Astronomers want your help hunting for asteroids
Anyone can become an asteroid hunter thanks to a new program launched by astronomers at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. As part of the Catalina Sky Survey, the scientists created an online portal that opens their mission—t.....»»
Astronomers confirm a new "Trojan" asteroid that shares an orbit with Mars
Using observations made with the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) a study led from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) has confirmed that the asteroid 2023 FW14, discovered last year, is accom.....»»
Four new DAQ white dwarfs discovered
Astronomers from the University of Oklahoma and their colleagues report the detection of four white dwarf stars of a recently discovered rare DAQ spectral subclass. The newfound white dwarfs are slightly more massive than the sun. The finding was det.....»»
Astronomers explore stellar populations of an extremely metal-poor dwarf galaxy
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have conducted near- and mid-infrared observations of an extremely metal-poor blue compact dwarf galaxy known as I Zwicky 18. Results of the observational campaign, presented in a paper published Marc.....»»
Killer whales use specialized hunting techniques to catch marine mammals in the open ocean
Killer whales foraging in deep submarine canyons off the coast of California represent a distinct subpopulation that uses specialized hunting techniques to catch marine mammals, Josh McInnes at the University of British Columbia and colleagues report.....»»
Astronomers discover a rare eclipsing X-ray binary
An international team of astronomers reports the detection of a rare eclipsing Be/X-ray binary system as part of the Swift Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) Survey (S-CUBED). The finding was detailed in a research paper published March 12 on the preprint.....»»
NASA volunteers find 15 rare "active asteroids"
Some extraordinary asteroids have "activity"—comet-like tails or envelopes of gas and dust. NASA's Active Asteroids project announced the discovery of activity on 15 asteroids, challenging conventional wisdom about the solar system......»»
Largest-ever map of universe"s active supermassive black holes released
Astronomers have charted the largest-ever volume of the universe with a new map of active supermassive black holes living at the centers of galaxies. Called quasars, the gas-gobbling black holes are, ironically, some of the universe's brightest objec.....»»
The cosmic neutrino background would tell us plenty about the universe, says researcher
Readers of Universe Today are probably already familiar with the concept of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Its serendipitous discovery by a pair of radio astronomers at Bell Labs is the stuff of astronomical legend. Over the past decades, it.....»»
JWST observations shed more light on the nature of a distant galaxy cluster
Astronomers from the Nanjing University in China and elsewhere have performed high-resolution observations of a distant galaxy cluster known as CL J1001+0220 using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The observational campaign, described in a pape.....»»
Shark-bitten orcas in the Northeastern Pacific could be a new population of killer whale
UBC researchers believe a group of killer whales observed hunting marine mammals including sperm whales, as well as a sea turtle, in the open ocean off California and Oregon could be a new population......»»
Citizen astronomers and AI discover 30,000 ring galaxies
Building on the synergy between citizen astronomer classifications and AI, astronomers have discovered approximately 400,000 spiral galaxies and 30,000 ring galaxies in data from the Subaru Telescope. This is the first example of research building on.....»»
Rangers hunt endangered Indonesian tigers after deadly attacks
Indonesian rangers along with an animal whisperer are hunting multiple critically endangered Sumatran tigers after two villagers were recently killed in separate attacks that stoked local anger, officials said Thursday......»»
Astronomers propose a 50-meter submillimeter telescope
Some parts of the universe only reveal important details when observed in radio waves. That explains why we have ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter–submillimeter Array, a collection of 7-meter and 12-meter radio telescopes that work together as an.....»»
Webb finds ethanol and other icy ingredients for new worlds
An international team of astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a variety of molecules, ranging from relatively simple ones like methane to complex compounds like acetic acid and ethanol, in early-stage protosta.....»»
Astronomers perform a comprehensive study of the young open cluster NGC 2345
Using the Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) and ESA's Gaia satellite, Indian astronomers have conducted a comprehensive study of a young open cluster designated NGC 2345. Results of the study, presented March 7 on the preprint server arXiv, shed more.....»»
"Hybrid" US sheep breeder used endangered genetic material, faces jail
A US man who tried to breed enormous hybrid sheep using genetic material from endangered animals so he could sell them to trophy hunting ranches faces jail time after pleading guilty to wildlife crimes on Tuesday......»»
Daily Telescope: Gigantic new stars stir up a nebula
Astronomers know of no other region so packed with large stars as this nebula. Enlarge / Behold, the star-forming region of NGC 604. (credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI) Welcome to the Daily Telescope. There is a little to.....»»
This hot Jupiter is doomed to crash into its star in just three million years
In 2008, astronomers with the SuperWASP survey spotted WASP-12b as it transited in front of its star. At the time, it was part of a new class of exoplanets ("hot Jupiters") discovered a little more than a decade before. However, subsequent observatio.....»»
See planets being born in new images from the Very Large Telescope
Astronomers have peered into the disks of matter from which exoplanets form, looking at more than 80 young stars to see which have planets forming around them......»»
Observations inspect variability of a nearby ultra-fast rotating active star
Indian astronomers have conducted long-term X-ray observations of a nearby ultra-fast rotating active star known as AB Doradus A. Results of the observational campaign, published February 29 on the pre-print server arXiv, provide crucial insights int.....»»