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TESS discovers a planet the size of Mars but with the makeup of Mercury Ultra-short-period planets are small, compact worlds that whip around their stars at close range, completing an orbit—and a single, scorching year—in less than 24 hours. How these planets came to be in such extreme configurations is one of the continuing mysteries of exoplanetary science. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Study reveals that giant planets could reach ‘maturity’ much earlier than previously thought An international team of scientists, in which researchers from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) participate together with other institutions from Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, UK, and Mexico, has been able to measure the masses of the giant planets of the V1298 Tau system, just 20 million year old. Masses for such young giant planets had not been obtained previously, and this is the first evidence that these objects have already reached their final size at very early stages of their evolution. For this study they have used radial velocity measurementsRead More →

The shortest-period gas-giant exoplanet discovered with TESS Using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international group of astronomers has detected a new, ultra-hot gas giant exoplanet with an extremely short orbital period. The newfound alien world, designated TOI-2109b is about five times more massive than Jupiter and turns out to be the shortest-period gas giant known to date. The finding is reported in a paper published November 23 on arXiv.org. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Astronomers observe a new type of binary star long predicted to exist Researchers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian have observed a new type of binary star that has long been theorized to exist. The discovery finally confirms how a rare type of star in the universe forms and evolves. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Astronomers discover strangely massive black hole in Milky Way satellite galaxy Astronomers at The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory have discovered an unusually massive black hole at the heart of one of the Milky Way’s dwarf satellite galaxies, called Leo I. Almost as massive as the black hole in our own galaxy, the finding could redefine our understanding of how all galaxies—the building blocks of the universe—evolve. The work is published in a recent issue of The Astrophysical Journal. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

AI can reliably spot molecules on exoplanets, and might one day even discover new laws of physics Do you know what the Earth’s atmosphere is made of? You’d probably remember it’s oxygen, and maybe nitrogen. And with a little help from Google you can easily reach a more precise answer: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% Argon gas. However, when it comes to the composition of exo-atmospheres—the atmospheres of planets outside our solar system—the answer is not known. This is a shame, as atmospheres can indicate the nature of planets, and whether they can host life. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

New research effort shines more light on black hole collisions While light can’t escape the monstrous gravity of a black hole, that hasn’t kept researchers on a team that includes UO scientists from taking a big step forward in the effort to reveal their secrets. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Arecibo data still yielding galactic insights Data collected by the Arecibo Radio Telescope before it collapsed late last year will help astronomers better understand how our local neighborhood of galaxies formed. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Image: Hubble’s view of planetary nebula reveals complex structure NGC 6891 is a bright, asymmetrical planetary nebula in the constellation Delphinus, the Dolphin. This Hubble image reveals a wealth of structure, including a spherical outer halo that is expanding faster than the inner nebula, and at least two ellipsoidal shells that are orientated differently. The image also reveals filaments and knots in the nebula’s interior, surrounding the central white dwarf star. From their motions, astronomers estimate that one of the shells is 4,800 years old while the outer halo is some 28,000 years old, indicating a series of outbursts from the dying star at differentRead More →

Mysterious clouds could offer new clues on dark matter The hunt for gravitational waves, ripples in space and time caused by major cosmic cataclysms, could help solve one of the Universe’s other burning mysteries—boson clouds and whether they are a leading contender for dark matter. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Radio emission detected from the Vela X-1 bow shock An international team of astronomers has conducted radio observations of a bow shock in the X-ray binary Vela X-1 using MeerKAT telescope. The observational campaign resulted in the detection of radio emission from this source. The finding is detailed in a paper published November 19 on arXiv.org. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →