Even galaxies recycle
A quasar ejected the remains of stars, but another galaxy sucked them back in. Enlarge / A quasar ejects a jet of material into intergalactic space. (credit: J. A. Biretta et al., Hubble Heritage Team) On Earth, recyclin.....»»
Do we live in a computer simulation like in The Matrix? Proposed new law of physics backs up the idea
The simulated universe theory implies that our universe, with all its galaxies, planets and life forms, is a meticulously programmed computer simulation. In this scenario, the physical laws governing our reality are simply algorithms. The experiences.....»»
New map of space precisely measures nearly 400,000 nearby galaxies
Astronomers have created a detailed atlas of almost 400,000 galaxies in our cosmic neighborhood. The Siena Galaxy Atlas was compiled using data from NSF's NOIRLab telescopes, and is designed to be the preeminent digital galaxy atlas for large galaxie.....»»
More JWST observations are finding fewer early massive galaxies
There's a common pattern in science. We develop some new process or tool that allows us to gather all kinds of data we've never had before, the data threatens to overturn all we've assumed about some long-established theory, and then the dust settles.....»»
Many-Mirrored Galaxies Deepen Dark Matter Mystery
A surprisingly complex galaxy cluster suggests that in the search for dark matter, nothing is as simple as it seems.....»»
Astronomers discover M87"s jet is triggering novae
Everyone loves a good mystery, and astronomers have just uncovered a new one in a nearby supermassive galaxy called M87. Like most galaxies, M87 regularly plays host to a smattering of stellar explosions called novae, each the result of a star steali.....»»
Plot thickens in the hunt for a ninth planet
A pair of theoretical physicists are reporting that the same observations inspiring the hunt for a ninth planet might instead be evidence within the solar system of a modified law of gravity originally developed to understand the rotation of galaxies.....»»
Hubble records rare radio galaxy NGC 612
A striking orange and blue streak fills this new image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble's visible and infrared capabilities captured this edge-on view of lenticular galaxy NGC 612. Lenticular galaxies have a central bulge and disk much like.....»»
Bursts of star formation explain mysterious brightness at cosmic dawn
When scientists viewed the James Webb Space Telescope's (JWST) first images of the universe's earliest galaxies, they were shocked. The young galaxies appeared too bright, too massive and too mature to have formed so soon after the Big Bang. It would.....»»
Growing in molasses: Cosmic large-scale structure caught growing slower than expected
The large-scale structure of the universe—the gigantic, hierarchical cosmic web of structures bound by gravity—is mostly made up of dark matter. The growth of the large-scale structure, from individual galaxies to galaxy clusters, cosmic voids an.....»»
DECam captures the stunning layers of shell galaxy NGC 3923 and nearby gravitational lensing
Much like humans, galaxies are shaped by the environment in which they form. While no two are exactly alike, they can be divided into three main types: spiral, elliptical and irregular. Of these types, elliptical galaxies are the largest and are thou.....»»
Keck Cosmic Web Imager offers best glimpse yet of the filamentous network that connects galaxies
Like rivers feeding oceans, streams of gas nourish galaxies throughout the cosmos. But these streams, which make up a part of the so-called cosmic web, are very faint and hard to see. While astronomers have known about the cosmic web for decades, and.....»»
Pre-pilot survey explores dozens of candidate ultra-diffuse galaxies
By analyzing the data from the WALLABY pre-pilot survey, astronomers from the University of Western Australia and elsewhere, have inspected 78 candidate ultra-diffuse galaxies in the Eridanus supergroup. The study was detailed in a paper published Se.....»»
Growth of "baby galaxies" witnessed with James Webb Space Telescope
Scientists have theorized how galaxies evolve, but details in their early phase of formation remained shrouded in celestial clouds of mystery......»»
The interaction between AGN and starburst activity as viewed with JWST
With excellent sensitivity and spatial and spectral resolutions, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) presents an unprecedented opportunity to promote our understanding of the evolutionary processes of galaxies......»»
Astronomers shed light on evolutionary paths of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies
A new paper entitled "Evolutionary Paths of Active Galactic Nuclei and Their Host Galaxies," published on August 17, 2023, in Nature Astronomy, provides critical new insights on the co-evolution of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies......»»
Hubble peers at peculiar Arp 107 pair
This image taken using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) shows Arp 107, a celestial object that includes a pair of galaxies in the midst of a collision. The larger object (left) is an extremely energetic type of.....»»
Recycling plastic not enough, warns UN environment chief
With the production of plastic on the rise worldwide and creating ever more pollution, the UN environment chief warned that humanity cannot just recycle its way out of the mess, and she called for a total rethink about the way we use plastics......»»
Study reveals cosmic surprises about star formation from the dawn of time
A groundbreaking international study has unveiled remarkable insights into the early evolution of galaxies, shedding light on the fundamental processes that have shaped our universe. The findings were published in Nature Astronomy......»»
Astronomers discover newborn galaxies with the James Webb Space Telescope
With the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers are now able to peer so far back in time that we are approaching the epoch where we think that the first galaxies were created. Throughout most of the history of the universe, galaxies se.....»»
Astronomers find abundance of Milky Way–like galaxies in early universe, rewriting cosmic evolution theories
Galaxies from the early universe are more like our own Milky Way than previously thought, flipping the entire narrative of how scientists think about structure formation in the universe, according to new research published today......»»