Galaxy formation

High-resolution ALMA observations reveal intricate details of giant molecular clouds in NGC 613

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Utilizing the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA), a collaborative team of astronomers has conducted a detailed examination of NGC 613, a nearby barred spiral galaxy. The findings, published on May 30 on the arXiv preprint server, provide significant insights into the giant molecular clouds (GMCs) populating the galaxy’s center. Molecular clouds are expansive regions of … Read more

Astronomers discover the earliest and most distant galaxies with James Webb Space Telescope

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An international team of astronomers has made a groundbreaking discovery with the identification of the two earliest and most distant galaxies ever observed, dating back to just 300 million years after the Big Bang. This significant milestone in the study of the early universe was achieved using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The discoveries … Read more

Researchers use webb telescope to observe formation of earliest galaxies

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Using the James Webb Space Telescope, University of Copenhagen researchers have become the first to see the formation of three of the earliest galaxies in the universe, more than 13 billion years ago. The sensational discovery contributes important knowledge about the universe and is now published in Science. For the first time in the history of astronomy, researchers … Read more

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Astronomy

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the field of astronomy by enabling new approaches to data analysis, pattern recognition, and knowledge discovery. From processing vast amounts of observational data to enhancing simulations, AI techniques are enhancing our understanding of the universe and accelerating scientific discoveries. The role of AI in astronomy encompasses a wide range of … Read more

The Origin and Evolution of the Universe

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The origin and evolution of the universe have fascinated humanity for millennia. Modern scientific theories, such as the Big Bang theory, provide a framework for understanding these cosmic processes. The universe began as an unimaginably dense and hot singularity around 13.8 billion years ago, expanding rapidly and cooling over time. Through cosmic inflation, galaxies, stars, … Read more

The Enigmatic Quasars in the Cosmos

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Quasars, short for “quasi-stellar radio sources,” are among the most enigmatic and fascinating objects in the cosmos. They are incredibly bright and energetic, emitting radiation across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to X-rays and gamma rays. Quasars are powered by the accretion of material onto supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, … Read more

The Dance of Galaxies in the Cosmic Web

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The dance of galaxies in the cosmic web is a mesmerizing spectacle of cosmic structure and evolution, revealing the intricate interplay of gravity, dark matter, and cosmic forces shaping the large-scale distribution of galaxies in the universe. The cosmic web is a vast network of filaments, voids, and clusters that connect galaxies across cosmic distances, … Read more

Probing the Depths of Galactic Clusters

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Galactic clusters, vast collections of galaxies bound together by gravity, are among the most intriguing and dynamic structures in the universe. These clusters contain thousands of galaxies, as well as vast amounts of dark matter, hot gas, and other cosmic phenomena. Probing the depths of galactic clusters offers valuable insights into the formation and evolution … Read more

Astronomers detect UMa3/U1, faintest and lowest-mass Milky Way satellite galaxy

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A team of astronomers led by the University of Victoria and Yale University has detected an ancient star system traveling around our galaxy named Ursa Major III / UNIONS 1 (UMa3/U1)—the faintest and lowest-mass Milky Way satellite ever discovered, and possibly one of the most dark matter-dominated systems known. The team conducted the study from … Read more

New telescope unveils previously hidden secrets of the universe

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A new telescope called the “Condor Array Telescope” may open up a new world of the very-low-brightness universe for astrophysicists. Four new papers, published back to back in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS) this month, present the first scientific findings based on observations acquired by Condor. The project is a collaborative … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope reveals shockingly massive galaxies in the early universe

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Astronomers are currently enjoying a fruitful period of discovery, investigating the many mysteries of the early universe. The successful launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a successor to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, has pushed the limit of what we can see. Observations are now entering the first 500 million years after the Big … Read more

Largest galaxy formation simulation comparison refines models, solves “missing satellites” problem

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Astronomers can use supercomputers to simulate the formation of galaxies from the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago to the present day. But there are a number of sources of error. An international research team, led by researchers in Lund, has spent a hundred million computer hours over eight years trying to correct these. The … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope detects extremely red supermassive black hole in early universe

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An extraordinary scientific endeavor led by astronomers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, spearheaded by Dr. Lukas Furtak and Prof. Adi Zitrin, has unveiled a remarkable discovery utilizing data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Their findings, published in Nature, shed light on an exceptionally red, gravitationally lensed supermassive black hole lurking in the … Read more

Hydrodynamical simulations reveal role of metallicity in early galaxy formation

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For a long time, our understanding of the universe’s first galaxies leaned heavily on theory. The light from that age only reached us after traveling for billions of years, and on the way, it was obscured and stretched into the infrared. Clues about the first galaxies are hidden in that messy light. Now that we … Read more

Massive galaxy observed 11.5 billion years ago challenges galaxy formation models

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New revelations from the depths of space have shaken the foundations of our understanding of galaxy formation and dark matter, thanks to groundbreaking observations of a colossal stellar population dating back more than 11 billion years—a phenomenon that defies existing models. Today’s publication in Nature unveils startling findings from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), … Read more

New dwarf galaxy identified in James Webb Space Telescope image

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A team of astronomers, led by Arizona State University Assistant Research Scientist Tim Carleton, has discovered a dwarf galaxy that appeared in James Webb Space Telescope imaging that wasn’t the primary observation target. Galaxies are bound together by gravity and made up of stars and planets, with vast clouds of dust and gas as well … Read more

How do astronomers measure the age of the universe?

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Measuring the age of the universe, a question that has captivated astronomers and cosmologists for centuries, involves probing the depths of space and time to unravel the mysteries of cosmic evolution. Through a combination of theoretical models, observational data, and cutting-edge technologies, scientists have pieced together a remarkably detailed picture of the universe’s origins, composition, … Read more

Concept of redshift

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Redshift, a fundamental concept in astronomy and cosmology, serves as a cornerstone for understanding the universe’s vastness, expansion, and evolution. It represents a phenomenon where the light emitted by celestial objects, such as galaxies, stars, and quasars, is shifted towards longer wavelengths as they move away from an observer. This phenomenon, discovered over a century … Read more

What is a globular cluster?

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Globular clusters are captivating and enigmatic stellar formations, each containing thousands to millions of stars densely packed into a spherical shape. These ancient and tightly bound collections of stars orbit around the centers of galaxies, adding to the cosmic tapestry of our universe. Understanding the nature, formation, and significance of globular clusters provides valuable insights … Read more

Big Bang: Basic Concepts, Timeline of the Universe, & Importance

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The Big Bang is the prevailing cosmological model that describes the observable universe’s origin and early expansion. It proposes that approximately 13.8 billion years ago, the entire cosmos existed as an extremely hot and dense singularity, a point of infinite density. Suddenly, it underwent an exponential expansion, leading to the formation of space, time, and … Read more