Tag: Northwestern
A New Spin on Planet Formation
The largest survey of exoplanet spins confirms long-predicted relationship between planetary mass and rotation Maunakea, Hawaiʻi – Astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island, have confirmed a long-predicted relationship between planetary mass and rotation. By measuring the rotation rates of a large sample of directly imaged extrasolar planets and more massive…
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…
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…
First Fast Radio Burst Traced to Old, Dead, Elliptical Galaxy
Maunakea, Hawaiʻi — For the first time, astronomers have traced a fast radio burst (FRB) to the outskirts of an ancient, dead, elliptical galaxy — an unprecedented home for a phenomenon previously associated with much younger galaxies. Detailed in two complementary studies led by Northwestern University and McGill University, the discovery shatters assumptions that FRBs solely…