News 2019
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Astronomy / Space Science - Environment - 08.10.2019 
A dormant volcano: the black hole at the heart of our galaxy
3.5 million years ago, a supermassive black hole at the heart of our Galaxy spat out an enormous flare. Our researchers worked with an international team to make the discovery. Physicist and astronomy expert, Professor Joss Bland-Hawthorn explains how they did it. The supermassive black hole at the heart of our Galaxy spat out an enormous flare of radiation 3.5 million years ago that would have been clearly visible from Earth.
Astronomy / Space Science - Environment - 07.10.2019 
Ancient oasis once existed on Mars
New findings from the ChemCam instrument show a dynamic Martian climate LOS ALAMOS, N.M. Oct. 7, 2019-The surface of Mars was once home to shallow, salty ponds that went through episodes of overflow and drying, according to a paper published today . These findings result from an analysis of rocks enriched in mineral salts in Gale Crater, a 100-mile-wide dry lakebed, performed with the ChemCam instrument, which sits atop NASA's Curiosity rover and shoots Martian rocks with a laser to determine their chemical make-up.
Astronomy / Space Science - 04.10.2019
Astronomy / Space Science - 04.10.2019 
A Cosmic Pretzel
Twin baby stars grow amongst a twisting network of gas and dust Astronomers using ALMA have obtained an extremely high-resolution image showing two disks in which young stars are growing, fed by a complex pretzel-shaped network of filaments of gas and dust. Observing this remarkable phenomenon sheds new light on the earliest phases of the lives of stars and helps astronomers determine the conditions in which binary stars are born.
Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 03.10.2019
Astronomy / Space Science - 03.10.2019 
Revealed: the violent past of Andromeda, our neighbouring galaxy
A team of astronomers, led by Professor Geraint Lewis, has revealed two periods over billions of years where Andromeda shredded incoming galaxies to create star clusters. Our galaxy is next on the menu. Andromeda's violent past uncovered Video: Sebastian Zentilomo Astronomers have pieced together the cannibalistic past of the neighbouring large galaxy Andromeda, which has set its sights on our Milky Way as the main course.
Astronomy / Space Science - 02.10.2019
Astronomy / Space Science - Environment - 02.10.2019
Physics - Astronomy / Space Science - 02.10.2019 
Quantum Vacuum: Less than Zero Energy
Is it possible to borrow energy from an empty space? And if yes, do we have to give it back? Energy values smaller than zero are allowed - at least within certain limits. Energy is a quantity that must always be positive - at least that's what our intuition tells us. If every single particle is removed from a certain volume until there is nothing left that could possibly carry energy, then a limit has been reached.
Astronomy / Space Science - Microtechnics - 02.10.2019 
Controlling robots across oceans and space - no magic required
This Autumn is seeing a number of experiments controlling robots from afar, with ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano directing a robot in The Netherlands and engineers in Germany controlling a rover in Canada. Imagine looking down at the Moon from the Gateway as you prepare to land near a lunar base to run experiments, but you know the base needs maintenance work on the life-support system that will take days.
Astronomy / Space Science - Life Sciences - 30.09.2019 
Full house for space science
Three newcomers and two spacecraft make a full house in space. The population of the International Space Station rose to nine last week while European science focused on bone loss, time perception and routine maintenance. ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano welcomed aboard NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and the first United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri.
Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 30.09.2019
Physics - Astronomy / Space Science - 27.09.2019 
More accurate than expected
Despite their extremely small mass, neutrinos play a key role in cosmology and particle physics. After evaluation of the first measurement results in the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN), it is now clear: The previously unknown mass of the neutrinos must be less than 1 electron volt. This result is more accurate than previous measurements and raises hopes of discovering new neutrino properties.
Astronomy / Space Science - 27.09.2019
Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 26.09.2019 
A planet that should not exist
Astronomers detected a giant planet orbiting a small star. The planet has much more mass than theoretical models predict. While this surprising discovery was made by a Spanish-German team at an observatory in southern Spain, researchers at the University of Bern studied how the mysterious exoplanet might have formed.
Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 26.09.2019 
Galaxy found to float in a tranquil sea of halo gas
Using one cosmic mystery to probe another, an international team of astronomers has analyzed the signal from a fast radio burst - an enigmatic blast of cosmic radio waves lasting less than a millisecond - to characterize the diffuse gas in the halo of a massive galaxy. Their findings , published online Sept.
Physics - Astronomy / Space Science - 26.09.2019
Astronomy / Space Science - Environment - 26.09.2019 
Get ready for more interstellar objects, Yale astronomers say
Gregory Laughlin and Malena Rice weren't exactly surprised a few weeks ago when they learned that a second interstellar object had made its way into our solar system. The Yale University astronomers had just put the finishing touches on a new study suggesting that these strange, icy visitors from other planets are going to keep right on coming.
Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 26.09.2019 
Enigmatic radio burst illuminates a galaxy’s tranquil halo
Astronomers using ESO's Very Large Telescope have for the first time observed that a fast radio burst passed through a galactic halo. Lasting less than a millisecond, this enigmatic blast of cosmic radio waves came through almost undisturbed, suggesting that the halo has surprisingly low density and weak magnetic field.
Physics - Astronomy / Space Science - 25.09.2019 
A radio that searches for dark matter
An "out there" theory inspired the development of the Dark Matter Radio, a device that could explain the mysterious matter that makes up 85 percent of the mass of our universe. A team of Stanford University researchers are on a mission to identify dark matter once and for all. But first, they'll need to build the world's most sensitive radio.
Astronomy/Space Science
Results 61 - 80 of 290.
3.5 million years ago, a supermassive black hole at the heart of our Galaxy spat out an enormous flare. Our researchers worked with an international team to make the discovery. Physicist and astronomy expert, Professor Joss Bland-Hawthorn explains how they did it. The supermassive black hole at the heart of our Galaxy spat out an enormous flare of radiation 3.5 million years ago that would have been clearly visible from Earth.
New findings from the ChemCam instrument show a dynamic Martian climate LOS ALAMOS, N.M. Oct. 7, 2019-The surface of Mars was once home to shallow, salty ponds that went through episodes of overflow and drying, according to a paper published today . These findings result from an analysis of rocks enriched in mineral salts in Gale Crater, a 100-mile-wide dry lakebed, performed with the ChemCam instrument, which sits atop NASA's Curiosity rover and shoots Martian rocks with a laser to determine their chemical make-up.
Observing the Cosmic Web
The Cosmic Web is believed to contain huge threads of gas that connect multiple galaxies across the universe. Now our astronomers have observed these threads extending over three million light years. This is the first time that the Cosmic Web has been imaged in such detail on large scales joining together several galaxies.
The Cosmic Web is believed to contain huge threads of gas that connect multiple galaxies across the universe. Now our astronomers have observed these threads extending over three million light years. This is the first time that the Cosmic Web has been imaged in such detail on large scales joining together several galaxies.
Twin baby stars grow amongst a twisting network of gas and dust Astronomers using ALMA have obtained an extremely high-resolution image showing two disks in which young stars are growing, fed by a complex pretzel-shaped network of filaments of gas and dust. Observing this remarkable phenomenon sheds new light on the earliest phases of the lives of stars and helps astronomers determine the conditions in which binary stars are born.
New ’fuzzy’ dark matter research disrupts conventional thinking
New research conducted at the University of Sussex has simulated dark matter in a new way for the first time, disrupting conventional thinking about the make-up of the universe. The research, published in Physical Review Letters , was done alongside Princeton, Harvard, Cambridge and MIT universities and others.
New research conducted at the University of Sussex has simulated dark matter in a new way for the first time, disrupting conventional thinking about the make-up of the universe. The research, published in Physical Review Letters , was done alongside Princeton, Harvard, Cambridge and MIT universities and others.
A team of astronomers, led by Professor Geraint Lewis, has revealed two periods over billions of years where Andromeda shredded incoming galaxies to create star clusters. Our galaxy is next on the menu. Andromeda's violent past uncovered Video: Sebastian Zentilomo Astronomers have pieced together the cannibalistic past of the neighbouring large galaxy Andromeda, which has set its sights on our Milky Way as the main course.
The violent history of the big galaxy next door
Astronomers have pieced together the cannibalistic past of the neighbouring large galaxy Andromeda, which has set its sights on our Milky Way as the main course. The galactic detective work found that Andromeda has eaten several smaller galaxies during the past three billion years, with left-overs found in large streams of stars.
Astronomers have pieced together the cannibalistic past of the neighbouring large galaxy Andromeda, which has set its sights on our Milky Way as the main course. The galactic detective work found that Andromeda has eaten several smaller galaxies during the past three billion years, with left-overs found in large streams of stars.
Nearly a decade in the making, exoplanet-hunting instrument installed in Hawaii
Atop a dormant volcano in Hawaii, an extremely delicate instrument-designed to help scientists find distant worlds-is scattered across the floor in hundreds of pieces. "Imagine trying to assemble one of those huge LEGO sets, except there's no instruction book; you've done it once before, but then you had to take it all apart and put it in little bags," said Jacob Bean, associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago.
Atop a dormant volcano in Hawaii, an extremely delicate instrument-designed to help scientists find distant worlds-is scattered across the floor in hundreds of pieces. "Imagine trying to assemble one of those huge LEGO sets, except there's no instruction book; you've done it once before, but then you had to take it all apart and put it in little bags," said Jacob Bean, associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago.
Is it possible to borrow energy from an empty space? And if yes, do we have to give it back? Energy values smaller than zero are allowed - at least within certain limits. Energy is a quantity that must always be positive - at least that's what our intuition tells us. If every single particle is removed from a certain volume until there is nothing left that could possibly carry energy, then a limit has been reached.
This Autumn is seeing a number of experiments controlling robots from afar, with ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano directing a robot in The Netherlands and engineers in Germany controlling a rover in Canada. Imagine looking down at the Moon from the Gateway as you prepare to land near a lunar base to run experiments, but you know the base needs maintenance work on the life-support system that will take days.
Three newcomers and two spacecraft make a full house in space. The population of the International Space Station rose to nine last week while European science focused on bone loss, time perception and routine maintenance. ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano welcomed aboard NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and the first United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri.
Growing old together: a sharper look at black holes and their host galaxies
Some relationships are written in the stars. That's definitely the case for supermassive black holes and their host galaxies, according to a new study from Yale University. The "special relationship" between supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their hosts - something astronomers and physicists have observed for quite a while - can now be understood as a bond that begins early in a galaxy's formation and has a say in how both the galaxy and the SMBH at its center grow over time, the researchers note.
Some relationships are written in the stars. That's definitely the case for supermassive black holes and their host galaxies, according to a new study from Yale University. The "special relationship" between supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their hosts - something astronomers and physicists have observed for quite a while - can now be understood as a bond that begins early in a galaxy's formation and has a say in how both the galaxy and the SMBH at its center grow over time, the researchers note.
Despite their extremely small mass, neutrinos play a key role in cosmology and particle physics. After evaluation of the first measurement results in the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN), it is now clear: The previously unknown mass of the neutrinos must be less than 1 electron volt. This result is more accurate than previous measurements and raises hopes of discovering new neutrino properties.
Earliest cluster of forming galaxies discovered 13 billion light-years away
A 13-billion-year-old intense galaxy-forming region has been spotted, giving researchers clues as to how huge networks of galaxies develop. In the present universe, fully formed galaxy clusters contain thousands of member galaxies including tens of massive galaxies. These clusters are the largest astronomical objects in the universe.
A 13-billion-year-old intense galaxy-forming region has been spotted, giving researchers clues as to how huge networks of galaxies develop. In the present universe, fully formed galaxy clusters contain thousands of member galaxies including tens of massive galaxies. These clusters are the largest astronomical objects in the universe.
Astronomers detected a giant planet orbiting a small star. The planet has much more mass than theoretical models predict. While this surprising discovery was made by a Spanish-German team at an observatory in southern Spain, researchers at the University of Bern studied how the mysterious exoplanet might have formed.
Using one cosmic mystery to probe another, an international team of astronomers has analyzed the signal from a fast radio burst - an enigmatic blast of cosmic radio waves lasting less than a millisecond - to characterize the diffuse gas in the halo of a massive galaxy. Their findings , published online Sept.
Ultra rare kaon decay could lead to evidence of new physics
Scientists searching for evidence of new physics in particle processes that could explain dark matter and other mysteries of the universe have moved one step closer, with the new result of the NA62 experiment reported today at CERN. An international team of scientists have succeeded in harnessing a new technique which captures and measures the ultra rare decay of a sub atomic particle called a kaon.
Scientists searching for evidence of new physics in particle processes that could explain dark matter and other mysteries of the universe have moved one step closer, with the new result of the NA62 experiment reported today at CERN. An international team of scientists have succeeded in harnessing a new technique which captures and measures the ultra rare decay of a sub atomic particle called a kaon.
Gregory Laughlin and Malena Rice weren't exactly surprised a few weeks ago when they learned that a second interstellar object had made its way into our solar system. The Yale University astronomers had just put the finishing touches on a new study suggesting that these strange, icy visitors from other planets are going to keep right on coming.
Astronomers using ESO's Very Large Telescope have for the first time observed that a fast radio burst passed through a galactic halo. Lasting less than a millisecond, this enigmatic blast of cosmic radio waves came through almost undisturbed, suggesting that the halo has surprisingly low density and weak magnetic field.
An "out there" theory inspired the development of the Dark Matter Radio, a device that could explain the mysterious matter that makes up 85 percent of the mass of our universe. A team of Stanford University researchers are on a mission to identify dark matter once and for all. But first, they'll need to build the world's most sensitive radio.
