Category Astronomy/Space

In 2020, scientists reported the detection of hematite, an iron oxide mineral otherwise known as rust, distributed through the higher latitudes of the moon, particularly on the nearside. This came as a surprise, considering the low concentrations of oxygen—which is required for the formation of rust—on the moon. Researchers proposed several theories to account for the origins of the oxygen in moon rust, including the degassing of volatiles from lunar magma, asteroids, comets, or large impact events.

However, the only explanation that could account for the distribution patterns of the hematite was that oxyge...

An international collaboration of astronomers, including researchers from the University of Toronto, have detected the brightest Fast Radio Burst (FRB) to date—and have been able to pinpoint its location in a nearby galaxy by using a network of radio telescopes.

FRBs are extremely energetic flashes from distant sources from across the universe that are caused by extreme astrophysical phenomena...

A black hole is growing at one of the fastest rates ever recorded, according to a team of astronomers...

Rutgers researchers uncover “fingerprints” that show how these cosmic systems expand and evolve

A Rutgers-led team of scientists has uncovered evidence of how galaxies expand by tracing the invisible scaffolding of the universe created by a mysterious substance known as dark matter.

In a newly published study in Astrophysical Journal Letters, researchers used what they said are the largest-ever samples of special galaxies called Lyman-alpha emitters to study how galaxies clumped together over billions of years. In doing so, they gained an improved understanding of how galaxies relate to the surrounding dark matter and how they evolve over time.

“Analyzing these fingerprints gives us insight into the mass of dark matter surrounding the galaxies,” said Eric Gawiser, a Disti...