Journal News

Earth-bound asteroids ‘could be tracked more precisely’ with new equation
drupal-media[data-view-mode=half_page_width] { display: inline-block; width: 50%; } Identifying asteroids on a potential collision course with Earth could be made easier thanks to an advancement in how to track their orbits more precisely…
2 MILLION mph galaxy smash-up seen in unprecedented detail
A massive collision of galaxies sparked by one travelling at a scarcely-believable 2 million mph (3.2 million km/h) has been seen in unprecedented detail by one of Earth's most powerful telescopes. The dramatic impact was observed in Stephan's Quint…
A formula for life? New model calculates chances of intelligent beings in our Universe and beyond
The chances of intelligent life emerging in our Universe – and in any hypothetical ones beyond it – can be estimated by a new theoretical model which has echoes of the famous Drake Equation. This was the formula that American astronomer Dr Frank Dra…
First picture of Milky Way black hole ‘may not be accurate’
drupal-media[data-view-mode=half_page_width] { display: inline-block; width: 50%; } The first picture of the supermassive black hole at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy may not be a true reflection of its appearance, new research suggest…
Webb discovers 'weird' galaxy with gas outshining its stars
The discovery of a "weird" and unprecedented galaxy in the early Universe could "help us understand how the cosmic story began", astronomers say. GS-NDG-9422 (9422) was found approximately one billion years after the Big Bang and stood out because…
Huge gamma-ray burst collection ‘rivals 250-year-old Messier catalogue’
Hundreds of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been recorded as part of an enormous global effort so extensive it "rivals the catalogue of deep-sky objects created by Messier 250 years ago", astronomers say. GRBs are the most violent explosions in the U…
Scorching storms on distant worlds revealed in new detail
Astronomers have created the most detailed weather report so far for two distant worlds beyond our own solar system. The international study – the first of its kind – reveals the extreme atmospheric conditions on the celestial objects, which are swa…
How the 'heart and lungs' of a galaxy extend its life
Galaxies avoid an early death because they have a "heart and lungs" which effectively regulate their "breathing" and prevent them growing out of control, a new study suggests. If they didn't, the Universe would have aged much faster than it has and…
MNRAS Student Prize
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS) is delighted to announce a new annual student prize for the best paper published in the journal by a student scientist. The winner will receive a cash prize and a certificate of recogni…
Rare 'exo-Venus' with Earth-like temperature discovered
Astronomers have made the rare and tantalising discovery of an Earth-like exoplanet 40 light-years away that may be just a little warmer than our own world. The potentially-habitable planet, named Gliese 12 b, orbits its host star every 12.8 days, i…
‘Swallowed’, torn up or live on: How Earth will fare when the Sun dies
Our solar system and everything within it - including the Earth - will look very different when the Sun dies. But whether the planet we call home is “swallowed” up by our dying star or manages to escape its clutches, only time will tell. The inner…