universe

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Milky Way's Black Hole Is Unveiled
Milky Way's
Black Hole
Is Unveiled
May 12, 2022 10:04 AM CDT

Milky Way's Black Hole Is Unveiled

Astronomers offer first look at 'gentle giant' Sagittarius A*

(Newser) - The world got a look Thursday at the first wild but fuzzy image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy, per the AP . Astronomers believe nearly all galaxies, including our own, have these giant black holes at their center, where light and matter...

Physicists Float a Surprise Theory About Fate of Universe

Princeton scientists say it may stop expanding and start contracting in 100M years

(Newser) - Physicists agree that the universe is not only expanding, but that this expansion is accelerating. But for how long? A new study by three Princeton scientists floats the provocative idea that expansion could end "surprisingly soon," as lead author Paul Steinhardt writes in the Proceedings of the National...

Millions of Years After Big Bang, a 'Cosmic Dawn'

Astronomers say they've figured out when first stars began shining

(Newser) - For his entire working life, Richard Ellis has been obsessed with finding out when the universe's first stars began shining. Now, in a new study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society journal, Ellis and his team at University College London say they've pinpointed the...

An Ancient Light Could Undermine Physics
An Ancient Light Could
Undermine Physics
new study
Nov 29, 2020 3:25 PM CST

An Ancient Light Could Undermine Physics

'If it were real, it's big'

(Newser) - There's an ancient light drifting across the universe that might just undermine particle physics as we know it, Science Alert reports. Scientists analyzing the cosmic microwave background—a faint remnant of the Big Bang—say they've spotted a twist in its light that could force a rethink beyond...

We Assumed the Universe Was Getting Colder. It Isn't

So much for the 'Big Chill'

(Newser) - The Universe just had its temperature taken, and the results may surprise. Since the 1990s, researchers have put forth the theory that the mean temperature of the universe will drop as it expands and galaxies, stars, and planets move farther apart. But a team of international scientists has found that...

Physicist: Here's How the Universe Could End
Physicist: The Universe
Could Easily End This Way
study says
Aug 29, 2020 4:00 PM CDT

Physicist: The Universe Could Easily End This Way

Matt Caplan sees a last flurry of explosions

(Newser) - Flash forward trillions of years, and the universe is expected to be a dark, cold, lonely place—but how will it end? A new paper predicts a last flurry of explosions before our known world goes totally black, ScienceAlert reports. "Galaxies will have dispersed, black holes will have evaporated,...

This Is Actually a Map —the Biggest One Ever
This Is Actually a Map
—the Biggest One Ever
new study
Jul 22, 2020 3:14 PM CDT

This Is Actually a Map —the Biggest One Ever

This view of the universe also looks incredible

(Newser) - Want to get away? Now you can see how far "away" really is. Drawing on 20 years of research, scientists have created a 3D map of the universe that spans 11 billion years and covers more than 2 million quasars and galaxies—while shedding light on a couple of...

'Eye of Sauron' Glares at Us From Across the Universe
Astronomers
Spot 'a Very
Curious Object'
in case you missed it
May 30, 2020 1:45 PM CDT

Astronomers Spot 'a Very Curious Object'

They say it's about 11B light-years away

(Newser) - Media outlets are calling it the "Eye of Sauron" or "Ring of Fire"—scientists, "R5519." Whatever the name, it's an odd-looking galaxy that might just alter how science views the early formation of galaxies in the universe, LiveScience reports. Scientists say they spotted the...

It's the Biggest Bang Since the Big Bang
It's the Biggest Bang
Since the Big Bang
new study
Feb 28, 2020 8:20 AM CST

It's the Biggest Bang Since the Big Bang

Astronomers discover explosion of mind-boggling proportions from a black hole

(Newser) - It was a quite a bang. In fact, it was the biggest one in the universe since the Big Bang itself, say astronomers in a news release . Using data from multiple telescopes—including NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory—astronomers reported Thursday that the long-ago blast came from a black hole...

This Black Hole Can't Exist. And There It Is

LB-1 is way more massive than other stellar black holes in our galaxy

(Newser) - A stellar black hole, 70 times the mass of our sun? Not likely, experts said—and yet, there it is. A group of Chinese-led scientists have spotted this "monster" black hole some 15,000 light-years away and dubbed it LB-1, the Washington Post reports. "Black holes of such...

Discovery Points to Invisible 'Fifth Force' of Nature

Researchers in Hungary spot a mysterious proton

(Newser) - They're calling it X17—and it might help solve a great mystery of nature. Scientists in Hungary say they've twice stumbled on the previously unknown particle while seeking evidence of a "fifth force" guiding our visible universe, CNN reports. "X17 could be a particle, which connects...

For Nobel Prize in Physics, a 3-Way Triumph

The work revolves around discovery of an exoplanet, 'discoveries in physical cosmology'

(Newser) - Three scientists have won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics for their contribution to the understanding of the evolution of the universe and "Earth's place in the cosmos," a day after two Americans and one British scientist were bestowed the award for physiology or medicine . One half...

The Universe May Have Just Lost a Couple of Billion Years

Latest research suggests it may be much younger than previously thought, but there are big caveats

(Newser) - The universe is looking younger every day, it seems. New calculations suggest the universe could be a couple of billion years younger than scientists now estimate, and even younger than suggested by two other calculations published this year that trimmed hundreds of millions of years from the age of the...

Paper: Advanced Civilizations May Be Stealing Starlight

Chicago professor Dan Hooper says it makes perfect sense

(Newser) - Watch out for stars moving across galaxies or losing power—it could be aliens gathering energy before the lights go out. Dan Hooper, an astronomy and astrophysics professor at the University of Chicago, posted a paper in the preprint journal arXiv.org arguing that aliens in far-off galaxies may be...

Universe Expanding Faster Than Thought
 Universe Expanding 
 Faster Than Thought 
study says
Jun 3, 2016 11:09 AM CDT

Universe Expanding Faster Than Thought

Surprise finding suggests Einstein was a little off

(Newser) - New calculations in the cosmos have revealed a surprise: The universe appears to be expanding faster than anyone thought. Using the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists measured the distance to stars in 19 galaxies and concluded that the universe is growing 5% to 9% quicker than expected, the researchers say in...

This Is the Farthest Galaxy Ever Spotted, Astronomers Say

They've discovered a galaxy from a time when the universe was just a 'toddler'

(Newser) - Astronomers say they have discovered a hot, star-popping galaxy that is far, far away—farther than any previously detected, from a time when the universe was a mere toddler of about 400 million years old. By employing a different technique—one that has raised some skepticism—a team of astronomers...

How Astronomers Confirmed the Universe Is Dying

 How Astronomers 
 Confirmed the 
 Universe Is Dying 
in case you missed it
Aug 15, 2015 6:25 PM CDT

How Astronomers Confirmed the Universe Is Dying

First, you need some really big telescopes

(Newser) - How does one confirm that the universe is slowly dying? For starters, you use "as many space and ground-based telescopes as we could get our hands on." That according to Simon Driver, a principal investigator with the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) project. Driver explains that the group...

Astonishing NASA Image Captures Color of 10K Galaxies

Hubble shot spans light spectrum, took 841 orbits to create

(Newser) - Thousands of galaxies of all ages, shapes, and colors can be seen in a stunning new image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Some of the oldest galaxies visible appear as light from nearly 12 billion years ago, almost as old as the universe, but NASA says the most exciting...

Amazing Simulation Shows How Universe Formed

'Dark matter' helps create accurate model, researchers say

(Newser) - It's like "flying through the universe way faster than the speed of light and watching galaxies as they are assembling," says one of the researchers who has created a stunning visual simulation of how the universe formed. The "Illlustris" model created by an international team of...

Scientists Make Key Big Bang Discovery

Researchers detect gravitational waves for the first time

(Newser) - A dizzying scientific achievement: Astronomers have gotten a look back at what one scientist calls "the beginning of time ... the universe at the very beginning." That is, they've detected gravitational waves that could be the first direct evidence that within a fraction of a trillionth of a...

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