By analyzing nearly a decade of NSF VLBA observations of the quasar TXS 2005+403, an international team led by the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) directly measured the tiny, turbulence-driven “ripples” imprinted on the quasar’s radio signal as it passes through a particularly chaotic region of the Milky Way.
The NSF Very Large Array Helps Reveal Record-Breaking Stream of Super-Heated Gas from Nearby Galaxy
Astronomers using the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array (NSF VLA), together with the NASA James Webb Space Telescope and other observatories, have identified an enormous, galaxy-scale stream of super-heated gas erupting from the nearby galaxy VV 340a.
Cosmic Lens Reveals Hyperactive Cradle of Future Galaxy Cluster
Astronomers using the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array (NSF VLA) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have discovered a rare protocluster that was exceptionally bright, all when the Universe was 11 billion years younger.
NSF NRAO Radio Telescopes Help Reveal Cloud-9, a Starless Dark-Matter “Failed Galaxy” Near M94
Astronomers using a powerful combination of radio and optical telescopes have confirmed that a peculiar gas cloud near the spiral galaxy M94 is a “failed” galaxy; a dark-matter-dominated halo filled with gas but entirely lacking stars.
Hidden Giants of the Early Universe: NSF NRAO Telescopes Help Reveal Divergent Fates of the Most Massive Galaxies
Astronomers using the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) instruments Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and, the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array (NSF VLA), and the W. M. Keck Observatory have uncovered the hidden lives of some of the most massive galaxies in the early Universe, revealing that while some shut down star formation quickly, others continue forming stars behind thick veils of cosmic dust.
Astronomers Detect Lowest Mass Dark Object Yet in Distant Universe
An international research team, using a worldwide network of radio telescopes, including the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) VLBA and GBT, has detected an enigmatic dark object with a mass about one million times that of our Sun without observing any emitted light. This is the lowest mass dark object ever detected at a cosmological distance using only its gravitational influence, marking a major milestone in the quest to unravel the nature of dark matter.