Tag: astronomy

How are galaxies formed?

Astrophysicist Peter Laursen takes you on a step-by-step journey through galaxy formation – from primordial collapse to the formation of spiral arms.

Ireland becomes western most site of world's largest radio telescope

Birr Castle in Ireland was a centre for astronomical research 170 years ago, and the story continues with the construction of the I LOFAR telescope.

New Greenland telescope is up and running

A new radio telescope in Greenland is looking for signs of black holes, and preliminary data are already coming in.

PhD students find 95 new planets

The discovery was made with the help of the once damaged Kepler telescope.

Physicists discover an "ozone layer" on distant exoplanet

The exoplanet WASP-121b has a stratosphere that absorbs radiation from the planet’s star.

New space telescope will reveal the light of the first stars and galaxies

The enormous James Webb telescope will soon be launched into space, and scientists are already looking forward to the new knowledge it will bring.

Shooting stars visible throughout July

Meteor showers and planets are visible in the Nordic sky this month, including Jupiter and Mars.

Mysterious meteorite sheds new light on the Solar System

A completely new type of meteorite discovered in Sweden suggests a previously unknown part of Earth’s history.

Sun can emit superflares every 1000 years

The Sun has the potential to emit massive ‘superflares’ every 1000 years, say scientists.

Meteors shed light on our solar system's early days

New analyses of a handful of meteorites from the outer reaches of the solar system hold clues to its very origins.

Determining the age of a star just got a bit harder

Old stars just keep on going and rotate even faster, making it difficult to estimate their age.

Starquakes reveal massive internal magnetic fields

Astrophysicists studying starquakes have discovered powerful magnetic fields within red giants, which can tell us a lot about how the stars were born, lived, and died.

120-year-old astronomical photos discovered in basement

Retired astronomer unearths photo of 1919 solar eclipse that helped prove Einstein's general theory of relativity.

Light from distant galaxies can reveal extra-terrestrial life

Physicists can now trace light emitted by plants and microorganisms on planets far away.

Cosmic neutrinos reveal the universe’s violent history

Astrophysicists can start using the ghostly elementary particles called neutrinos to learn about some of the most violent events in the universe.

We have reached Pluto, now what?

OPINION: Now that we have explored the solar system, from Mercury to Pluto, where do we go next? Here are some suggestions.

History of the Milky Way revealed: The age of distant planets

Until now, scientists knew the age of only a few distant planets. But new research provides precise dates for 33 stars and their planets.

News from Rosetta: Mysterious holes help unlock secrets of the universe

Mysterious holes on the surface of comet 67P are photographed in unprecedented detail, helping to unlock the history of the solar system.

New discovery: small planets have circular orbits

Scientists develop new method to measure planetary orbits. It can provide important clues on how the planets formed and whether they have the potential to host life.

New theory: Planets formed from tiny glass beads

The Solar System was once full of small glassy spheres which were the basis for the formation of rocky planets, suggests new theory.

Scientists are trying to brew oxygen on Mars

New device makes oxygen from Mars’ atmosphere to pave the way for future astronauts on the planet.

Cosmic dust change our understanding of the birth of the universe

A new study opens up for entirely new understanding of what the early universe looked like.

Scientists observe exploding star through extremely rare cosmic phenomenon

Supernova discovery confirms Einstein's predictions and can be used to calculate the distribution of dark matter.

For Scandinavians, this year's solar eclipse will be mind-blowing

On Friday 20 March 2015, Scandinavians will experience the most complete partial eclipse of the Sun in decades.

Black holes slow formation of new stars

New discovery helps us understand why galaxies have fewer stars than they're supposed to.

Denmark invests millions in world's biggest telescope

New telescope project will help physicists answer questions about expanding universe and life in space.

Scientists discover origins of cosmic dust

Danish scientists have solved the mystery of how cosmic dust is formed. The new knowledge could help the study of distant galaxies.

Collisions made early galaxies grow huge

The mystery of why massive galaxies existed in the early universe may now have been solved. New research shows that the galaxies were formed as a result of a collision of galaxies and the subsequent explosive formation of stars.

Danish astrophysicist solves mystery about old stars

The recent discovery of a millisecond pulsar orbited by two white dwarfs challenges current theories of their formation. A new semi-analytical model may help explain the formation of this unique triple system.

Research centre working on recipe for habitable planet

Danish scientists are trying to develop a ’recipe’ for habitable planets. They hope to be able to predict where in our galaxy we should look for potentially habitable planets. The odds of finding life on other planets are extremely high, they say.

First known Uranian Trojan companion found

A Danish astronomer and his colleagues have discovered a little space rock that circles the sun in the same orbit as Uranus. This is the first time that astronomers observe a so-called ‘Trojan’ asteroid companion for Uranus.

New CO2 findings may unlock Mars secrets

Scientists have figured out how CO2 reacts with sunlight. The findings give a better understanding of atmospheric evolution on Earth and on other planets, not least Mars.

Different supernovae formed our early Solar System

The first chapter about the creation of our Solar System is now ready to be written. The cloud of molecules from which the Solar System arose consisted of several generations of stardust, say researchers after analysing a meteorite.

New photos of beautiful nebula

The Danish telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile has captured a striking image of the star-forming nebula NGC 6559. See the beautiful picture and some of the other pictures from the telescope here.

NASA spots smallest planet ever

NASA's Kepler space telescope has found the hitherto smallest of all known planets beyond our Solar System. It’s as small as our own Moon.

Einstein to shed light on black holes

Danish scientists are trying to unify Einstein’s theory of relativity with quantum mechanics to find out how the universe came into existence.

New model helps scientists understand solar flares

Using a new computer model, researchers can now see how a solar flare arises and develops. An increased understanding of the gigantic explosions on the Sun will over time give us better space weather forecasts.

Astronauts go underground

Today, the European Space Agency (ESA) is sending six astronauts down into a cave to prepare them for life in space.

Newly discovered planetary system alters our view of planet formation

New data from NASA’s Kepler mission has revealed what was thought to be difficult: a planetary system that orbits around two stars. We need to modify our theories, says Danish astronomer.

Stars in globular clusters form communities

The stars in a globular cluster rarely communicate on a one-to-one basis. Instead, they follow the rules of communities.

Neutrinos’ mass found with help of galaxies

The mass of the neutrino, the lightest particle in the universe, has now been computed more precisely than before.

Neutron star riddle solved

New theoretical calculations show how quickly rotating neutron stars – millisecond pulsars – slow down when they no longer attract matter from their companion stars.

Clearing up a Big Bang mystery

Alternative ideas have been put forward to fix what astrophysicists see as a flaw in the standard Big Bang model. But which is the right one? Data from the Planck satellite could provide the answer.

2012: Is Planet X on collision course with Earth?

The end of the world is approaching, according to internet-based groups who believe that Earth will be hit by Planet X, also known as Nibiru, in 2012. But astronomers say there is nothing to indicate that doomsday is just around the corner.

Meet Earth's twin planet

All eyes and all telescopes are set on a newly-discovered planet which is strikingly similar to ours.

Galaxy clusters support Einstein’s relativity theory

Cosmologists have used distant galaxy clusters to put Einstein’s relativity theory to the ultimate test. The theory passed with distinction.

Big Bang mission relies on Danish technology

Danish researchers will supply crucial technology for a new mission to find evidence for the Big Bang theory. The mission requires technology that can measure distances of five million kilometres with the precision of a picometre – that's 0,00000000001cm.

Researchers sow doubt about Moon's origins

New dating of Moon rock pulls out the carpet from under the prevailing theory about how our Moon came into being. Either the Moon is younger than previously thought – or it was not born of a red hot sea of magma.

New telescope to find life in space

Danish researchers have designed a new telescope technology which they claim is 300 times more effective than the current ones.