New XRISM satellite mission to study 'rainbow' of X-rays

A new satellite called XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, pronounced "crism") aims to pry apart high-energy light into the equivalent of an X-ray rainbow. The mission, led by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration ...

Has JWST finally found the first stars in the universe?

In astronomy, elements other than hydrogen and helium are called metals. While that might make your high-school chemistry teacher cringe, it makes sense for astronomers. The two lightest elements were the first to appear ...

Bizarre exoplanet breaks all the orbital rules

In our solar system, the planetary orbits all have a similar orientation. Their orbital planes vary by a few degrees, but roughly the planets all orbit in the same direction. This invariable plane as it's known also has an ...

Ultracool dwarf binary stars break records

Northwestern University and the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) astrophysicists using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island have discovered the tightest ultracool dwarf binary system ever observed.

Ultracool dwarf binary stars break records

Northwestern University and the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) astrophysicists have discovered the tightest ultracool dwarf binary system ever observed.

FAST telescope reveals unprecedented details of the Milky Way

The Milky Way is our home galaxy in the vast universe, but the structure and composition of the Milky Way remain mysterious. The vast interstellar space between the billions of stars is not empty, but filled with tenuous ...

Prospects for an all-optical remote magnetic field sensor

Crystals doped with rare-earth (RE) ions exhibit very narrow linewidths of optical transitions. The narrow-line spectra of triply ionized RE elements cover the entire visible and infrared range. RE-doped materials are widely ...

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