Submillimeter astronomy is a research area focused on observing electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths between the far-infrared and millimeter regimes (roughly 0.1–1 mm), where cold dust, molecular gas, and cosmic microwave background–related processes emit strongly. It probes physical conditions in dense interstellar clouds, star-forming regions, circumstellar disks, and high-redshift galaxies via rotational transitions of molecules (e.g., CO) and thermal dust emission. The field relies on high-sensitivity, high-angular-resolution instruments such as bolometer arrays and heterodyne receivers, typically deployed on high, dry sites or space platforms to mitigate atmospheric water vapor absorption.
A new European-led telescope could map the dusty, hidden half of the universe, all without using fossil fuels. If you have ever seen the Milky Way in the night sky, you probably noticed that it looks cloudy. That is because ...
Astronomy
10 hours ago
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Astronomers may have found an explanation for one of the biggest mysteries revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): why so many galaxies in the early universe appear unexpectedly bright in ultraviolet light. The ...
Cornell astronomers are deploying a new instrument that grants them, for the first time, a better view of the universe's earliest galaxies, which can't be observed individually with traditional ground- or space-based telescopes.
Astronomy
May 12, 2026
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Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers have discovered a close pair of quasars, which is a result of a distant massive galaxy merger. The detection of the quasar pair was detailed in a ...
Thirty-four years after Cornell University scientists first conceived it, the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST) now rises above the Atacama Desert, near the summit of Cerro Chajnantor in Chile. FYST will help answer ...
Astronomy
Apr 10, 2026
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This month's NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month offers us a two-for-one on brand new stars—with some potential planets thrown in as well. This visual highlights Webb's views of the protoplanetary ...
Planetary Sciences
Apr 3, 2026
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A team of University of Florida researchers used the James Webb Space Telescope to capture photos of a star-forming region known as W51 with never-before-seen clarity and resolution. The long wavelengths of JWST's infrared ...
Astronomy
Mar 31, 2026
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Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have discovered a new red galaxy at a redshift of approximately 11.45. The newfound galaxy, which received designation EGS-z11-R0, turns out to be the most distant ...
Yale junior Donglin Wu leads a new study showing that some of the biggest stars in the universe shed some of the smallest dust particles. It's fitting that Wu's first major scientific journal article as lead author focuses ...
Astronomy
Feb 27, 2026
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Astronomers have captured the central region of our Milky Way in a striking new image, unveiling a complex network of filaments of cosmic gas in unprecedented detail. Obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter ...
Astronomy
Feb 25, 2026
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