Archival Chandra image of ACT-CL J0329. Credit: Sikhosana et al., 2024. A global team of astronomers conducted radio observations of the large galaxy cluster ACT-CL J0329.2-2330, uncovering a new radio halo within the cluster. The discovery was detailed in a research paper published on April 5 on the pre-print server arXiv. In fact, radio halos are...
After more than 20 years of planning, the LSST Camera module is now ready to be shipped to Chile for installation on the Simonyi Survey Telescope at the Vera C. Rubin ObservatoryJacqueline Ramseyer Orrell/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has unveiled the completion of the LSST Camera, boasting a remarkable 3,200-megapixel capacity....
The Solar Eclipse The 2024 Solar Eclipse is a rare and scientific opportunity that will provide a unique and awe-inspiring experience for millions of people across North America. This event occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, causing a momentary disruption of the Earth's natural rhythms. As the eclipse takes place,...
An artist's impression of a pair of supermassive black holes that have been locked in foreplay for 3 billion yearsNOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. daSilva/M. Zamani We've all experienced the regret of delaying action on someone special, but at least we can find solace in the fact that we didn't wait a quarter of all time that has ever...
This is likely the first and best image we'll ever get of Didymos and Dimorphos together like this.Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL In September 2022, NASA did a big test in space. They sent the DART mission to crash into an asteroid moon called Dimorphos, which orbits a bigger asteroid named Didymos. It was the...
This artist's impression shows the magnetic white dwarf WD 0816-310, where astronomers have found a scar imprinted on its surface as a result of having ingested planetary debris. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada As a star resembling our sun nears the conclusion of its lifecycle, it may devour neighboring planets and asteroids that originated alongside it. Recently,...
An artist's impression of the brightest object ever discovered – a quasar that shines with the light of 500 trillion Suns – which is also the fastest growing black hole, eating the equivalent of a Sun a dayESO/M. Kornmesser One might expect that locating the brightest object in the observable universe would be straightforward, but...
Earth may have gone through a bit of a flat phase, early in its developmentDepositphotos Researchers at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) have discovered that newly formed planets could initially have a flatter shape before becoming more rounded, suggesting that the concept of a flat Earth might have some validity, albeit billions of years...
The eROSITA map seen in two different ways: Left shows extended X-ray emissions, while the right image shows point-like X-ray sourcesMPE, J. Sanders for the eROSITA consortium Astronomers have utilized the eROSITA space telescope to chart half of the universe in X-ray light. This newly created map, featuring nearly a million X-ray sources, serves as...
"Astronomers unearth a previously undiscovered celestial entity adrift in the cosmos" is a frequent news topic, yet it never fails to captivate. The most recent discovery introduces a novel category of stars – elderly red giants affectionately dubbed "Old Smokers" by the research team.
