-
SETI works best when telescopes double-check each other
This plot shows each of the stars that were searched for technosignatures, emanating from our observation point here on Earth. Credit: Owen Johnson/Evan Keane/Trinity College Dublin The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has evolved considerably in the past 60 years since the first experiment was conducted. This was Project Ozma, which was conducted in 1960…
-
Early universe was lit up by gas-rich baby galaxies
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) images show that almost 90% of the galaxies in the early universe were abundant in brightly glowing gas that outshone emerging stars. The study is published in the Astrophysical Journal. The “extreme emission line features” in the 12-billion-year-old galaxies were studied by an international team of astronomers led by Australian…
-
Star-birthing galaxies can hide supermassive black holes behind walls of dust
Greedy supermassive black holes blasting out powerful light may be hidden at the heart of star-birthing galaxies. The discovery could help researchers better understand how galaxies grow. Supermassive quasars powered by black holes are responsible for some of the most powerful and bright emissions of light in the universe, often outshining the combined light of…
-
New Webb images show gas-rich baby galaxies setting the early universe alight
Target galaxy seen by James Webb Space Telescope (left) and Hubble Space Telescope (right). The unprecedented resolution and clarity of JWST images allowed identification of neighboring galaxies (cyan circles) that that Hubble could not even see. Credit: ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) New images from the James…
-
NASA Finds Record-Breaking Black Hole Using ‘Cosmic Magnifying Glass’
Astronomers using two NASA space telescopes have found one of the farthest black holes from the solar system using a rare alignment of galaxies to act as a magnifying glass. Existing just 470 million years after the Big Bang—the event that’s thought to have created our universe 13.8 billion years ago—it’s the most distant black…
-
NASA Telescopes Discover Record-Breaking Black Hole
Astronomers have discovered the most distant black hole yet seen in X-rays, using NASA telescopes. The black hole is at an early stage of growth that had never been witnessed before, where its mass is similar to that of its host galaxy. This result may explain how some of the first supermassive black holes in…
-
Yale astronomer leads the way to the oldest known X-ray quasar
Astronomers have found the oldest-known X-ray quasar in the universe — and its properties align exactly with predictions for a new class of distant objects made by Yale astronomer Priyamvada Natarajan and her research group. In a new study in the journal Nature Astronomy, Natarajan and colleagues from Harvard and Princeton identified a celestial object,…
-
A Study Says the Mesozoic Era Is the Key to Finding the Elusive Second Earth in Space
When searching for exoplanets with potentially habitable atmospheres, astronomers really only have Earth as an example of what to look for. But a new study says that a past era of Earth may be a better indicator of complex life. Because of high concentrations of particular biosignatures, finding worlds similar to Earth during the Mesozoic…
-
Saving open space and history in one Big Bang
by Alison Mitchell, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation “Our whole universe was in a hot, dense state; Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started, wait; The Earth began to cool, the autotrophs began to drool …” If you’re a fan of the Big Bang Theory television series, you probably can sing the rest of the…
-
Experience Mars in 3D
Mars is a dynamic world that continues to intrigue us. This image, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, shows the planet wreathed in late-afternoon clouds. Credit: NASA & Allexxandar/Dreamstime Humans have long dreamt of flying to other worlds. Two destinations — the Moon and Mars — have consistently topped the wish list. Although we reached…