Nature Astronomy

Astronomers have discovered a massive galaxy from the early universe that appears to not be rotating. (Artist's impression). Illustration: depositphotos.com

Webb Space Telescope Detects Ancient, Nearly Rotationless Galaxy

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A massive galaxy formed less than two billion years after the Big Bang does not show an orderly rotation, contrary to expectations from models of galaxy formation. An ancient merger with another galaxy may have disrupted its motion.
A new study led by the University of Michigan has found that water in the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is particularly rich in deuterium. This isotope of hydrogen is relatively rare in the solar system, and the finding allows researchers to learn about planetary formation processes that operated elsewhere in the galaxy. Credit: UM News/Hans Anderson

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS likely formed in an environment very different from the solar system

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A study in Nature Astronomy has found that the water in the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is tens of times richer in deuterium than comets in the solar system. The finding suggests that the comet formed in a cold environment very different from that in which the solar system formed.
A strong wind from a supergiant star deflects jets emitted from the black hole in the Cygnus X-1 system, causing them to change direction during their mutual orbit. Credit: International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)

Black hole jets measured as powerful as 10,000 suns

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Radio observations in the Cygnus X-1 system have shown that the black hole's jets travel at about half the speed of light and carry about 10% of the energy of the material falling into it.
A new study of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS led by the University of Michigan shows that its water contains an unusually high proportion of deuterium. This form of hydrogen is relatively rare in our solar system, and allows researchers to gain new insights into planetary processes occurring elsewhere in the galaxy. Credit: UM News / Hans Anderson

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was born in a system much colder than ours

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The yellow star WOH G64 that may become a supernova. Credit: ESO / L. Calçada, CC BY

One of the biggest known stars may be approaching the final stage of its life – a supernova

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A new study published in Nature Astronomy provides evidence that WOH G64, one of the largest known stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, has transitioned from a red giant to a rare yellow supergiant — a transition
Artist's impression of the simulations performed in this study. Jupiter on the left, Saturn on the right. Credit: Yuri I. Fujii/L-INSIGHT [Kyoto University], Illustrator: Shinichiro Kinoshita

New study: Ancient magnetic fields may explain the difference between Jupiter's moons and Saturn's moons

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Simulations by researchers from Japan and China suggest that Jupiter's strong magnetic field created a void in the disk around it and preserved large moons, while at Saturn a weaker field led to a more sparse system dominated by
Cygnus X-1 as photographed by the Chandra Space Telescope.

"Dancing" jets from a black hole revealed their immense power

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New research shows that the power of Swan X-1's jets is equivalent to the energy output of 10,000 suns, providing the first direct measurement of the jet's instantaneous power and speed.
Deep layers of molten rock inside some super-Earths can create strong magnetic fields—perhaps stronger than Earth's—that help protect these exoplanets from harmful radiation. Credit: University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics illustration / Michael Franchot

Deep magma oceans in super-Earths may create a protective magnetic field

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Researchers suggest that deep layers of molten rock within large super-Earths could power a magmatic dynamo, producing strong, persistent magnetic fields over billions of years, and improving the chances of life in the habitable zone.
The Barnard 68 nebula is located in the Euphucus constellation, 400 light-years from Earth. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, Dr. Bialy and his team measured for the first time the signals emitted from this nebula as a result of the excitation of molecular hydrogen by cosmic rays. Courtesy of the European Southern Observatory (ESO)

An international team led by researchers at the Technion found the connection between cold nebulae, cosmic rays, and star formation.

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Passing “behind” Jupiter: Blocking and bending the radio signal allows for a more precise measurement of the planet’s shape.

New measurements shrink Jupiter: The giant planet is smaller and flatter than we thought

Analysis of 26 radio measurements from the Juno mission, when the spacecraft passed behind Jupiter, found that the planet is about 8 km narrow at the equator and about 24 km flat at the poles – a change that refines models of the internal structure and winds.
Illustrative photo of WASP-107b. The planet's low density and intense radiation from its parent star allow helium to escape from the planet and create an asymmetric, extensive, and sparse shell around it. Infrared observations with the James Webb Space Telescope allow this phenomenon to be seen. Credit: University of Geneva/NCCR PlanetS/Thibaut Roger

James Webb Space Telescope reveals 'super-bloated' planet losing its helium atmosphere

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An international team has discovered vast helium clouds migrating away from the exoplanet WASP-107b.
Saturn's moon Mimas, photographed by the Cassini spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute; Cassini

Boiling oceans? New study points to violent geology on icy moons

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A study published in Nature Astronomy shows how the cyclical melting and condensation of ice shells on small moons like Mimas, Enceladus and Miranda change the pressure above their hidden oceans – to the point of boiling.
An artist's impression of a supermassive black hole tearing apart a giant star, at least 30 times the mass of the Sun. This is how scientists explain what happened around the distant black hole J2245+3743, which in 2018 caused the brightest flare ever measured from a black hole – with a luminous intensity of about 10 trillion suns – detected by the ZTF and Catalina sky surveys.

Webb's first depth field and the brightest flare from a supermassive black hole

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James Webb Space Telescope reveals stunning deep-sky image of thousands of distant galaxies, while Caltech's ZTF sky survey reveals record flare from supermassive black hole that devoured a giant star 10 billion light-years away
The research team

New study reveals: Most massive stars in the early universe were born in pairs

Scanning electron microscope photograph of a micrometeorite impact crater with a particle of material from the asteroid Bennu.

The asteroid Bennu is a time capsule of materials that testify to its origin and the changes that have occurred over billions of years.

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Three papers by a team of researchers who analyzed samples from OSIRIS-REx, led by the University of Arizona, reveal unprecedented details about the composition and history of asteroid Bennu
Molecular cloud. Illustration: Rutgers University

A huge, invisible molecular cloud has been discovered near the solar system.

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Discovery of the “Eos” cloud in far-ultraviolet emission reveals an elusive structure in interstellar space
Image: This artist's rendering of a planet-forming disk surrounding a young star shows a swirling "pancake" of hot gas and dust from which planets form. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, the team obtained detailed images showing the layered, conical structure of the disc's winds - streams of gas blowing out into space. Credit: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ)

Winds of Change: The James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Elusive Details in Young Star Systems

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Astronomers have discovered new details about gas flows that shape planet-forming disks and shape them over time, offering a glimpse into how our solar system likely formed
Artist impression of the density of WASP-193b compared to cotton candy. Credit: University of Liege

Astronomers have discovered a strange "cosmic mystery" - a giant planet as airy as cotton candy

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WASP-193b, an unusually low-density giant planet orbiting a distant Sun-like star. It is about 1,200 light-years away from Earth and 50% larger than Jupiter, but seven times less massive
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