Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) were surprised to discover the very earliest phases of giant planet formation between the dense layers of gas and dust in the “Gomez’s Hamburger” system.
News
Radio Black Hole Trio Lights Up in Rare Galaxy Merger
Astronomers from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), in conjunction with scientists from the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA GSFC), using U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) instruments have confirmed the first known triple system in which all three galaxies host actively feeding, radio-bright supermassive black holes.
Super Massive Black Holes May Be Picky Eaters
When two massive, gas‑rich galaxies merge, gravity drives vast amounts of cold molecular gas toward the centers of both systems, where supermassive black holes (SMBHs) reside. These brief, turbulent phases can light up one or both black holes as active galactic nuclei (AGN), making them some of the most energetic objects in the universe. Yet, puzzlingly, not all merging galaxies host two actively feeding black holes; some show only one, while others seem to have no appetite.
NSF VLA and ALMA Reveal Time-Stamps of Star Birth in Dazzling Cosmic Jet
An international group of astronomers has uncovered the clearest evidence yet that the powerful jets launched by newborn stars dependably record a star’s most violent growing pains, confirming a long‑standing model of how these jets plow through their surroundings.