A distant galaxy more massive than our Milky Way -- with more than a trillion stars -- has revealed that the 'cores' of massive galaxies in the Universe had formed already 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang.
Dec 19th, 2019
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Thousands of galaxies are visible in this radio image of an area in the Southern Sky, made with the MeerKAT telescope. The numerous faint dots are distant galaxies like our own Milky Way, that have never been observed in radio light before.
Dec 17th, 2019
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A quarter of a century after the discovery of the first extrasolar planet, the CHEOPS space telescope will finally enable researchers to determine what exoplanets are made of.
Dec 16th, 2019
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ALMA spots earliest environment pollution in the universe.
Dec 16th, 2019
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Galaxies lead a graceful existence on cosmic timescales. Over millions of years, they can engage in elaborate dances that produce some of Nature's most exquisite and striking grand designs. Few are as captivating as the galactic duo known as NGC 5394/5, sometimes nicknamed the Heron Galaxy.
Dec 13th, 2019
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Scientists are getting better at modeling the complex tangle of physics properties at play in one of the most powerful events in the known universe: the merger of two neutron stars.
Dec 12th, 2019
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This mysterious visitor from the depths of space is the first identified comet to arrive here from another star. We don't know from where or when the comet started heading toward our Sun, but it won't hang around for long.
Dec 12th, 2019
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Astronomers are reporting the detection of extragalactic planet-mass objects in a second and third galaxy beyond the Milky Way after the first detection in 2018. With the existing observational resources, it is impossible to directly detect planet-mass objects beyond the Milky Way and to measure its rogue planetary population.
Dec 12th, 2019
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Nearly a year and a half into its mission, Parker Solar Probe has returned gigabytes of data on the Sun and its atmosphere. Following the release of the very first science from the mission, five researchers presented additional new findings from Parker Solar Probe.
Dec 12th, 2019
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A new analysis puts dark matter back in the game as a possible source of energy excess at the galactic center.
Dec 11th, 2019
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Astronomers have spotted the light of a massive galaxy seen only 970 million years after the Big Bang. This galaxy, called MAMBO-9, is the most distant dusty star-forming galaxy that has ever been observed without the help of a gravitational lens.
Dec 11th, 2019
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The most extensive survey of atmospheric chemical compositions of exoplanets to date has revealed trends that challenge current theories of planet formation and has implications for the search for water in the solar system and beyond.
Dec 11th, 2019
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Black holes in the early universe pose a bit of a problem. Based on observations from telescopes on Earth and in space, we know that some black holes grew to be a billion times the mass of the sun just one billion years after the Big Bang. Current models of black hole growth, however, can't explain this speed of growth.
Dec 10th, 2019
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Scientists discovered a unique neutron star, the magnetic field of which is apparent only when the star is seen under a certain angle relative to the observer.
Dec 9th, 2019
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Scientists may have figured out how dust particles can stick together to form planets, according to a study that may also help to improve industrial processes.
Dec 9th, 2019
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Astronomers have found a special population of dwarf galaxies that could mainly consist baryons within radii of up to tens of thousands of light-years. This contrasts with the normal expectation that such regions should instead be dominated by dark matter.
Dec 9th, 2019
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Because we don't know what's pushing the universe outward ever more quickly, 'dark energy' is scientists' shorthand for the mysterious process. To understand the history of our universe, researchers are collaborating with scientists around the globe to build elaborate 3D maps of space and time.
Dec 7th, 2019
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Astronomers have come up with a way to discern life on exoplanets loitering in other cosmic neighborhoods: a spectral field guide.
Dec 6th, 2019
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