Astronomy | SpaceRef

Astronomy TOP STORY

Space Observatories Glimpse Faint Afterglow of Nearby Stellar Explosion

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This beautiful image shows a glowing horseshoe-shaped cloud of hot gas against a backdrop of thousands of stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a nearby galaxy.

"Molten Ring" Galaxy Prompts New Research

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Hubble Space Telescope's glamour shots of the universe are so revealing they nearly always have a discovery behind them.

ALMA Scientists Uncover The Mystery Of Early Massive Galaxies Running On Empty

Early massive galaxies--those that formed in the three billion years following the Big Bang--should have contained large amounts of cold hydrogen gas, the fuel required to make stars.

3C 75 in Abell 400: Black Holes Determined To Be Bound

This composite X-ray (blue)/radio (pink) image of the galaxy cluster Abell 400 shows radio jets immersed in a vast cloud of multimillion degree X-ray emitting gas that pervades the cluster.

Sounds From Space

Space is mostly quiet. Data collected by telescopes is most often turned into silent charts, plots, and images.

Hubble Takes a Closer Look at its 31st Anniversary Image

These new views showcase the dual nature of the star AG Carinae, which was the target of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's 31st anniversary image in April 2021.

Part of the Universe's Missing Matter Found Thanks To The MUSE Instrument

Galaxies can receive and exchange matter with their external environment thanks to the galactic winds created by stellar explosions.

ALMA Reveals Carbon-rich, Organic Birth Environments Of Planets

Scientists connect the dots between where planets form and what they're made of.

Astronomers' Industrial Espionage In Planet Factory Indicates Start of planet production

Using radio data from the ALMA observatory and physical modelling, astronomers led by Kamber Schwarz (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and University of Arizona) have managed to determine the mass of a potential "planet factory," the protoplanetary disk around the star GM Aurigae.

Astronomers Solve 900-year-old Cosmic Mystery Surrounding Chinese Supernova Of 1181AD

A 900-year-old cosmic mystery surrounding the origins of a famous supernova first spotted over China in 1181AD has finally been solved, according to an international team of astronomers.

Untangling The Formation Of Planetary Systems With Deuterium

An international research team using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) revealed the distribution of heavy hydrogen, or deuterium, in planet formation sites with the highest resolution ever achieved.

Rapid Increase In Global Light Pollution

Global light pollution has increased by at least 49% over 25 years, new research shows.

Rerun Of Supernova Blast Expected To Appear In 2037

It's challenging to make predictions, especially in astronomy. There are however, a few forecasts astronomers can depend on, such as the timing of upcoming lunar and solar eclipses and the clockwork return of some comets.

Hubble Captures a Sparkling Cluster

This star-studded image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope depicts globular cluster NGC 6717, which lies more than 20,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius.

New Receivers Achieve First Light, Set Record for Observational Capabilities at ALMA

Scientists achieved first light with the Band 1 receiver on August 14, 2021

Largest Virtual Universe Free For Anyone To Explore

Forget about online games that promise you a "whole world" to explore. An international team of researchers has generated an entire virtual UNIVERSE, and made it freely available on the cloud to everyone.

Astronomers Explain Origin Of Elusive Ultradiffuse Galaxies

As their name suggests, ultradiffuse galaxies, or UDGs, are dwarf galaxies whose stars are spread out over a vast region, resulting in extremely low surface brightness, making them very difficult to detect.

Surprise: The Milky Way Is Not Homogeneous

Astronomers from the UNIGE have observed the composition of the gases in our galaxy and have shown that, contrary to the models established until now, they are not homogeneously mixed.