Astronomers using ALMA studied a cataclysmic stellar explosion known as a gamma-ray burst, or GRB, and found its enduring “afterglow.” The rebound, or reverse shock, triggered by the GRB’s powerful jets slamming into surrounding debris, lasted thousands of times longer than expected.
VLA Gives Tantalizing Clues About Source of Energetic Cosmic Neutrino
The track of an elusive, energetic neutrino points to a distant galaxy as its source and VLA observations suggest high-energy particles may be generated in superfast jets of material near the galaxy’s core.
Distant Quasar Providing Clues to Early-Universe Conditions
The sharp radio “vision” of the VLBA gives astronomers a detailed look at a galaxy as it appeared when the Universe was a small fraction of its current age, giving clues about conditions at that early time.
Even Phenomenally Dense Neutron Stars Fall like a Feather
Harnessing the exquisite sensitivity of the GBT, astronomers have given one of Einstein’s predictions on gravity its most stringent test yet. By precisely tracking the meanderings of three stars in a single system – two white dwarf stars and one ultra-dense neutron star – the researchers determined that even the most massive of objects “fall” in the same manner as their less-dense counterparts.
Astronomers See Distant Eruption as Black Hole Destroys Star
Years-long observation program surprises astronomers with evidence of a star’s violent death near the core of a distant galaxy.
Trio of Infant Planets Discovered around Newborn Star
Two independent teams of astronomers have uncovered convincing evidence that three young planets are in orbit around an infant star known as HD 163296. Using a new planet-finding strategy, the astronomers identified three discrete disturbances in a young star’s gas-filled disk: the strongest evidence yet that newly formed planets are in orbit there.