Latest NRAO News

RSS

Search Results

Search Terms: ALMA

Showing results 11 - 20 of 258
Decorative Image
A Supermassive Black Hole’s Strong Magnetic Fields are Revealed in a New Light
November 8, 2023 at 1:36 am | News Release

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration has published new results that describe for the first time how light from the edge of the supermassive black hole M87* spirals as it escapes the black hole’s intense gravity, a signature known as circular polarization.

A Surprise Chemical Find by ALMA May Help Detect and Confirm Protoplanets
A Surprise Chemical Find by ALMA May Help Detect and Confirm Protoplanets
June 27, 2023 at 9:00 am | News Release

Scientists using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to study the protoplanetary disk around a young star have discovered the most compelling chemical evidence to date of the formation of protoplanets. The discovery will provide astronomers with an alternate method for detecting and characterizing protoplanets when direct observations or imaging are not possible.

NSF Telescopes Image M87’s Supermassive Black Hole and Massive Jet Together for the First Time
NSF Telescopes Image M87’s Supermassive Black Hole and Massive Jet Together for the First Time
April 26, 2023 at 4:05 am | News Release

Scientists studying the supermassive black hole at the heart of the M87 galaxy have revealed the origins of the monster’s powerful jet and imaged the jet and its source together for the first time. What’s more, the observations have revealed that the black hole’s ring is much larger than scientists previously believed.

Far, Far Away: Just How Distant Is That Galaxy?
Far, Far Away: Just How Distant Is That Galaxy?
April 4, 2023 at 9:00 am | News Feature

Radio astronomers have observed galaxies billions of light years away. But how do they know just how far away those galaxies are?

ALMA antennas at night
A Decade of Unveiling the Hidden Universe: ALMA at 10
March 13, 2023 at 9:28 am | Announcement

On March 13th, 2023, astronomers around the world will mark the 10th anniversary of the inauguration of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the world’s largest radio telescope. Over the past decade, the international ALMA collaboration— led by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ)— has revolutionized our understanding of the Universe and unveiled its secrets, from the formation of planets, stars, and galaxies to deciphering the chemistry of the cosmos, and even taking part in capturing the first images of black holes. 

ALMA Traces History of Water in Planet Formation Back to the Interstellar Medium
ALMA Traces History of Water in Planet Formation Back to the Interstellar Medium
March 8, 2023 at 11:00 am | News Release

Scientists studying a nearby protostar have detected the presence of water in its circumstellar disk. The new observations made with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) mark the first detection of water being inherited into a protoplanetary disk without significant changes to its composition. These results further suggest that the water in our Solar System formed billions of years before the Sun. The new observations are published today in Nature.

Extreme Galaxy Reveals Clues to Early Supermassive Black Hole Formation
Extreme Galaxy Reveals Clues to Early Supermassive Black Hole Formation
February 24, 2023 at 9:25 am | Tip Sheet

While studying galaxies in the early Universe with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), scientists discovered one of the most extreme galaxies ever recorded in the early Universe. What’s more, it was hiding a unique supermassive black hole (SMBH). The observations could unlock clues about the early formation of these violent giants and how to find them.

Technician Juan Carlos Gatica
ALMA Soon to Receive a New Brain
February 7, 2023 at 3:00 pm | News Release

The Board of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)— an international collaboration in which the National Science Foundation’s National…

Science Highlights 2022: Black Holes, Pulsars and Turbulence
Science Highlights 2022: Black Holes, Pulsars and Turbulence
January 27, 2023 at 9:26 am | News Feature

The Universe is a dynamic and exciting place, with stars, planets, and galaxies being born, dying, and undergoing dramatic changes. In 2022, the telescopes of the National Science Foundation’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) revealed fascinating new details about several of these processes, and we’re giving you a taste of the greatest radio astronomy moments of the year. 

ALMA Scientists Find Pair of Black Holes Dining Together in Nearby Galaxy Merger
ALMA Scientists Find Pair of Black Holes Dining Together in Nearby Galaxy Merger
January 9, 2023 at 5:15 pm | News Release

While studying a nearby pair of merging galaxies using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)— an international observatory co-operated by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)— scientists discovered two supermassive black holes growing simultaneously near the center of the newly coalescing galaxy. These super-hungry giants are the closest together that scientists have ever observed in multiple wavelengths. What’s more, the new research reveals that binary black holes and the galaxy mergers that create them may be surprisingly commonplace in the Universe. The results of the new research were published today in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, and presented in a press conference at the 241st meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Seattle, Washington.

Showing results 11 - 20 of 258