Astronomy

U of A astronomers have now produced the highest resolution direct images ever taken of a supermassive black hole in the infrared.

New observations led by a U of A astronomer suggest that even dwarf galaxies can accrete mass from other small galaxies, challenging a long-held theory about dwarf-galaxy expansion.

Three newly discovered dwarf galaxies in an isolated region of space show evidence of star formation being cut short by events in the early universe.

Billions of years ago, two icy worlds collided. Rather than destroying each other in a cosmic catastrophe, they spun together like a celestial snowman, finally separating but remaining forever linked in orbit. This is how Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, originated, a U of A study finds.

Taking advantage of a cosmic "double lens," astronomers resolved more than 40 individual stars in a galaxy so far away its light dates back to when the universe was only half its present age.

The U of A delivered $955 million in total research activity last year, ranking among the top 20 public research institutions and remaining No. 1 in astronomy and astrophysics. University officials project research activity exceeded $1 billion in fiscal year 2024 and are submitting the data to the National Science Foundation for review. The official number will be confirmed in the fall.

For the first time, one of the Giant Magellan Telescope's primary mirror segments, produced at the U of A Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab, has been integrated into a support structure that will maintain the mirror's shape once mounted on the telescope.

A group of researchers, including U of A astronomers, observed the atmosphere of a hot and uniquely inflated exoplanet using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

Sept. 22 marks the official first day of fall this year, but that's not always the case. The start of fall and spring is determined by an astronomical phenomenon called an equinox, when the sun is positioned exactly above Earth's equator. Jose Daniel Castro-Cisneros, a physics graduate student, explains how equinoxes work.