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Astronomy news
Observations provide crucial insights into the nature of a white dwarf–brown dwarf binary
Using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), astronomers have performed spectrophotometric observations of an eclipsing white dwarf–brown dwarf binary known as WD1032+011. Results of their observational campaign, published September ...
New cosmic distance catalog could unlock the mysteries of universe formation
A new catalog providing information on millions of distant galaxies, which determines their distances with unprecedented precision over a field of view and depth never before explored, has been published today.
Astronomy
17 hours ago
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Webb Telescope provides another look into galactic collisions
An interaction between an elliptical galaxy and a spiral galaxy, collectively known as Arp 107, seems to have given the spiral a happier outlook thanks to the two bright "eyes" and the wide semicircular "smile." The region ...
Astronomy
17 hours ago
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Magnifying deep space through the 'Carousel Lens'—rare alignment offers unique opportunity to study cosmology
In a rare and extraordinary discovery, researchers have identified a unique configuration of galaxies that form the most exquisitely aligned gravitational lens found to date. The Carousel Lens is a massive cluster-scale gravitational ...
Astronomy
21 hours ago
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Work is underway on NASA's next-generation asteroid hunter
The mirrors for NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor space telescope are being installed and aligned, and work on other spacecraft components is accelerating.
Astronomy
21 hours ago
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Second-gen Starlink satellites leak 30 times more radio interference, threatening astronomical observations
Observations with the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) radio telescope last year showed that first generation Starlink satellites emit unintended radio waves that can hinder astronomical observations.
Astronomy
22 hours ago
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From earthquakes to starquakes: Seismology research helps understand exoplanet migration
When Jared Bryan talks about his seismology research, it's with a natural finesse. He's a fifth-year Ph.D. student working with MIT Assistant Professor William Frank on seismology research, drawn in by the lab's combination ...
Astronomy
23 hours ago
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Astronomers discover biggest ever seen black hole jets, which blast hot plasma well beyond their own host galaxy
Astronomers have spotted the biggest pair of black hole jets ever seen, spanning 23 million light-years in total length. That's equivalent to lining up 140 Milky Way galaxies back to back.
Astronomy
23 hours ago
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Could we find primordial black holes in the solar system?
Astronomers have observed three types of black holes in the universe. Stellar-mass black holes formed from the collapse of a massive star, intermediate mass black holes found in some star clusters, and supermassive black ...
Astronomy
Sep 18, 2024
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Future gravitational wave observatories could see the earliest black hole mergers in the universe
In February 2016, scientists at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) confirmed they made the first-ever detection of gravitational waves (GWs). These events occur when massive objects like neutron ...
Astronomy
Sep 18, 2024
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Astronomers detect hundreds of supernova remnants using novel method
Using a new method exploiting the capabilities of the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE), astronomers have detected 307 new supernova remnants, including seven rare oxygen-rich ones. The finding was presented in a research ...
NASA completes spacecraft to transport, support Roman Space Telescope
The spacecraft bus that will deliver NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to its orbit and enable it to function once there is now complete after years of construction, installation, and testing.
Astronomy
Sep 17, 2024
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Hubble finds more black holes than expected in the early universe
With the help of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, an international team of researchers led by scientists in the Department of Astronomy at Stockholm University has found more black holes in the early universe than has previously ...
Astronomy
Sep 17, 2024
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Astronomers are getting better at detecting asteroids before they hit Earth—and it could save us from catastrophe
On September 4 2024, astronomers discovered an asteroid, 1 meter in diameter, heading towards Earth. The space rock would burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere near the Philippines later that day, officials announced. Nevertheless, ...
Astronomy
Sep 17, 2024
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A wobble from Mars could be sign of dark matter, study finds
In a new study, MIT physicists propose that if most of the dark matter in the universe is made up of microscopic primordial black holes—an idea first proposed in the 1970s—then these gravitational dwarfs should zoom through ...
Astronomy
Sep 17, 2024
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Studying stars from the lunar surface with MoonLITE, courtesy of NASA's commercial lunar payload services
Optical interferometry has been a long-proven science method that involves using several separate telescopes to act as one big telescope, thus achieving more accurate data as opposed to each telescope working individually. ...
Astronomy
Sep 16, 2024
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The skies are about to get a new star as a result of a cosmic cataclysm
Any night now, the astrophysicists tell us, a new star will appear in the night sky—about as bright as the North Star—the result of a cosmic explosion in a distant constellation millennia ago.
Astronomy
Sep 16, 2024
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New tidally tilted pulsator discovered by astronomers
Astronomers have detected a new tidally pulsator star (TTP) by analyzing the data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The newfound pulsator, designated TIC 435850195, belongs to the rare class of tri-axial ...
Astronomers detect black hole 'starving' its host galaxy to death
Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope to confirm that supermassive black holes can starve their host galaxies of the fuel they need to form new stars. The results are reported in the journal Nature ...
Astronomy
Sep 16, 2024
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Cosmology is at a tipping point—we may be on the verge of discovering new physics
For the past few years, a series of controversies have rocked the well-established field of cosmology. In a nutshell, the predictions of the standard model of the universe appear to be at odds with some recent observations.
Astronomy
Sep 15, 2024
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