Images from the Webb telescope suggest that newborn galaxies look weirder than expected. Exactly how screwy was physics at the dawn of time?
Tag: Stars and Galaxies
How to Create a Black Hole Out of Thin Air
Black holes were thought to arise from the collapse of dead stars. But a Webb telescope image showing the early universe hints at an alternative pathway.
A New Satellite Outshines Some of the Brightest Stars in the Sky
Astronomers warn that BlueWalker 3, a test spacecraft with a large array of antennas, could be the first of many larger satellites in low-Earth orbit that interfere with astronomical observations.
In Space, the Past Is Future (and Equally Unpredictable)
Not even the most advanced physics can reveal everything we want to know about the history and future of the cosmos, or about ourselves.
Back to New Jersey, Where the Universe Began
A half-century ago, a radio telescope in Holmdel, N.J., sent two astronomers 13.8 billion years back in time — and opened a cosmic window that scientists have been peering through ever since.
What Is That Question Mark in Space? Here’s What We Know — and Don’t Know
Close scrutiny of a recent image from the Webb Space Telescope revealed some questionable punctuation.
The Cosmos Is Thrumming With Gravitational Waves, Astronomers Find
Radio telescopes around the world picked up a telltale hum reverberating across the cosmos, most likely from supermassive black holes merging in the early universe.
The Biggest Explosion in the Cosmos Just Keeps Going
For three years, telescopes have monitored “one of the most luminous” events ever: a supermassive black hole consuming a gigantic cloud of interstellar gas.
Back Then, Baby Galaxies. Next, a Super-Mega Galactic Cluster?
The Webb telescope has spotted some of the oldest known collections of stars. They may have a very bright future.
A Fresh View of an Increasingly Familiar Black Hole
Radio astronomers have captured a wide-angle image of one of the most violent locales in the cosmos.