Shockwaves (aka a “shock breakout”) like this only last for 20 minutes, so it was really exciting for astronomers to capture the moment, which they recorded as… Read more “Shockwave Of An Exploding Star”
Category: Astrophysics
A black hole flashing red with the energy of 1,000 Suns
As if black holes needed another horrifyingly weird characteristic, astronomers have observed one of the brightest black hole ‘outbursts’ in years, with each pulse emitting the energy… Read more “A black hole flashing red with the energy of 1,000 Suns”
Milky Way’s black hole spewing cosmic rays
Mysterious high-energy particles known as cosmic rays zip through space at a wide range of energies, some millions of times greater than those produced in the world’s… Read more “Milky Way’s black hole spewing cosmic rays”
Dust in the interstellar wind
Cosmic dust is not simply something to sweep under the rug and forget about. Instead, NSF-funded astronomers are studying and even mapping it to learn more about… Read more “Dust in the interstellar wind”
The Key to the Origin of the Universe
“If you want to know where the universe came from and where it’s going, you need to know about time,” says Joan Vaccaro at the Griffith University’s… Read more “The Key to the Origin of the Universe”
Hawking says his group has solved a black hole puzzle
Stephen Hawking, the world’s most famous living physicist, thinks he has solved a mystery. It’s one that has puzzled scientists for more than 40 years: What happens… Read more “Hawking says his group has solved a black hole puzzle”
Links in Time and Space May Form the Universe’s Foundation
In November, construction workers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology came across a time capsule 942 years too soon. Buried in 1957 and intended for 2957,… Read more “Links in Time and Space May Form the Universe’s Foundation”
Strange Galaxy Discovered Swept By Fierce Oxygen Winds
“I was actually very surprised to discover that this wind is made mostly of oxygen because nobody has seen a galaxy like this before,” says Anna Lia… Read more “Strange Galaxy Discovered Swept By Fierce Oxygen Winds”
A curious cosmic collision revisited
The spectacular aftermath of a 360-million-year-old cosmic collision is revealed in great detail in new images from the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) at… Read more “A curious cosmic collision revisited”
Quantum Blips Triggered the Formation of Galaxies, Stars, Planets
Data from the Planck telescope have confirmed beyond any reasonable doubt a theory of the quantum origin of structure in the Universe. What exactly happened after the… Read more “Quantum Blips Triggered the Formation of Galaxies, Stars, Planets”
Observed cosmic rays may have come from two-million-year-old supernova
High-energy protons, nuclei, and other particles are constantly showering down on Earth’s atmosphere from space, but the origins of these cosmic rays is unknown. One possibility is… Read more “Observed cosmic rays may have come from two-million-year-old supernova”
The Case For Complex Dark Matter
Dark matter — the unseen 80 percent of the universe’s mass — doesn’t emit, absorb or reflect light. Astronomers know it exists only because it interacts with… Read more “The Case For Complex Dark Matter”
