https://phys.org/space-news/astronomy/ en-us The latest science news on astronomy, space, and astrophysics. Chinese astronomers report the discovery of DESI-HVS1, which may be an old metal-poor hypervelocity star of galactic center origin. The finding, based on the data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and ESA's Gaia satellite, was detailed in a research paper published April 23 on the arXiv pre-print server. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-desi-hvs1-hypervelocity-star-ejected.html Astronomy Fri, 01 May 2026 10:00:03 EDT news696763810 A century after their discovery, cosmic rays—particles of extreme energy originating from the far reaches of the universe—remain a mystery to scientists. The DAMPE (Dark Matter Particle Explorer) space telescope is tackling this phenomenon, particularly investigating the role that dark matter may play in their formation. This international mission, which includes the University of Geneva (UNIGE), has made a major breakthrough by highlighting a universal feature of these particles. The results are published in the journal Nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dampe-satellite-reveals-cosmic-rays.html Astronomy Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:40:03 EDT news696777961 The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has made a breakthrough in exploring the extreme universe. For the first time, the LHAASO collaboration has detected ultra-high-energy (UHE) gamma rays—with energies exceeding 100 trillion electron-volts (TeV)—from a gamma-ray binary system, LS I +61° 303. The discovery challenges existing theories of particle acceleration in extreme astrophysical environments. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-lhaaso-extreme-particle-milky.html Astronomy Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:20:06 EDT news696768002 The Milky Way galaxy grew into its current form with the help of smaller galaxies over time, which it has "consumed" or merged with. Astronomers are able to pick out which stars in the Milky Way came from other galaxies by identifying certain features, like the eccentricities of their galactic orbits and how many heavier elements they contain. Properties of some of the merged galaxies can then be determined when astronomers find collections of stars with similar features. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-lost-galaxy-loki-milky.html Astronomy Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:40:03 EDT news696769916 Using the Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory, Bulgarian astronomers have conducted optical photometric observations of an ultracompact binary known as GP Com. Results of the observational campaign, presented in the Proceedings of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, shed more light on the properties of this system. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-gp-sharpen-picture-rare-ultracompact.html Astronomy Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:40:01 EDT news696675901 A newly discovered object may be a key to unlocking the true nature of a mysterious class of sources that astronomers have found in the early universe in recent years. A "X-ray dot" found by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory could explain what these objects are. A paper describing the results is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nasa-red-dots-chandra-webb.html Astronomy Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:40:04 EDT news696682321 Astronomers now estimate there is at least one planet for every star in our galaxy. These worlds, called exoplanets, are planets that orbit stars outside our solar system. But new research from McMaster University reveals a surprising twist: the most common planets in our galaxy don't exist around the most common stars. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-common-planets-galaxy-dont-stars.html Astronomy Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:20:04 EDT news696680521 An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a new supernova remnant (SNR) using radio observations. The newfound supernova remnant, dubbed Abeona, is one of the faintest radio SNRs so far detected. The discovery is detailed in a research paper published April 21 on the arXiv preprint server. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-newly-supernova-remnant-faintest.html Astronomy Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:10:01 EDT news696589426 Understanding the universe as a whole requires simulations on cosmic scales. An international team of astrophysicists, with a leading role for researchers at Leiden University, Netherlands, has now released one of the largest cosmological simulation datasets ever produced. The dataset contains more than 2.5 petabytes of simulation data—roughly equivalent to half a million HD movies. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-astronomers-massive-virtual-universes-global.html Astronomy Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:00:02 EDT news696585421 An international team of astronomers has employed the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to perform high-resolution observations of the Needle galaxy. Results of the new observational campaign, presented April 15 on the arXiv preprint server, provide more insights into the properties of molecular gas in this galaxy. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-alma-reveals-giant-molecular-clouds.html Astronomy Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:20:01 EDT news696502546 From birth to death, stars generally slow by 100 to 1,000 times their initial rotation rates; in other words, they "spin down." The sun's total angular momentum has declined as material is gradually blown off at the surface as solar wind. By observing this, astronomers have theorized the interaction between magnetic fields and plasma flow to be the most efficient way to spin down stars. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-stars-die.html Astronomy Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:00:09 EDT news696493275 The Fe Kα line, or iron Kα line, is often used in astronomical research to understand the physical composition of astronomical objects. This line is produced when a K-shell electron of an iron ion in the photosphere—the gas on the stellar surface—is ejected by an external process, and has been detected in X-ray spectra of solar and stellar flares. Yet the dominant mechanism behind this ionization process has remained an open question for many years. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tandem-superflare-reveal-stellar-fe.html Astronomy Mon, 27 Apr 2026 05:00:01 EDT news696256870 Astronomers, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), have confirmed the existence of a close quasar pair housed in a pair of merging galaxies seen when the universe was less than a billion years old, at a redshift of 5.7. The system, designated J2037–4537, is one of only two confirmed quasar pairs at redshift greater than 5 ever found. A paper outlining this work was submitted to the preprint server arXiv on April 7. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-blazing-quasars-caught-waltzing-merger.html Astronomy Sun, 26 Apr 2026 13:30:01 EDT news695898411 It takes a moment for the eyes to adjust. A faint spark appears in the darkness; then another, brighter one. Soon, stars, planets and entire constellations emerge. Before long, a whole galaxy stretches across the sky, visible to the naked eye. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-threat-pollution-world-darkest-skies.html Astronomy Sun, 26 Apr 2026 11:40:01 EDT news696422376 A team of astrophysicists from Nanjing University and University of Bonn have demonstrated that, rather than being random, the mass of new stars born inside a star cluster is actually governed by a defined process of self-regulation. Their work has been published in the journal Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-cosmic-star-clusters.html Astronomy Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:40:04 EDT news696248642 For observers on Earth, the sun appears as a bright, familiar disk—but what we see is only half the story. Like the moon, one half of the sun is permanently hidden from our direct view: the far side beyond the visible solar limb. Yet, activity brewing there can eventually turn toward Earth, sometimes unleashing solar flares and eruptions capable of disrupting human technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-scientists-hidden-magnetism-sun-side.html Astronomy Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:20:03 EDT news696248402 Messier 104, nicknamed the Sombrero Galaxy, is a popular target for amateur observing and astronomical research. Its recognizable extended halo, as well as a faint stellar stream, are captured in exquisite detail in this image from the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-sombrero-galaxy-vast-halo-emerges.html Astronomy Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:50:01 EDT news696253012 The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has detected PeV (1015 eV) gamma-ray emission from a pulsar wind nebula powered by PSR J1849-0001 in the constellation Aquila, marking the discovery of a new PeVatron and posing a challenge to the classical theory of particle acceleration in pulsar wind nebulae. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-aquila-booster-theoretical-limits-particle.html Astronomy Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:40:01 EDT news696248102 Using the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST), astronomers have observed a nearby young open cluster known as NGC 1647. Results of the new observations, presented in a paper published April 13 on the pre-print server arXiv, deliver essential information regarding the properties of this cluster. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-lamost-cluster-ngc-linking-broad.html Astronomy Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:20:03 EDT news696247213 A star's mass determines its entire life story, from how it shines to how it dies. For young stars shrouded in dust, getting an accurate mass has long been difficult, but new radio measurements are beginning to change that. Astronomers are helping unravel the mass mystery of young stars in the Orion star-forming complex by measuring their masses with unprecedented precision. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-orbital-true-masses-orion-young.html Astronomy Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:40:03 EDT news696239941 Ultra-faint dwarf galaxies—tiny satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way—have long been seen as cosmic fossils. Now, a new study published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society uses an unprecedented set of simulations to show just how powerfully these faint systems can reflect the conditions of the early universe and tell us why some galaxies grew and others did not. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-milky-cousins-clues-infant-universe.html Astronomy Thu, 23 Apr 2026 19:00:03 EDT news696167281 New observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS include the first measurement of the abundance of deuterated water relative to ordinary water in an interstellar object. Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) discovered that the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is made of an astonishingly high ratio of semi-heavy water relative to water, indicating that its system of origin likely formed under conditions far colder than our own. The findings are published in Nature Astronomy. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-3iatlas-semi-heavy-comets-solar.html Astronomy Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:26:02 EDT news696169452 New observations and simulations by a team of researchers led by MPE reveal that a massive binary star near our galaxy's center is responsible for creating a series of enigmatic gas clouds—compact gas clumps that help feed the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. The study is published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-mysterious-gas-clouds-milky-black.html Astronomy Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:00:08 EDT news696159422 NASA unveiled a new telescope on Tuesday to scan vast swaths of the universe for planets outside our solar system and probe the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nasa-unveils-roman-telescope-universe.html Astronomy Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:29:03 EDT news696072437 Astronomers from South Africa and India have analyzed archival data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) regarding a nearby small galaxy group known as IC 1262. Results of the new study, presented April 14 on the preprint server arXiv, provide more insights into metal enrichment of IC 1262, which could help us better understand the nature of this group. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-cold-fronts-nearby-galaxy-group.html Astronomy Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:00:03 EDT news696065868 At more than one million degrees, the sun's atmosphere—the corona—is incredibly hot; but not everywhere. Time and again, huge structures of significantly cooler solar plasma—about 10,000 degrees—appear within the corona. These structures are known as prominences. They span up to several thousand kilometers and often resemble flickering flames that can take on a wide variety of shapes. Despite their delicate appearance, they are massive "chunks of matter": their density exceeds that of the surrounding corona by more than a hundred. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-sun-simulations-reveal-cool-prominences.html Astronomy Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:00:07 EDT news696010501 Astronomers at the University of Hawaiʻi have precisely measured the age of a nearby sun-like star and its unusual companion, known as a brown dwarf, an object that falls between a planet and a star. The discovery offers new clues into how brown dwarfs grow and change over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-astronomers-precisely-date-rare-brown.html Astronomy Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:30:01 EDT news696007981 How far the Milky Way's disk extends has long been difficult to define—it doesn't end sharply, but fades away gradually at its outer edges. Now, for the first time, an international team of astronomers has identified the edge of the Milky Way's star-forming disk by studying the ages of stars, revealing that the bulk of our galaxy's star formation occurs within 40,000 light-years of the Galactic Center. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-edge-milky-star-disk-revealed.html Astronomy Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:40:03 EDT news695986421 Using the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME), an international team of astronomers has performed radio observations of FRB 20220912A—a highly active source of repeating fast radio bursts. Results of the monitoring campaign, published April 10 on the preprint server arXiv, could help us better understand the nature of these enigmatic sources. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-chime-tracks-hyperactive-fast-radio.html Astronomy Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:40:03 EDT news695985187 This shimmering region of star-formation, a close-up of the Trifid Nebula about 5,000 light-years from Earth, was captured in intricate detail by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The colors in Hubble's visible light image, which marks the 36th anniversary of the mission's launch on April 24, are reminiscent of an underwater scene filled with fine-grained sediments fluttering through the ocean's depths. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hubble-dazzles-young-stars-trifid.html Astronomy Mon, 20 Apr 2026 14:00:03 EDT news695911647