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Stills from Rebecca Nealon protoplanetary disk simulation
Rocking shadows in protoplanetary discs
Astronomers from the University of Warwick reveal a new phenomenon dubbed the “rocking shadow” effect that describes how discs in forming planetary systems are oriented, and how they move around their host star. The effect also gives clues as to how...
A side by side composite of a patient's back showing a few moles (right), and the same moles in white on a black background (left), looking like stellar objects.
MoleGazer: Applying astronomy ideas to mole identification
Scientists are applying astronomical techniques to identify moles that may develop into the skin cancer melanoma. Astronomers regularly take images of the sky, producing software to map set targets over time. This technology is now being adapted to...
Image shows a grid of 35 different galaxies in ring like shapes, in faint blue colours.
Cyborg collaboration finds 40,000 ring galaxies
Human and machine intelligence worked together to find 40,000 ring galaxies, scientists at the National Astronomy Meeting will announce this week. Dr Mike Walmsley of the University of Manchester and the Galaxy Zoo collaboration will present the new...
Image of the Magellanic Cloud, a faint loosely bound galaxy in light blue colours.
Beyond the Clouds: Finding Galaxies Behind Galaxies
There are hundreds of billions of galaxies in the Universe, each containing billions of stars, and found in every part of the sky. But in some directions, nearby galaxies block the view of the more distant cosmos. Now a team from the University of...
The image shows the Earth and Sun in space, with the Earth surrounded by purple hued radiation belts.
Space weather will delay your trains
Fluctuations in space weather are disrupting train signals and causing significant delays. A project investigating the effect of solar storms on railway signals will be presented this week at the National Astronomy Meeting (NAM 2022) by Cameron...
An image of Dr Rebecca Smethurst, aka Dr Becky, on a backdrop of a composite image of different nebulae and galaxies.
Beating the system: engaging the “unreachable” on social media
Social media platforms are a ubiquitous communication tool, with nearly two billion people using Facebook every day, for example. But these platforms curate their offer, with neural networks using algorithms to recommend content to their users, using...
A bright, white light in the middle of the image surrounded by red hued filament structures and clouds.
Rewinding a supernova with machine learning
New work looks at using machine learning to decipher the early stages of supernovae explosions by reconstructing the light emitted during the outburst. The research was presented today at the 2022 National Astronomy Meeting by Eleonora Parrag, a PhD...
Orange hued nebulous clouds of dust and gas against a blue starry backdrop.
Royal Astronomical Society congratulates JWST team on new images
Astronomers at the 2022 National Astronomy Meeting today celebrated the release of new images and data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), following the release of the very first image from the telescope by President Biden on 11 July...
A large number of galaxies of different colours, shapes and sizes against the black backdrop of space. Galaxies in the middle of the image appear distorted due to gravitational lensing.
A message from the past: UK astronomers comment on the first JWST image
The first image from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was revealed last night (11 July) by US president, Joe Biden. The image, of a galaxy cluster called SMACS 0723, showcases the faint, intricate structures of extremely distant galaxies in the...
Image shows the Milky Way distorted by a large circular object that is a black hole.
Black Hole Hunters – A citizen science search for black hole self-lensing
A research team from the Open University and the University of Southampton is asking for the public’s help to find some of the most mysterious, elusive objects in the Universe – black holes. By examining data from the SuperWASP survey, the UK's...
Artist's impression shows a blue and white ocean covered planet with 2 small grey moons.
The life puzzle: the location of land on a planet can affect its habitability
New climate models have found that the amount and location of land on a planet’s surface can significantly impact its habitability. Astronomers have identified substantial differences in surface temperature, sea ice and water vapour across a planet’s...
The artist's impression shows a blue and white hued pulsar in the background and a large dark planet in the foreground.
Undead planets: the unusual conditions of the first exoplanet detection
The first ever exoplanets were discovered 30 years ago around a rapidly rotating star, called a pulsar. Now, astronomers have revealed that these planets may be incredibly rare. The new work will be presented tomorrow (Tuesday 12 July) at the...