Tag: Astronomy

18th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics inaugurated in Mumbai

August 12, 2025 admin

Prof Arnab Bhattacharya, Prof Ajit Kembhavi, Chief guest Prof Ajay Kumar Sood, Prof Aniket Sule during the opening ceremony of 18th International Olymopiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on August 12, 2025. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI India is ensuring that technology is the priority for Viksit Bharat,…

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Astronomers spot asteroid that may be heading for the earth

February 5, 2025 admin

On 27 December last year, astronomers using the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile discovered a small asteroid moving away from Earth. Follow up observations have revealed that the asteroid, 2024 YR4, is on a path that might lead to a collision with our planet on December 22 2032. In other words, the newly-discovered space rock poses a significant impact…

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New study of supernovae calls dark energy’s existence into question

January 9, 2025 admin

The Crab Nebula, the result of a bright supernova explosion seen by Chinese and other astronomers in the year 1054, 6,500 light-years from Earth, is seen in an image taken by the James Webb Telescope on June 3, 2024. At its center is a neutron star, a super-dense star produced by the supernova. This image…

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Astronomers build galaxy-sized ‘detector’ to map universe’s vibrations

December 31, 2024 admin

Using the largest gravitational wave detector ever made, we have confirmed earlier reports that the fabric of the universe is constantly vibrating. This background rumble is likely caused by collisions between the enormous black holes that reside in the hearts of galaxies. The results from our detector – an array of rapidly spinning neutron stars…

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What Is Black Moon And How You Can Experience The Rare Phenomenon

December 29, 2024 admin

Skywatchers will have the opportunity to close out the year by experiencing a rare astronomical event known as the “black moon”. The fascinating-sounding term is often used to describe the second new moon that appears in a single calendar month. It is an occurrence that is not officially recognised in astronomy but over the years,…

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A World-First Discovery – Twin Stars Trapped Orbiting Galactic Black Hole

December 18, 2024 admin

At the centre of the Milky Way is a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A*. It is roughly 27,000 light years from Earth and 23.5 million kilometres in diameter. In a world first, a team of astronomers led by Florian Peißker from the University of Cologne, Germany, have discovered a binary star system orbiting this…

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Webb telescope confirms the universe is expanding at an unexpected rate

December 10, 2024 admin

Spiral galaxy NGC 628, located 32 million light-years away from Earth, is seen in an undated image from the James Webb Space Telescope. | Photo Credit: Reuters Fresh corroboration of the perplexing observation that the universe is expanding more rapidly than expected has scientists pondering the cause – perhaps some unknown factor involving the mysterious…

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Fast-Forming Alien Planet Has Astronomers Puzzled. Defies Current Understanding Of Physics

November 22, 2024 admin

Washington: Astronomers have spotted orbiting around a young star a newborn planet that took only 3 million years to form – quite swift in cosmic terms – in a discovery that challenges the current understanding of the speed of planetary formation. This infant world, estimated at around 10 to 20 times the mass of Earth,…

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Astronomers Observe Black Hole That May Have Formed Gently

October 29, 2024 admin

Washington: The conventional wisdom among astronomers is that black holes – those exceptionally dense objects with gravity so powerful that not even light can escape – form in the violent explosion, called a supernova, of a massive dying star. But some, it turns out, may be born in a gentler fashion. Researchers have identified a…

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3 Decades Later, First Brown Dwarf Ever Found Offers A Surprise

October 18, 2024 admin

Washington: In 1995, astronomers confirmed the discovery for the first time of a brown dwarf, a body too small to be a star and too big to be a planet – sort of a celestial tweener. But it turns out that was not the full story. Researchers now have taken a fresh look at that…

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