VOA
Search
Menu
  • Archives
  • Contact
  • Science World
Science World

Tag: “Astrophysical Journal Letters”

An impression of the encounter between the Milky Way galaxy and the smaller "Sausage" galaxy about 8 billion to 10 billion years ago. The record of this ancient encounter is still preserved in the velocities and chemistry of the stars. (V. Belokurov (Cambridge, UK); Based on image by ESO/Juan Carlos Muñoz)

Astronomers Discover Ancient Galactic Collision that Reshaped the Milky Way

July 6, 2018

A team of astronomers found evidence of a cataclysmic collision between the Milky Way and a dwarf galaxy some 8 to 10 billion years ago. The astronomers refer to this galactic crash as a ‘defining event’ in the early history of the Milky Way. They say the collision between our galaxy, and what is being […]

Image of the gravitational lens RX J1131-1231 galaxy with the lens galaxy at the center and four lensed background quasars. University of Oklahoma research estimate that there are trillions of planets in the center elliptical galaxy in this image. (University of Oklahoma)

First Extragalactic Planets Found

February 6, 2018

No doubt you’ve heard about extrasolar or exoplanets; planets that were discovered orbiting a star outside of our own solar system. Nearly 3,000 of these planets have been confirmed so far, with many more candidate planets waiting to be verified. However, these planets have all been discovered within our own Milky Way galaxy. An astrophysics […]

Powerful Punch of Gamma Rays Found in Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts

November 14, 2016

Astronomers at the Pennsylvania State University say they have discovered that the mysterious and elusive astronomical phenomenon called fast radio bursts, or FRB’s, can also pack a powerful punch of gamma rays along with their mighty but brief pulse of radio waves. This discovery of the FRB’s gamma rays was made after researchers studied observational […]

Black Hole Mass Measured; Ice Sheets on Mars; Saliva Diagnoses Disease

May 6, 2016

Astronomers Precisely Measure Black Hole Mass A group of astronomers have been able to determine the precise mass of a distant black hole in the center of an enormous elliptical galaxy 73 million light years away. The galaxy is called NGC 1332 and is located in the direction of the southern constellation Eridanus. To measure […]

This artist's conception shows a blazar – the core of an active galaxy powered by a supermassive black hole. (M. Weiss/CfA)

A Blast of Gamma Rays from Halfway Across the Universe Detected

December 16, 2015

Back in April 2015, a surge of high-powered gamma rays from half-way across the universe crashed into Earth’s atmosphere. But, according to the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the burst of gamma rays didn’t put any of us in danger and produced no noticeable effects since the high-energy rays are blocked by Earth’s atmosphere. Astronomers, using […]

The planet HD 189733b is shown here in front of its parent star. A belt of wind around the equator of the planet travels at At nearly 8,700 kilometers per hour from its day side to the night side. The day side of the planet appears blue due to scattering of light from silicate haze in the atmosphere. The night side of the planet glows a deep red due to its high temperature. (Mark A. Garlick/University of Warwick)

Scientists Measure A Mighty Wind Blowing on Exoplanet

November 16, 2015

A pair of British scientists have found that winds of over 2 kilometers per second are blowing around HD 189733b, an exoplanet located about 63 light years away from us. According to the researchers, the exoplanet’s 2 kps wind speed is about seven times the speed of sound and is 20 times more than the […]

An artist's concept of exoplanet 55 Cancri e as it closely orbits its star 55 Cancri A (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Ground-Based Telescope Observes Exoplanet Transiting Bright Star

December 1, 2014

For the first time, an international team of astronomers has used a ground-based telescope to detect and observe the transit of a planet in front of a Sun-like star outside of our own solar system. Until now, only space-based telescopes were capable of detecting the transits of exoplanets as they passed by bright stars. Distortions […]

Flash Could Allow Scientists to Witness Birth of a Black Hole

May 7, 2013

A cosmic flash generated by a dying star might allow scientists to see something they’ve never witnessed before – the birth of a black hole. A black hole is a celestial object that is so dense not even light can escape its intense gravitational pull. This phenomenon occurs when a dying star runs out of […]

Top Tags

  • NASA262 Posts
  • astronomers103 Posts
  • ESA87 Posts
  • Mars86 Posts
  • study81 Posts
  • "European Space Agency"80 Posts
  • "solar system"77 Posts
  • spacecraft76 Posts
  • Sun63 Posts
  • JPL62 Posts
VOA
  • Archives
  • Contact
  • Science World