News (Page 778)

Astronomers discover 83 supermassive black holes in the early universe Astronomers from Japan, Taiwan and Princeton University have discovered 83 quasars powered by supermassive black holes in the distant universe, from a time when the universe was less than 10 percent of its present age. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Neural networks predict planet mass To find out how planets form, astrophysicists run complicated and time-consuming computer calculations. Members of the NCCR PlanetS at the University of Bern have now developed a totally novel approach to speed up this process dramatically. They use deep learning based on artificial neural networks, a method that is well known in image recognition. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Large area solar flares are the likely source of puzzling millimeter emission Solar flares are sudden explosive processes that convert the energy of the magnetic field into the kinetic energy of electrons and ions. Since the beginning of the century, millimeter observations of solar flares became routinely possible at a few frequencies with limited spatial resolution (see Kaufmann 2012, as a review). One of the most puzzling aspects of the observations at millimeter wavelengths (200-400 GHz) is the presence, in some flares, of a bright spectral component that grows with frequency. This emission is about a hundred trillion times more powerful than the power fromRead More →

Researchers confirm massive hyper-runaway star ejected from the Milky Way Disk A fast-moving star may have been ejected from the Milky Way’s stellar disk by a cluster of young stars, according to researchers from the University of Michigan who say the star did not originate from the middle of the galaxy, as previously believed by astronomers. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

What scientists found after sifting through dust in the solar system Just as dust gathers in corners and along bookshelves in our homes, dust piles up in space too. But when the dust settles in the solar system, it’s often in rings. Several dust rings circle the Sun. The rings trace the orbits of planets, whose gravity tugs dust into place around the Sun, as it drifts by on its way to the center of the solar system. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Astronomers detect X-ray emitting clumps ejected from the binary PSR B1259–63/LS 2883 Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray observatory, astronomers have spotted X-ray-emitting clumps being ejected with high velocities from the gamma-ray binary PSR B1259–63/LS 2883. The findings were presented in a paper published March 2 on arXiv.org, in which the authors also discuss possible explanations of this phenomenon. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Jupiter’s magnetic field could be moving Europa’s ocean A pair of researchers, one with École Normale Supérieure, the other Laboratory for Studies of Radiation and Matter in Astrophysics and Atmospheres has found evidence that Jupiter’s magnetic field could be causing a jet stream in Europa’s underground ocean. In their paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, Christophe Gissinger and Ludovic Petitdemange describe their analysis of data from the Galileo spacecraft and what they found. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Collaboration enables investigation of the origin of heavy elements A team of experts in atomic physics, nuclear fusion, and astronomy has computed high-accuracy atomic data for analyzing light from a kilonova, a birth place of heavy elements. They found that their new data set could predict kilonovae brightness with much better accuracy than before. This aids our understanding of the cosmic origins of heavy elements. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

New study uncovers insights about the nature of the ultraviolet-bright star Barnard 29 Analyzing data from spectroscopic instruments, astronomers have reported fundamental properties of Barnard 29, an ultraviolet-bright star in globular cluster Messier 13. Results of the analysis, presented in a paper published March 1 on arXiv.org, provide important insights into the nature of this star. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Massive twin star discovered snuggling close to its stellar sibling in its cradle Astronomers have discovered a binary star system with the closest high-mass young stellar objects ever measured, providing a valuable “laboratory” to test theories on high mass binary star formation. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Hubble’s dazzling display of two colliding galaxies Located in the constellation of Hercules, about 230 million light-years away, NGC 6052 is a pair of colliding galaxies. They were first discovered in 1784 by William Herschel and were originally classified as a single irregular galaxy because of their odd shape. However, we now know that NGC 6052 actually consists of two galaxies that are in the process of colliding. This particular image of NGC 6052 was taken using the Wide Field Camera 3 on the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

Measurements yield precise atomic masses for nuclear reactions in the stars Matter is composed of chemical elements mainly created in stars via nuclear reactions and complex nuclear reaction networks. To understand these processes, we need to know properties of participating nuclei, such as their masses. In her doctoral thesis in the field of nuclear physics at the University of Jyväskylä, M. Sc. Laetitia Canete has precisely measured the atomic masses of the radioactive isotope of six elements. The measurement data can be used to better model different astrophysical processes. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →