Category Astronomy/Space

(Left) Galaxy cluster MACS J1206 observed with the Subaru Telescope. (Right) Magnified image of the left by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA/ESA, Umetsu et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 56

Analysis of gravitational lensing data by an international research team reveals that the evolution of galaxy clusters is dictated by a surprisingly simple law, which clearly shows that they are still growing. Using observational data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Subaru Telescope, the size and mass of galaxy clusters have precisely been measured. The newfound law will serve as a tool to clarify the evolutionary history of clusters and the universe.

Galaxy clusters are the largest celestial body in the Universe...

Meteorite sample. Credit: © 2018 EPFL / Hillary Sanctuary

Using transmission electron microscopy, EPFL scientists have examined a slice from a meteorite that contains large diamonds formed at high pressure. The study shows that the parent body from which the meteorite came was a planetary embryo of a size between Mercury and Mars. The discovery is published in Nature Communications.

On October 7, 2008, an asteroid entered Earth’s atmospahere and exploded 37 km above the Nubian Desert in Sudan. The asteroid, now known as “2008 TC3,” was just over four meters in diameter. When it exploded in the atmosphere, it scattered multiple fragments across the desert. Only fifty fragments, ranging in size from 1-10 cm, were collected, for a total mass of 4.5 kg...

This is a long-exposure image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope of massive galaxy cluster Abell 2744. It shows some of the faintest and youngest galaxies detected in space. Credit: NASA/ESA/STScI

A new international study involving ANU and Sydney University has found that galaxies grow bigger and puffier as they age. Professor Matthew Colless from ANU said that stars in a young galaxy moved in an orderly way around the galaxy’s disk, much like cars around a racetrack...