Star Cluster

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  New Study Challenges Presence of Intermediate-Mass Black Hole in Omega Centauri

  Research published in Astronomy & Astrophysics revises earlier claims of an intermediate-mass black hole in Omega Centauri. Observed stellar velocities in the dense star cluster are now attributed to stellar-mass black holes. Pulsar data enabled scientists to refine their methods for detecting gravitational fields, offering deeper insights into the...

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  James Webb and Chandra Capture Images of Star Clusters in Distant Galaxies

  NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory have unveiled stunning new images of two star clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud. NGC 602, located approximately 200,000 light-years from Earth, showcases active star formation, with dust clouds and ionised gas revealing unique stellar birth conditions. Meanwhile, NGC 2264 featur...

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  SpaceX Launches Two SES Communication Satellites on December 17 with Successful Recovery

  On December 17, SpaceX successfully launched two communication satellites for SES, marking the second mission of the day. The O3b mPOWER 7 and 8 satellites were deployed into medium Earth orbit (MEO) approximately 5,000 miles above Earth. The Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage successfully returned to Earth after launch, landing on the Just Read the I...

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  Webb Telescope Confirms Planet-Forming Disks Last Longer in Early Universe

  The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed that planet-forming disks around stars in the early universe lasted far longer than previously believed. By studying NGC 346, a star cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud, Webb observed disks surviving for 20–30 million years, challenging current models. This discovery suggests that low-metal environmen...

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  NASA’s Webb Telescope Reveals Firefly Sparkle, a Milky Way-Like Galaxy

  The James Webb Space Telescope has captured the Firefly Sparkle galaxy, existing 600 million years after the Big Bang. This rare discovery showcases a galaxy similar in mass to the Milky Way during its early years. Unprecedented details were revealed using gravitational lensing and infrared imaging, highlighting 10 distinct star clusters within Fir...

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  James Webb Telescope Uncovers 'Baby Milky Way' Galaxy Actively Shaping The Early Universe

  This galaxy, which is stretched and magnified, glitters with 10 distinct star clusters that formed at different times.

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  James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Unique Features of Westerlund 1 Star Cluster

  The James Webb Space Telescope has captured groundbreaking images of Westerlund 1, a supermassive star cluster located 12,000 light-years away. The new findings offer a closer look at star formation processes, particularly the discovery of brown dwarfs, and highlight the role of energetic radiation in shaping planetary environments.

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  Hubble Telescope Captures Image of Merging Galaxies in Coma Cluster, 390 Million Light-Years Away

  NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have shared an image of two galaxies, MCG+05-31-045, interacting within the Coma Cluster. Located 390 million light-years away, the pair is in the midst of a cosmic merger. As the smaller galaxy is pulled into the larger one, a new wave of star formation is expected. Over time, the galaxies will likely evolv...

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  James Webb Telescope Uncovers First Possible Brown Dwarfs Beyond Milky Way

  The James Webb Space Telescope has possibly identified brown dwarfs beyond the Milky Way for the first time, offering new insights into how stars formed in the early universe. Located in the star cluster NGC 602 within the Small Magellanic Cloud, these “failed stars” may help explain star formation under early cosmic conditions. This discovery,...

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  Astronomers Successfully Detect Brown Dwarfs in a Distant Star Cluster

  For the first time, astronomers have detected brown dwarfs outside the Milky Way in the star cluster NGC 602, situated approximately 200,000 light-years away in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Utilising the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the team sought young brown dwarf candidates in an environment that resembles the early universe, with limited h...

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  James Webb Telescope Reveals Massive Westerlund 1 Super Star Cluster Hidden in Milky Way’s Dust

  The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has unveiled Westerlund 1, the Milky Way’s largest super star cluster, located 12,000 light-years away in the constellation Ara. This massive cluster, with stars up to 2,000 times larger than the Sun, has a total mass between 50,000 to 100,000 times that of the Sun. Previously hidden by cosmic dust, Westerlun...

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  NASA Citizen Scientists Discover Mysterious Object Moving out of Milky Way at an Extremely High Speed

  On August 15, 2024, NASA’s Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project, featuring the contributions of dedicated citizen scientists, made a groundbreaking discovery: an object moving at an astonishing speed of 1 million miles per hour, which will soon escape the gravitational pull of the Milky Way. This hypervelocity object, catalogued as CWISE J124909.08+...

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  A Galactic 'Comet' Terzan 5 Just Illuminated A 100-Year-Old Cosmic Mystery

  When my colleagues and I set to work on a century-old cosmic mystery, we found an unexpected celestial laboratory in Terzan 5, a dense star cluster currently plunging through our galaxy at breakneck speed.

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  Rare Mid-Sized Black Hole Spotted At Center Of Swallowed Galaxy: Study

  Astronomers have scrutinized a cluster of stars that is the apparent remnant core of a relatively small galaxy that was swallowed by the sprawling Milky Way 8 to 10 billion years ago. What lurks at the center of this cluster has them excited.

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  Star Clusters Formed 460 Million Years After Big Bang Discovered By James Webb Telescope

  "This is the first discovery of star clusters in an infant galaxy less than 500 million years after the Big Bang," ESA said in a statement.