Frontier science, explained
Space, physics and materials news from NASA, NIST, ESA/Hubble, ESA/Webb, ESO, NOIRLab and ALMA.
ALMA Lifts the Veil on Hidden Nurseries of Massive Star Clusters in Nearby Galaxies
ALMA and the NSF VLA reveal circumnuclear “ring factories” where massive star clusters form and evolve in nearby galaxies
astrophysicsstar clustersNASA’s Fermi Mission Uncovers Possible Sibling Supernova Remnants
A new study of two supernova remnants, the debris left behind after stars explode, suggests the explosions came from stellar siblings that once orbited each other.
astrophysicsstarsTracing a Neutrino Ghost to Distant “Shadow Blaster” Galaxy
A team of astronomers has identified a remarkably bright, gravitationally-lensed, star-forming galaxy as the likely source of the high-energy neutrino event IC 210922A, detected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in 2021.
astrophysicsgalaxies
NASA’s Webb Catches Exoplanet Getting Roasted
That’s the latest from researchers analyzing NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s observations of HD 80606 b, an exoplanet four times the mass of Jupiter with an extremely elliptical orbit that sweeps close by its Sun-like star.
astrophysicsastrophysics divisionexoplanetsgoddard space flight centerscience & researchthe universe
Webb and Hubble reveal history of relic of the Milky Way galaxy’s formation
New research shows that Terzan 5 contains four separate generations of stars, confirming it as the prototype of a “bulge fossil fragment”
astrophysicsglobular clustersALMA and VLA Reveal a Vast Reservoir of Star-Forming Fuel in a Galaxy Near Cosmic Dawn
Astronomers have directly detected a vast reservoir of cool molecular gas in REBELS-25, a massive star-forming galaxy seen just 700 million years after the Big Bang.
astrophysicsgalaxies
Webb finds strongest evidence yet for "black hole stars”
The complex puzzle of the objects known as little red dots (LRDs) has gradually become more complete since their initial discovery by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope in 2022.
astrophysicsblack holes
NIST Expands Its Library of ‘Chemical Fingerprints’ to Identify Unknown Substances
Researchers and manufacturers rely on the library to identify unknown compounds in food, drugs, cosmetics, the environment, body fluids, forensic evidence and even space rocks.
physicsALMA Finally Catches the Milky Way's Black Hole “Breathing”
By creating the most detailed map ever of cold gas around Sagittarius A*, astronomers have provided compelling evidence for a long-sought black-hole wind
astrophysicsblack holes
NIST Researchers Discover a New Way to Whisk Alloys Together With Lasers
NIST also improved how X-rays are used to study the atomic structure of metals in real time during 3D printing, allowing researchers to observe how materials change under extreme conditions.
materials
Strange winds reveal strongest hints yet of magnetic activity in exoplanets
A team of astronomers has found the strongest evidence yet that some planets outside our Solar System may be magnetic.
astrophysicsexoplanets
Webb reveals black hole that formed before its galaxy
The first direct mass measurement from the early Universe weighs in on the debate over the origins of supermassive black holes.
astrophysicsblack holes
ALMA Reveals Turbulence May Dominate Magnetic Fields in the Seeds of Massive Star Clusters
Massive stars profoundly influence their surroundings.
astrophysicsstar clustersGaze into the Crystal Ball Nebula and See the Light Emitted by a Dying Star 1500 Years Ago
The 8.1-meter Gemini North telescope, located on the summit of Maunakea in Hawai‘i, has captured NGC 1514, nicknamed the Crystal Ball Nebula, in awe-inspiring detail.
astrophysicsnebulae
Shooting for the Moon: Ultrastable Lasers in Dark Craters Could Enable Lunar Navigation, Precision Timekeeping, New Science
Lunar craters in permanent shadow could be ideal locations for building the most stable optical lasers ever made.
physics