Research Highlights

WEAVE data overlaid on a James Webb Space Telescope image of Stephan's Quintet, with green contours showing radio data from LOFAR.
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...
Amount of stars (white) produced in universes with different dark energy densities. Clockwise, from top left, no dark energy, same dark energy density as in our Universe, 10 and 30 times the dark energy density in our Universe.
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...
Radio image of Sagittarius A* in the centre of the Milky Way galaxy.
First picture of Milky Way black hole ‘may not be accurate’
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 suggests. Astronomers led by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) say their analysis...
The newly-discovered GS-NDG-9422 galaxy appears as a faint blur in this James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) image.
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 it...
Gamma-ray bursts (like the one depicted in this artist’s impression) are the most violent explosions in the Universe, releasing more energy than the Sun would in 10 billion years.
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...
Satellite image showing a wadi crossing a road within part of the Zooniverse interface that allows the pictures to be marked.
From supernova-spotting to foiling floods
Astro-skills used to spot supernovas and spiral galaxies will soon be deployed in disaster relief efforts to help humanitarian aid workers in Sudan. The northeast African country endures recurring flooding which has killed hundreds of people and...
Scientists say it is now possible to predict the precise speed a coronal mass ejection (shown left in an artist's impression) is travelling at and when it will smash into Earth (bottom right moving in our direction) – even before it has fully erupted from the Sun (top right).
New dawn for space storm alerts could help shield Earth's tech
Space storms could soon be forecasted with greater accuracy than ever before thanks to a big leap forward in our understanding of exactly when a violent solar eruption may hit Earth. Scientists say it is now possible to predict the precise speed a...
Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) image of the big sunspot that occurred on 5 May 2024, in continuum intensity ('white light').
Early riser! The Sun is already starting its next solar cycle
The first rumblings of the Sun's next 11-year solar cycle have been detected in sound waves inside our home star – even though it is only halfway through its current one. This existing cycle is now at its peak, or 'solar maximum' - which is when the...
The transformers that are most ‘connected’ to the network throughout the storm and therefore may be locations of vulnerability when it comes to space weather.
Washington DC among US cities most vulnerable to space weather, scientists say
Several cities in the United States - including the nation's capital - have power grids particularly vulnerable to the threat of space weather – but experts are still trying to understand why. Researchers at the British Geological Survey (BGS) found...
In this image, the person on the left (Scarlett Johansson) is real, while the person on the right is AI-generated.
Want to spot a deepfake? Look for the stars in their eyes
In an era when the creation of artificial intelligence (AI) images is at the fingertips of the masses, the ability to detect fake pictures – particularly deepfakes of people – is becoming increasingly important. So what if you could tell just by...
Radio image of the S-shaped precessing jet launched by the neutron star in Circinus X-1.
'Garden sprinkler-like' jet seen shooting out of neutron star
A strange 'garden sprinkler-like' jet coming from a neutron star has been pictured for the first time. The S-shaped structure is created as the jet changes direction due to the wobbling of the disc of hot gas around the star – a process called...
An artist’s impression of the nearest brown dwarf to Earth.
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...