Category Astronomy/Space

A team of researchers has observed the brightest ultra metal-poor star ever discovered. Credit: ESO/Beletsky/DSS1 + DSS2 + 2MASS

A team of researchers has observed the brightest ultra metal-poor star ever discovered. The star is a rare relic from the Milky Way’s formative years. As such, it offers astronomers a precious opportunity to explore the origin of the first stars that sprung to life within our galaxy and the universe.

A Brazilian-American team used 2 of European Southern Observatory’s telescopes in Chile to discover this star, named 2MASS J18082002-5104378. The star was spotted in 2014 using ESO’s New Technology Telescope...

These images show UV-induced morphological changes of multinucleated giant cells, unprotected and protected by the group’s UV absorber. Credit: Shifeng Zhou/ South China University of Technology

A special metal oxide glass created by researchers in China can help protect living cells by absorbing and blocking damaging ultraviolet rays. It could be used in several applications, including as a protective shield for electronic instruments in space. The researchers used a metal oxide – cerium (IV) oxide (CeO2) – well-known for its ability to absorb UV photons to craft the composite glass-based UV absorber.

Other key features of the final composite material are optical transparency of the glass and ability to suppress the separation of photo-generated electrons and holes...

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the star cluster Trumpler 14. One of the largest gatherings of hot, massive and bright stars in the Milky Way, this cluster houses some of the most luminous stars in our entire galaxy. Credit: NASA & ESA, Jesús Maíz Apellániz (Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia)

When single stars join forces, they create truly breathtaking scenes to rival even the most glowing of nebulae or swirling of galaxies. A new image features the star cluster Trumpler 14. One of the largest gatherings of hot, massive and bright stars in the Milky Way, this cluster houses some of the most luminous stars in our entire galaxy.

Around 1100 open clusters have so far been discovered within the Milky Way, although many more are thought to exist...

CSIRO’s Compact Array in Australia is shown under the night lights of the Milky Way. Credit: Alex Cherney

Invisible structures shaped like noodles, lasagne sheets or hazelnuts could be floating around in our Galaxy radically challenging our understanding of gas conditions in the Milky Way. Astronomers say the structures appear to be ‘lumps’ in the thin gas that lies between the stars in our Galaxy.”They could radically change ideas about this interstellar gas, which is the Galaxy’s star recycling depot, housing material from old stars that will be refashioned into new ones,” Dr Bannister said.

Dr Bannister and his colleagues described breakthrough observations of one of these ‘lumps’ that have allowed them to make the first estimate of its shape...