There should be a lot of carbon in space, but surprisingly, it’s not always easy to find. While it can be observed in many places, it doesn’t add up to the volume astronomers would expect to see. The discovery of a new, complex molecule (1-cyanopyrene), challenges these expectations, about where the building blocks for carbon are found, and how they evolve.
An international team of astronomers has observed evidence that massive stars can be born from rapidly collapsing clouds of gas and dust, challenging long-held assumptions about star formation.
The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) is working with scientific, academic, and industry partners across the country to find solutions, as part of the NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins (NSF-Simons CosmicAI), a five-year program made possible by funding from the NSF and the Simons Foundation.
Scientists and engineers from the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) and Lonestar Data Holdings (Lonestar) are teaming up to explore the future of radio astronomy on Earth—and in space.