Astronomers find evidence of water clouds in first spectrum of coldest brown dwarf
Difficult spectroscopic observations reveal properties of a nearby brown dwarf, the coldest known object outside of our solar system.
Jul 7th, 2016
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Let there be light; a team of super bright galaxies in the early Universe
Astronomers have shed further light on the evolution of the early Universe with the discovery of a 'team' of super bright galaxies.
Jul 5th, 2016
Read moreMaking astrophysical simulations more accurate
New research work may result in better simulations of large astrophysical events such as supernova explosions. This work also raises hopes of finding out more about how atomic nuclei behave in neutron stars.
Jul 5th, 2016
Read moreAstronomers release spectacular survey of the distant Universe
Astronomers have released spectacular new infrared images of the distant Universe, providing the deepest view ever obtained over a large area of sky.
Jun 30th, 2016
Read moreA new method for identifying black holes (w/video)
Techniques connect solutions to Einstein's equations directly with observations.
Jun 30th, 2016
Read moreUniverse becoming cleaner as cosmic dust gets mopped up by stars, astronomers reveal
Brand new images from the Herschel telescope give unprecedented insight into the lives of stars and galaxies.
Jun 29th, 2016
Read moreA water detection technique to shortlist potentially-habitable exoplanets
To help detect suitable candidates, identify the range of atmospheric conditions on planets with water and shed light on how planetary magnetic fields originate and evolve, the HOTMOL project is devising new tools relying on spectro-polarimetry.
Jun 27th, 2016
Read moreInterstellar greenhouses: how a single molecule could be key to growing plants in microgravity
A single molecule that also plays a big role in making sure plants grow on Earth, could be key to understanding how to make interstellar greenhouses successful.
Jun 27th, 2016
Read moreSuccessful first observations of galactic center
The GRAVITY instrument is now operating with the four 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes of ESO's Very Large Telescope, and even from early test results it is already clear that it will soon be producing world-class science.
Jun 23rd, 2016
Read moreX-ray echoes of a shredded star provide close-up of 'killer' black hole (w/video)
Some 3.9 billion years ago in the heart of a distant galaxy, the intense tidal pull of a monster black hole shredded a star that passed too close. When X-rays produced in this event first reached Earth, they were detected by NASA's Swift satellite.
Jun 23rd, 2016
Read moreNew study predicts a universe crowded with black holes
A new study presents one of the most complete models of matter in the universe and predicts hundreds of massive black hole mergers each year observable with the second generation of gravitational wave detectors.
Jun 23rd, 2016
Read moreAstronomers find the first 'wind nebula' around a magnetar
Astronomers have discovered a vast cloud of high-energy particles called a wind nebula around a rare ultra-magnetic neutron star, or magnetar, for the first time. The find offers a unique window into the properties, environment and outburst history of magnetars, which are the strongest magnets in the universe.
Jun 21st, 2016
Read more'Space tsunami' causes the third Van Allen belt
New research findings will help mitigate effects of extreme space weather.
Jun 20th, 2016
Read moreHow black hole jets break out of their galaxies (w/video)
A simulation of the powerful jets generated by supermassive black holes at the centres of the largest galaxies explains why some burst forth as bright beacons visible across the universe, while others fall apart and never pierce the halo of the galaxy.
Jun 18th, 2016
Read moreRelax, it'll be 1,500 years before aliens contact us
Deconstructing the Fermi paradox and pairing it with the mediocrity principle into a fresh equation, Cornell astronomers say extraterrestrials likely won't phone home - or Earth - for 1,500 years.
Jun 16th, 2016
Read moreGravitational waves 2.0
Researchers observe a signal originating from two merging black holes of about 14 and 8 solar masses.
Jun 15th, 2016
Read moreBlack holes and the prospects for measuring gravitational waves
The supermassive black holes found at the centre of every galaxy, including our own Milky Way, may, on average, be smaller than we thought, according to new work.
Jun 15th, 2016
Read moreFirst detection of methyl alcohol in a planet-forming disc
The organic molecule methyl alcohol (methanol) has been found by the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) in the TW Hydrae protoplanetary disc. This is the first such detection of the compound in a young planet-forming disc.
Jun 15th, 2016
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