“Invisible” Galaxies Found in the Young Universe
Astronomers have discovered galaxies that have escaped detection until now, uncovering a missing link in galaxy evolution. The find suggests that we don’t understand galaxy formation as well as we…
ALMA reveals a dusty ring around a young exoplanet that may be forming moons
Moons abound in our solar system; nearly every planet has at least one. There are many ways moons can form, but one way is that they are born along with…
Uranus’ Rings are Surprisingly Bright in Thermal Emissions
During the late 1970s, scientists made a rather interesting discovery about the gas giants of the Solar System. Thanks to ongoing observations using improved optics, it was revealed that gas…
The Earliest Example of Merging Galaxies Ever Found
Galaxy mergers are not particularly rare, but they are important events. Not only for the galaxies involved, but for scientists trying to piece together how galaxies evolve. Now, astronomers using…
Astronomers Peer Back 13 Billion Years and See Two Galaxies Colliding
Artist’s impression of the merging galaxies.Illustration: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. Scientists have spotted one of the most distant (and therefore the youngest) example of merging galaxies yet observed, according…
There’s a Ring of Cool Gas Wrapped Around the Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole
There’s a lot going on at the center of our galaxy. A supermassive black hole named Sagittarius A-Star resides there, drawing material in with its inexorable gravitational attraction. In that…
Planets Directly Seen Growing Around Young Star PDS 70
Astronomers have directly imaged two exoplanets that are gravitationally carving out a wide gap within a planet-forming disk surrounding a young star. While over a dozen exoplanets have been directly…
Matter around a young star helps astronomers explore our stellar history
Astronomers map the substance aluminum monoxide (AlO) in a cloud around a distant young star -- Origin Source I. The finding clarifies some important details about how our solar system,…