A new study using the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Very Large Array and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array shows compelling new evidence that Betelgeuse’s atmosphere is being actively perturbed by the aforementioned close-in stellar companion.
The NSF Very Large Array Helps Reveal Record-Breaking Stream of Super-Heated Gas from Nearby Galaxy
Recent News
Cosmic “Hamburger” Has the Secret Ingredients (For Giant Planet Formation, That Is)
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, referred to as GoHam.
Professor John E. Carlstrom Delivers 2026 NSF NRAO Jansky Lectures
Carlstrom will present his talk: “What Do We Know About The Big Bang?” to the public on three dates, along with a recording that will be shared on the NSF NRAO’s YouTube channel.
The NSF Very Large Array Helps Reveal Record-Breaking Stream of Super-Heated Gas from Nearby Galaxy
Astronomers using the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array (NSF VLA), together with the NASA James Webb Space Telescope and other observatories, have identified an enormous, galaxy-scale stream of super-heated gas erupting from the nearby galaxy VV 340a. New radio images from the NSF VLA trace a pair of powerful plasma jets launched by the galaxy’s central supermassive black hole, which appear to be driving hot coronal gas out of the galaxy and shutting down future star formation.
VV 340a lies relatively close in cosmic terms, giving astronomers an unprecedented, multiwavelength look at how radio jets from a feeding black hole can carve through a galaxy’s disk, stir up its gas, and limit its ability to grow new stars. In VV 340a, the jets extend on kiloparsec scales and follow a helical path, clear evidence that they slowly change direction over time in a process known as jet precession. This is the first time astronomers have seen a precessing, kiloparsec-scale radio jet in a disk galaxy driving such a massive, coherent outflow of coronal gas.
Operated by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) the NSF VLA is one of the world’s most versatile and powerful radio observatories and was essential for revealing the structure and impact of VV 340a’s jets. This result was presented on Thursday, January 8, 2026 at the 247th American Astronomical Society Conference. Read the full press release.
About NRAO
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Media Contact:
Corrina C. Jaramillo Feldman
Sr. Public Information Officer
VLA, VLBA, ngVLA
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This news article was originally published on the NRAO website on January 8, 2026.
Recent News
What Lurks Within the Shadows of Betelgeuse?
A new study using the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Very Large Array and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array shows compelling new evidence that Betelgeuse’s atmosphere is being actively perturbed by the aforementioned close-in stellar companion.
Cosmic “Hamburger” Has the Secret Ingredients (For Giant Planet Formation, That Is)
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, referred to as GoHam.
Professor John E. Carlstrom Delivers 2026 NSF NRAO Jansky Lectures
Carlstrom will present his talk: “What Do We Know About The Big Bang?” to the public on three dates, along with a recording that will be shared on the NSF NRAO’s YouTube channel.