Latest news with #STScI
The Irish Sun
02-08-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
Watch monstrous black hole GOBBLE up a star before Earth-shattering explosion in incredible new Nasa clip
WATCH the shocking moment a rare black whole gobbles up a star and causes an earth-shattering explosion in a stunning new Nasa clip. 5 Researchers have created an animation showing the moment a black hole ripped apart a star Credit: NASA, ESA, Ralf Crawford (STScI 5 The event triggered a massive explosion Credit: NASA, ESA, Ralf Crawford (STScI The animation shows the rare moment that the suspected intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) HLX-1 ripped apart the According to Live Science, IMBHs are hard to spot and often confused with clusters of smaller black holes left over from collapsed stars. Researches also think they may hide behind small groups of stars that closely orbit them without being ripped apart. Tech news Therefore, the best way to spot an IMBH is indirectly, by measuring the masses of merging black holes or by catching them in the act consuming a star. In a study published April 11 in By combining data from the and 's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the study team believes they have spotted a bright flash, or "tidal disruption event," caused by the black hole devouring a neighbouring star. However, as with many other IMBH candidates, it is not 100% certain that HLX-1 is real. Most read in Tech In addition to being rare, IMBHs are important because of what they can tell us about other black holes. Yi-Chi Chang, a researcher at the National Tsing Hua University, said: "They represent a crucial missing link in black hole evolution between stellar mass and supermassive black holes." UK-led plan to build hypersonic plane that flies on edge of space at 4,000mph going from London to NYC in 60mins One theory is that they may start as large stellar-mass black holes and eventually grow into supermassive black holes over the course of billions of years. In a search for answers, astronomers are now on the lookout for more potential tidal disruption events on the edges of other galaxies. All you need to know about the planets in our solar system Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all... How old is How many moons does What colour is How far away is How big is How many moons does Does How many moons does How big is How hot is the 5 HLX-1 is located on the outskirts off NGC 6099 galaxy Credit: NASA, ESA, Ralf Crawford (STScI 5 Astronomers are on the lookout for more disruption events of this kind Credit: NASA, ESA, Ralf Crawford (STScI 5 The black hole devoured a neighbouring star Credit: NASA, ESA, Ralf Crawford (STScI
Scottish Sun
02-08-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
Watch monstrous black hole GOBBLE up a star before Earth-shattering explosion in incredible new Nasa clip
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WATCH the shocking moment a rare black whole gobbles up a star and causes an earth-shattering explosion in a stunning new Nasa clip. Astronomers have created an extraordinary animation after detecting what they believe to be an extremely rare type of "missing link" black hole shredding a distant star. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Researchers have created an animation showing the moment a black hole ripped apart a star Credit: NASA, ESA, Ralf Crawford (STScI 5 The event triggered a massive explosion Credit: NASA, ESA, Ralf Crawford (STScI The animation shows the rare moment that the suspected intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) HLX-1 ripped apart the star, triggering the almighty explosion. Black holes come in a range of sizes, but can be up to 40 billion times bigger than the Sun, Live Science reports. According to Live Science, IMBHs are hard to spot and often confused with clusters of smaller black holes left over from collapsed stars. Researches also think they may hide behind small groups of stars that closely orbit them without being ripped apart. Therefore, the best way to spot an IMBH is indirectly, by measuring the masses of merging black holes or by catching them in the act consuming a star. In a study published April 11 in The Astrophysical Journal , researchers reported that they'd spotted another promising IMBH candidate, located more than 450 million light-years from Earth. By combining data from the Hubble Space Telescope and NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the study team believes they have spotted a bright flash, or "tidal disruption event," caused by the black hole devouring a neighbouring star. However, as with many other IMBH candidates, it is not 100% certain that HLX-1 is real. In addition to being rare, IMBHs are important because of what they can tell us about other black holes. Yi-Chi Chang, a researcher at the National Tsing Hua University, said: "They represent a crucial missing link in black hole evolution between stellar mass and supermassive black holes." UK-led plan to build hypersonic plane that flies on edge of space at 4,000mph going from London to NYC in 60mins One theory is that they may start as large stellar-mass black holes and eventually grow into supermassive black holes over the course of billions of years. In a search for answers, astronomers are now on the lookout for more potential tidal disruption events on the edges of other galaxies. All you need to know about the planets in our solar system Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all... How old is Earth? Plus other facts on our planet How many moons does Mercury have? What colour is Venus? How far away is Mars to Earth? And other facts on the red planet How big is Jupiter? How many moons does Saturn have? Does Uranus have rings? How many moons does Neptune have? How big is Pluto? How hot is the Sun? 5 HLX-1 is located on the outskirts off NGC 6099 galaxy Credit: NASA, ESA, Ralf Crawford (STScI 5 Astronomers are on the lookout for more disruption events of this kind Credit: NASA, ESA, Ralf Crawford (STScI
CBS News
10-07-2025
- Science
- CBS News
NASA's Webb telescope captures images of new stars forming in Cat's Paw Nebula
New images taken by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope show young stars forming within a "toe bean" on the Cat's Paw Nebula. The Cat's Paw Nebula is named after its resemblance to a feline footprint: The nebula appears to have three toes, colloquially called "toe beans," and a wider heel. The nebula is near the Scorpius constellation and is about 4,000 light-years from Earth, NASA said in a news release. The James Webb Telescope focused its Near-Infrared Camera on one of the "toe beans" to look through the gas and dust that make up the nebula. The telescope found an "active star-forming region." The young stars, shown in yellow, appear to be "carving away at nearby gas and dust," NASA said. A new image of the Cat's Paw Nebula, taken by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI The stars are also emitting bright light, represented in blue in the Webb images. Glowing red spots in the Webb images show areas where star formation is underway, NASA said. Other stars look blue-white. These ones have no radiation between themselves and Webb's camera, NASA said. At the bottom of the "toe bean" are small, dense filaments of dust that may be dense enough to collapse in on themselves and begin the process of becoming stars. The dust itself is imaged in brown. The colorful scene is temporary, NASA said, but will shape the area's future. "As a consequence of these massive stars' lively behavior, the local star formation process will eventually come to a stop," NASA said. The images were released to celebrate the third anniversary of the telescope, which launched in July 2022. Since then, it has made a number of discoveries, including showing that the universe evolved faster than astronomers believed, NASA said. The telescope has also imaged a number of stars and planets, and identified asteroids that might come near Earth. "Three years into its mission, Webb continues to deliver on its design – revealing previously hidden aspects of the universe, from the star formation process to some of the earliest galaxies," said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "... The questions Webb has raised are just as exciting as the answers it's giving us."
Newsweek
10-06-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
Iron May Rain From Sand Clouds on Newly-Discovered Planet
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Dusty clouds made of sand—that may rain iron—blanket a giant planet orbiting a young, sun-like star just 310 light-years from Earth, the James Webb Space Telescope has revealed. The discovery was made by an international team of astronomers led from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore Maryland. Around the star—dubbed "YSES-1"—the researchers also directly observed another giant exoplanet around which is a potentially multiple-moon-forming circumplanetary disk. "This work highlights the incredible abilities of JWST to characterize exoplanet atmospheres," said paper author and astronomer Evert Nasedkin of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, in a statement. "With only a handful of exoplanets that can be directly imaged, the YSES-1 system offers unique insights into the atmospheric physics and formation processes of these distant giants." An artist's impression of the planets of the star system YSES-1. An artist's impression of the planets of the star system YSES-1. Ellis Bogat Using Webb's Near InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec), the team were able to capture the two planets—which are both several times larger than Jupiter, and orbit out far from their host star—in a single exposure. This has provided what lead author and STScI physicist Kielan Hoch calls "the most detailed dataset of a multi-planet system to date." Nasedkin added: "Directly imaged exoplanets—planets outside our own solar system—are the only exoplanets that we can truly take photos of. "These exoplanets are typically still young enough that they are still hot from their formation—and it is this warmth, seen in the thermal infrared, that we as astronomers observe." By recording the light coming from the two exoplanets, the team were able to unpick the signals that reveal the chemical makeup of the gas giant's atmospheres. "When we looked at the smaller, farther-out companion—known as YSES-1c—we found the tell-tale signature of silicate clouds in the mid-infrared," said Nasedkin. "Essentially made of sand-like particles, this is the strongest silicate absorption feature observed in an exoplanet yet." The team's analysis also indicated that the clouds contain iron, which may fall from the clouds down into the planet as rain. "We believe this is linked to the relative youth of the planets: younger planets are slightly larger in radius, and this extended atmosphere may allow the cloud to absorb more of the light emitted by the planet." The circumplanetary disk is the inner planet, YSES-1b, meanwhile, presents something of a mystery. Only three other such disks have been identified to date, but they are all around objects that are significantly younger than YSES-1b—leading to questions as to how the newly discovered disk could be so long-lived. And that is far from the only puzzle that will need to be solved. "The YSES-1 system planets are also too widely separated to be explained through current formation theories, so the additional discoveries of distinct silicate clouds around YSES-1c and small hot dusty material around YSES-1b leads to more mysteries and complexities for determining how planets form and evolve," Hoch concluded. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about exoplanets? Let us know via science@ Reference Hoch, K. K. W., Rowland, M., Petrus, S., Nasedkin, E., Ingebretsen, C., Kammerer, J., Perrin, M., D'Orazi, V., Balmer, W. O., Barman, T., Bonnefoy, M., Chauvin, G., Chen, C., De Rosa, R. J., Girard, J., Gonzales, E., Kenworthy, M., Konopacky, Q. M., Macintosh, B., Moran, S. E., Morley, C. V., Palma-Bifani, P., Pueyo, L., Ren, B., Rickman, E., Ruffio, J.-B., Theissen, C. A., Ward-Duong, K., & Zhang, Y. (2025). Silicate clouds and a circumplanetary disk in the YSES-1 exoplanet system. Nature.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
There's a 50/50 Chance the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy Will Merge
The universe might not meet its end for another quinvigintillion years, but our galaxy's fate teeters on a far less certain line. New research shows that there's a 50% chance that the Milky Way and its nearest major galactic neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy, will converge within the next 10 billion years. Previous analyses have made out the convergence to be a sure-fire thing, but it turns out that one dwarf galaxy is recalibrating the scales. Though about 2.5 million light-years currently lie between the Milky Way and Andromeda, the two galaxies are creeping closer to each other. In 1913, astronomer Vesto Melvin Slipher noticed via Arizona's Lowell Observatory that Andromeda (then known as the Andromeda Nebula) was approaching the Milky Way at 186 miles per second. Since then, researchers have not only verified Slipher's math but also found via multiple simulations that Andromeda will someday combine with the Milky Way. One paper from 2021 even proposes that the two galaxies will meet 4.3 billion years from now, with a complete merger taking another 6 billion years after that. But these simulations failed to account for one small yet mighty factor: the Large Magellanic Cloud. Roughly 160,000 light-years from our Milky Way, this dwarf galaxy has long been considered an insignificant part of the so-called Local Group. But in 2015, the beginning of the Survey of the MAgellanic Stellar History, or SMASH, found that the Large Magellanic Cloud was larger and more complex than initially thought. Astronomers have spent the years since sifting through SMASH data for dwarf galaxy secrets. Illustration of a hypothetical merger between the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy. Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, DSS, Till Sawala (University of Helsinki); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI) It's for this reason that the latest Milky Way-Andromeda merger simulation actually includes the Large Magellanic Cloud. To cover for every possible uncertainty, an international team of astronomers ran their simulation nearly 100,000 times and found that just under 50% of the time, the Milky Way and Andromeda collided and merged. Alternately dropping different nearby galaxies showed that Messier 33 (the third largest galaxy in the Local Group) made a merger more likely, while the Large Magellanic Cloud reduced the odds of a convergence. That's because the Large Magellanic Cloud pulls the Milky Way out of Andromeda's path, as a comic book hero would pull a civilian off some train tracks. The Large Magellanic Cloud might only get to bask in its glory for a few hundred million years, however. The researchers' simulation showed that the Milky Way will almost certainly collide with the Large Magellanic Cloud in 2 billion years, disappearing the latter galaxy. As observatories gather more data about the universe—and scientists' models inevitably become more advanced—we'll find out whether the Large Magellanic Cloud really will swoop in to save the day. Of course, we won't see the benefit either way. But it will be nice to know whether our galactic home will continue to exist after we're gone.
