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Newswise: Astronomers Unveil Strong Magnetic Fields Spiraling at the Edge of Milky Way’s Central Black Hole
Released: 27-Mar-2024 9:00 AM EDT
Astronomers Unveil Strong Magnetic Fields Spiraling at the Edge of Milky Way’s Central Black Hole
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

A new image from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration— which includes scientists from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA)— has uncovered strong and organized magnetic fields spiraling from the edge of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). Seen in polarized light for the first time, this new view of the monster lurking at the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy has revealed a magnetic field structure strikingly similar to that of the black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy, suggesting that strong magnetic fields may be common to all black holes. This similarity also hints toward a hidden jet in Sgr A*.

Newswise: Extreme Weight Loss: Star Sheds Unexpected Amounts of Mass Just Before Going Supernova
Released: 27-Sep-2023 9:00 AM EDT
Extreme Weight Loss: Star Sheds Unexpected Amounts of Mass Just Before Going Supernova
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

A newly discovered nearby supernova whose star ejected up to a full solar mass of material in the year prior to its explosion is challenging the standard theory of stellar evolution.

Released: 31-Mar-2023 12:40 PM EDT
NASA Media Call on Upcoming Air Quality Satellite Launch
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Media are invited to participate in a teleconference discussing the upcoming launch of TEMPO on Wednesday, April 5. TEMPO will soon provide the first-ever hourly scans of air pollution over greater North America.

Released: 13-Mar-2023 7:05 AM EDT
NASA-Smithsonian Media Briefing: New Space Instrument To Deliver Near Real-Time Air Pollution Data
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

On Tuesday, March 14, NASA and the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian will host a mission and program briefing for the new, space-based instrument TEMPO, which will soon deliver detailed data and analysis of air pollution over greater North America.

Newswise: Could Space Dust Help Protect the Earth from Climate Change?
7-Feb-2023 12:05 PM EST
Could Space Dust Help Protect the Earth from Climate Change?
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Dust launched from the moon’s surface or from a space station positioned between Earth and the sun could reduce enough solar radiation to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Newswise:Video Embedded cosmic-superbubble-s-magnetic-field-charted-in-3d-for-the-first-time
VIDEO
6-Jan-2023 3:45 PM EST
Cosmic Superbubble’s Magnetic Field Charted in 3D for the First Time
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

A new strategy for tracing magnetized structures in 3D will help address key questions about the influence of magnetic fields in the cosmos.

Newswise: Alien Planet Found Spiraling to its Doom around an Aging Star
14-Dec-2022 5:00 AM EST
Alien Planet Found Spiraling to its Doom around an Aging Star
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

The condemned planet could help answer questions about the fate of other worlds as their solar systems evolve.

Newswise: Astrophysicists Hunt for Second-Closest Supermassive Black Hole
Released: 28-Nov-2022 5:00 AM EST
Astrophysicists Hunt for Second-Closest Supermassive Black Hole
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

As massive as the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, the behemoth is hosted by a dwarf galaxy less than 1 million light-years away. Invisible so far — maybe not for long.

Newswise: New from JWST: An Exoplanet Atmosphere as Never Seen Before
Released: 22-Nov-2022 11:00 AM EST
New from JWST: An Exoplanet Atmosphere as Never Seen Before
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

New observations of WASP-39 b reveal a never-before-seen molecule in the atmosphere of a planet — sulfur dioxide — among other details.

Newswise: The Tilt in our Stars: The Shape of the Milky Way's Halo of Stars is Realized
Released: 18-Nov-2022 2:10 PM EST
The Tilt in our Stars: The Shape of the Milky Way's Halo of Stars is Realized
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

New data throws out the textbook picture of a spherical stellar halo and reinforces a dynamic origin story of two galaxies that collided billions of years ago.

Newswise:Video Embedded the-most-precise-accounting-yet-of-dark-energy-and-dark-matter
VIDEO
17-Oct-2022 4:05 PM EDT
The Most Precise Accounting Yet of Dark Energy and Dark Matter
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Analyzing more than two decades' worth of supernova explosions convincingly bolsters modern cosmological theories and reinvigorates efforts to answer fundamental questions.

Newswise: ‘We’ve Never Seen Anything Like This Before:’ Black Hole Spews Out Material Years After Shredding Star
Released: 12-Oct-2022 9:00 AM EDT
‘We’ve Never Seen Anything Like This Before:’ Black Hole Spews Out Material Years After Shredding Star
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Astronomers have observed a black hole burping up stellar remains years after it shredded and consumed the star.

Newswise: It’s a Planet: New Evidence of Baby Planet in the Making
Released: 14-Sep-2022 11:00 AM EDT
It’s a Planet: New Evidence of Baby Planet in the Making
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Astronomers have developed a new technique to identify small planets hidden in protoplanetary disks.

Newswise: Case Solved: Missing Carbon Monoxide was Hiding in the Ice
18-Aug-2022 5:00 AM EDT
Case Solved: Missing Carbon Monoxide was Hiding in the Ice
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

In planetary disks, carbon monoxide is lurking in large chunks of ice, solving the decade-old question, ‘Where is the CO?’

Newswise: Ready for its Close-up: New Technology Sharpens Images of Black Holes
Released: 16-Aug-2022 11:00 AM EDT
Ready for its Close-up: New Technology Sharpens Images of Black Holes
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Using new computational algorithms, scientists have measured a sharp ring of light predicted to originate from photons whipping around the back of a supermassive black hole.

Newswise: 'Black Hole Police' Discover a Dormant Black Hole Outside of the Milky Way Galaxy
14-Jul-2022 8:05 PM EDT
'Black Hole Police' Discover a Dormant Black Hole Outside of the Milky Way Galaxy
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

It is the first dormant stellar-mass black hole to be detected outside of the Milky Way galaxy, the team claims.

Newswise:Video Embedded did-supernovae-help-form-barnard-s-loop
VIDEO
Released: 16-Jun-2022 1:15 PM EDT
Did Supernovae Help Form Barnard’s Loop?
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

A new view begins to piece together the 3D puzzle of Orion and how Barnard's Loop may have formed.

Newswise: Scientists have Spotted the Farthest Galaxy Ever
4-Apr-2022 5:05 PM EDT
Scientists have Spotted the Farthest Galaxy Ever
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Shining only ~300 million years after the Big Bang, it may be home to the oldest stars in the universe, or a supermassive black hole.

Newswise: Lisa Kewley Named Director of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Released: 14-Mar-2022 11:00 AM EDT
Lisa Kewley Named Director of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Astrophysicist specializing in galaxy formation and evolution will take the helm of the prestigious research collaboration between Harvard and the Smithsonian.

Newswise:Video Embedded scientists-explain-mysterious-finger-like-features-in-solar-flares
VIDEO
25-Jan-2022 11:40 AM EST
Scientists Explain Mysterious Finger-like Features in Solar Flares
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Astronomers have presented a new explanation for the mysterious downward-moving dark voids seen in some solar flares.

Newswise: 1,000-Light-Year Wide Bubble Surrounding Earth is Source of All Nearby, Young Stars
9-Jan-2022 11:00 AM EST
1,000-Light-Year Wide Bubble Surrounding Earth is Source of All Nearby, Young Stars
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

For the first time, astronomers have retraced the history of our galactic neighborhood, showing exactly how the young stars nearest to our solar system formed.

Newswise: Spacecraft Enters the Sun’s Corona for the First Time in History
Released: 14-Dec-2021 12:55 PM EST
Spacecraft Enters the Sun’s Corona for the First Time in History
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

An instrument made by scientists and engineers at the Center for Astrophysics has helped verify that — for the first time in history — a spacecraft has entered the corona of the Sun.

Newswise: Astronomers Observe a New Type of Binary Star Long Predicted to Exist
24-Nov-2021 5:00 AM EST
Astronomers Observe a New Type of Binary Star Long Predicted to Exist
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Researchers have predicted the new class of star’s existence for 50 years but until now, never observed it in space.

Newswise: Astrophysicists Reveal Largest-Ever Suite of Universe Simulations
22-Oct-2021 5:00 AM EDT
Astrophysicists Reveal Largest-Ever Suite of Universe Simulations
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

To understand how the universe formed, astronomers have created AbacusSummit, more than 160 simulations of how gravity may have shaped the distribution of dark matter.

Newswise: Did a Black Hole Eating a Star Generate a Neutrino? Unlikely, New Study Shows
Released: 13-Oct-2021 5:00 AM EDT
Did a Black Hole Eating a Star Generate a Neutrino? Unlikely, New Study Shows
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

New calculations show that a black hole slurping down a star may not have generated enough energy to launch a neutrino.

Newswise:Video Embedded gigantic-cavity-in-space-sheds-new-light-on-how-stars-form
VIDEO
17-Sep-2021 1:30 PM EDT
Gigantic Cavity in Space Sheds New Light on How Stars Form
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Astronomers have discovered a humongous cavity in space while mapping interstellar dust. The sphere-shaped phenomenon may explain how supernovae lead to star formation.

Newswise: Planets Form in Organic Soups with Different Ingredients
13-Sep-2021 4:05 PM EDT
Planets Form in Organic Soups with Different Ingredients
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

A series of new images reveals that planets form in organic soups — and no two soups are alike.

Released: 31-Aug-2021 1:00 PM EDT
“X-Ray Magnifying Glass” Enhances View of Distant Black Holes
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Using a special “magnifying glass,” astronomers have zoomed into black holes that otherwise would be too faint to detect.

20-Aug-2021 5:05 PM EDT
Interstellar Comets Like Borisov May Not be All That Rare
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Astronomers calculate that the Oort Cloud may be home to more visiting objects than objects that belong to our solar system.

20-Jul-2021 8:00 AM EDT
Spotted: An Exoplanet with the Potential to Form Moons
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

New high-resolution observations clearly show a moon-forming region around exoplanet PDS 70c. The observations have allowed astronomers to determine the ring-shaped region’s size and mass for the first time.

16-Jul-2021 6:00 AM EDT
EHT Pinpoints Dark Heart of the Nearest Radio Galaxy
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Astronomers have imaged the heart of Centaurus A in unprecedented detail and pinpointed the galaxy’s central supermassive black hole, revealing how a gigantic jet is born. Most remarkably, only the outer edges of the jet seem to emit radiation, which challenges current theoretical models of jets.

14-Jun-2021 5:00 AM EDT
Mystery Solved: Dust Cloud Led to Betelgeuse’s ‘Great Dimming’
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

The star Betelgeuse became visibly darker in 2019 and 2020, puzzling astronomers. New images show that the star was partially concealed by a cloud of dust, solving the mystery of the “Great Dimming” of Betelgeuse.

Released: 17-May-2021 11:40 AM EDT
To Map the Universe, Astrophysicists Launch Largest Sky Survey Yet
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Nearly 40 years after creating the first, iconic map of the universe, researchers aim for the largest map ever.

Released: 14-May-2021 4:50 PM EDT
Astronomy Educators Awarded $2.8M to Inspire Minority Youth to Pursue STEM Careers
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Using robotic telescopes and other engaging astronomy activities, researchers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian hope to spark interest in the sciences.

Released: 14-Apr-2021 1:25 PM EDT
Telescopes unite in unprecedented observations of famous black hole
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

In April 2019, scientists released the first image of a black hole in galaxy M87 using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). However, that remarkable achievement was just the beginning of the science story to be told.

Released: 31-Mar-2021 4:55 PM EDT
First X-rays from Uranus discovered
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Astronomers have detected X-rays from Uranus for the first time, using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This result may help scientists learn more about this enigmatic ice giant planet in our solar system.

Released: 29-Aug-2016 10:05 PM EDT
Milky Way Had a Blowout Bash 6 Million Years Ago
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

The center of the Milky Way galaxy is currently a quiet place where a supermassive black hole slumbers, only occasionally slurping small sips of hydrogen gas. But it wasn't always this way. A new study shows that 6 million years ago, when the first human ancestors known as hominins walked the Earth, our galaxy's core blazed forth furiously. The evidence for this active phase came from a search for the galaxy's missing mass.

Released: 18-Aug-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Venus-Like Exoplanet Might Have Oxygen Atmosphere, but Not Life
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

The distant planet GJ 1132b intrigued astronomers when it was discovered last year. Located just 39 light-years from Earth, it might have an atmosphere despite being baked to a temperature of around 450 degrees Fahrenheit. But would that atmosphere be thick and soupy or thin and wispy? New research suggests the latter is much more likely.

Released: 13-Aug-2016 2:05 AM EDT
Is Earthly Life Premature From a Cosmic Perspective?
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Cambridge, MA - The universe is 13.8 billion years old, while our planet formed just 4.5 billion years ago. Some scientists think this time gap means that life on other planets could be billions of years older than ours. However, new theoretical work suggests that present-day life is actually premature from a cosmic perspective.

Released: 7-Jun-2016 3:05 PM EDT
Universe's First Life Might Have Been Born on Carbon Planets
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Our Earth consists of silicate rocks and an iron core with a thin veneer of water and life. But the first potentially habitable worlds to form might have been very different. New research suggests that planet formation in the early universe might have created carbon planets consisting of graphite, carbides, and diamond. Astronomers might find these diamond worlds by searching a rare class of stars.

Released: 3-May-2016 1:05 PM EDT
Planet Nine: A World That Shouldn't Exist
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Earlier this year scientists presented evidence for Planet Nine, a Neptune-mass planet in an elliptical orbit 10 times farther from our Sun than Pluto. Since then theorists have puzzled over how this planet could end up in such a distant orbit.

Released: 16-Mar-2016 2:05 PM EDT
Young Sun-Like Star Shows a Magnetic Field Was Critical for Life on the Early Earth
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Nearly four billion years ago, life arose on Earth. Life appeared because our planet had a rocky surface, liquid water, and a blanketing atmosphere. But life thrived thanks to another necessary ingredient: the presence of a protective magnetic field. A new study of the young, Sun-like star Kappa Ceti shows that a magnetic field plays a key role in making a planet conducive to life.

Released: 16-Feb-2016 3:05 PM EST
Results of First Search for Visible Light Associated with Gravitational Waves
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Einstein's general theory of relativity predicts the emission of gravitational waves by massive celestial bodies moving though space-time. For the past century gravitational waves have eluded a direct detection, but now the LIGO Virgo Collaboration has announced the first direct detection of gravitational waves, emitted by a merging pair of black holes.

Released: 15-Dec-2015 2:05 PM EST
VERITAS Detects Gamma Rays From Galaxy Halfway Across the Visible Universe
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

In April 2015, after traveling for about half the age of the universe, a flood of powerful gamma rays from a distant galaxy slammed into Earth's atmosphere. That torrent generated a cascade of light - a shower that fell onto the waiting mirrors of the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) in Arizona. The resulting data have given astronomers a unique look into that faraway galaxy and the black hole engine at its heart.


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