All articles tagged with #astronomy discovery
Astronomers have discovered SDSS J0715-7334, the most pristine star ever found, composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium with extremely low levels of heavier elements, challenging previous assumptions about the survival of early stars from the universe's infancy.
Astronomers may have detected the first superkilonova, a rare cosmic event involving the merger of two neutron stars, evidenced by a gravitational wave signal and unusual electromagnetic observations, suggesting a complex explosion that could involve sub-solar mass neutron stars. More data is needed to confirm this groundbreaking discovery.
The discovery of exoplanet WISPIT 2b within a protoplanetary disk gap in 2025 fills a crucial gap in our understanding of how planets form, providing direct evidence that planets indeed create gaps in disks, confirming long-held theories about the process of planetary system development.
Scientists have captured the first direct radio images of a pair of supermassive black holes orbiting each other inside the quasar OJ287, located 5 billion light-years away, confirming long-held theories about black hole pairs and opening new avenues for understanding their formation and evolution.
Astronomers using X-ray observations discovered that Betelgeuse's companion is likely a young Sun-like star rather than a white dwarf or neutron star, challenging previous expectations and offering new insights into stellar evolution and binary systems.
Astronomers have discovered a star, SDSS J0715-7334, with the lowest metallicity ever observed, potentially making it the most 'pristine' object in the universe, offering new insights into the earliest stars and conditions of the early cosmos.
Astronomers discovered an unusual Einstein Cross with a fifth, unexplained image caused by a massive dark matter halo, revealing new insights into dark matter and gravitational lensing, and highlighting the universe's hidden structures.
Astronomers have discovered a rare Einstein Cross with five images instead of four, revealing a hidden dark matter halo through advanced computer modeling, providing new insights into dark matter's role in the universe.
Scientists using JWST have discovered an exoplanet orbiting a 'black widow' pulsar with an unprecedented atmosphere composed almost entirely of carbon, challenging current models of planetary formation and composition, and revealing complex atmospheric and wind phenomena.
Astronomers have discovered a new type of supernova, SN2021yfj, providing unprecedented insights into the internal structure of massive stars before explosion, revealing a star stripped down to its core with heavy elements like silicon and sulfur expelled just before the explosion, challenging existing theories of stellar evolution.
Astronomers have traced the origin of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS to the thick disk of the Milky Way, making it the first known interstellar object from this region, and estimated to be between 7.6 and 14 billion years old, significantly older than the Solar System.
Astronomers have observed a Jupiter-sized exoplanet, HIP 67522 b, so close to its star that it triggers intense stellar flares, causing the star to erupt and potentially shrinking the planet over time, marking a first in observing a planet influencing its host star.
An accidental discovery during a planetarium show revealed a spiral structure within the Oort Cloud, challenging the traditional view of it being spherical. This spiral, confirmed through simulations, is caused by the galactic tide affecting the distant icy bodies, offering new insights into the dynamics of our solar system and its broader galactic environment.
Scientists discovered that the inner part of the Oort Cloud, a distant region of our solar system, has a spiral shape rather than the previously thought spherical or shell-like form, based on observations from a planetarium show, leading to a significant shift in understanding the outer solar system.
Astronomers have discovered a new source of erratic radio bursts, ASKAP J193505.1+214841.0, which emits pulses nearly an hour apart, unlike any known pulsar. This object, suspected to be a neutron star, shows three modes of activity: strong pulses, faint pulses, and periods of no emission. The discovery adds to the mystery of similar objects, challenging current understanding of neutron stars and their emission mechanisms.