Tag: #astronomy

James Webb Finds Hidden Third Planet in Beta Pictoris System

James Webb detected a previously hidden gas giant, β Pic d, in Beta Pictoris by its atmospheric spectrum — the first planet found primarily via moderate-resolution spectroscopy.

#exoplanets, #astronomy, #jameswebb, #betapictoris

New star orbiting close to Milky Way’s central black hole could let astronomers probe its spin

Astronomers have identified S301, an 8.7-year star whose close, fast orbit around Sagittarius A* could enable tests of the black hole's spin.

#astronomy, #blackhole, #galacticcenter, #relativity

Astronomers Confirm Long-Period Stellar-Mass Black Hole in Omega Centauri

Hubble and Webb data reveal a 4.46-solar-mass, long-period black hole in the Milky Way’s Omega Centauri globular cluster.

#astronomy, #blackhole, #omegacentauri, #hubble, #webb

FAST survey catalogs 156,411 hydrogen-rich galaxies and sets new local HI mass-function benchmark

China’s FAST releases a catalog of 156,411 neutral-hydrogen galaxies — the largest single-dish census — and a new benchmark for the local HI mass function.

#astronomy, #radioastronomy, #hydrogen, #galaxies, #fast

UCL Reanalysis Confirms 20 GeV Gamma‑Ray Halo Around Milky Way, but Stops Short of Dark‑Matter Claim

UCL reanalysis finds a persistent 20 GeV gamma‑ray halo in Fermi-LAT data around the Milky Way but cautions it's consistent with—not proof of—dark matter.

#astronomy, #darkmatter, #fermilat, #astrophysics

Claim of 1.7-Second Periodicity in Repeating FRB 20201124A Sparks Debate

A revised arXiv preprint reports a ~1.7-second period in repeating FRB 20201124A suggesting a spinning magnetar; independent reanalysis disputes the claim.

#frb, #magnetar, #astronomy, #astrophysics

JWST detects hydrocarbons, aerosols and excess heat in atmosphere of white-dwarf planet WD 1856 b

Nature paper reports JWST transmission spectrum of WD 1856 b, revealing hydrocarbons, aerosols and unexpected warmth — the first atmospheric probe of a white-dwarf planet.

#jwst, #exoplanets, #white-dwarf, #astronomy

TESS finds distant super-Jupiter via microlensing — its first planet discovery using the method

NASA’s TESS used gravitational microlensing to detect a distant super-Jupiter about 1.6 times Jupiter’s mass, nearly 40,000 light-years away — its first microlensing discovery.

#exoplanets, #tess, #microlensing, #nasa, #astronomy

Rubin Observatory Begins 10-Year Legacy Survey of Space and Time

NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory launches full 10-year LSST operations, beginning nightly imaging and fast public alerts to map the changing sky.

#astronomy, #rubinobservatory, #lsst, #timedomain

Study: Webb observes z=10.255 galaxy that may leak nearly all ionizing radiation

A Webb study finds a compact z=10.255 galaxy with almost no nebular lines, implying a very high Lyman-continuum escape fraction and possible impact on reionization.

#astronomy, #jameswebb, #reionization, #highredshift

Papers Clash Over Whether BE Lyncis Hides a Nearby Black Hole

Two newly accepted papers reach opposing conclusions about BE Lyncis: pulsation timing suggests a massive unseen companion, while Gaia astrometry disagrees.

#astronomy, #blackhole, #gaia, #hipparcos

Preprint Presents Sharper Spectroscopic Case for a Recoiling Black Hole in Quasar 3C 186

A revised arXiv preprint reports precise blueshifted spectra in quasar 3C 186, strengthening — but not proving — the case for a recoiling supermassive black hole.

#astronomy, #blackhole, #quasars, #gravitationalwaves

Keck Spectroscopy Finds Third Dark-Matter–Deficient Galaxy in NGC 1052 Field

Keck spectroscopy suggests NGC 1052-DF9, like DF2 and DF4, shows stellar motions consistent with little dark matter — but distances and measurements remain uncertain.

#astronomy, #darkmatter, #dwarfgalaxies, #ngc1052

Webb Captures Rapid Atmospheric Heating on Eccentric Giant Exoplanet HD 80606 b

Webb's MIRI tracked HD 80606 b heating by about 1,100°F at periastron, revealing rapid temperature and chemical changes; preliminary results shown at AAS.

#exoplanet, #jameswebb, #astronomy, #hd80606b

Possible detection of cold molecular gas in REBELS-25, 700 million years after the Big Bang

Astronomers report a possible low-J CO detection in galaxy REBELS-25 at z=7.31, implying a huge cold molecular gas reservoir 700 million years after the Big Bang.

#astronomy, #galaxies, #cosmology, #moleculargas