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Neutron star that behaves like a black hole discovered

Researchers have found a neutron star that captures matter from a companion star in a violent and unstable process. This process, previously observed only in very bright black holes, opens the door to new insights into the behaviour of stars.

Mar 27th, 2023

Artificial intelligence discovers secret equation for 'weighing' galaxy clusters

Astrophysicists have leveraged artificial intelligence to uncover a better way to estimate the mass of colossal clusters of galaxies. The AI discovered that by just adding a simple term to an existing equation, scientists can produce far better mass estimates than they previously had.

Mar 23rd, 2023

Searching for life with space dust

A proposed way to search for alien life using tiny rocks ejected from other worlds.

Mar 23rd, 2023

AI finds that first stars were clustered together

An international team has used artificial intelligence to analyze the chemical abundances of old stars and found indications that the very first stars in the Universe were born in groups rather than as isolated single stars.

Mar 23rd, 2023

Is 'Oumuamua's odd propulsion a hydrogen fart?

Oumuamua, the first known interstellar object found moving through our solar system, may be propelled by hydrogen gas produced by ice reserves according to international researchers.

Mar 22nd, 2023

Webb spots swirling, gritty clouds on remote planet

Weather report: Expect scattered, patchy clouds made up of silicates on planet VHS 1256 b.

Mar 22nd, 2023

Galaxy changes classification as jet changes direction

A team of international astronomers have discovered a galaxy that has changed classification due to unique activity within its core. The galaxy, named PBC J2333.9-2343, was previously classified as a radio galaxy, but the new research has revealed otherwise.

Mar 21st, 2023

Scientists find a common thread linking subatomic color glass condensate and massive black holes

Physicists show that black holes and dense state of gluons - the 'glue' particles that hold nuclear matter together - share common features.

Mar 21st, 2023

Life on distant moons

Researchers from the fields of astrophysics, astrochemistry and biochemistry have now determined in a novel, interdisciplinary collaboration the necessary properties that allow moons around free-floating planets to retain liquid water for a sufficiently long time and thus enable life.

Mar 20th, 2023

The multiverse: our universe is suspiciously unlikely to exist - unless it is one of many

It's easy to envisage other universes, governed by slightly different laws of physics, in which no intelligent life, nor indeed any kind of organised complex systems, could arise. Should we therefore be surprised that a universe exists in which we were able to emerge?

Mar 15th, 2023

Largest catalog of exploding stars now available

The largest data release of relatively nearby supernovae (colossal explosions of stars), containing three years of data from thePan-STARRS telescope is publicly available via the Young Supernova Experiment (YSE).

Mar 15th, 2023

Researchers uncover the first bubble in an intergalactic stew

Researchers have found the earliest evidence of parts of the universe that were heated to temperatures more characteristic to the intergalactic gas medium where most atoms reside in the universe today.

Mar 15th, 2023

Webb Telescope captures rarely seen prelude to supernova

The rare sight of a Wolf-Rayet star - among the most luminous, most massive, and most briefly detectable stars known - was one of the first observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope in June 2022. Webb shows the star, WR 124, in unprecedented detail with its powerful infrared instruments.

Mar 14th, 2023

Mix-and-match kit could enable astronauts to build a menagerie of lunar exploration bots (w/video)

Robotic parts could be assembled into nimble spider bots for exploring lava tubes or heavy-duty elephant bots for transporting solar panels.

Mar 14th, 2023

Astronomers detect radio recombination lines of carbon/oxygen ions for first time

Scientists detected radio recombination lines of ions heavier than helium for the first time. These lines were assigned to carbon and/or oxygen ions.

Mar 6th, 2023

New NASA DART data prove viability of asteroid deflection as planetary defense strategy

Astronomers offer new insight into how deflection missions can protect the planet from future Earth-bound asteroids and comets.

Mar 1st, 2023

To new worlds with quantitative spectroscopy

Astronomers spectroscopically surveyed more than 1000 bright stars that potentially host exoplanets.

Feb 28th, 2023

Spiral pattern gives clue to how high-mass stars form

New observations have revealed a spiral pattern in a disk of material around a still forming, but already high-mass, baby star. This indicates that there is gravitational instability in the disk, which has important implications for how high-mass stars form.

Feb 28th, 2023