Astronomers think they’ve found a plausible explanation of the Wow! signal
Magnetars could zap clouds of atomic hydrogen, producing focused microwave beams. Enlarge / The Wow! signal, represented as "6EQUJ5," was discovered in 1977 by astronomer Jerry Ehman. (credit: Public domain) An unusually.....»»
How astronomers work out the size of the solar system
The size of the solar system is defined by the volume of space over which the sun's influence exceeds those of other nearby stars in the Milky Way galaxy. This influence derives from two fundamental forces of nature: gravity and magnetism......»»
Hubble finds evidence for rare black hole in Omega Centauri
An international team of astronomers has used more than 500 images from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope spanning two decades to detect seven fast-moving stars in the innermost region of Omega Centauri, the largest and brightest globular cluster i.....»»
Hubble finds mysterious and elusive black hole
For years, astronomers have been searching for elusive intermediate-mass black holes. Now, Hubble has found evidence of one in Omega Centauri......»»
Astronomers discover dozens of double-lined double white dwarf binaries
An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of 34 rare double-lined double white dwarf binary systems using the Intermediate-dispersion Spectrograph and Imaging System (ISIS) on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT). The finding was det.....»»
The Mystery of Consciousness Is Deeper Than We Thought
Despite great progress, we lack even the beginning of an explanation of how the brain produces our inner world of colors, sounds, smells and tastes. A thought experiment with “pain-pleasure” zombies illustrates that the mystery is deeper.....»»
Light Is How Astronomers Read the Story of the Universe
Almost everything we know about the cosmos is conveyed by photons traveling across vast distances.....»»
Astronomers find the nearest massive black hole, a missing link in massive black hole formation
Newly identified fast-moving stars in the star cluster Omega Centauri provide solid evidence for a central black hole in the cluster. With at least 8,200 solar masses, it is the best candidate for a class of black holes astronomers have long believed.....»»
Astronomers suggest up to 60% of near-Earth objects could be dark comets
Up to 60% of near-Earth objects could be dark comets, mysterious asteroids that orbit the sun in our solar system that likely contain or previously contained ice and could have been one route for delivering water to Earth, according to a University o.....»»
Study investigates the nature of very-high energy gamma-ray source TeV J2032+4130
Using the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory, an international team of astronomers has observed a very-high energy gamma-ray source designated TeV J2032+4130. Results of the observational campaign, presented July 3 on the preprint serve.....»»
Evidence of water vapor detected in the atmosphere of Smertrios
Using the CARMENES spectrograph, astronomers have found evidence of water vapor in the atmosphere of a hot Saturn exoplanet designated HD 149026 b, dubbed Smertrios. The finding, reported in a research paper published on the preprint server arXiv, co.....»»
Astronomers find surprising ice world in the habitable zone with JWST data
A team of astronomers has identified a temperate exoplanet as a promising super-Earth ice or water world......»»
Two new variable stars detected in globular cluster NGC 6558
An international team of astronomers has conducted a survey of variable stars in the field of a globular cluster known as NGC 6558. As a result, they identified dozens of variables, out of which two turned out to be new cluster members. The finding w.....»»
Nova eruption of V1716 Sco inspected in X-rays and gamma rays
Astronomers from China and Taiwan have observed the nova eruption of V1716 Sco that took place last year, using various X-ray and gamma-ray space observatories. Results of the observational campaign, presented June 27 on the preprint server arXiv, pr.....»»
Astronomers observe a strong shock front in galaxy cluster SPT-CLJ 2031-4037
Using NASA's Chandra X-ray spacecraft, astronomers from the University of Alabama in Huntsville have observed a merging galaxy cluster known as SPT-CLJ 2031-4037. They detected a rarely seen strong shock front in this galaxy cluster. The finding was.....»»
New models suggest Milky Way is not as packed with stars as previously thought
A small team of astronomers from Yunnan University, the University of Utah, New Mexico State University, and the University of St Andrews has created a new model of the Milky Way galaxy based on the results of their census of red giants......»»
Study investigates a massive "spider" pulsar
Astronomers from the Stanford University in California have performed joint X-ray and optical observations of a massive "spider" pulsar designated PSR J2215+5135. Results of the observational campaign, presented in a paper published May 22 on the pre.....»»
A new deep-learning algorithm can find Earth 2.0
How can machine learning help astronomers find Earth-like exoplanets? This is what a new study hopes to address as a team of international researchers investigated how a novel neural network-based algorithm could be used to detect Earth-like exoplane.....»»
X-ray binary Swift J1727.8-1613 has a large relativistic jet, observations show
Using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) and the Long Baseline Array (LBA), astronomers have observed a black hole low-mass X-ray binary known as Swift J1727.8-1613. As a result, they found that the system hosts a highly extended and bright relativi.....»»
Astronomers help find most distant galaxy using James Webb Space Telescope
An international team of astronomers today announced the discovery of the two earliest and most distant galaxies ever seen, dating back to only 300 million years after the Big Bang. These results, using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), mark.....»»
Black holes are firing beams of particles, changing targets over time
Black holes seem to provide endless fascination to astronomers. This is at least partly due to the extreme physics that takes place in and around them, but sometimes, it might harken back to cultural touchpoints that made them interested in astronomy.....»»