http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/galaxies/ News and research on the formation of galaxies. From the Milky Way to Andromeda Galaxy, see astronomy images of splendid galaxies in the universe. Read the latest research discoveries. en-us Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:05:02 EST Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:05:02 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/galaxies/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215123945.htm Astronomers have found a cluster of young, blue stars encircling the first intermediate-mass black hole ever discovered. The presence of the star cluster suggests that the black hole was once at the core of a now-disintegrated dwarf galaxy. The discovery of the black hole and the star cluster has important implications for understanding the evolution of supermassive black holes and galaxies. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215123945.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215123838.htm Astronomers have found a cluster of young blue stars surrounding a mid-sized black hole called HLX-1. The discovery suggests that the black hole formed in the core of a now-disintegrated dwarf galaxy. The findings have important implications for understanding the evolution of supermassive black holes and galaxies. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:38:38 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215123838.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214100815.htm Our Milky Way galaxy is surrounded by some 200 compact groups of stars, containing up to a million stars each. At 13 billion years of age, these globular clusters are almost as old as the universe itself and were born when the first generations of stars and galaxies formed. Now astronomers have conducted a novel type of computer simulation that looked at how they were born -- and they find that these giant clusters of stars are the only survivors of a 13-billion-year-old massacre that destroyed many of their smaller siblings. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214100815.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213143016.htm New images from the Planck mission show previously undiscovered islands of star formation and a mysterious haze of microwave emissions in our Milky Way galaxy. The views give scientists new treasures to mine and take them closer to understanding the secrets of our galaxy. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213143016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209100646.htm NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer, or Galex, was placed in standby mode Feb. 7, 2012 as engineers prepare to end mission operations, nearly nine years after the telescope's launch. The spacecraft is scheduled to be decommissioned -- taken out of service -- later this year. The mission extensively mapped large portions of the sky with sharp ultraviolet vision, cataloguing millions of galaxies spanning 10 billion years of cosmic time. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:06:06 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209100646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208133041.htm New images of a nearby dwarf galaxy have revealed a dense stream of stars in its outer regions, the remains of an even smaller companion galaxy in the process of merging with its host. The host galaxy, known as NGC 4449, is the smallest primary galaxy in which a stellar stream from an ongoing merger has been identified and studied in detail. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208133041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203092421.htm The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has taken a picture of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1073, which is found in the constellation of Cetus (The Sea Monster). Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is a similar barred spiral, and the study of galaxies such as NGC 1073 helps astronomers learn more about our celestial home. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203092421.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202150821.htm Astronomers aimed Hubble at one of the most striking examples of gravitational lensing, a nearly 90-degree arc of light in the galaxy cluster RCS2 032727-132623. Hubble's view of the distant background galaxy, which lies nearly 10 billion light-years away, is significantly more detailed than could ever be achieved without the help of the gravitational lens. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202150821.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202094328.htm The center of just about every galaxy is thought to host a black hole, some with masses of thousands of millions of Suns and consequently strong gravitational pulls that disrupt material around them. They had been thought to hinder the birth of stars, but now astronomers studying the nearby galaxy Centaurus A have found quite the opposite: a black hole that seems to be helping stars to form. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:43:43 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202094328.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131150828.htm Space scientists have described the first detailed analyses of captured interstellar neutral atoms -- raw material for the formation of new stars, planets and even human beings. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131150828.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131140114.htm A great magnetic bubble surrounds the solar system as it cruises through the galaxy. The sun pumps the inside of the bubble full of solar particles that stream out to the edge until they collide with the material that fills the rest of the galaxy, at a complex boundary called the heliosheath. On the other side of the boundary, electrically charged particles from the galactic wind blow by, but rebound off the heliosheath, never to enter the solar system. Neutral particles, on the other hand, are a different story. They saunter across the boundary as if it weren't there, continuing on another 7.5 billion miles for 30 years until they get caught by the sun's gravity, and sling shot around the star. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:01:01 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131140114.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130172410.htm Scientists have recently discovered that vast clouds of hot gas are "sloshing" in Abell 2052, a galaxy cluster located about 480 million light years from Earth. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130172410.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125091155.htm Astronomers have found the strongest link so far between the most powerful bursts of star formation in the early Universe, and the most massive galaxies found today. The galaxies, flowering with dramatic starbursts in the early Universe, saw the birth of new stars abruptly cut short, leaving them as massive — but passive — galaxies of aging stars in the present day. The astronomers also have a likely culprit for the sudden end to the starbursts: the emergence of supermassive black holes. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125091155.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118165143.htm Scientists have long struggled to detect the dim dwarf galaxies that orbit our own galaxy. So it came as a surprise on Jan. 18 when a team of astronomers using Keck II telescope's adaptive optics has announced the discovery of a dwarf galaxy halfway across the universe. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:51:51 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118165143.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111134058.htm Astronomers using the partially completed ALMA observatory have found compelling evidence for how star-forming galaxies evolve into 'red and dead' elliptical galaxies, catching a large group of galaxies right in the middle of this change. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111134058.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111133952.htm A new Hubble Space Telescope image centers on the 100-million-solar-mass black hole at the hub of the neighboring spiral galaxy M31, or the Andromeda galaxy, the only galaxy outside the Milky Way visible to the naked eye and the only other giant galaxy in the local group. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111133952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111133329.htm Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have solved a longstanding mystery of the type of star, or so-called progenitor, that caused a supernova in a nearby galaxy. The finding yields new observational data for pinpointing one of several scenarios that trigger such outbursts. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111133329.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111113727.htm Peering deep inside the hub of the neighboring Andromeda galaxy, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a large, rare population of hot, bright stars. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111113727.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110140423.htm An extremely hot, massive young galaxy cluster is the largest ever seen in the distant universe. The newly discovered galaxy cluster has been nicknamed El Gordo -- the "big" or "fat one" in Spanish. It consists of two separate galaxy subclusters colliding at several million kilometres per hour, and is so far away that its light has travelled for seven billion years to reach Earth. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:04:04 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110140423.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110114438.htm The collision of two clusters of galaxies 5 billion light years away could help astronomers better understand "dark matter," the invisible stuff that makes up a big chunk of our universe. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:44:44 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110114438.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110114332.htm NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a cluster of galaxies in the initial stages of construction — the most distant such grouping ever observed in the early universe. In a random sky survey made in near-infrared light, Hubble spied five tiny galaxies clustered together 13.1 billion light-years away. They are among the brightest galaxies at that epoch and very young, existing just 600 million years after the universe's birth in the big bang. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:43:43 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110114332.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111228084228.htm Given the incredible amounts of energy in a supernova explosion -- as much as the sun creates during its entire lifetime -- another erroneous doomsday theory is that such an explosion could happen in 2012 and harm life on Earth. However, given the vastness of space and the long times between supernovae, astronomers can say with certainty that there is no threatening star close enough to hurt Earth. Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:42:42 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111228084228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111228084059.htm One of the most bizarre theories about 2012 has built up with very little attention to facts. This idea holds that a cosmic alignment of the sun, Earth, the center of our galaxy -- or perhaps the galaxy's thick dust clouds -- on the winter solstice could for some unknown reason lead to destruction. Such alignments can occur but these are a regular occurrence and can cause no harm (and, indeed, will not even be at its closest alignment during the 2012 solstice.) Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111228084059.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221211227.htm Astronomers have discovered that one of the most distant galaxies known is churning out stars at a shockingly high rate. The blob-shaped galaxy, called GN-108036, is the brightest galaxy found to date at such great distances and is 12.9 billion light-years away. Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:12:12 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221211227.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111219102052.htm A new statistical study sheds light on the so-called 'ultra-compact dwarf galaxies' (UCDs). A team of astronomers has investigated how many of these UCDs exist in nearby galaxy clusters and groups. They show that the properties of UCDs match those of bright star clusters. Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:20:20 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111219102052.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215094801.htm The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) has captured the beauty of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 253. The new portrait is probably the most detailed wide-field view of this object and its surroundings ever taken. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215094801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214135741.htm A team of scientists has observed the early stages of a Type Ia supernova that is only 21 million light years away from Earth -- the closest of its kind discovered in 25 years. The team's detection of a supernova less than half a day after it exploded will refine and challenge our understanding of these stellar phenomena. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214135741.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214135739.htm Astronomers have observed a cloud of gas several times the mass of Earth approaching the 4.3 million solar-mass black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and calculate that it will not survive the encounter. Astronomers calculate that by 2013, the cloud will be shredded and heated, emitting X-rays. The violent event provides a unique opportunity to record a black hole disruption until now only theorized. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214135739.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214135649.htm Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope have discovered a gas cloud with several times the mass of Earth accelerating fast towards the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. This is the first time ever that the approach of such a doomed cloud to a supermassive black hole has been observed. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214135649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111212124557.htm Researchers have discovered what caused the rapid growth of early supermassive black holes -- a steady diet of cold, fast food. Computer simulations show that thin streams of cold gas flow uncontrolled into the center of the first black holes, causing them to grow faster than anything else in the universe. Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:45:45 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111212124557.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111206115258.htm Astronomers recently discovered the most massive black holes to date. Found in two separate nearby galaxies roughly 300 million light years away from Earth, each black hole has a mass equivalent to 10 billion suns. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:52:52 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111206115258.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111206082759.htm An international group of astronomers has discovered extraordinary long one-sided gaseous tails in two groups of galaxies that are amongst the longest structures ever observed in such environments. The tails emanate from CGCG 097-026 and FGC1287, two spiral galaxies in small groups in the outskirts of the galaxy cluster known as Abell 1367 in the constellation of Leo, at a distance of 300 million light years. The new work could lead to a major shift in our understanding of galaxy evolution. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111206082759.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111206082557.htm With a unique new all-sky map, scientists have made significant progress toward measuring the magnetic field structure of the Milky Way in unprecedented detail. Specifically, the map is of a quantity known as Faraday depth, which among other things, depends strongly on the magnetic fields along a particular line of sight. To produce the map, data were combined from more than 41,000 individual measurements using a novel image reconstruction technique. The new map not only reveals the structure of the galactic magnetic field on large scales, but also small-scale features that provide information about turbulence in the galactic gas. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111206082557.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140609.htm Astronomers using the Keck, Gemini and MacDonald observatories have discovered the largest black holes to date: Two monsters with masses equivalent to 10 billion suns that are threatening to consume anything, even light, within a region five times the size of our solar system. These monsters may be the remains of quasars that brightened the early universe. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:06:06 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111202091001.htm Astronomers have found the most numerous batch of young, supermassive stars yet observed in our galaxy: hundreds of thousands of stars, including several hundreds of the most massive kind -blue stars dozens of times heavier than our Sun. The light these newborn stars emit is so intense it has pushed out and heated the gas that gave them birth, carving out a glowing hollow shell about a hundred light-years across. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:10:10 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111202091001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201125358.htm In the distant reaches of the universe, almost 13 billion light-years from Earth, a strange species of galaxy lay hidden. Cloaked in dust and dimmed by the intervening distance, even the Hubble Space Telescope couldn't spy it. It took the revealing power of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to uncover not one, but four remarkably red galaxies. And while astronomers can describe the members of this new "species," they can't explain what makes them so ruddy. Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:53:53 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201125358.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130142228.htm An otherwise nondescript binary star system in the Whirlpool Galaxy has brought astronomers tantalizingly close to their goal of observing a star just before it goes supernova. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130142228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130141901.htm An international team of astronomers has mapped in detail the star-birthing regions of the nearest star-forming galaxy to our own, a step toward understanding the conditions surrounding star creation. They found a large number of relatively low-mass clouds of molecular hydrogen -- material for star forming -- and found a correlation between young massive stars and molecular clouds. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130141901.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129193115.htm The Milky Way galaxy continues to devour its small neighboring dwarf galaxies and the evidence is spread out across the sky. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129193115.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128174526.htm The constellation Cygnus, now visible in the western sky as twilight deepens after sunset, hosts one of our galaxy's richest-known stellar construction zones. Astronomers viewing the region at visible wavelengths see only hints of this spectacular activity thanks to a veil of nearby dust clouds forming the Great Rift, a dark lane that splits the Milky Way, a faint band of light marking our galaxy's central plane. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:45:45 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128174526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111117202941.htm New observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope are expanding astronomers' understanding of the ways in which galaxies continuously recycle immense volumes of hydrogen gas and heavy elements. This process allows galaxies to build successive generations of stars stretching over billions of years. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111117202941.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111117144005.htm New, high-precision equipment orbiting Earth aboard the Hubble Space Telescope is now sending such rich data back to astronomers, some feel they are crossing the final frontier toward understanding galaxy evolution. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111117144005.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116132119.htm Astronomers have, for the first time, measured the alignment of magnetic fields in gigantic clouds of gas and dust in a distant galaxy. Their results suggest that such magnetic fields play a key role in channeling matter to form denser clouds, and thus in setting the stage for the birth of new stars. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:21:21 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116132119.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111115095911.htm Some of Milky Way's 'stellar fossils' -- our galaxy's oldest stars -- contain abnormally large amounts of heavy elements like gold, platinum and uranium. This has been a mystery, since it's usually seen in much later generations of stars. Researchers have been studying these ancient stars and with recent observations they have concluded how they could have been formed in the early history of the Milky Way. Tue, 15 Nov 2011 09:59:59 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111115095911.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111113232115.htm The star-forming region 30 Doradus is one of the largest located close to the Milky Way and is found in the neighboring galaxy Large Magellanic Cloud. About 2,400 massive stars in the center of 30 Doradus, also known as the Tarantula Nebula, are producing intense radiation and powerful winds as they blow off material. Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:21:21 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111113232115.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110094842.htm Using its infrared vision to peer nine billion years back in time, astronomers have uncovered an extraordinary population of tiny, young galaxies that are brimming with star formation. Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110094842.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111104091652.htm Scientists have observed a quasar accretion disk -- a glowing disk of matter that is slowly being sucked into its galaxy's central black hole. Their study makes use of a novel technique that uses gravitational lensing to give an immense boost to the power of the telescope. The precision of the method has allowed astronomers to directly measure the disk's size and temperature across different parts of the disk. Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111104091652.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111103081405.htm The reddest galaxies with the largest central bulb show the largest bars -- gigantic central columns of stars and dark matter -- according to a scientific study that used Google Maps to observe the sky. A group of volunteers of more than 200,000 participants of the galaxy classification project Galaxy Zoo contributed to this research. Thu, 03 Nov 2011 08:14:14 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111103081405.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102092929.htm Astronomers have used the brief but brilliant light of a distant gamma-ray burst as a probe to study the make-up of very distant galaxies. Surprisingly the new observations revealed two galaxies in the young Universe that are richer in the heavier chemical elements than the Sun. The two galaxies may be in the process of merging. Such events in the early Universe will drive the formation of many new stars and may be the trigger for gamma-ray bursts. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102092929.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102082755.htm Astronomers have used the light of a distant gamma-ray burst as a probe to study the make-up of very distant galaxies. The new observations, made with ESO's Very Large Telescope, have revealed two galaxies in the young Universe that are richer in the heavier chemical elements than the Sun. The two galaxies may be in the process of merging. Such events will drive the formation of stars and may be the trigger for gamma-ray bursts. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:27:27 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102082755.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028082003.htm Fat doughnut-shaped dust shrouds that obscure about half of supermassive black holes could be the result of high speed crashes between planets and asteroids, according to a new theory from an international team of astronomers. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028082003.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027173542.htm A new analysis of Hubble surveys, combined with simulations of galaxy interactions, reveals that the merger rate of galaxies over the last 8 billion to 9 billion years falls between the previous estimates. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:35:35 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027173542.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027112325.htm A new analysis of images from the Hubble Space Telescope combined with supercomputer simulations of galaxy collisions has cleared up years of confusion about the rate at which smaller galaxies merge to form bigger ones. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:23:23 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027112325.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111020024145.htm Two newly discovered globular clusters have been added to the total of just 158 known globular clusters in our Milky Way. They were found in new images from ESO's VISTA survey telescope as part of the Via Lactea survey. This survey has also turned up the first star cluster that is far beyond the center of the Milky Way and whose light has had to travel right through the dust and gas in the heart of our galaxy to get to us. Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:41:41 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111020024145.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111018214618.htm In the Pinwheel Galaxy some 21 million light years from Earth, a supernova beams brightly, out-shining its cosmic neighbors and causing a stir among starwatchers. Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:46:46 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111018214618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111018092155.htm Researchers have revealed for the first time the existence of a new signature of the birth of the first stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. More than 12 billion years ago, the intense ultraviolet light from these stars dispersed the gas of our Galaxy's nearest companions, virtually putting a halt to their ability to form stars and consigning them to a dim future. Now astronomers have explained why some galaxies were killed off, while stars continued to form in more distant objects. Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111018092155.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111017124344.htm Like all galaxies, our Milky Way is home to a strange substance called dark matter. Dark matter is invisible, betraying its presence only through its gravitational pull. Without dark matter holding them together, our galaxy's speedy stars would fly off in all directions. The nature of dark matter is a mystery -- a mystery that a new study has only deepened. Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:43:43 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111017124344.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111013091348.htm The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has been used to make an image of galaxy cluster MACS J1206.2-0847. The apparently distorted shapes of distant galaxies in the background is caused by an invisible substance called dark matter, whose gravity bends and distorts their light rays. MACS 1206 has been observed as part of a new survey of galaxy clusters using Hubble. Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111013091348.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111011171558.htm Some supermassive black holes power luminous, rapidly growing objects called active galactic nuclei (AGN) that gather and condense enormous quantities of matter. Because astronomers had seen these objects primarily in massive, old galaxies with aging stars, many thought AGN might help to end the formation of new stars, though the evidence was always circumstantial. Now, a new survey has found AGN in all kinds of galaxies, including young, star-making factories. Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:15:15 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111011171558.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111011102010.htm Astrophysicists have found evidence of black holes destroying stars, a long-sought phenomenon that provides a new window into general relativity. The research also opens up a method to search for the possible existence of a large population of presently undetectable "intermediate mass" black holes which are hypothesized to be precursors to the super-massive black holes at the centers of most large galaxies. Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111011102010.htm