galaxies
The JWST is Forcing Astronomers to Rethink Early Galaxies
The JWST has surprised astronomers again. Contrary to our existing understanding, the JWST showed us that the early Universe was…
The Race to Find the Farthest Galaxy Continues
The very early Universe was a busy place, particularly when stars and galaxies began to form. Astronomers eagerly search for…
Galaxies Breathe Gas, and When They Stop, No More Stars Form
For most of the history of astronomy, all we could see were stars. We could see them individually, in clusters,…
Polar Ring Galaxies Are Bizarre and Rare. Astronomers Just Found Two More
Many galaxies resemble the Milky Way, with billions of stars organized into a rotating, rotating spiral. There are other irregular…
A Collision Between Gigantic Galaxy Clusters. Too Big, Too Early
Just when cosmologists have a workable theory for when and how galaxy collisions happened in the early Universe, something challenges…
Strong Evidence that Supermassive Black Holes Affect Their Host Galaxy’s Chemistry
Supermassive Black Holes (SMBHs) are impossible to ignore. They can be billions of times more massive than the Sun, and…
The Most Distant Galactic Field Lines Ever Seen
Galaxies are surrounded by magnetic field lines, spanning tens of thousands of light-years. These magnetic fields have previously been measured…
The Whirlpool Galaxy, Seen by JWST
The Whirlpool Galaxy, aka M51, is one of the most well-known objects in the night sky. It's close enough and…
The Early Universe Should Be Awash in Active Galaxies, but JWST Isn't Finding Them
Astronomers have found supermassive black holes in the centers of most galaxies. To get the black holes we see today,…
This Distant Galaxy Cluster is Totally Relaxed, Unharassed for a Billion Years
In the span of a human lifetime, much of the Universe seems unchanging. But that's an illusion; things are always…