Science News

a mosaic of images captured using w. m. keck observatory's keck cosmic web imager showing the filaments of gas that make up the cosmic web. the green dots mark known galaxies the filaments connect to. Credit: C. Martin et al./Caltech/W. M. Keck Observatory

Cosmic Web Lights Up in the Darkness of Space

Keck Cosmic Web Imager Offers Best Glimpse Yet of the Filamentous Network That Connects Galaxies Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Like rivers …
an image of neptune taken with the keck ii telescope on june 21, 2023 shows almost no clouds except near the south pole. Credit: Imke de Pater, Erandi Chavez, Erin Redwing (UC Berkeley)/W. M. Keck Observatory

Clouds On Neptune Perform a Surprise Disappearing Act

Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – For the first time in nearly three decades of observations, clouds seen on Neptune have all but …
artist’s rendition of janus, the blue-tinted dead cinder of a star that is composed primarily of hydrogen on one side and helium on the other (the hydrogen side appears brighter). the peculiar double-faced nature of this white dwarf star might be due to the interplay of magnetic fields and convection, or a mixing of materials. on the helium side, which appears bubbly, convection has destroyed the thin hydrogen layer on the surface and brought up the helium underneath. Image credit: K. Miller, Caltech/IPAC

Two-Faced Star Exposed: Unusual White Dwarf Star is Made of Hydrogen on One Side and Helium on the Other

Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – In a first for white dwarfs, the burnt-out cores of dead stars, astronomers have discovered that at …
an infrared image of the quasar hsc j2236+0032 captured by jwst. Credit: Ding, Onoue, Silverman, et al.

Starlight and the First Black Holes: Researchers Detect the Host Galaxies of Quasars in the Early Universe

Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – An international team of scientists, including Chien-Hsiu Lee, staff astronomer at W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, …
Life After Death: Hawaiʻi Astronomers Find a Planet that Shouldn’t Exist

Life After Death: Hawaiʻi Astronomers Find a Planet that Shouldn’t Exist

Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – When our Sun reaches the end of its life, it will expand to 100 times its current …
New Era of Exoplanet Discovery Begins with Images of ‘Jupiter’s Younger Sibling’

New Era of Exoplanet Discovery Begins with Images of ‘Jupiter’s Younger Sibling’

Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island have discovered one of the lowest-mass planets …
Rare Gravitational Lensing Warps Light Of Distant Supernova Into Four Images

Rare Gravitational Lensing Warps Light Of Distant Supernova Into Four Images

Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers have captured a bizarre image of a supernova, the powerful explosion of a star, whose light …
Astronomers Capture Direct Image of Ancient Galaxy Recycling Gas to Make New Stars

Astronomers Capture Direct Image of Ancient Galaxy Recycling Gas to Make New Stars

Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers have found direct evidence showing ancient galaxies were able to sustain star formation by recycling gas …
First Detection of Radio Waves from a Type Ia Supernova

First Detection of Radio Waves from a Type Ia Supernova

Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – A team of astronomers led by Stockholm University has discovered an unusual Type Ia supernova – or …
A Strange, Solitary Life for Young Stars at the Milky Way's Center

A Strange, Solitary Life for Young Stars at the Milky Way’s Center

Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Stars living closest to the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way have no …
Star Eats Planet, Brightens Dramatically

Star Eats Planet, Brightens Dramatically

Astronomers Spot First Direct Evidence of a Star Engulfing Its Planet Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – For the first time, astronomers have …
New Exoplanet-Hunting Technique Leads to Successful Direct Image of a Super-Jupiter

New Exoplanet-Hunting Technique Leads to Successful Direct Image of a Super-Jupiter

Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers have developed a new method for finding exoplanets whose portraits can be taken from Earth using …