Latest news from National Radio Astronomy Observatory on Newswise en-us Copyright 2025 Newswise 115 31 / /images/newswise-logo-rss.gif /articles/double-the-disks-double-the-discovery-new-insights-into-planet-formation-in-df-tau/?sc=rsin /articles/double-the-disks-double-the-discovery-new-insights-into-planet-formation-in-df-tau/?sc=rsin Thu, 16 Jan 2025 22:15:00 EST Tucked away in a star forming region in the Taurus constellation, a pair of circling stars are displaying some unexpected differences in the circumstellar disks of dust and gas that surround them. National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/young-stars-in-the-milky-way-s-backyard-challenge-our-understanding-of-how-they-form/?sc=rsin /articles/young-stars-in-the-milky-way-s-backyard-challenge-our-understanding-of-how-they-form/?sc=rsin Wed, 15 Jan 2025 14:15:00 EST Astronomers have made groundbreaking discoveries about young star formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), along with observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal, gives new insight into the early stages of massive star formation outside our galaxy. National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/helical-magnetic-fields-a-universal-mechanism-for-jet-collimation/?sc=rsin /articles/helical-magnetic-fields-a-universal-mechanism-for-jet-collimation/?sc=rsin Mon, 13 Jan 2025 09:00:03 EST New observations from the National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory's (NSF NRAO) Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (NSF VLA) provide compelling evidence supporting a universal mechanism for the collimation of astrophysical jets, regardless of their origin.  National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/astronomers-detect-earliest-and-most-distant-blazar-in-the-universe/?sc=rsin /articles/astronomers-detect-earliest-and-most-distant-blazar-in-the-universe/?sc=rsin Fri, 10 Jan 2025 09:55:48 EST A groundbreaking discovery has revealed the presence of a blazar--a supermassive black hole with a jet pointed directly at Earth--at an extraordinary redshift of 7.0. The object, designated VLASS J041009.05−013919.88 (J0410−0139), is the most distant blazar ever identified, providing a rare glimpse into the epoch of reionization when the universe was less than 800 million years old. National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/black-hole-explorer-hopes-to-reveal-new-details-of-supermassive-black-holes/?sc=rsin /articles/black-hole-explorer-hopes-to-reveal-new-details-of-supermassive-black-holes/?sc=rsin Thu, 12 Dec 2024 08:00:00 EST A new agreement between the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) and the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) will help the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) take its next steps - into space. The EHT made headlines around the world in 2019 after it took the first images of a black hole, and then in 2022, imaged the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy. The Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) mission would extend this work by combining several of NRAO's ground-based radio antennas with a space-based telescope to produce the most detailed images in history. BHEX would allow scientists to reveal the light that orbits the edge of a black hole before it escapes, known as a photon ring. National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/astronomers-discover-magnetic-loops-around-supermassive-black-hole/?sc=rsin /articles/astronomers-discover-magnetic-loops-around-supermassive-black-hole/?sc=rsin Wed, 11 Dec 2024 08:00:00 EST NGC 1068 is a well-known, relatively nearby, bright galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its center. Despite its status as a popular target for astronomers, however, its accretion disk is obscured by thick clouds of dust and gas. A few light-years in diameter, the outer accretion disk is dotted by hundreds of distinct water maser sources that hinted for decades at deeper structures. Masers are distinct beacons of electromagnetic radiation that shine in microwave or radio wavelengths; in radio astronomy, water masers observed at a frequency of 22 GHz are particularly useful because they can shine through much of the dust and gas that obscures optical wavelengths. Led by astronomer Jack Gallimore of Bucknell University, an international team of astronomers and students set out to observe NGC 1068 with twin goals in mind: astrometric mapping of the galaxy's radio continuum and measurements of polarization for its water masers. "NGC 1068 is a bit of a VIP among active galaxies," National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/alma-reveals-planets-can-form-under-harsh-radiation/?sc=rsin /articles/alma-reveals-planets-can-form-under-harsh-radiation/?sc=rsin Mon, 18 Nov 2024 13:25:18 EST New observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) suggest that planet formation can occur even in harsh stellar environments previously thought to be inhospitable.An international team of astronomers used ALMA to capture high-resolution images of eight protoplanetary disks in the Sigma Orionis cluster, which is irradiated by intense ultraviolet light from a massive nearby star. National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/a-cosmic-chemical-breakthrough-astronomers-discover-new-building-blocks-for-complex-organic-matter/?sc=rsin /articles/a-cosmic-chemical-breakthrough-astronomers-discover-new-building-blocks-for-complex-organic-matter/?sc=rsin Thu, 24 Oct 2024 14:00:00 EST The element carbon is a building block for life, both on Earth and potentially elsewhere in the vast reaches of space. There should be a lot of carbon in space, but surprisingly, it's not always easy to find. While it can be observed in many places, it doesn't add up to the volume astronomers would expect to see. The discovery of a new, complex molecule (1-cyanopyrene), challenges these expectations, about where the building blocks for carbon are found, and how they evolve. This research was published today in the journal Science. National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/alma-detects-hallmark-wiggle-of-gravitational-instability-in-planet-forming-disk/?sc=rsin /articles/alma-detects-hallmark-wiggle-of-gravitational-instability-in-planet-forming-disk/?sc=rsin Wed, 04 Sep 2024 11:00:51 EST Traditionally, planet formation has been described as a "bottom-up" process, as dust grains gradually collect into bigger conglomerations over tens of millions of years: from microns, to centimeters, to meters, to kilometers. National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/astronomers-satellite-internet-provider-develops-new-system-to-share-the-sky/?sc=rsin /articles/astronomers-satellite-internet-provider-develops-new-system-to-share-the-sky/?sc=rsin Fri, 09 Aug 2024 08:00:00 EST Astronomers learn about the universe by pointing their telescopes to the sky. But what happens when a satellite comes between them and the cosmological objects they hope to study? National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/plasma-bubbles-and-the-8220-engine8221-of-fast-radio-bursts/?sc=rsin /articles/plasma-bubbles-and-the-8220-engine8221-of-fast-radio-bursts/?sc=rsin Thu, 08 Aug 2024 15:05:36 EST Socorro, NM - The US National Science Foundation (NSF) National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (NSF VLA) have played a pivotal role in uncovering the origins of persistent emissions observed in some fast radio bursts (FRBs). An international team of astronomers has demonstrated that this persistent radiation originates from a plasma bubble, shedding new light on the enigmatic sources powering these cosmic phenomena. National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/precision-measurements-offer-clues-to-magnetar-s-cosmic-origin/?sc=rsin /articles/precision-measurements-offer-clues-to-magnetar-s-cosmic-origin/?sc=rsin Thu, 08 Aug 2024 15:05:03 EST An international team of astronomers have used a powerful array of radio telescopes to discover new insights about a magnetar that's only a few hundred years old. By capturing precise measurements of the magnetar's position and velocity, new clues emerge regarding its developmental path. When a relatively high-mass star collapses at the end of its life and explodes as a supernova, it can leave behind a superdense star called a neutron star. National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/telescope-tag-team-discovers-galactic-cluster8217-s-bizarre-secrets/?sc=rsin /articles/telescope-tag-team-discovers-galactic-cluster8217-s-bizarre-secrets/?sc=rsin Tue, 16 Jul 2024 09:05:03 EST Towards the center of our Milky Way Galaxy, in the constellation Sagittarius, astronomers have discovered  10 monstrous neutron stars. Astronomers already knew that 39 pulsars call Terzan 5 home. National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/alma-observations-reveal-new-insights-into-planet-formation-in-binary-star-systems/?sc=rsin /articles/alma-observations-reveal-new-insights-into-planet-formation-in-binary-star-systems/?sc=rsin Mon, 10 Jun 2024 11:15:00 EST At the 244th American Astronomical Society meeting, researchers presented groundbreaking findings on planet formation in circumstellar disks around young binary stars National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/invisible-realms-revealed-radio-technology-expands-frontiers-of-astronomy-and-medicine/?sc=rsin /articles/invisible-realms-revealed-radio-technology-expands-frontiers-of-astronomy-and-medicine/?sc=rsin Wed, 05 Jun 2024 08:00:00 EST Exploring the ongoing potential of the technical overlap between astronomy and medicine, experts from the U.S. National Science Foundation's National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and the medical imaging field presented to an audience of around 2,000 at the prestigious International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) Conference in Singapore. National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/orion-s-erupting-star-system-reveals-its-secrets/?sc=rsin /articles/orion-s-erupting-star-system-reveals-its-secrets/?sc=rsin Mon, 29 Apr 2024 08:00:00 EST An unusual group of stars in the Orion constellation have revealed their secrets. FU Orionis, a double star system, first caught astronomers' attention in 1936 when the central star suddenly became 1,000 times brighter than usual. National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/stellar-explosions-and-cosmic-chemistry/?sc=rsin /articles/stellar-explosions-and-cosmic-chemistry/?sc=rsin Mon, 01 Apr 2024 14:05:15 EST Astronomers have discovered the secrets of a starburst galaxy producing new stars at a rate much faster than our Milk Way. This research revealed many different molecules, more than ever seen before in a galaxy like this. National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/broadband-will-bring-high-speed-internet-connectivity-to-the-national-radio-quiet-zone/?sc=rsin /articles/broadband-will-bring-high-speed-internet-connectivity-to-the-national-radio-quiet-zone/?sc=rsin Mon, 18 Mar 2024 08:00:00 EST Pocahontas County, West Virginia residents are set to experience a transformative shift in their internet connectivity, as the state of West Virginia announces substantial developments in the broadband infrastructure. National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/astronomers-038-engineers-use-a-grid-of-computers-at-a-national-scale-to-study-the-universe-300-times-faster/?sc=rsin /articles/astronomers-038-engineers-use-a-grid-of-computers-at-a-national-scale-to-study-the-universe-300-times-faster/?sc=rsin Wed, 06 Mar 2024 06:05:17 EST The Universe is almost inconceivably vast. So is the amount of data astronomers collect when they study it. This is a challenging process for the scientists and engineers at the U.S. National Science Foundation's National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). But what if they could do it over 300 times faster? National Radio Astronomy Observatory /articles/can-astronomers-use-radar-to-spot-a-cataclysmic-asteroid/?sc=rsin /articles/can-astronomers-use-radar-to-spot-a-cataclysmic-asteroid/?sc=rsin Fri, 16 Feb 2024 10:00:00 EST How does ground-based astronomical radar expand our understanding of the Universe? By allowing us to study our nearby Solar System, and everything in it, in unprecedented detail. Radar can reveal the surface and ancient geology of planets and their moons, letting us trace their evolution. National Radio Astronomy Observatory