn State have released a vast image gallery featuring ultraviolet and optical images captured by the Swift satellite's Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope. The collection includes early images, stunning views of galaxies, and rare types of stars.
Astronomers using ALMA have observed the first direct evidence of vast gas streams flowing across a gap in a young star's disc, thought to be created by giant planets guzzling gas as they grow. The discovery provides insight into planet formation theories.
The study reveals differences in the speed of evolution among globular clusters, with fast-aging clusters experiencing core collapse within a few hundred million years. In contrast, slow-aging clusters would take several times the current age of the universe to undergo core collapse.
Astronomers have discovered a black hole with 17 billion solar masses in the heart of a small galaxy, NGC 1277. This massive object challenges current models of galaxy evolution and could be the largest known black hole of its kind.
Using data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, scientists measured the most accurate amount of starlight in the universe and determined the extragalactic background light (EBL), also known as cosmic fog. The EBL is a fossil radiation field created by ancient starlight that continues to travel through the universe.
A new analysis of Hubble observations suggests Fomalhaut b is a rare, uniquely massive planet shrouded by dust. The team found the planet remained at constant brightness, contradicting earlier interpretations of it as a transient dust cloud.
Researchers have discovered a narrow stellar stream in the southern Galactic sky, believed to be the remnant of an ancient star cluster being ingested by the Milky Way. This finding provides new insight into how galaxies form and evolve through hierarchical merging of smaller galaxies and star clusters.
Centaurus A, a well-known elliptical galaxy, has been found to harbor a gassy spiral in its center, defying traditional classifications. The discovery was made possible by the use of the Submillimeter Array radio telescope, which revealed two distinct spiral arms within the galaxy's core.
New observations of distant galaxies reveal that internal motions were more disordered in the past, and the Hubble sequence of well-ordered disk galaxies evolved from earlier chaotic forms. This challenges the long-held assumption about disk galaxy formation, finding they evolved gradually over 8 billion years.
Astronomers discover that massive galaxies with 100 billion stars are growing denser due to repeated collisions and mergers. The study used gravitational lenses to analyze the mass distribution in these galaxies, finding that major collisions between large galaxies lead to increased mass density at their centers.
Researchers at Uppsala University will analyze atmospheres of earth-like exoplanets using the CRIRES+ instrument. The project seeks to determine if these planets can support life.
Researchers have discovered a star orbiting the Milky Way's monster black hole in just 11.5 years, offering a new test of Einstein's general theory of relativity. TMT will enable breakthroughs on astrometric precision and potentially find even more tightly bound stars, allowing for tests of gravity's warping of space-time.
Astronomers have found two smaller black holes in Messier 22 globular cluster, contradicting theoretical predictions of a single black hole. The discovery sheds new light on the environment in close clusters of hundreds of thousands of stars.
Two black holes, about 10 to 20 times heavier than the Sun, have been found in the globular cluster M22, a surprise discovery that challenges existing theories. The research, published in Nature, reveals that these smaller black holes are more common in globular clusters than previously thought.
The USDA's Agricultural Research Service has developed several new blueberry varieties, including 'Pink Lemonade', which offers a flavorful surprise with its taste similar to a raspberry. Another notable variety is 'Sweetheart', which produces firm, delectable berries in mid-to-late June and allows for an extended harvest period.
Astronomers found a cloud of hydrogen and helium plunging toward the galactic center, which represents the remains of a planet-forming disk. The discovery suggests that planets can still form near black holes due to stars in a ring orbiting the galaxy's central black hole.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University develop method to observe stars that formed when the universe was 180 million years old. By detecting radio waves from hydrogen atoms, they reveal patterns in the sky indicating early galaxies, providing insight into the universe's origins.
Researchers have observed glycolaldehyde molecules, a simple form of sugar, in the gas surrounding a young star. This discovery suggests that the building blocks of life were already present during planet formation. The finding was made using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) telescope and provides insights into the possibility...
The conference aimed to examine recent developments in active galactic nuclei and their effect on star formation. Researchers now believe that the energy released by supermassive black holes controls this process, which is crucial for galaxy evolution.
New data from WiggleZ galaxy survey finds matter distributed evenly on scales over 350 million light years, contradicting fractal theories. The study's findings support the standard model of cosmology, confirming our understanding of space and time.
Astronomers using Hubble data observe two massive star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud that may be in early stages of merger. The discovery sheds light on the origin of large star clusters and helps scientists understand galaxy formation.
Researchers have created extremely hot and dense plasmas hundreds of times hotter than the sun's surface, challenging a widely accepted model. The study demonstrates the capabilities of LCLS X-ray laser, providing detailed information about plasma properties.