Astrophysics

Hidden fifth dimension may create natural dark matter resonance

Hidden fifth dimension may create natural dark matter resonance

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A new theoretical model suggests that the geometry of a compact extra dimension naturally determines the ratio of the masses of a dark matter particle and a dark photon. The resulting resonance may explain how dark matter
Dust may betray supermassive black holes kicked out of galaxy centers

A third planet has been discovered around Beta Pictoris after hiding in the archives for more than a decade.

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Beta Pictoris d is 100 times fainter than the first planet imaged in the system and is among the lowest-mass planets ever imaged from the ground. After its identification with the VLT, astronomers discovered that it appeared
Dust may betray supermassive black holes kicked out of galaxy centers

Dust may betray supermassive black holes kicked out of galaxy centers

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An analysis of about 100 quasars has found a statistical relationship between the velocity shift of gas near a black hole and the amount of dust obscuring it. The researchers suggest that the pattern could be used to detect black holes.
A general illustration of a star being torn apart by the tidal forces of a black hole. Some of the material forms a hot accretion disk, from which a high-speed wind is emitted. The researchers speculate that a similar mechanism, within a binary system, may explain the AT2024wpp event. Image: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab.

A black hole probably ripped apart a massive star, creating an unprecedented cosmic flash

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The AT2024wpp event, known as the “whip,” reached a brightness of hundreds of billions of suns and evolved at an extraordinary speed. Researchers estimate that a black hole in a binary system ripped apart the companion star, creating a hot accretion disk and rapidly launching a wind.
Cosmological Hint: Dark Matter and Neutrinos May Interact

Cosmological Hint: Dark Matter and Neutrinos May Interact

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Combining observations of the cosmic microwave background radiation and the weak gravitational lensing effect found a preference of almost three standard deviations for a model in which momentum is transferred between dark matter and neutrinos. The interaction may explain why matter in the universe
Illustration of the ambipolar vortex in the protostellar core L1544. The blue lines represent the magnetic field; the red dots are ions and the green dots are neutral molecules. In the inner part of the core, the neutral molecules partially detach from the field and fall towards the center at a higher speed than the ions. Illustration: Yurika Nakamura and Doris Arzoumanian, Kyushu University.

The cosmic "slip" that allows a star to begin being born has been measured

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Magnetic fields can delay the collapse of clouds of gas and dust and delay the birth of stars. Using the 30-meter IRAM radio telescope, researchers measured a difference of about 50 meters per second between
Simulation of the planet GJ 436 b and the magnetic field linking it to its host star

Strongest evidence yet for a magnetic field on a planet outside the solar system

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An analysis of about 18 years of observations has revealed cyclical changes in the activity of the star GJ 436, which appear at times related to the orbit of the planet GJ 436 b and the star's magnetic cycle. The researchers interpret this as an interaction
Map of excess gamma radiation at the center of the Milky Way on an optical image of the galaxy

Does the mysterious glow at the center of the Milky Way actually come from dark matter?

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Researchers used more than a million simulations to analyze the location and energy of gamma-ray photons from the center of the Milky Way. The findings don't prove that dark matter is responsible for the radiation, but they weaken a key argument that
Simulation of a quasar powered by matter falling into a supermassive black hole

Euclid Space Telescope Discovers the Earliest Quasars Ever Observed

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The Euclid Space Telescope has helped discover 31 quasars from the early universe, 14 of them at redshifts of 7 or greater. The two most distant were observed as they were about 670 million years after the Big Bang, and again
Mysterious radio signals are returning from space – and one star system may explain their origin

Mysterious radio signals are returning from space – and one star system may explain their origin

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Astronomers have identified ASKAP J1745 as a binary system in which a white dwarf is accreting material from a companion star. The radio and X-ray bursts it produces throughout its orbit may help solve the mystery of long-period radio transients.
Future research station on the moon

Proposal: Test samples from Mars in a quarantine facility on the Moon before bringing them to Earth

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Two researchers propose setting up an isolated robotic laboratory on the moon to test samples from Mars and other worlds. They say the moon could serve as an additional layer of protection against possible biological contamination, but this is a proposal at this stage.
Two galaxies collide in the Arp-Madore 2026-424 system, creating an appearance reminiscent of a face.

Face in Space: Hubble Captures Rare Head-On Collision Between Two Galaxies

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The two bright cores appear like eyes, and a ring of young stars forms a face. Behind the eerie illusion lies a violent encounter between two galaxies of similar size, some 704 million light-years from Earth.
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"Shadow Bomber" Galaxy May Explain Part of the Origin of Cosmic Neutrinos

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A high-energy neutrino event has led astronomers to a distant, dusty galaxy. ALMA observations and gravitational lensing have revealed a compact core where intense star formation is taking place, potentially turning the galaxy into a natural particle accelerator.
A wide, detailed mosaic of millions of stars in the dense central region of the Milky Way.

Euclid Space Telescope Maps 60 Million Stars in the Dense Heart of the Milky Way

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A mosaic taken by the European Space Telescope over a period of about 26 hours is the largest and most detailed visible-light image of the center of the galaxy. The image is not intended to immediately discover new planets, but to provide a reference point
On August 17, 2017, in the lensing galaxy NGC 4993, the first collision between two neutrino stars was observed by measuring gravitational waves. The associated stellar flare, a kilonova, is clearly visible in observations by the Hubble Space Telescope, which watched it gradually fade over six days (images in squares). Credit: AJ Levan (U. Warwick), NR Tanvir (U. Leicester), and A. Fruchter and O. Fox (STScI)

Artificial intelligence helps decipher how heavy elements in the universe are formed

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The RHINE model uses a neural network to quickly calculate the energy released in the r-process. The researchers hope the method will improve simulations of neutron star mergers and the interpretation of light emitted from kilonovae.
The recurring nova T Coronae Borealis may erupt and become a visible star. The star pair experiences an eruption once every eighty years. How the eruption occurs and how to observe it from Israel. Credit: NASA

Will a "new star" appear in the night sky this week? The forecast for the nova of T Coronae Borealis

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The recurring nova T Coronae Borealis may erupt and become a visible star. Why was June 25 mentioned, how the eruption occurs, and how to observe it from Israel.
Artist's impression of GJ 504b, nicknamed the "Pink Planet," in orbit around its star. James Webb Space Telescope observations indicate salt clouds in the cold object's atmosphere. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

James Webb Telescope Discovers Salt Clouds in the Atmosphere of the “Pink Planet”

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The James Webb Space Telescope has produced the first detailed spectrum of GJ 504b, a cold, dim object known as the “pink planet.” The researchers identified a variety of molecules and found that only salt clouds explain the
Type Ia supernova. Credit: Nasa Sciemce

Dark energy still stands the test: New analysis strengthens the accelerating expansion of the universe

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Simulation of an expanding mini-universe inside a gravity star forming a Gravastar

Theoretical model: A tiny universe may form inside a collapsing star

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Physicists have developed a dynamical solution to Einstein's equations in which an expanding region forms inside a collapsing star and stops the collapse. The result is a gravistar - a theoretical alternative to a black hole that has no singularity or event horizon
Diagram of a contracting universe undergoing a cosmic jump, leaving behind remnant black holes

Black holes from before the Big Bang? Cosmological model suggests ancient location “fossils”

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Theoretical research suggests that the universe went through a phase of contraction before it began to expand. Black holes and gravitational waves that survived the transition may explain some of the dark matter and the early appearance of black holes.
Comparison between a simulation of the universe in the ΛCDM model and a simulation including massive neutrinos and corrected gravity.

Artificial intelligence learned the laws of the universe – then struggled to identify new physics

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Researchers trained a neural network first on the standard cosmological model and then on models that included massive neutrinos, corrected gravity, and primitive non-Gaussianity. The method saved expensive simulations, but in some cases caused “transfer”
Oumuamua, the first interstellar object discovered in the solar system, has sparked renewed interest in how to distinguish between natural objects and possible technological signatures. The new study highlights that most of the solar system has not yet been scanned at sufficient resolution to definitively rule out small artificial objects. Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Olmsted and F. Summers / STScI.

Are alien spacecraft hiding in the solar system? New study claims: We've barely looked

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A new study does not claim to have found alien spacecraft, but rather highlights another problem: Most of the solar system has not yet been scanned with sufficient resolution to rule out small artificial objects or technological remnants.
Gravitational waves. Illustration: depositphotos.com

What do gravitational wave detectors really measure when the entire universe changes?

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Researchers have developed a computational framework that connects cosmological relativity with what a real detector actually measures. The method could aid in the search for Joule gravitational waves and faint signals from the early universe.
Artist's impression of the young Milky Way colliding with another galaxy about 10 billion years ago. Credit: Vasily Belokov, based on an image by Juan Carlos Muñoz/ESO, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.

The Milky Way was rebuilt in an ancient collision and is already entering a new galactic dance with the Large Magellanic Cloud.

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Gaia data revealed that a dwarf galaxy that merged with the Milky Way about 8–11 billion years ago changed its structure and left “migratory” stars in the halo. Today, the Large Magellanic Cloud is already pulling our galaxy
Hubble Space Telescope image of Supernova 1994D (SN1994D) in the galaxy NGC 4526. Supernova SN 1994D is the bright spot on the lower left. Credit: NASA/ESA.

The universe is still accelerating: New study rejects claim that cosmic expansion has begun to slow down

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An international team, including Nobel laureates Adam Ries and Brian Schmidt, found that the claim that dark energy is weakening was based on an incorrect age estimate of supernovae and the omission of a common correction in the mass
Searching for extraterrestrial intelligence using radio telescopes. Illustration: depositphotos.com

What happens if a signal from extraterrestrial intelligence is detected? Scientists now have updated rules

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The International Academy of Astronautics has updated SETI protocols: scientific verification before announcement, transparent publication of data, protection of researchers — and a ban on responding to a signal without international consultation.
Europa, a frozen moon of Jupiter whose subsurface ocean may harbor alien life. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute

A new “fingerprint” for searching for extraterrestrial life

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Instead of looking for a single molecule that could be a clue to life, the new study looks at the statistical arrangement of collections of molecules. The method has been tested on samples from Earth, fossils and asteroids, and could be used in future missions to Mars.
Computer simulation of gas flowing around a binary system of protostars, with gas flows of different colors and a magnetic field that helps remove angular momentum

Magnetic fields may explain how binary star systems form

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Supercomputer simulations show that magnetic fields can subtract angular momentum from gas surrounding pairs of protostars, bringing them closer together and allowing the formation of a stable binary system. A similar mechanism may
An artist's impression of the exoplanet K2-18b, a world larger than Earth orbiting a red dwarf and being studied in search of possible signs of life or technological signatures.

K2-18b Scanned for Alien Signals – But No Technological Signature Found

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SETI researchers used the VLA and MeerKAT telescope to search for narrow radio signals from the intriguing exoplanet. None survived the noise filters, but the method will be used in future searches
Venus in false-color ultraviolet light, with complex cloud structures surrounding the planet

Material from Earth may have reached Venus' clouds – but this is still not proof of life

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A new model suggests that asteroid impacts on Earth could have sent biological material into the clouds of Venus. It's not proof of life, but it changes the way we think about the transfer of biological material between
A Dyson sphere is a hypothetical megastructure built by an advanced civilization to capture the vast amounts of energy emitted by a star. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Are the coldest "stars" in the galaxy alien megastructures?

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Astronomers propose a new way to identify alien megastructures: look for extremely cold "stars" that emit mostly infrared light and appear free of dust.
Space-time network. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Tiny black holes may form from space-time 'crystals'

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Researchers have presented a mathematical formula for a theoretical process in which space-time organizes itself into a cyclical pattern. A small addition of energy could transform this unstable state into a tiny black hole.
Clouds made of minerals condense and evaporate on the planet WASP-94A b

This exoplanet has rocky clouds that evaporate before sunset

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The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed an extreme weather cycle on the exoplanet WASP-94A b: clouds made of rock-forming minerals thicken in the morning, but evaporate or sink as the atmosphere moves to the warm side of the
An artist's impression of a supermassive black hole orbiting the center of an active galactic nucleus. New research suggests that winds and radiation from its surroundings could damage the atmospheres of planets even from great distances. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Supermassive black holes could harm the chances of life even at great distances

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New research examines how active supermassive black holes affect planets. According to models, the winds they create could heat atmospheres, erode them, and damage the ozone layer. So a planet in the area
The Crystal Ball Nebula, NGC 1514, as photographed with the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii. At the center of the nebula is a binary system of two stars, shaped by the envelope of gas ejected from one of them in the final stages of its life. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA.

Gemini Telescope Reveals Crystal Ball Nebula: Light from a Dying Star That Began Its Journey to Us About 1,500 Years Ago

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A new image of NGC 1514 from the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii reveals an asymmetric envelope of gas around a two-star system, showing a late stage in the life of a Sun-like star.
The path of the Solar System through the Local Interstellar Cloud. The cloud profile is preserved as an interstellar fingerprint in Antarctic ice. Credit: B. Schröder/HZDR/NASA/Goddard/Adler/U.Chicago/Wesleyan

Evidence from Antarctic ice: Earth passes through remnants of ancient supernova

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Researchers have found traces of iron-60, an isotope originating from a supernova, in Antarctic ice, showing that the solar system moved within an ancient interstellar cloud.
An illustration of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* at the center of the Milky Way. New research suggests that a nearby binary star system is creating small clumps of gas that are moving toward it. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)

A double star near the black hole at the center of the Milky Way may be feeding it small gas clouds

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Observations and simulations led by the Max Planck Institute indicate that the star system IRS 16SW is creating compact clumps of gas, which are moving towards Sagittarius A* and contributing to its nutrition.
Astronomers have discovered a massive galaxy from the early universe that appears to not be rotating. (Artist's impression). Illustration: depositphotos.com

Webb Space Telescope Detects Ancient, Nearly Rotationless Galaxy

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A massive galaxy formed less than two billion years after the Big Bang does not show an orderly rotation, contrary to expectations from models of galaxy formation. An ancient merger with another galaxy may have disrupted its motion.
A slice of the COSMOS-Web map, showing galaxies across nearly 14 billion years of the universe's history. The vertex on the left indicates the current time; moving outward, each galaxy is located at its own distance in cosmic time, until you reach a time when the universe was less than a billion years old. Light yellow areas show the dense clusters and filaments of the cosmic web, and dark areas indicate the nearly empty spaces between them. Credit: Hossein Hatamnia, UC Riverside

James Webb Space Telescope reveals sharpest map of the cosmic web

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The COSMOS-Web survey, the largest survey ever conducted with the James Webb Space Telescope, allows astronomers to track galaxies within nebulae, clusters, and cosmic voids across nearly 13.7 billion years of history.
Cosmic rays are composed mainly of protons, but also of helium, carbon, oxygen, and iron nuclei. Credit: Chinese Academy of Science

After a century, scientists discover a hidden rule governing cosmic rays

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A long-standing cosmic mystery is beginning to yield new clues as researchers discover a strikingly consistent pattern in the behavior of high-energy particles moving through the universe.
An image of Venus taken by NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft, alongside an illustration of three possible atmospheres for the planet Gliese 12b. The new study examines how much water a rocky planet needs to maintain conditions suitable for life. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (Caltech-IPAC)

Study: Planets that are too dry may be less suitable for life than previously thought

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Researchers at the University of Washington have found that a rocky planet similar in size to Earth would need at least 20% to 50% of the water in Earth's oceans to sustain a carbon cycle over time.
A thin slice of the map created by DESI's five-year survey shows galaxies and quasars above and below the plane of the Milky Way. Credit: Claire Lamman/DESI collaboration

The largest 3D map of the universe has been completed and will help study dark energy

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A record-breaking 3D map of the universe has been completed, giving scientists a new way to study dark energy. The vast data could reveal surprising changes in how the universe is expanding.
New research suggests identifying extraterrestrial life through patterns among groups of planets, rather than just gases or biological signatures on a single planet. Illustration: Avi Blizovsky via DALEE

A new way to search for extraterrestrial life: Not a single biological signature, but patterns between planets

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New research suggests detecting extraterrestrial life using unusual similarities between groups of nearby planets, rather than relying solely on atmospheric gases or traditional biological signatures
Artist's impression of a blazar – an active core of a galaxy, powered by a supermassive black hole and emitting a powerful jet of plasma. Credit: M. Weiss/CfA

The source of the most energetic neutrino ever discovered may be surprising

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Research by the KM3NeT collaboration suggests that the extreme neutrino detected in the Mediterranean Sea in 2023 did not come from a single event, but rather from a diffuse flux of particles generated in a population of active galactic nuclei known as blazars.
A strong wind from a supergiant star deflects jets emitted from the black hole in the Cygnus X-1 system, causing them to change direction during their mutual orbit. Credit: International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)

Black hole jets measured as powerful as 10,000 suns

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Radio observations in the Cygnus X-1 system have shown that the black hole's jets travel at about half the speed of light and carry about 10% of the energy of the material falling into it.
The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is a nearby dwarf galaxy and one of the Milky Way's closest neighbors. Credit: NASA, ESA, CXC, and the University of Potsdam, JPL-Caltech, and STScI

Collision between Magellanic Clouds may explain dwarf galaxy's unusual motion

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New research suggests that the Small Magellanic Cloud passed through the disk of the Large Magellanic Cloud several hundred million years ago. The collision disrupted the motion of stars and gas, and may require a reexamination of
The experimental equipment built and used by the students. Credit: Nabil Salama and Agit Akgümüs

Students built a dark matter detector and set new experimental boundaries

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A compact experiment at the University of Hamburg searched for axions, one of the main candidates for dark matter, and showed that even small arrays can contribute to particle physics.
The motion of galaxy clusters reveals the strength of gravity on a scale of hundreds of millions of light years. Credit: Lucy Reading / Simons Foundation

Newton's law of gravity faces unprecedented cosmic test

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After a decade of precise measurements, a new result for the universal gravitational constant did not match a previous measurement — further deepening one of the oldest mysteries in physics. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Gravitational constant slips away again: New measurement deepens mystery in physics

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Gravitational constant, gravity, physics, NIST, metrology, Stefan Schleminger, Henry Cavendish, fundamental forces
The yellow star WOH G64 that may become a supernova. Credit: ESO / L. Calçada, CC BY

One of the biggest known stars may be approaching the final stage of its life – a supernova

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A new study published in Nature Astronomy provides evidence that WOH G64, one of the largest known stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, has transitioned from a red giant to a rare yellow supergiant — a transition
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