Astronomy News

Astronomers Discover 116,027 New Variable Stars

This image of the Carina Nebula reveals the dynamic cloud of interstellar matter and thinly spread gas and dust as never before; the massive stars in the interior of this cosmic bubble emit intense radiation that causes the surrounding gas to glow; by contrast, other regions of the nebula contain dark pillars of dust cloaking newborn stars. Image credit: ESO / J. Emerson / M. Irwin / J. Lewis.
Jun 1, 2022 by News Staff

Using machine learning techniques and data from the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) and several other surveys, astronomers have identified 378,861 variable stars, of which 262,834 are known variables and 116,027 are new discoveries. The variable star Eta Carinae is found within the Carina Nebula. Image credit: ESO / J. Emerson / M. Irwin / J. Lewis. Variable stars are celestial objects whose brightness waxes and wanes over time,...

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This diagram shows three layers of aerosols in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune. The height scale on the diagram represents the pressure above 10 bar. The deepest layer (Aerosol-1 layer) is thick and composed of a mixture of hydrogen sulfide ice and particles produced by the interaction of the planets’ atmospheres with sunlight. The key layer that affects the colors is the middle layer, which is a layer of haze particles (Aerosol-2 layer) that is thicker on Uranus than on Neptune. Irwin et al. suspect that, on both planets, methane ice condenses onto the particles in this layer, pulling the particles deeper into the atmosphere in a shower of methane snow. Because Neptune has a more active, turbulent atmosphere than Uranus does, the team believes Neptune’s atmosphere is more efficient at churning up methane particles into the haze layer and producing this snow. This removes more of the haze and keeps Neptune’s haze layer thinner than it is on Uranus, meaning the blue color of Neptune looks stronger. Above both of these layers is an extended layer of haze (Aerosol-3 layer) similar to the layer below it but more tenuous. On Neptune, large methane ice particles also form above this layer. Image credit: Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / J. da Silva / NASA / JPL-Caltech / B. Jónsson.

Haze Layers are Responsible for Different Blue Hues of Neptune and Uranus, Scientists Say

Jun 1, 2022 by News Staff

An international team of planetary researchers led by University of Oxford scientists has performed an analysis of visible/near-infrared observations of...

MeerKAT image of the PSR J0901-4046 region at 1.28 GHz. Image credit: Caleb et al., doi: 10.1038/s41550-022-01688-x.

Astronomers Discover Unusual Radio-Emitting Neutron Star

May 31, 2022 by News Staff

Radio-emitting neutron stars are objects with spin periods ranging from milliseconds to tens of seconds; as they age and spin more slowly, their radio...

An artist’s impression of a free-floating exoplanet. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Cosmic Hitchhikers: Advanced Aliens Might Use Free-Floating Exoplanets for Interstellar Travel

May 30, 2022 by News Staff

In a new paper published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, Houston Community College researcher Irina Romanovskaya proposes that free-floating...

This Hubble image shows Arp 303, a galaxy pair located some 275 million light-years away in the constellation of Sextans. Image credit: NASA / ESA / K. Larson, STScI / J. Dalcanton, University of Washington / G. Kober, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / Catholic University of America.

Hubble Looks at Pair of Star-Forming Spiral Galaxies

May 30, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

NASA has released a colorful image snapped by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope of the galaxy pair Arp 303. This Hubble image shows Arp 303, a galaxy...

This Hubble image shows NGC 7496, a barred spiral galaxy some 24 million light-years away in the constellation of Grus. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / J. Lee / PHANGS-HST Team / Judy Schmidt, www.geckzilla.com.

Hubble Space Telescope Focuses on NGC 7496

May 30, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced an outstanding image of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 7496. This Hubble image shows NGC 7496, a barred...

This Hubble image shows NGC 3631, a grand design spiral galaxy some 53 million light-years away in the constellation of Ursa Major. Image credit: NASA / ESA / A. Filippenko, University of California, Berkeley / D. Sand, University of Arizona / G. Kober, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / Catholic University of America.

Hubble Spots Face-On Grand Design Spiral Galaxy

May 27, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced this beautiful image of the spiral galaxy NGC 3631. This Hubble image shows NGC 3631, a grand design spiral...

This Hubble image shows NGC 3509, a spiral galaxy some 350 million light-years away in the constellation of Leo. Image credit: NASA / ESA / R. van der Marel, STScI / G. Kober, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / Catholic University of America.

Hubble Space Telescope Observes NGC 3509

May 26, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured a striking new photo of the spiral galaxy NGC 3509. This Hubble image shows NGC 3509, a spiral galaxy...

This Hubble image shows the spiral galaxy NGC 3227 and the dwarf elliptical galaxy NGC 3226. Image credit: NASA / ESA / H. Ford, Johns Hopkins University / G. Kober, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / Catholic University of America.

Hubble Sees Graceful Gravitational Dance of Two Galaxies

May 25, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

The Hubble team has released a stunning image of an intermediate spiral galaxy called NGC 3227 and its companion, the dwarf elliptical galaxy NGC 3226. This...

This Hubble image shows NGC 3718, a spiral galaxy some 52 million light-years away in the constellation of Ursa Major. Image credit: NASA / ESA / L. Ho, Peking University / Gladys Kober, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / Catholic University of America.

Hubble Views Spiral Galaxy with Unusual, Warped Shape

May 25, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced an outstanding image of part of the spiral galaxy NGC 3718. This Hubble image shows NGC 3718, a spiral...

Growing, massive black holes reside in dwarf galaxies, where their radiation competes with the light of abundant young stars. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / M. Polimera.

Growing Massive Black Holes More Common in Dwarf Galaxies than Previously Thought

May 24, 2022 by News Staff

Using data from the REsolved Spectroscopy Of a Local VolumE (RESOLVE) and the Environmental COntext Catalog (ECO) surveys, astronomers have found evidence...

This illustration shows NASA’s Lucy spacecraft passing one of the Trojan asteroids near Jupiter. Image credit: Southwest Research Institute.

Lucy Observes Total Lunar Eclipse from 100 Million Kilometers Away

May 24, 2022 by News Staff

NASA’s Lucy spacecraft successfully observed the May 15-16, 2022 total lunar eclipse from a unique vantage point, 100 million km (64 million miles) from...

An artist’s impression of the early Solar System as the Solar Nebula begins to disappear, causing asteroids to accelerate and collide. Image credit: Tobias Stierli / Flaeck.

Early Inner Solar System was Very Chaotic, Research Suggests

May 24, 2022 by News Staff

Planetary scientists from the ETH Zürich and elsewhere have determined palladium-silver (Pd-Ag) and platinum (Pt) isotope compositions of 13 iron meteorites...

This Hubble image shows the elliptical galaxy NGC 541 and a star-forming peculiar galaxy called Minkowski’s object. Image credit: NASA / ESA / S. Croft, Eureka Scientific Inc. / Gladys Kober, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / Catholic University of America.

Hubble Space Telescope Spots Strange Pair of Galaxies

May 24, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers have released a stunning image snapped by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope of the huge elliptical galaxy NGC 541 and its much smaller companion...

This Hubble image shows NGC 1023, a barred lenticular galaxy some 36 million light-years away in the constellation of Perseus. Image credit: NASA / ESA / G. Sivakoff, University of Alberta / G. Kober, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / Catholic University of America.

Hubble Space Telescope Captures Close-Up of NGC 1023

May 23, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have unveiled a beautiful image of the massive lenticular galaxy NGC 1023. This Hubble image shows...

This Hubble image shows Liller 1, a globular cluster some 30,000 light-years away in the constellation of Scorpius. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / F. Ferraro.

Hubble Observes Extremely Distant Globular Cluster

May 23, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured an amazing new photo of the globular cluster Liller 1. This Hubble image shows Liller 1, a globular cluster...

This Hubble image shows IC 4271, a pair of superimposed spiral galaxies some 800 million light-years away in the constellation of Canes Venatici. Image credit: NASA / ESA / B. Holwerda, University of Louisville Research Foundation, Inc. / G. Kober, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / Catholic University of America.

Hubble Looks at Curious Pair of Spiral Galaxies

May 20, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has taken a picture of the galaxy pair IC 4271, which is found in the constellation of Canes Venatici. This Hubble...

Solar Orbiter Sends Back Spectacular Images of the Sun

May 20, 2022 by News Staff

On March 26, 2022, the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft made the first of its close perihelion passages. The spacecraft flew closer to the Sun than the...

This Hubble image shows the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 474. Image credit: NASA / ESA / D. Carter, Liverpool John Moores University / G. Kober, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Catholic University of America.

Hubble Captures Stunning Image of Giant Elliptical Galaxy

May 19, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

The subject of the new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is NGC 474, a gigantic elliptical galaxy located some 100 million light-years from...

This Hubble image shows Hickson Compact Group 31, a group of four galaxies located some 166 million light-years away in the constellation of Eridanus. The bright, distorted object is actually two colliding dwarf galaxies. The bluish star clusters have formed in the streamers of debris pulled from the galaxies and at the site of their head-on collision. The cigar-shaped object to the right is another member of the group. A bridge of star clusters connects the trio. A longer rope of bright star clusters points to the fourth member of the group. The bright object in the center is a foreground star. Image credit: NASA / ESA / J. Charlton, Pennsylvania State University / G. Kober, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / Catholic University of America.

Hubble Images Four Merging Dwarf Galaxies

May 18, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

NASA has released a stunning new image snapped by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope of a quartet of galaxies called Hickson Compact Group 31. This Hubble...

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