Journal News

Never-before-seen Fast Radio Burst sheds new light on deep space signals
Astronomers are continuing to unravel the mystery of deep space signals after discovering a never-before-seen quirk in a newly-detected Fast Radio Burst (FRB). FRBs are millisecond-long, extremely bright flashes of radio light that generally come fr…
Solar activity likely to peak next year, new study suggests
Researchers at the Center of Excellence in Space Sciences India at IISER Kolkata have discovered a new relationship between the Sun’s magnetic field and its sunspot cycle, that can help predict when the peak in solar activity will occur. Their work i…
Using eclipses to calculate the transparency of Saturn’s rings
A Lancaster University PhD student has measured the optical depth of Saturn’s rings using a new method based on how much sunlight reached the Cassini spacecraft while it was in the shadow of the rings. The optical depth is connected to the transparen…
Astronomers carry out largest ever cosmological computer simulation
An international team of astronomers has carried out what is believed to be the largest ever cosmological computer simulation, tracking not only dark but also ordinary matter (such as planets, stars and galaxies), giving us a glimpse into how our Uni…
First observational evidence of gamma-ray emission in young Sun-like stars
A team of scientists from Argentina and Spain have reported the first observational evidence that a type of young low-mass star, known as T Tauri stars, are capable of emitting gamma radiation. The study is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal A…
Galaxy mergers shed light on galactic evolution model
An Australian astronomer has solved a century-old mystery regarding how galaxies evolve from one type to another. The same study shows that the Milky Way, the galaxy we live in, was not always a spiral. The work by Professor Alister Graham from Swinb…
Evidence of the amino acid tryptophan found in space
Using data from the Spitzer space observatory, Dr Susana Iglesias-Groth, a researcher from The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), has found evidence for the existence of the amino acid tryptophan in the interstellar material in a nearby star…
Astronomers discover last planets seen by Kepler Space Telescope
Astronomers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, with the help of citizen scientists, have discovered the last three planets that the Kepler Space Telescope gazed upon before going dark. The researc…
An X-ray look at the heart of powerful quasars
Researchers have observed the X-ray emission of the most luminous quasar seen in the last 9 billion years of cosmic history, known as SMSS J114447.77-430859.3, or J1144 for short. The new perspective sheds light on the inner workings of quasars and h…
Astronomers reveal the largest cosmic explosion ever seen
A team of astronomers led by researchers at the University of Southampton has uncovered the largest cosmic explosion ever witnessed. The explosion is more than ten times brighter than any known supernova. The research is published in Monthly Notices…
Hidden supermassive black holes brought to life by galaxies on collision course
Astronomers have found that supermassive black holes obscured by dust are more likely to grow and release tremendous amounts of energy when they are inside galaxies that are expected to collide with a neighbouring galaxy. The new work, led by researc…
Light-bending gravity reveals one of the biggest black holes ever found
A team of astronomers have discovered one of the biggest black holes ever found, taking advantage of a phenomenon called gravitational lensing. The findings are published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The team, led by Durham…