New Supercomputer Simulations Provide Clue to Missing Planets Mystery
Forming planets are one possible explanation for the rings and gaps observed in disks of gas and dust around young stars. But this theory has…
National Institutes of Natural Sciences
Using Sunlight to Acquire Energy: A Genome of Photosynthetic Animals Decoded
Genome analysis reveals chloroplast acquisition without gene transfer in photosynthetic sea slugs. Plants, algae, and some bacteria are able to perform photosynthesis, which is the…
Astronomers Use Artificial Intelligence to Reveal the Actual Shape of the Universe
Japanese astronomers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) technique to remove noise in astronomical data due to random variations in galaxy shapes. After extensive…
ALMA Peers Back 12.4 Billion Years and Discovers the Most Ancient Galaxy of Its Kind Ever Observed
Analyzing data obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), researchers found a galaxy with a spiral morphology only 1.4 billion years after the Big…
Unknown Physics on the Cosmic Scale? 1000 Supernova Explosions Chart the Expansion History of the Universe
An international research team analyzed a database of more than 1000 supernova explosions and found that models for the expansion of the Universe best match…
Surprise Twist Suggests Stars Grow Competitively – Unprecedented High-Resolution Map of the Orion Nebula Cluster
A survey of star formation activity in the Orion Nebula Cluster found similar mass distributions for newborn stars and dense gas cores, which may evolve…
A New Window to See Unexplored Hidden Side of Magnetized Universe
New observations and simulations show that jets of high-energy particles emitted from the central massive black hole in the brightest galaxy in galaxy clusters can…
Exploring Comet Thermal History: Observing a Burnt-Out Comet Covered With Talcum Powder
The world’s first ground-based observations of the bare nucleus of a comet nearing the end of its active life revealed that the nucleus has a…
Natural Cosmic Telescope Helps ALMA Discover Rotating Infant Galaxy
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers found a rotating baby galaxy 1/100th the size of the Milky Way at a time when the…
Astronomers Spot Stellar Eggs Near Center of the Milky Way Hatching Into Baby Stars
Astronomers found a number of stellar eggs containing baby stars around the center of the Milky Way using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Previous…
Sounding Rocket CLASP2 Helps Create Unprecedented Map of the Solar Magnetic Field
Cooperative operations between a solar observation satellite and a sounding-rocket telescope have measured the magnetic field strength in the photosphere and chromosphere above an active…
Ultrafast Intra-atom Electron Motion Tracked Using Synchrotron Radiation
Scientists in Japan have observed, and interfered with, the ultrafast motion of electron movement inside of a Xenon atom using the coherent pairs of short…
Supercomputer Turns Back Cosmic Clock for Insights Into One of the Most Important Mysteries in Modern Astronomy
Astronomers have tested a method for reconstructing the state of the early Universe by applying it to 4000 simulated universes using the ATERUI II supercomputer…
Supercomputer Simulations Have Found Why Ions Exist at Higher Temperatures Than Electrons in Space Plasma
New simulations carried out in part on the ATERUI II supercomputer in Japan have found that the reason ions exist at higher temperatures than electrons…
Next Target Asteroid for Hayabusa2 Photographed by Subaru Telescope
On December 10, 2020 (Hawaiʻi Standard Time), the Subaru Telescope imaged the small asteroid 1998 KY26, the target of Hayabusa2’s extended mission. The positional data…
Second Alignment Plane of Solar System Discovered After Accounting for Galactic Gravity
A study of comet motions indicates that the Solar System has a second alignment plane. Analytical investigation of the orbits of long-period comets shows that…
Astronomers Spot Pair of Massive Baby Stars Growing in Salty Cosmic Soup
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers spotted a pair of massive baby stars growing in salty cosmic soup. Each star is shrouded by…
Evolved Binary Star System Wolf-Rayet 112: Unraveling a Spiral Stream of Dusty Embers From a Massive Stellar Forge
With almost two decades of mid-infrared (IR) imaging from the largest observatories around the world including the Subaru Telescope, a team of astronomers was able…