Chandra X-ray Observatory Studies Extraordinary Magnetar [Video]
Astronomers recently found the fastest spinning and possibly the youngest magnetar yet. J1818.0-1607 is located about 21,000 light years away in the Milky Way galaxy….
Chandra X-ray Observatory
Chandra Studies Extraordinary Magnetar: Fastest Spinning and Possibly the Youngest Magnetar Known
Astronomers have recently found the fastest spinning and possibly the youngest magnetar known. This object, known as J1818.0-1607, is located about 21,000 light years away…
Deepening Astronomical Mystery: On the Hunt for a Missing Giant Black Hole
Astronomers are searching for signs of a supermassive black hole in the galaxy cluster Abell 2261. Nearly all large galaxies contain central black holes, and…
Pareidolia: Seeing Recognizable Shapes in the Cosmos
What is pareidolia? It is the psychological phenomenon where we see recognizable shapes in clouds, rock formations, or otherwise unrelated objects or data. When an image…
Chandra Spots a Cosmic Amethyst in a Dying Star
Chandra has found a bubble of ultra-hot gas at the center of a planetary nebula. Planetary nebulas are formed when Sun-like stars run out of…
“Gravitational Redshift”: Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, Critical for GPS, Seen in Distant Stars
What do Albert Einstein, the Global Positioning System (GPS), and a pair of stars 200,000 trillion miles from Earth have in common? The answer is…
The Recipe for Powerful Quasar Jets: Why Some Supermassive Black Holes Launch Powerful Beams
Some supermassive black holes launch powerful beams of material, or jets, away from them, while others do not. Astronomers may now have identified why. Using…
Treasure Trove of Cosmic Delights Revealed by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory
Humanity has “eyes” that can detect all different types of light through telescopes around the globe and a fleet of observatories in space. From radio…
NASA Missions Explore a “TIE Fighter” Active Galaxy Far, Far Away
Not so long ago, astronomers mapped a galaxy far, far away using radio waves and found it has a strikingly familiar shape. In the process,…
Debris From Stellar Explosion Not Slowed After 400 Years: Still Blasting Away at Over 20 Million MPH [Video]
Astronomers have used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to record material blasting away from the site of an exploded star at speeds faster than 20 million…
Here’s What Happens When a Supermassive Black Hole Fails to Do Its Job [Video]
A new study reveals what happens when a supermassive black hole in the center of a galaxy cluster stops being active. By combining data from…
Black Hole Fails to Do Its Job, Unleashing a Remarkable Torrent of Star Formation
Astronomers have discovered what can happen when a giant black hole does not intervene in the life of a galaxy cluster. Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray…
Irregular Outbursts From a Double Star System – Energy Equivalent to 10 Million Trillion Hydrogen Bombs
For decades, astronomers have known about irregular outbursts from the double star system V745 Sco, which is located about 25,000 light-years from Earth. V745 Sco…
First Detection of X-Rays From a Newborn Star – Clues to Our Sun’s Earliest Phase of Evolution
Astronomers have reported the first detection of X-rays from the earliest phase of evolution of a star like our Sun. This discovery from NASA’s Chandra…
Three Million Light-Year Long Bridge Between Two Galaxy Clusters Warped by Supermassive Black Hole
A new study, based on data from ESA’s XMM-Newton and NASA’s Chandra X-ray observatories, sheds new light on a three million light-year long bridge of…
Star Captured by Supermassive Black Hole’s Gravity – And Survives!
Astronomers may have discovered a new kind of survival story: a star that had a brush with a giant black hole and lived to…
“Theory of Everything” Tested – NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory Probes String Theory
Astronomers used Chandra to perform a test of string theory, a possible “theory of everything” that would tie all of known physics together. One of…
The Most Powerful Black Hole Eruption Ever Seen in the Universe
Astronomers using ESA’s XMM-Newton and NASA’s Chandra X-ray space observatories, along with radio telescopes on ground, have spotted the aftermath of the most powerful explosion…