Tag: Astrophysics
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NASA X-ray Eyes Reveal Violent Past of the Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole
Introduction: A Quiet Giant Thankful for X-ray Clues For years, the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy—Sagittarius A*—was thought to be a dormant giant, calmly consuming the occasional star or gas cloud with little fanfare. A recent international mission, using state-of-the-art X-ray observations, has turned that assumption on its head. The data…
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Galaxy-wide wobbling black hole jet revealed in a disk galaxy
Overview: A giant, wobbling jet reshapes our view of galactic centers In a landmark discovery from the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi, astronomers have identified a galaxy-wide stream of super-heated gas emanating from a disk galaxy. This jet is not only unusually large and extended, but it also appears to wobble at cosmic…
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How X-ray Discovery Rewrites the Milky Way’s Black Hole History
The Sleeping Giant Awakens in X-ray Light For years, scientists have described the Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, as a quiet giant—largely dormant and unremarkable in its activity. Recent data from an international fleet of X-ray observatories tells a dramatic different story. By tracing powerful X-ray echoes and high-energy outbursts, researchers have…
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Former Google CEO Leads Four Next-Gen Telescopes Earth-Space
High-Profile Initiative Unveiled at a National Astronomy Conference In a move that could redefine observational astronomy, a former Google CEO is at the helm of funding and coordinating four next-generation telescopes. The project spans three terrestrial installations and one space-based observatory, aiming to deliver sharper views of the universe and faster data from cut-edge instruments.…
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Whippet: The Tidal Disruption Event That Blasted 400 Billion Suns’ worth of Energy
What is the Whippet and why it matters The cosmos delivered a jaw-dropping spectacle recently when astronomers observed a tidal disruption event (TDE) nicknamed the “Whippet.” In a TDE, a star wanders too close to a supermassive black hole, gets torn apart by gravity, and some of its stellar debris is flung outward. The Whippet…
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NASA Unveils Stunning Video of Kepler’s Supernova Remnant
Introduction: A Cosmic Milestone Unveiled NASA has released a long-awaited video that brings to life the remnants of Kepler’s Supernova, the bright stellar explosion first observed in 1604 by German astronomer Johannes Kepler. The new footage marks a milestone in our understanding of how such ancient supernova remnants evolve and interact with the surrounding interstellar…
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Hubble Unveils Starless Dark Matter Cloud Near Messier Galaxy
Hubble Makes a Groundbreaking Discovery In a striking result from the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have identified a new kind of cosmic object: a cloud composed of dark matter and gas that contains no stars. Located roughly 14 million light-years from Earth, this starless cloud sits on the outer fringe of a nearby spiral galaxy…
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Scientists Edge Closer to Unveiling Universe’s Secrets
A Sliver of the Cosmos: Why What We See Matters When we look up at the night sky, we glimpse only a fraction of the cosmic story. Ordinary matter—the stars, planets, and gas we can observe—accounts for roughly 5% of the universe. The remaining 95% is thought to be composed of dark matter and dark…
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Starless Gas Cloud on Cloud 9: A New Cosmic Mystery
Emerging Discoveries Beyond the Brightest Stars In the vastness of the universe, not every cloud of gas sparks a new sun. Recent observations have spotlighted a rare, starless gas cloud floating in interstellar and intergalactic space, nicknamed a “cloud on cloud nine” by researchers for its quiet, enigmatic nature. This object challenges conventional wisdom about…
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UBC Researchers Probe Deep Space to Decode Galaxy Formation Mysteries
Unveiling the Early Universe Scientists at the University of British Columbia are pushing the boundaries of our understanding of galaxy formation by peering into the farthest reaches of space. By studying the energy and behavior of hot gas in the early universe, a team led by UBC astronomers is revealing why galaxies formed the way…