Category: Science News
Astronomers reveal tasty insights into exoplanet formation using SPAM
Study serves up the closest-ever view of a planet-forming disk around young star HD 34282 Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island have taken the closest-ever look at the dusty regions where planets form, offering new insight into the earliest stages of planetary birth. HD 34282 is one of thirty…
Dead Star Still Consuming Its Planetary System
Discovery challenges understanding of planetary system evolution Media Contact: Meagan O’Shea Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers using data from the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea in Hawaiʻi Island have identified a rare, ancient planetary system still being actively consumed by its central white dwarf star, LSPM J0207+3331. Located 145 light-years from Earth, this system hosts the…
Discovery of Brown Dwarf Companion Provides New Insight into Stellar and Planetary Formation and Evolution
Media Contact: Meagan O’Shea Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – An international team of astronomers using the combined powers of space-based and ground-based observatories, including the W. M. Keck Observatory and Subaru Telescope on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island, have discovered a brown dwarf companion orbiting a nearby red dwarf star, providing key insight into how stars and planets form.…
First-of-its-kind ‘Bare-Bones’ Supernova Upends Star Evolution Models
Rare stellar blast reveals a heavy-element core, challenging theories of how massive stars live and die Media Contact: Meagan O’Shea Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – For the first time, scientists have confirmed a new subclass of exploding star, made possible by spectral data captured by the W. M. Keck Observatory atop Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island. The discovery challenges…
To ‘Infinity’ and Beyond – A Look at a Newborn Black Hole
Discovery of Infinity galaxy provides evidence of a new pathway for black hole formation Media Contact: Meagan O’Shea Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island have discovered a cosmic oddity they’ve nicknamed the “Infinity” galaxy — the result of two galaxies colliding to form a shape resembling the…
Supernova’s ‘Trapped’ Jet Reveals Source of Fast X-ray Transient
Mysterious cosmic explosion is traced to a massive stellar explosion Media Contact: Meagan O’Shea – moshea@keck.hawaii.edu Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – An international team of astrophysicists using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island have uncovered a possible origin of fast X-ray transients (FXTs) — mysterious, fleeting bursts of X-rays that have long puzzled astronomers. Using a…
Biggest Boom Since the Big Bang: Hawaiʻi-Based Astronomers Uncover the Most Energetic Explosions In The Universe Yet Discovered
Releasing more energy than 100 supernovae, Extreme Nuclear Transients (ENTs) are the most energetic transients yet observed Media Contact: Meagan O’Shea – moshea@keck.hawaii.edu Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers using data from the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island discovered the most energetic cosmic explosions discovered to date, naming the new class of events “extreme nuclear…
Astronomers Detect Cloud Convection Near Titan’s Lakes
Study provides evidence of clouds bubbling up over Titan’s northern hemisphere Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island have, for the first time, found evidence for cloud convection in the northern hemisphere of Titan, Saturn’s moon. Titan is an intriguing world cloaked in a yellowish, smoggy haze. Similar to…
Astronomers Tune Into the Music of a Nearby Star Unlocking a Surprising Discovery
By analyzing subtle stellar vibrations, researchers using the Keck Planet Finder uncovered hidden interior structures that challenge long-standing models Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island have listened to the music of a nearby star, uncovering surprises that shake our understanding of how stars work. The study used Keck…
Evidence of Dark Matter-Free Dwarf Galaxy Challenges Conventional Galaxy Formation Models
Galaxies may have more variety in how they form and evolve than previously thought Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island have found compelling evidence of a dark matter-deficient dwarf galaxy, FCC 224. This ultra-diffuse galaxy is located on the outskirts of the Fornax Cluster, approximately 60-65 million light-years…