Astronomers Solve Quasar Sequence Mystery
New research helps solves a quasar mystery that astronomers have been puzzling over for 20 years, presenting a pathway to a better understanding of how…
Carnegie Institution for Science News
Astronomers Discover First Evidence of Water Ice Clouds Outside Our Solar System
Using the FourStar imager at Las Campanas Observatory, scientists have discovered evidence of water ice clouds on a newly discovered brown dwarf WISE J085510.83-071442.5 (W0855)…
Indications of Water Clouds in a Brown Dwarf 7 Light-Years from Earth
A team of astronomers has discovered indications of water clouds in the coldest known brown dwarf, which is located 7.3 light-years from Earth. Astronomers have…
Cool Planet-Like Object May Have Spent Much of Its Youth as Hot as a Star
A new study details the discovery of a Y dwarf (WISE J0304-2705) that may have spent much of its youth as hot as a star….
Hubble Confirms the Distance of Galaxy Cluster JKCS 041
New research from the Carnegie Institute for Science has confirmed the distance of galaxy cluster JKCS 041, revealing 19 galaxies at precisely the same great…
Chemical Analysis Reveals that Nearby Galaxy Segue 1 is a “Fossil” from the Early Universe
By analyzing the chemical elements in nearby galaxy Segue 1, new research reveals that it is the least chemically evolved galaxy known and researchers believe…
Distant Dwarf Planet Discovered Beyond the Known Edge of Our Solar System
Using ground-based observatories, scientists discovered a distant dwarf planet, dubbed 2012 VP113, located beyond the known edge of our solar system. Washington, D.C.—The Solar System…
New Study Resolves a Decades-Old Paradox between Thermal History Models and Estimates of Mercury’s Contraction
A newly published study from the Carnegie Institute resolves a decades-old paradox between thermal history models and estimates of Mercury’s contraction, showing that Mercury contracted…
Recently Discovered Luhman 16AB System May Harbor Planet
Detailed analysis of the recently discovered Luhman 16AB system has revealed that the pair of failed stars may be harboring a planet. Pasadena, California —…
Newly Discovered Planetary Candidates are Nearly Skimming Their Host Star’s Surface
New research presented at the American Astronomical Society’s Division of Planetary Sciences details the discovery of planetary candidates with orbital periods as short as four…
New Theoretical Models Could Aid in the Hunt for Habitable Planets
A recently published study details new theoretical models that reveal how an outburst event in the Sun’s early years could help in the hunt for…
Distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud Recalculated, Improves Hubble Constant
By observing a rare close pair of stars, known as eclipsing binaries, a team of scientists recalculated the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud, refining…
How Jupiter and Saturn Formed and Evolved
In newly published research from the Carnegie Institution for Science, Alan Boss uses highly detailed, three dimensional models to help explain how the gas giant…
Hybrid Crystalline/Amorphous Material Capable of Indenting Diamonds
An international team of scientists created the world’s first hybrid crystalline/amorphous material that is hard enough to indent diamonds. Using a diamond anvil cell, the…
Binary Star QU Carinae, A Possible Supernova Progenitor
Using sodium gas signatures, which have been recognized as being associated with type Ia supernovae, a team of scientists from the Carnegie Institution for Science…
3D Models Confirm Supernova’s Role in the Formation of Our Solar System
A soon-to-be published study from scientists at Carnegie Institution for Science provides the first fully three-dimensional models for how a shock wave from a supernova…
Trajectory Models of Refractory Particles Help Solve Two Solar System Puzzles
In a newly published study, astrophysicists detail how they modeled the trajectories of refractory particles in the unstable disk of gas and dust that formed…
Diogenites Provide Clues of the Earliest Days of Our Solar System
Scientists from the Carnegie Institution for Science are focusing on an old type of meteorite called diogenites to gain a better understanding of the earliest…
