Study Reveals Six Galaxies Undergoing Sudden, Dramatic Transitions
Galaxies come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and brightnesses, ranging from humdrum ordinary galaxies to luminous active galaxies. While an ordinary galaxy is visible mainly because of the light from its stars, an active galaxy shines brightest at its center, or nucleus, where a supermassive black hole emits a steady blast of bright light as it voraciously consumes … Continue reading
Where Do Black Holes Lead To?
So there you are, about to leap into a black hole. What could possibly await should — against all odds — you somehow survive? Where would you end up and what tantalizing tales would you be able to regale if you managed to clamor your way back? The simple answer to all of these questions is, as Professor Richard Massey … Continue reading
Study Suggests Our Universe May Be 2 Billion Years Younger
The universe is looking younger every day, it seems. New calculations suggest the universe could be a couple 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 cosmos. The huge swings in scientists’ estimates — even this new … Continue reading
2 Giant Blobs at the Core of our Galaxy are Emitting Radiation, Unknown How They Got There
In 2010, astronomers working with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope announced the discovery of two giant blobs. These blobs were centered on the core of the Milky Way galaxy, but they extended above and below the plane of our galactic home for over 25,000 light-years. Their origins are still a mystery, but however they got there, they are emitting copious … Continue reading
Astronomers Find Water Vapor on Extrasolar Planet
Water vapor has been identified on what is being hailed as the most habitable exoplanet found to date. In an announcement earlier today, astronomers from University College London revealed the discovery of water vapor in the atmosphere of a ‘super-Earth’ planet 110 light years away. Known simply as K2-18b, this distant world is twice the size of our own planet, … Continue reading
Exoplanets Could be Even Better than Earth at Hosting Life
Exoplanets in our universe may be home to abundant life that enjoys a more hospitable home than we do on Earth, surprising research has revealed. The news may help in the search for alien life. Researchers are looking for oceans on exoplanets which have “the greatest capacity to host globally abundant and active life,”said geophysicist Stephanie Olson from the University … Continue reading
Newly Discovered Exoplanet May be Contender for Human Colonization
Three new rocky Earth-sized planets, one of which has a high probability of being able to support human life, have been discovered orbiting a star just 12 light-years away. All three exoplanets are at least 1.4 to 1.8 times the mass of Earth, and orbit their red dwarf star, Gilese 1061, every three to 13 days. The star is located … Continue reading
Supermassive Black Hole Could Swallow the Universe, Astronomer Suggests
A recently discovered supermassive black hole has given astronomers a new scale on the potential power of these celestial objects. Dr David Whiteshouse, astronomer and author, says that our universe could one day be swallowed by a giant black hole. In an interview he explained that a supermassive black hole recently discovered by astronomers in South America provided scientists with … Continue reading
Scientists Shocked to Discover ‘City-Killer Asteroid’ Whizzed Past Earth in Scary Near Miss
Alan Duffy was confused. On Thursday, the astronomer’s phone was suddenly flooded with calls from reporters wanting to know about a large asteroid that had just whizzed past Earth, and he couldn’t figure out “why everyone was so alarmed.” The space rock, named Asteroid 2019 OK, came hurtling toward Earth at a speed of nearly 15 miles a second, before … Continue reading
First Ever Image of an Actual Black Hole Captured By Event Horizon Telescope
For the first time ever astronomers capture an image of an actual black hole, not an artist interpretation or CGI. The particular black hole is supermassive measuring a staggering 40 billion km across and is located at the center of the distant Messier 87 galaxy which lies approximately 55 million light years away. The ‘ring of fire’ surrounding the black … Continue reading
