All posts tagged: hubble space telescope

Researchers Spot Unusual, Overmassive Globular Clusters in Ultra-Diffuse Galaxy FCC 224

Researchers Spot Unusual, Overmassive Globular Clusters in Ultra-Diffuse Galaxy FCC 224

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A team of researchers has observed an ultra-diffuse galaxy, FCC 224, uncovering an unusual system of globular clusters. The galaxy, located in the Fornax cluster approximately 65 million light-years away, has been found to host luminous and overmassive globular clusters. The study, conducted using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and supported by spectroscopic data from the Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI), has provided insights into the formation and evolution of this galaxy and its star clusters. The findings indicate a single-burst star formation history, with the globular clusters displaying unique characteristics in terms of mass, size, and brightness distribution. Overmassive Globular Cluster System Identified According to the study published on the arXiv pre-print server, FCC 224 is a quiescent ultra-diffuse galaxy estimated to be around 10 billion years old. It has a major axis effective radius of roughly 6,160 light-years and a stellar mass of approximately 200 million solar masses. Observations have revealed that the galaxy hosts 12 exceptionally bright globular clusters, with some showing absolute magnitudes around -9.0 mag. The total mass of these …

Coma Cluster’s Distance Closer Than Predicted, Amplifying Hubble Tension Crisis

Coma Cluster’s Distance Closer Than Predicted, Amplifying Hubble Tension Crisis

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The mystery surrounding the Hubble tension has intensified following new findings indicating that the Coma Cluster of galaxies is 38 million light-years closer than predicted by standard cosmological models. The Hubble tension refers to a persistent discrepancy between the universe’s expansion rate as measured in the modern era and the rate predicted based on observations of the early universe. This ongoing issue has now been described as a crisis, underscoring its potential implications for the foundations of cosmology. Discrepancies in Measurements Highlight the Issue According to a study, which was led by Dan Scolnic of Duke University and Adam Riess of Johns Hopkins University, type Ia supernova explosions observed in the Coma Cluster reveal that the cluster is significantly closer to Earth than models suggest. The findings, which anchor their data to Hubble Space Telescope observations, point to a calculated distance of 321 million light-years. This figure deviates from the 359 million light-years predicted by the standard model, which incorporates the Hubble–Lemaître law and observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The Hubble Tension Explained …

Hubble’s Detailed Andromeda Galaxy Mosaic Sheds Light on Its Past and Evolution

Hubble’s Detailed Andromeda Galaxy Mosaic Sheds Light on Its Past and Evolution

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NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured an extraordinary mosaic image of the Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31, offering unprecedented detail into its structure and history. The photomosaic, the largest of its kind, spans a width equivalent to six times the apparent diameter of the Moon. The galaxy, located 2.5 million light-years from Earth, is tilted nearly edge-on and appears as a vast oval. The intricate image reveals over 200 million stars, colourful regions and dark, filamentary clouds wrapping the galaxy’s disk. According to the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT) The northern half of the galaxy was mapped over a decade through ultraviolet, visible and infrared wavelengths. Published in The Astrophysical Journal, the subsequent Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Southern Treasury (PHAST) expanded this work to the southern half. Led by Zhuo Chen of the University of Washington, this research focused on structural differences and the galaxy’s merger history, adding observations of approximately 100 million stars. A Unique Evolutionary Path Reports indicate that Andromeda’s history is markedly different from the Milky Way’s, despite both galaxies forming …

NASA’s Hubble and New Horizons Collaborate for Uranus Observation, Shedding Light on Exoplanet Imaging

NASA’s Hubble and New Horizons Collaborate for Uranus Observation, Shedding Light on Exoplanet Imaging

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NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and New Horizons spacecraft have joined forces to observe Uranus, a planet known for its mysterious atmosphere. Hubble, from its position in low-Earth orbit, captured detailed images of Uranus‘ atmosphere, including clouds and storms, while New Horizons, located 6.5 billion miles away, observed the planet as a small dot. These combined observations offer astronomers important insights into imaging distant exoplanets around other stars, providing essential context for future missions. A Unique Perspective on Exoplanet Imaging Lead author Samantha Hasler from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who works with the New Horizons team, explained that the collaboration between these two spacecrafts serves as a test case for observing distant exoplanets. Hubble’s close-up view of Uranus, in combination with New Horizons’ distant observation, helps researchers learn how gas giants similar to Uranus might appear when observed from light-years away. Valuable Insights for Future Missions The observations revealed that Uranus was dimmer than predicted in New Horizons’ data, providing a new understanding of how light is reflected at different angles. This discovery has significant …

NASA Hubble Space Telescope Finds a High Number of Black Holes in the Early Universe

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An international team of researchers, led by scientists from Stockholm University’s Department of Astronomy, has discovered a higher number of black holes in the early universe than was previously recorded. Using the NASA Hubble Space Telescope, this team found black holes among faint galaxies formed shortly after the Big Bang event. These findings may help scientists understand how supermassive black holes were formed and the role they play in the evolution of galaxies. Hubble’s data was gathered from years of observations of the Ultra Deep Field region. Supermassive Black Holes Found in Distant Galaxies One of the key discoveries was the presence of supermassive black holes at the centre of several galaxies formed less than a billion years after the big bang. These black holes have masses equivalent to billions of suns, far larger than what scientists initially predicted. Alice Young, a PhD student from Stockholm University and a co-author of the study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, noted that these black holes either formed as extremely massive objects or grew rapidly in the …

Mars Loses Water Faster When Closer to the Sun, New Hubble and MAVEN Study Shows

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New research from the Hubble Space Telescope and NASA‘s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission reveals that Mars sheds water more quickly when it is closest to the Sun. These seasonal changes are tied to the planet’s orbit, where the increased solar heating during perihelion accelerates the escape of hydrogen atoms from Mars’ atmosphere. Over three billion years ago, Mars was warm and rich in water, but today, it has lost most of its water, transforming into a dry, desolate world. Seasonal Effects on Water Loss According to John Clarke from Boston University, Mars loses water in two main ways: freezing into the ground or breaking into atoms and escaping into space. The planet still retains some water in its underground reservoirs and ice caps, but much of it has been lost over time. During the Martian summer, water vapour rises into the upper atmosphere, where solar radiation splits water molecules. The hydrogen atoms then escape into space, carried by the solar wind. Hubble and MAVEN’s New Observations The collaboration between Hubble and MAVEN …