Niels Bohr Institute

News on Astrophysics 2023

Gamma-ray burst:

Webb observes the glowing embers of colliding neutron stars

A a team of researchers including astronomers from the Niels Bohr Institute has used the James Webb Space Telescope to study a gamma-ray burst, which turned out to be the second-brightest ever seen.

Colliding neutron stars provide a new way to measure the expansion of the Universe

In recent years, astronomy has seen itself in a bit of crisis: Although we know that the Universe expands, and although we know approximately how fast, the two primary ways to measure this expansion do not agree. Now…

THE EARLY UNIVERSE:

Astronomers discover newborn galaxies with the James Webb Space Telescope

With the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers are now able to peer so far back in time that we are approaching the epoch where we think that the first galaxies were created.

The early Universe:

A galaxy group in the early Universe

Contrary to typical observations, the galaxy was discovered not by the light it emits, but by the light it absorbs. The galaxy itself evades observations, but has at least one nearby companion.

The early Universe:

James Webb’s “too massive” galaxies may be even more massive

The first results from the James Webb Space Telescope have hinted at galaxies so early and so massive that they are in tension with our understanding of the formation of structure in the Universe.

Galaxies in the early Universe:

Nearby galaxies help astronomers understand distant galaxies

In a newly published study researchers show how the amount of light that escapes from a galaxy is connected to its physical properties. The result has implication for how we interpret observations of galaxies in the…

First ever asteroid hit by spacecraft could save the Earth from impact

Humanity’s first attempt to re-direct asteroids that could collide with Earth, the NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test satellite (DART), successfully impacted the 150 meter large moon Dimorphos orbiting the 760 m…

Gamma-ray burst:

The brightest explosion ever seen

A particularly bright Gamma-ray burst was recently detected by several space telescopes, and a team of scientists led by astronomers at the Cosmic Dawn Center measured the exact distance to the burst.

Intergalactic gas brings supermassive black holes at the heart of galaxies to life

Black holes become active and grow by consuming gas captured from other galaxies. This is the finding of a new study from University of Copenhagen researchers, and shows a clear connection between the evolution of…

New Villum Young Investigator:

Sarah Pearson to join DARK

After spending 10 years abroad Sarah Pearson is returning to the Niels Bohr Institute.

Astrophysicists discover the perfect explosion in space

When neutron stars collide they produce an explosion that, contrary to what was believed until recently, is shaped like a perfect sphere. Although how this is possible is still a mystery, the discovery may provide a new…

Does ice in the Universe contain the molecules making up the building blocks of life in planetary systems?

If you want to build a habitable planet, ice, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur. These elements are part of the atmosphere around planets and part of molecules like sugar, alcohols and simple amino acids as…

Galaxy formation:

Early galaxy formation caught in the act with James Webb

Astronomers from the Cosmic Dawn Center have unveiled the nature of the densest region of galaxies seen with the James Webb Space telescope in the early Universe.

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