Your Celestial Companion

News

JWST's cosmic revelation exposes an 'overmassive' black hole within what seemed to be an ordinary young galaxy, challenging previous theories of synchronized growth by showing how black holes can outpace their host galaxies.

Meet Virgil, the galaxy that is rewriting black hole history

In visible light, it looks like a normal galaxy. In infrared, it reveals a monster. Meet Virgil, the galaxy that is rewriting black hole history. Before JWST, astronomers believed galaxies grew first, nurturing small black holes that grew slowly over time. Virgil breaks this rule. Its black hole is "Overmassive"—far larger than its host galaxy should be able to support. It's like finding a skyscraper engine inside a compact car.

The fiery illustration of exoplanet TOI-561 b shows a tidally locked world with an intense magma ocean, orbiting its star in under 11 hours. This ancient, iron-poor planet features a volatile-rich atmosphere, resulting in unexpectedly low density and a puzzling temperature disparity observed by Webb.

JWST has found evidence of a thick atmosphere on the ultra-hot Super-Earth TOI-561 b

JWST has found evidence of a thick atmosphere on the ultra-hot Super-Earth TOI-561 b, challenging the idea that such close-in worlds are barren rocks. TOI-561 b is an "Ultra-Short Period" planet, orbiting its star in less than 11 hours. It is tidally locked, meaning one side faces the star forever.

Illustration depicting the discovery of a cosmic particle outflow from Westerlund 1, featuring a TeV ring detected by the H.E.S.S. telescope and a GeV gamma-ray signal located by the Fermi telescope. An unexplained "tail" connects these phenomena, illustrating high-energy electrons creating a nascent outflow.

Westerlund 1 is the biggest star cluster in our galaxy.

Westerlund 1 is the biggest star cluster in our galaxy. New data reveals it acts as a colossal particle accelerator, blasting a hole through the Milky Way's disk.

Meet Virgil, the galaxy that is rewriting black hole history

In visible light, it looks like a normal galaxy. In infrared, it reveals a monster. Meet Virgil, the galaxy that is rewriting black hole history. Before JWST, astronomers believed galaxies grew first, nurturing small black holes that grew slowly over time. Virgil breaks this rule. Its black hole is "Overmassive"—far larger than its host galaxy should be able to support. It's like finding a skyscraper engine inside a compact car.

1 minute ago1 min read

JWST has found evidence of a thick atmosphere on the ultra-hot Super-Earth TOI-561 b

JWST has found evidence of a thick atmosphere on the ultra-hot Super-Earth TOI-561 b, challenging the idea that such close-in worlds are barren rocks. TOI-561 b is an "Ultra-Short Period" planet, orbiting its star in less than 11 hours. It is tidally locked, meaning one side faces the star forever.

1 day ago1 min read

Westerlund 1 is the biggest star cluster in our galaxy.

Westerlund 1 is the biggest star cluster in our galaxy. New data reveals it acts as a colossal particle accelerator, blasting a hole through the Milky Way's disk.

1 day ago1 min read

Blog

What New Scar on the Moon Teaches Us?

Despite eons of gazing at the "Man in the Moon," many of us miss the fact that our celestial neighbor is still under construction. While the massive, basin-forming impacts ended billions of years ago, the Moon is still struck by asteroids and comets today. Catching these impacts is a challenge, but thanks to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), we can now spot fresh craters that appeared almost overnight.

Sandeep K S

Nov 23

The Role of Izaña-2 in Ensuring a Safer Orbital Environment for Satellites

As the threat from space debris becomes a daily concern for satellite operators, the European Space Agency is developing innovative technologies to keep our orbits safe. At the Izaña station in Spain, ESA's Izaña-1 and Izaña-2 laser-ranging stations are testing a high-precision method to track debris, prevent collisions, and eventually, even nudge junk out of the way.

Sandeep K S

Aug 28

TESS Telescope Reveals Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Before Official Discovery

When an object from another star system visits ours, astronomers race to learn its secrets. But sometimes, the first clues are found not by looking forward, but by looking back. A new study reveals that the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)—a telescope designed to find planets around other stars—had captured images of our newest interstellar visitor, 3I/ATLAS, as far back as May 2025. Unearthing this "pre-discovery" data required a clever technique to find a faint,

Sandeep K S

Aug 28