Galactic Astronomy

Dozens of Variable Stars Were Spotted in the Open Cluster NGC 6611

A 30' × 30' fragment of the DSS-1 plate containing the observed fields of NGC 6611. Credit: Michalska et al, 2023Astronomers have used three ground-based telescopes in Chile to search for variable stars in the open cluster NGC 6611. They identified 95 variable stars, most of which are likely cluster members. This discovery was...

Astronomers Identify Twenty Ultraviolet-Emitting Supernova Remnants in the Andromeda Galaxy

Positions of the 20 SNRs with detected diffuse UV emission (red squares) and of the 5 SNRs with likely, but confused, diffuse emission (blue squares), overlaid on the image of the Andromeda Galaxy in the F148W filter. Credit: Leahy et al, 2023Utilizing the AstroSat satellite, astronomers from the University of Calgary, Canada, have identified...

How Supermassive Fuel-Hungry Black Holes Feed off Intergalactic Gas

Two interacting galaxies viewed from the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage TeamA research study led by the College of Southampton has shown how supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are feeding off gas clouds that reach them by traveling hundreds of thousands of light yrs from one galaxy to another.A worldwide team of scientists has...

Flashes on the Sun Could Aid Researchers in Predicting Solar Flares

Two images of a solar active region (NOAA AR 2109) taken by SDO/AIA show extreme-ultraviolet light produced by million-degree-hot coronal gas (top images) on the day before the region flared (left) and the day before it stayed quiet and did not flare (right). The changes in brightness (bottom images) at these two times show...

New Study Reveals a Wide Diversity of Galaxies in the Early Universe

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public DomainNew information from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed that the structures of galaxies in the early universe were much more diverse and also mature than previously known. Researchers recently compared photos of hundreds of galaxies taken by JWST for the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey with...

Stunning James Webb Space Telescope Image Transforms a Distant Galaxy Into a Sparkling Christmas Ornament

JWST's new image of NGC 7469. (ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, L. Armus, A. S. Evans)The perfect galaxy photoThe James Webb Space Telescope simply gave a spiral galaxy 230 million light-years away a recent sparkling glamor shot excellent sufficient for the Christmas tree.While the galaxy has the instead un-attractive name of NGC 7469, it has been...

Webb Captures Luminous, Face-on Spiral Galaxy NGC 7469

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, L. Armus, A. S. EvansThe photo of the monthWebb's photo of the month for December is dominated by NGC 7469, a luminous, face-on spiral galaxy approximately 90,000 light-years in diameter that lies roughly 220 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus.This spiral galaxy has recently been studied as...

Nasa’s Orion spacecraft is Heading Home

Orion passed a mere 130km (80 miles) from the lunar surface at closest approach. Credit: NasaThe US space agency's Orion capsule is coming homeThe spacecraft performed a significant engine burn on Monday in the vicinity of the Moon, giving it an orbit that will result in a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday.It...

New Study of Comets Provides Insight into Chemical Composition of Early Solar System

Data from 25 comets were compiled to test predictions of solar system formation and evolution.A current research study from the College of Central Florida has discovered solid support that the outgassing of particles from comets could be the outcome of the composition from the start of our solar system.The outcomes were released today in...

Hubble Detects a Jet Blasting From a Star Crash at 99.97% the Velocity of Light

his is an artist's impression of two neutron stars colliding. The smashup between two dense stellar remnants unleashes the energy of 1,000 standard stellar nova explosions. In the aftermath of the collision a blowtorch jet of radiation is ejected at nearly the speed of light. The jet is directed along a narrow beam confined...