Tag

Astrophysics

All articles tagged with #astrophysics

space18 days ago•5 min saved

Longest Gamma-Ray Burst Rewrites Rules on Cosmic Explosions

Astronomers detected GRB 250702B, a gamma-ray burst lasting about 25,000 seconds (roughly seven hours)—the longest on record—observed by multiple space-based telescopes since mid-2025; its sustained, evolving profile challenges standard GRB classifications and may point to a helium-star merger with a stellar-mass black hole, while no redshift or host galaxy has been identified yet. The finding highlights potential detection biases against long, lower-brightness bursts and has spurred plans to revise criteria for future missions like NASA/ESA’s COSI and to re-examine archival data for overlooked events.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#astronomy #astrophysics #binary-stars

science22 days ago•5 min saved

Ultra-Powerful Neutrino Sparks Dark Matter Clue From Ancient Black Hole

A 220 PeV neutrino detected by KM3NeT's ARCA detector in February 2023 far exceeds energies from any accelerator and challenges existing models; a University of Massachusetts Amherst team suggests it came from a primordial black hole evaporating via Hawking radiation, offering a potential link to dark matter and a window into new physics beyond the Standard Model.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#astrophysics #dark-matter #km3net

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Runaway Black Holes: Cosmic Rockets Leaving Galactic Trails

Astronomers say runaway black holes—spun up by mergers—can be ejected at thousands of km/s, leaving straight contrails of stars as they zip through galaxies. Recent JWST observations in 2025 show potential evidence: a ~10-million-solar-mass hole moving ~1,000 km/s with a ~200,000-light-year contrail and another ~2-million-solar-mass hole in NGC3627 at ~300 km/s with a ~25,000-light-year trail. While these events are rare, such runaways could travel between galaxies, and, in theory, even pass through our Solar System, though the odds are extremely small.

via The Conversation|

#astrophysics #black-holes #galaxies

science1 month ago•26 min saved

FAST telescope uncovers binary-origin clue for some fast radio bursts

An international team using China's FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope) in Guizhou monitored the repeating FRB 20220529 and observed a sudden change in Faraday rotation, signaling interaction with dense plasma and supporting the idea that at least some fast radio bursts originate in binary systems; the bursts release energy equivalent to the Sun’s output over a week, marking a significant advance in understanding FRB origins.

via Ground News|

#astronomy #astrophysics #fast

science1 month ago•3 min saved

Scientists Challenge Einstein's Speed Limit

Scientists tested the possibility of breaking Einstein's speed of light rule by examining high-energy gamma rays from distant cosmic sources. Their findings confirmed Einstein's predictions, setting tighter limits on potential violations of Lorentz invariance and advancing our understanding of fundamental physics, though the quest to unify quantum theory and gravity continues.

via ScienceDaily|

#astrophysics #einstein #lorentz-invariance

science2 months ago•3 min saved

Is the Universe Headed for a 'Big Crunch' as Dark Energy Changes?

A new study suggests that dark energy may be weakening, potentially leading to a reversal of the universe's expansion and a catastrophic collapse into a Big Crunch, challenging long-held scientific beliefs and sparking debate among astrophysicists.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#astrophysics #big-crunch #cosmology

science2 months ago•6 min saved

Astronomers Seek Exotic Dark Matter Clues in Space

Scientists propose using the Gaia space telescope to search for exotic dark matter objects like boson stars and Q-balls through microlensing, which could reveal their presence or set limits on their contribution to dark matter, potentially transforming our understanding of the universe's unseen mass.

via Space|

#astrophysics #dark-matter #exotic-objects

science2 months ago•3 min saved

Zombie Stars Could Illuminate Dark Matter Mysteries

Researchers from the University of British Columbia explored the potential link between axions, a dark matter candidate, and white dwarf stars, using data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Although their analysis did not find evidence of axion-induced cooling, it established new limits on axion-electron interactions, guiding future dark matter research. The study highlights the importance of exploring various astrophysical phenomena to understand elusive particles like axions.

via Gizmodo|

#astrophysics #axions #dark-matter

science2 months ago•3 min saved

Supercomputers Unveil the Mysteries of Black Hole Environments

A new study using supercomputers has produced the most detailed simulations to date of how stellar-mass black holes consume and eject matter, incorporating complex physics and general relativity, revealing insights into the behavior of accretion disks, jets, and magnetic fields around black holes.

via ScienceAlert|

#accretion-disks #astrophysics #black-holes

science2 months ago•3 min saved

Supercomputers Unveil Black Hole Secrets

A new study using supercomputers has produced the most detailed simulations to date of how stellar-mass black holes consume and eject matter, incorporating complex physics and general relativity, which could also apply to supermassive black holes and help explain recent astronomical observations.

via Yahoo|

#accretion-disks #astrophysics #black-holes

science2 months ago•3 min saved

Astronomers Detect First Double-Explosion 'Superkilonova'

Astronomers have observed a rare stellar explosion, dubbed AT2025ulz, which appears to be a 'superkilonova'—a complex event involving both a supernova and a kilonova, resulting from the birth and merger of two neutron stars, challenging existing theories and potentially marking only the second such detection.

via Gizmodo|

#astrophysics #gravitational-waves #kilonova

science3 months ago•8 min saved

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS's Close Solar Pass and Cosmic Transformation

The article discusses the gravitational lensing effect of the Sun on the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS during its close approach in October 2025, highlighting its unusual properties and the potential to observe this subtle effect with telescopes, amidst various other anomalies that suggest intriguing, possibly non-natural origins.

via Avi Loeb – Medium|

#3iatlas #astrophysics #gravitational-lensing

science4 months ago•4 min saved

Dark Matter's Mysterious Glow at the Milky Way's Center Could Confirm Its Existence

A mysterious gamma-ray glow at the Milky Way's center could be evidence of dark matter particles annihilating each other, with simulations suggesting the shape of the glow is consistent with dark matter rather than pulsars, though both remain plausible explanations. Future observatories may help clarify the source.

via ScienceAlert|

#astrophysics #dark-matter #galactic-center

science4 months ago•7 min saved

Dark Matter's Role in Shaping Electron-Capture Supernovae and Neutron Star Formation

Researchers have developed a new model showing that dark matter, specifically asymmetric dark matter, can influence the collapse of stars in the 8-10 solar mass range, potentially leading to the formation of unusually low-mass neutron stars and affecting supernova energetics, offering new insights into dark matter's role in stellar processes.

via Phys.org|

#astrophysics #dark-matter #electron-capture-supernovae

science4 months ago•4 min saved

Astronomers Discover Mysterious Massive Dark Object in Distant Universe

Scientists have potentially identified the smallest clump of pure dark matter ever observed, using gravitational lensing of an Einstein ring, which supports the cold dark matter theory and helps constrain dark matter properties.

via Space|

#astrophysics #cosmology #dark-matter