Although this spiral galaxy appears unremarkable from afar, NGC 7456 is bursting with newborn stars and glowing gas, providing researchers with insight into galactic evolution.
Read moreHubble’s latest look at Messier 96 reveals a warped spiral galaxy glowing with rings of stellar birth. The new details shed light on how stars emerge and influence their surroundings.
Read moreScientists at Rutgers and collaborators have traced the invisible dark matter scaffolding of the universe using over 100,000 Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies. By studying how these galaxies clustered across three eras shortly after the Big Bang, they mapped dark matter concentrations, uncovering cosmic “fingerprints” that reveal how galaxies grow and evolve.
Read moreFaint hydrogen signals from the cosmic Dark Ages may soon help determine the mass of dark matter particles. Simulations suggest future Moon-based observatories could distinguish between warm and cold dark matter, providing long-sought answers about the invisible backbone of the Universe.
Read moreNew measurements of the rate of expansion of the universe add to a growing mystery: Estimates of a fundamental constant made with different methods keep giving different results.
Read moreWhether wormholes exist is up for debate. But in a recent article, physicists describe a technique for detecting these pathways.
Read moreThe early universe is filled with monsters, a new study revealed. Researchers discovered a previously invisible galaxy, and perhaps a new galaxy population waiting to be discovered.
Read moreMany of the most dramatic events in the solar system — the spectacle of the Northern Lights, the explosiveness of solar flares, and the destructive impact of geomagnetic storms that can disrupt communication and electrical grids on Earth — are driven in part by a common phenomenon: fast magnetic reconnection. In this process the magnetic field lines in plasma — the gas-like state of matter consisting of free electrons and atomic nuclei, or ions — tear, come back together and release large amounts of energy.
Read moreOn a typical day at the world's biggest laser you can find scientists casually making star-like conditions using 192 high-powered lasers. Stars in the universe are formed through a process called nucleosynthesis, which fuses lighter atoms to create new heavier atomic nuclei. Natural elements found here on Earth, such as helium and aluminum, were formed through this process inside of a star not unlike our own sun.
Read moreMagnetic reconnection, a process in which magnetic field lines tear and come back together, releasing large amounts of kinetic energy, occurs throughout the universe. The process gives rise to auroras, solar flares and geomagnetic storms that can disrupt cell phone service and electric grids on Earth. A major challenge in the study of magnetic reconnection, however, is bridging the gap between these large-scale astrophysical scenarios and small-scale experiments that can be done in a lab.
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