All articles tagged with #astronomical simulations
New simulations suggest that the Jupiter-like free-floating objects (JuMBOs) discovered by JWST in the Orion Nebula may not be real planets but background noise or artifacts, as their fragility in stellar environments makes their long-term existence unlikely, prompting a re-evaluation of their nature and origin.
Astronomers have found that passing stars have significantly impacted the long-term orbital evolution of Earth and other planets, leading to uncertainties in predicting past orbital behavior. These stellar encounters alter the gravitational perturbations on the giant planets in our solar system, subsequently affecting Earth's orbital trajectory and potentially influencing ancient climate anomalies. The study highlights the importance of considering passing stars in astronomical simulations to improve our understanding of Earth's orbital history and its connection to past climate variations.
An international team of astronomers led by UCLA’s Smadar Naoz is using simulations to study the role of dark matter in early galaxy formation, taking into account interactions between dark matter and hydrogen and helium gas. They believe that finding tiny, bright galaxies using the JWST could confirm the "cold dark matter" model and provide indirect evidence of dark matter's influence on the creation of galaxies. The extreme luminosity of these infant galaxies in the early Universe could offer an effective test for theories about dark matter and its role in shaping the first galaxies.
Astronomers have used simulations to study the violent birth of black holes and neutron stars, finding that the properties of the parent star prior to the explosion determine the resulting object's characteristics. They discovered that massive, compact progenitors lead to asymmetrical explosions, producing fast-moving, kicked neutron stars, while smaller progenitors result in slow-moving neutron stars. The research also revealed two pathways for black hole formation, shedding light on the enigmatic first moments of a black hole's life and providing important insights into the stellar life cycle.