Topic description and stories

JADES-GS-z13-1 in the GOODS-S field

Webb Telescope sees galaxy in mysteriously clearing fog of early Universe

26 Mar 2025

Astronomers have identified a bright hydrogen emission from a galaxy in the very early Universe. The surprise finding is challenging researchers to...

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Cambridge Festival Speaker Spotlight: Professor Hiranya Peiris

06 Mar 2025

Hiranya Peiris holds the Professorship of Astronomy (1909) at Cambridge, the first woman to do so in the 115-year history of this prestigious chair...

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Computer-simulated image of a supermassive black hole at the core of a galaxy.

Origins of black holes revealed in their spin, study finds

07 Jan 2025

Gravitational waves data held clues for high-mass black holes’ violent beginnings.

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Artist’s impression of a black hole during one of its short periods of rapid growth

Massive black hole in the early universe spotted taking a ‘nap’ after overeating

18 Dec 2024

Scientists have spotted a massive black hole in the early universe that is ‘napping’ after stuffing itself with too much food.

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Galaxy NGC 1549, seen today and 13 billion years ago

‘Inside-out’ galaxy growth observed in the early universe

11 Oct 2024

Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe the ‘inside-out’ growth of a galaxy in the early universe, only 700...

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Pablo's Galaxy

Astronomers detect black hole ‘starving’ its host galaxy to death

12 Sep 2024

Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope to confirm that supermassive black holes can starve their host galaxies of the fuel...

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Deep field image from JWST

Earliest detection of metal challenges what we know about the first galaxies

06 Jun 2024

Astronomers have detected carbon in a galaxy just 350 million years after the Big Bang, the earliest detection of any element in the universe other...

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Artist's impression of the ANDES instrument

New instrument to search for signs of life on other planets

05 Jun 2024

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has signed an agreement for the design and construction of ANDES , the ArmazoNes high Dispersion Echelle...

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The environment of the galaxy system ZS7 from the JWST PRIMER programme as seen by Webb's NIRCam instrument.

Webb detects most distant black hole merger to date

16 May 2024

An international team of astronomers, led by the University of Cambridge, has used the James Webb Space Telescope to find evidence for an ongoing...

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False-colour JWST image of a small fraction of the GOODS South field, with JADES-GS-z7-01-QU highlighted

Astronomers spot oldest ‘dead’ galaxy yet observed

06 Mar 2024

A galaxy that suddenly stopped forming new stars more than 13 billion years ago has been observed by astronomers.

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The GN-z11 galaxy, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope

Astronomers detect oldest black hole ever observed

17 Jan 2024

Researchers have discovered the oldest black hole ever observed, dating from the dawn of the universe, and found that it is ‘eating’ its host galaxy...

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Artist's impression of the predicted collision between the Milky Way and Andromeda

Dark energy could be measured by studying the galaxy next door

14 Aug 2023

Researchers have found a new way to measure dark energy – the mysterious force that makes up more than two-thirds of the universe and is responsible...

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