Using cosmic weather to study which worlds could support life

As the next generation of giant, high-powered observatories begin to come online, a new study suggests that their instruments may offer scientists an unparalleled opportunity to discern what weather may be like on far-away ...

Study inspects the ultra-thin galaxy UGC 11859

Using the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), astronomers have performed optical imaging observations of an isolated ultra-thin galaxy known as UGC 11859. Results of the observational campaign, published July 12 in The Astrophysical ...

New advances in formation theory of supermassive black holes

With breakthroughs in astronomical observation, scientists now have confirmed the existence of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies. The recent release of black hole images has further charged people's curiosity ...

Unexpectedly calm and remote galaxy cluster discovered

Astronomers have discovered the most distant "relaxed" galaxy cluster to date—the farthest cluster ever spotted that is not being disrupted by violent collisions with other clusters of galaxies. This finding is paving the ...

Galaxy J1135 reveals its water map

Water is essential for life, but for astrophysicists, it represents something more. Researchers look at water in galaxies, its distribution and in particular its changes of state from ice to vapor, as important markers indicating ...

VERA unveils surroundings of rapidly growing black holes

An international team of astronomers used the state-of-the-art capability of VERA, a Japanese network of radio telescopes operated by NAOJ, to uncover valuable clues about how rapidly growing "young" supermassive black holes ...

When ET calls, can we be sure we're not being spoofed?

Scientists have devised a new technique for finding and vetting possible radio signals from other civilizations in our galaxy—a major advance in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) that will significantly ...

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