News

New observations from the National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (NSF NRAO) Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (NSF VLA) provide compelling evidence supporting a universal mechanism for the collimation of astrophysical jets, regardless of their origin. A new study, published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, reveals the presence of a helical magnetic field within the HH 80-81 protostellar jet, a finding that mirrors similar structures observed in jets emanating from supermassive black holes.

A groundbreaking discovery has revealed the presence of a blazar—a supermassive black hole with a jet pointed directly at Earth—at an extraordinary redshift of 7.0. The object, designated VLASS J041009.05−013919.88 (J0410−0139), is the most distant blazar ever identified, providing a rare glimpse into the epoch of reionization when the universe was less than 800 million years old.

For the first time, astronomers using the High Sensitivity Array — a multi-facility network supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory — have observed evidence of magnetic filaments in the accretion disk surrounding a nearby galaxy’s supermassive black hole.

New cooperative work between the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) and SpaceX shows a way to share the radio spectrum between radio astronomers and industry.