Tag: Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array

Betelgeuse is ‘fainting’ but (probably) not about to explode

The well-known bright star Betelgeuse – a red giant star, famous for its name and for the fact that it’ll explode someday – has become noticeably dimmer since late October. Here’s what astronomers think is happening. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/betelgeuse-fainting-probably-not-about-to-explode…

Carbon cocoons surround growing galaxies—ALMA spots earliest environment pollution in the universe

Researchers have discovered gigantic clouds of gaseous carbon spanning more than a radius of 30,000 light-years around young galaxies using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). This is the first confirmation that carbon atoms produced inside of stars in the early universe have spread beyond galaxies. No theoretical studies have predicted such huge carbon cocoons around growing galaxies, which raises questions…

ALMA spots most distant dusty galaxy hidden in plain sight

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have spotted the light of a massive galaxy seen only 970 million years after the Big Bang. This galaxy, called MAMBO-9, is the most distant dusty star-forming galaxy that has ever been observed without the help of a gravitational lens. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-12-alma-distant-dusty-galaxy-hidden.html…

Two cosmic peacocks show violent history of the magellanic clouds

Two peacock-shaped gaseous clouds were revealed in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) by observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). A team of astronomers found several massive baby stars in the complex filamentary clouds, which agrees well with computer simulations of giant collisions of gaseous clouds. The researchers interpret this to mean that the filaments and young stars are telltale…

Dusty star-forming galaxy MAMBO-9 investigated in detail

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international team of astronomers has conducted detailed observations of the dusty star-forming galaxy MMJ100026.36+021527.9, better known as MAMBO-9. The study, described in a paper published October 29 on arXiv.org, provides physical characterization of this galaxy, shedding more light on its nature. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-11-dusty-star-forming-galaxy-mambo-.html…

Spiral arms in a young accretion disk around a baby star

An international research team, led by Chin-Fei Lee at the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA, Taiwan), has detected a pair of spiral arms in an accretion disk around a protostar (baby star), using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Interestingly, these spiral density enhancements make the disk appear like a “space whirlpool.” The finding not only supports current…

Gas ‘waterfalls’ reveal infant planets around young star

The birthplaces of planets are disks made out of gas and dust. Astronomers study these so-called protoplanetary disks to understand the processes of planet formation. Beautiful images of disks made with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) how distinct gaps and ring features in dust, which may be caused by infant planets. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-10-cascades-gas-young-star-early.html…

Going against the flow around a supermassive black hole

At the center of a galaxy called NGC 1068, a supermassive black hole hides within a thick doughnut-shaped cloud of dust and gas. When astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to study this cloud in more detail, they made an unexpected discovery that could explain why supermassive black holes grew so rapidly in the early Universe. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-10-supermassive-black-hole.html…

ALMA images show what’s happening beneath Jupiter’s storms

New radio images made with the ALMA telescope provide a look at what’s going on beneath Jupiter’s colorful storms and swirling clouds. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/image-shows-whats-inside-jupiters-storms…