Telescopes
Astronomers achieve sharpest view of distant star using single telescope
A UCLA-led team has captured the most detailed image ever of a disk around the distant star beta Canis Minoris using a innovative photonic lantern on a single telescope. This breakthrough reveals hidden structures without needing multiple telescopes. The discovery uncovers a lopsided hydrogen disk 162 light-years away.
Virtual telescope uncovers jet in galaxy OJ 287
An international team of astronomers has captured the most detailed image yet of the core of the distant galaxy OJ 287, revealing a sharply curved plasma jet. The observation, made using a virtual telescope spanning multiple Earth diameters, supports the presence of two merging supermassive black holes at its heart. This breakthrough provides new insights into the extreme energies and structures around such cosmic phenomena.
James Webb telescope detects carbon-rich disk around young exoplanet
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has observed a carbon-rich disk surrounding the exoplanet CT Cha b, 625 light-years from Earth, potentially serving as a moon factory. The disk, separate from the star's own disk, offers insights into early planet and moon formation. The young star system is just 2 million years old.
Scientists detect torsional Alfvén waves in sun's corona
Researchers have captured the first direct evidence of small-scale torsional Alfvén waves in the Sun's corona, potentially explaining its extreme heat. Using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii, the team observed these magnetic waves twisting through the solar atmosphere. The discovery, published on October 24 in Nature Astronomy, validates theories dating back to the 1940s.