Flickers and flares: Milky Way’s central black hole constantly bubbles with light
JWST reveals ongoing, rapid-fire light show The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way appears to be having a party —...
News
A cosmic love story
Black holes’ spins align in a Valentine’s embrace Northwestern astrophysicists discovered that binary black holes — when formed in crowded clusters of stars —...
First fast radio burst traced to old, dead, elliptical galaxy
For the first time, astronomers have traced a fast radio burst (FRB) to the outskirts of an ancient, dead, elliptical galaxy — an unprecedented...
Young exoplanet’s atmosphere unexpectedly differs from its birthplace
New study shows planet formation might be more complicated than previously thought Just as some children physically resemble their parents, many scientists have long...
Northwestern joins Giant Magellan Telescope’s international consortium
Faculty will contribute expertise in astrophysics, engineering and artificial intelligence Northwestern University officially is a founding partner of the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), an enormous ground-based telescope currently...
Sky survey classifies more than 10,000 supernovae
Northwestern scientists help the Zwicky Transcient Facility’s record-breaking effort With contributions from Northwestern University astrophysicists, the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) astronomical survey officially has...
How we could warm Mars
A new idea among a rich history of proposals to make the surface of the cold planet habitable Ever since learning the surface of...
Dense, swirling winds help supermassive black holes grow
Newly uncovered process is similar to how stars and planets are born By studying nearby galaxy ESO320-G030, a Northwestern University-led team of international astronomers...
Sun’s magnetic field originates surprisingly close to the surface
New finding addresses a 400-year-old mystery, once explored by Galileo An international team of researchers, including Northwestern University engineers, is getting closer to solving...
Brightest gamma-ray burst of all time came from the collapse of a massive star
JWST observations show no sign of heavy elements In October 2022, an international team of researchers, including Northwestern University astrophysicists, observed the brightest gamma-ray burst...
First gravitational-wave detection of a mass-gap object merging with a neutron star
The ‘mass gap’ might be ‘less empty than previously thought,’ researcher says An international research collaboration, including Northwestern University astrophysicists, has detected the first...
Stellar collisions produce strange, zombie-like survivors
New research traces the fates of stars living near the Milky Way’s central black hole Despite their ancient ages, some stars orbiting the Milky...