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Universe’s oldest X-ray-spitting quasar could reveal how the biggest black holes were born
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Chandra X-ray Observatory have discovered the oldest and most distant X-ray-spitting quasar in the known universe, and it seems to be powered by the “seed” of an ancient supermassive black hole. Quasars are the bright hearts of active galaxies, which are fueled by active supermassive black…
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David J. Helfand on Piecing Together the Past With Atomic Science
Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. Andrew talks to David J. Helfand, author of The Universal Timekeepers, about the power of atomic science to unveil the mysteries of unreachably remote…
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First photos from the Euclid space telescope show thousands of distant, hidden, and irregular galaxies that could help solve 2 of astronomy’s grandest mysteries
Euclid’s view of irregular galaxy NGC 6822. European Space Agency/Euclid Consortium/NASA; image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre, G. Anselmi The Euclid space telescope returned its first photos and they’re stunning. The five high-res photos show a hidden galaxy, a star cluster, a famous stellar nursery, and more. Scientists said they hope to use data from Euclid…
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Euclid Space Telescope Releases Stunning First Science Images
A view of the nearby spiral galaxy IC 342 from the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope. Credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO) Advertisement <div class="article-block article-text" data-behavior="newsletter_promo dfp_article_rendering" data-dfp-adword="Advertisement" data-newsletterpromo_article-text=" Sign up for Scientific American’s free newsletters. ” data-newsletterpromo_article-image=”https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/4641809D-B8F1-41A3-9E5A87C21ADB2FD8_source.png” data-newsletterpromo_article-button-text=”Sign Up” data-newsletterpromo_article-button-link=”https://www.scientificamerican.com/page/newsletter-sign-up/?origincode=2018_sciam_ArticlePromo_NewsletterSignUp” name=”articleBody” itemprop=”articleBody”> The…
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Telescopes spot the oldest and most distant black hole formed after the big bang
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. CNN — Two powerful NASA telescopes have detected the oldest and most distant black hole ever found. Data captured via energetic X-rays by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope has helped astronomers spot…
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Go to infinity and beyond with ‘Wondrous Space’ at the Franklin Institute
Space is no longer the final frontier at The Franklin Institute. In a total re-imagining of one of the more popular exhibits in Philadelphia’s science museum, the $85 million “Wondrous Space” is now open. “I’m so excited that there are now astronomy related exhibits on all four floors (of The Franklin Institute),” said Derrick Pitts,…
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A Supermassive Black Hole’s Strong Magnetic Fields are Revealed in a New Light
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration has published new results that describe for the first time how light from the edge of the supermassive black hole M87* spirals as it escapes the black hole’s intense gravity, a signature known as circular polarization. The way light’s electric field prefers to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise as it…
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Euclid telescope’s first images offer full-color look at the cosmos
The spectacular first images from a dark matter-hunting telescope were unveiled Tuesday, showcasing bustling galaxies, clusters of ancient stars and wispy, dreamlike stellar nurseries. The images, from the European Space Agency’s Euclid telescope that launched into space in July, were released to great fanfare. The dramatic views are a tantalizing first glimpse of what the…
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Venus has oxygen all over
Venus’s atmosphere is almost entirely made up of carbon dioxide – but German astronomers have detected oxygen in the planet’s atmosphere on both its day and night sides. The discovery could shed light on why the Venusian atmosphere is so different to our own. It may also help support future space missions to Venus. Earth’s…
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UCLA: A Space Odyssey
It wasn’t the night sky that sparked the explorer spirit in Megan McArthur ’93. “I only made the connection between it and its possibilities when I first saw astronauts,” she says. “I realized that’s a real job that real people do.” Courtesy of NASA McArthur inside the cupola at the International Space Station as it…
