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CTV News
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Exhibit about history of universe opens at TWOSE
A person explores Telus World of Science Edmonton's "Stardust: The Universe in You" exhibit on May 30, 2025. (Darcy Seaton / CTV News Edmonton) Telus World of Science Edmonton's newest exhibit will offer a chance to explore the oldest parts of the universe's history when it opens on Saturday. 'Stardust: The Universe in You' covers the big bang, or the universe's birth, the creation of stars, and leading research from the James Webb Space Telescope into infrared light. 'It explores basically what is in all of us. How did all the atoms in our universe get their start? How do we go from the big bang to these complex organic molecules that we have here on the earth?' said Frank Florian, the senior manager of planetarium and space science at TWOSE. 'Science itself is always this evolving structure. As we learn new things about the universe, we have to change the way we look at things in the universe itself. So this (exhibit) here creates a bit of an eye-opening experience – and maybe creates more questions than answers.' The exhibit's interactive features include triggering a supernova, creating a galaxy, walking through a star explosion and experimenting with infrared. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Darcy Seaton
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
James Webb telescope uncovers new, 'hidden' type of black hole never seen before
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have unveiled a hidden population of supermassive black holes in the early universe that have never been seen before. This fascinating discovery could bridge the gap between classical quasars and the lesser-known "Little Red Dots" recently detected near the dawn of time, which may represent baby quasars. Classical quasars are active galactic nuclei (AGNs), galaxies dominated by actively-feeding black holes that are surrounded by complex dust environments. These AGNs are powered by large supermassive black holes and are extremely bright, which makes them easily detectable despite the surrounding dust. But in December 2022, scientists using JWST discovered a strange new type of AGN that they dubbed Little Red Dots — so named because they look like tiny, faint red spots in images. In contrast to classical quasars, these dots are smaller and dimmer, and they tend to be hidden by a lot of dust. The connection between the two AGN types remains a mystery, prompting astronomers to search for objects with intermediate properties. For more than a decade, astronomers have been looking out for distant quasars with the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, and have identified several galaxies within the first billion years after the Big Bang. While the light from these galaxies was not typical of a classical quasar, the intensity of light was too high to be due to star formation alone. They suspected that these galaxies harbored AGNs, which were somehow hidden in dust. But astronomers could not prove that they were indeed a different type of AGN due to technical limitations in telescopes at the time. Related: James Webb telescope discovers frozen water around a distant, sunlike star Now, using the more sensitive JWST to reanalyze those puzzling objects spotted by Subaru, an international team of astronomers has confirmed the presence of fast-moving gas under the influence of the strong gravity of supermassive black holes. This proved that the objects were AGNs after all — but a type never seen before. The findings were reported on May 7 in a study uploaded to the preprint database arXiv. Out of 13 distant galaxies examined in the new study, astronomers found that 9 displayed clear signs of a new population of active, supermassive black holes — and their patterns of light carry the unmistakable fingerprint of quasars hidden behind heavy dust. "We were surprised to find that obscured quasars are so abundant in the early universe," Yoshiki Matsuoka, associate professor at the Research Center for Space and Cosmic Evolution at Ehime University, and lead author of the study, told Live Science in an email. "This means that a significant fraction of active [supermassive black holes] have been overlooked in the past ground-based surveys." These newly discovered "hidden" quasars are as bright as classical quasars, but the level of dust obscuring their light resembles what astronomers have found in the case of Little Red Dots. Combining the ground-based data with JWST's detailed follow-up observations, researchers may have found the missing link between rare, bright quasars and the more common Little Red Dots seen by JWST. "These results are robust due to the high-quality of the light spectra of these objects, with clear signatures of gas powered by supermassive black holes," Jorryt Matthee, assistant professor and head of the research group Astrophysics of Galaxies at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, who was not involved in the new study, told Live Science. "While the number of new objects is high, it is not so unexpected," Matthee said. "The gap between the two known populations is very vast, and indeed, these new objects may belong to that missing population, but there's probably more." He adds that as astronomers find more of these hidden quasars and gather additional observations, the light they emit can be used to estimate the masses of stars and supermassive black holes in their host galaxies. This information will offer fresh insights into how these giants evolved in the early universe. Additionally, by comparing the number of hidden quasars discovered with what theoretical models predict, scientists can test whether these findings challenge the standard model of the universe. RELATED STORIES —'Baby quasars' spotted by James Webb telescope could transform our understanding of monster black holes —Astronomers find hundreds of 'hidden' black holes — and there may be billions or even trillions more —James Webb telescope spots rare 'missing link' galaxy at the dawn of time Meanwhile, the team led by Matsuoka plans to use JWST to observe 30 more objects from the same Subaru Telescope sample. They are hoping to uncover more hidden quasars, including Little Red Dots. First reported just a few years ago, Little Red Dots are still shrouded in mystery. They're poorly understood because they appear so faint and tiny in the sky. Matsuoka explained that by combining their results with other follow-up observations to study the surrounding gas and environments, the hidden quasars will provide a vital clue to unveiling the mysterious nature of Little Red Dots.
Forbes
a day ago
- General
- Forbes
Astronomers Need Better Models To Explain Webb's Puzzling Observations
Thousands of galaxies flood this near-infrared image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723. In one fell swoop, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has largely revolutionized much of what astronomers know about the formation and assembly of the earliest galaxies in the cosmos. Webb has not only pushed back the tape of galaxy formation, but even mainstream observational astronomers now realize that their models need updating to explain what Webb has been seeing only 300 million years after the big bang. To answer the question of how mass assembles in the early Universe and how galaxies are forming their stars, it's clear that the models we've developed for the nearby Universe need to be updated for the distant universe, Alex Cameron, a postdoctoral researcher in astrophysics at the University of Oxford, tells me in his office. The physics of how stars form, how they evolve, is very complex, and there are big uncertainties in our models, says Cameron. So, before we start questioning the age of the universe and how old these galaxies must be, we need to do a lot of work to better calibrate our understanding of the stars themselves, says Cameron. The success we have had in shattering records for the most distant galaxies implies that galaxy formation got underway very early in the history of the universe, Andy Bunker, professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, told me via email. The fact that we see the fingerprints of heavy elements such as carbon and oxygen in the most distant galaxies implies that previous generations of stars have already formed, and that 'first light' in the universe happened even earlier, he says. Bright galaxies appear to be ubiquitous in the early cosmos. Everywhere we look, we're finding a lot of bright galaxies, says Cameron. The challenge is to disentangle whether these galaxies are bright because they've got a lot of stars in them or whether they're bright, because the stars that have formed are brighter than typical present-day stars, he says. The signatures that we're getting from these observations tell us that there's a lot that we don't understand about the properties of these very early stars, says Cameron. In less than three years, Webb's sensitivity to galaxy formation is arguably more than in the past twenty years with Hubble and large ground-based telescopes, Richard Ellis, professor of astrophysics at University College London, tells me via email. Webb has revealed that some galaxies at the earliest epochs are very bright in the ultraviolet, which is telling us something about how stars form vigorously in these early galaxies, says Bunker. What's most puzzling about these early galaxies? The standard picture posits that galaxies assemble their stars gradually over time via infalling gas and mergers, says Ellis. Yet, the earliest galaxies are often more luminous than ones seen later, he says. The relative abundances of some chemical elements at these high redshifts are also unusual with astronomers particularly puzzled by why galaxies at such early times are so rich in the element of nitrogen. But are we in sight of the cosmological holy grail? I think we are observing these systems at a special time, perhaps close to the moment of their birth, says Ellis. They could be unusually luminous because they may be bursting into life a few tens of millions of years after formation; in this case they would not be able to sustain this luminosity for very long, he says. Yet they may also simply have more massive stars than those seen in galaxies at later times. Either way, it's pointing to the fact we may be getting close to a 'holy grail' when galaxies first emerged from darkness, says Ellis. It may not be possible to find a 'chemically pristine' galaxy first emerging from darkness, says Ellis. That's because the five-to-ten-million-year window in time when this gas had such a primordial composition was so short. But when the gas is first heated by young stars it will induce an absorption signal in the cold gas seen against the glow of the big bang, says Ellis. The Square Kilometer Array (a massive international radio telescope project) nearing completion in Western Australia has the potential to see this clinching signal in concert with further progress with Webb, he says.
News18
2 days ago
- Science
- News18
Universe's Earliest Light Revealed: James Webb Telescope Captures Stunning Image Of Cosmic Dawn
Last Updated: James Webb Space Telescope has captured the deepest and clearest image to date, offering us a glimpse of the universe's beginning, known as the 'Cosmic Dawn' The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the most powerful space observatory ever built, has achieved a remarkable feat that will excite everyone interested in space science. This telescope has captured the deepest and clearest image to date, offering us a glimpse of the universe's beginning, known as the 'Cosmic Dawn.' 'Cosmic Dawn' refers to the period when the universe was very young, just a few hundred million years old. Scientists believe that during this time, stars and galaxies began forming for the first time, roughly 13 billion years ago. Until now, it has been very difficult to observe such ancient objects directly. advetisement How Was This Picture Taken? In this historic image, the James Webb Telescope focused on a massive galaxy cluster called 'Abell S1063,' located about 4.5 billion light years away from Earth. This cluster was previously observed by the Hubble Telescope, but James Webb's more powerful infrared camera, NIRCam, allowed it to see deeper into space. The telescope observed this region continuously for 120 hours, capturing nine different images that were combined into a single, stunning picture. This is being called James Webb's deepest view yet. What Was Seen In The Picture? Behind the large galaxies in the image, faint, curved lines of light are visible. These lines are actually light from extremely distant galaxies that cannot be seen directly. The gravitational lensing effect caused by the massive galaxy cluster bends their light towards us, making them visible. Why Is This Discovery Special? Scientists say this image provides evidence that some galaxies formed just 200 million years after the universe came into existence. In other words, we can now witness the moments when the universe first began to 'shine.' The data also hints at glimpses of the very first stars, which is a major breakthrough. How close are we to understanding the universe's mysteries? This image is not just a scientific achievement; it is like a window into time. It proves that we have taken the first step towards uncovering the true story of the universe's birth. The success of the James Webb Telescope shows that humanity is now closer than ever to solving some of the oldest mysteries of time and space. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : galaxies James Webb Space Telescope space telescope First Published:
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Science
- Free Malaysia Today
Webb telescope captures deep view of ancient galaxies
The James Webb space telescope is offering scientists a glimpse into the distant past. (ESA/Webb pic) PARIS : The James Webb space telescope's deepest view of a single target depicts spinning arcs of light that are galaxies from the universe's distant past, the European Space Agency said Tuesday. The new image took the world's most powerful telescope more than 120 hours to capture, making it the longest Webb has ever focused on a single target. It is also 'Webb's deepest gaze on a single target to date', the European Space Agency (ESA) said in a statement, making the image one of the deepest ever captured of the cosmos. At the bright centre of the image is a massive cluster of galaxies called Abell S1063, which is 4.5 billion light years from Earth. But it is not the true target. Such huge celestial objects can bend the light of things behind them, creating a kind of magnifying glass called a gravitational lens. Therefore the 'warped arcs' spinning around the Abell S1063 are what really interest scientists, the ESA said in a statement. Because looking into distant space also means looking back in time, scientists hope to learn how the first galaxies formed during a period known as the Cosmic Dawn, when the universe was only a few million years old. The image includes nine separate shots of different near-infrared wavelengths of light, the ESA said. Since coming online in 2022, the Webb telescope has ushered in a new era of scientific breakthroughs. It has also revealed that galaxies in the early universe are far bigger than scientists expected, leading some to suspect there might be something wrong with our understanding of the cosmos.
