Astronomers Confirm Link between Galaxy Mergers and Supermassive Black Holes
Astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope to conduct a large survey to investigate the relationship between galaxies that have undergone mergers and the activity of…
Astrophysics News
Distant Quasars Help Set Limits On Space-Time Quantum Foam
New X-ray and gamma-ray observations of distant quasars are being used to help scientists set limits on the quantum nature of space-time on extremely tiny…
Astronomers Discover Super-Jupiter Exoplanet around an Evolved Star
Astronomers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have discovered two new giant exoplanets around an evolved star. There are 565 exoplanets currently known that are…
Rare Quasar Quartet Reveals Massive Structure in Distant Universe
Astronomers have discovered four active black holes situated in close proximity to one another in the distant universe, surrounded by a giant nebula of cool…
Hubble Uncovers New Clues about a Hefty, Rapidly Aging Star
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, a team of astronomers has uncovered surprising new clues about a hefty, rapidly aging star whose behavior has never been…
Keck Spectroscopy Confirmation of Large, Diffuse Galaxies in the Coma Cluster
In a newly published study, astronomers detail the discovery of large, diffuse galaxies in the Coma Cluster. A fluffy galaxy is hard to find, but…
Kepler and Swift Capture Early Moments of Baby Supernovae
NASA’s Kepler and Swift spacecraft provides new insight into what triggers a Type Ia supernova, allowing astronomers to better calibrate Type Ia supernovae as standard…
Evidence of a New Type of Star Cluster
Using data from ESO’s Very Large Telescope, astronomers have discovered a new class of “dark” globular star clusters around Centaurus A. These star clusters contain…
Hubble Reveals Diffusion of Stars Through the Core of the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae
New images from the Hubble Space Telescope show for the first time snapshots of white dwarf stars beginning their 40-million-year migration from the crowded center…
Strangulation is the Primary Mechanism for Star Formation Shut Down
Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, astronomers from the University of Cambridge detail why certain galaxies can no longer produce stars. As murder…
Kepler Finds Evidence of Daily Weather Cycles on Exoplanets
Using Kepler data, researchers from the University of Toronto reveal evidence of daily weather cycles on six extra-solar planets. “Cloudy for the morning, turning to…
LBT Reveals Lava Lake on Jupiter’s Moon Io
The Large Binocular Telescope provides the first detailed observations of a lava lake on Jupiter’s moon Io. With the first detailed observations of a lava…
The Changing Frequency of Galaxy Collisions
New research from the Illustris project examines the changing frequency of galaxy collisions, as the universe evolves from the Big Bang to the present day….
Halo Around the Andromeda Galaxy is Larger Than Previously Thought
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered that the immense halo of gas enveloping the Andromeda galaxy is about six times larger and 1,000…
NASA’s NuSTAR Finds Evidence of a Lopsided Star Explosion
By mapping the radioisotope titanium-44, NASA’s NuStar reveals evidence of an asymmetrical explosion from supernova 1987A and helps to explain the mechanics of SN 1987A…
ALMA Discovers a Globular Cluster about to be Born
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, astronomers have discovered what may be the first known example of a globular cluster about to be born. Globular…
Astrophysicists Examine the Possibility of Planets Forming around HL Tauri
A newly published study examines the concentric gaps in the protoplanetary disk surrounding the young star HL Tau, revealing the possibility of planets forming within…
Astronomers Discover the Farthest Galaxy to Date
An international team of astronomers has pushed back the cosmic frontier of galaxy exploration to a time when the universe was only 5% of its…