#jwst — Public Fediverse posts

Ever wondered what a molecular cloud *looks* like??

#JWST & #Orion have you covered -- here we have OMC-2, which is a portion of a molecular cloud north of M42.

📷 :https://esawebb.org/images/potm2605a/

#astronomy #astrodon #space #science #Webb #astrophotography #orion

Ever wondered what a molecular cloud *looks* like??

#JWST & #Orion have you covered -- here we have OMC-2, which is a portion of a molecular cloud north of M42.

📷 :https://esawebb.org/images/potm2605a/

#astronomy #astrodon #space #science #Webb #astrophotography #orion

Ever wondered what a molecular cloud *looks* like??

#JWST & #Orion have you covered -- here we have OMC-2, which is a portion of a molecular cloud north of M42.

📷 :https://esawebb.org/images/potm2605a/

#astronomy #astrodon #space #science #Webb #astrophotography #orion

Ever wondered what a molecular cloud *looks* like??

#JWST & #Orion have you covered -- here we have OMC-2, which is a portion of a molecular cloud north of M42.

📷 :https://esawebb.org/images/potm2605a/

#astronomy #astrodon #space #science #Webb #astrophotography #orion

Ever wondered what a molecular cloud *looks* like??

#JWST & #Orion have you covered -- here we have OMC-2, which is a portion of a molecular cloud north of M42.

📷 :https://esawebb.org/images/potm2605a/

#astronomy #astrodon #space #science #Webb #astrophotography #orion

Astronomie: comment s’alimentent les trous noirs supermassifs?
https://nouvelles.umontreal.ca/article/2026/07/09/astronomie-comment-s-alimentent-les-trous-noirs-supermassifs
#sciencde #astronomie #astrophysique #trounoir #UdM #TSJW #JWST #télescope #média #international #galaxies #matière #étoiles #carte #cartographie #filament #gaz #structure #physique #cycle #recherche #jets #NGC4696

Astronomie: comment s’alimentent les trous noirs supermassifs?
https://nouvelles.umontreal.ca/article/2026/07/09/astronomie-comment-s-alimentent-les-trous-noirs-supermassifs
#sciencde #astronomie #astrophysique #trounoir #UdM #TSJW #JWST #télescope #média #international #galaxies #matière #étoiles #carte #cartographie #filament #gaz #structure #physique #cycle #recherche #jets #NGC4696

Astronomie: comment s’alimentent les trous noirs supermassifs?
https://nouvelles.umontreal.ca/article/2026/07/09/astronomie-comment-s-alimentent-les-trous-noirs-supermassifs
#sciencde #astronomie #astrophysique #trounoir #UdM #TSJW #JWST #télescope #média #international #galaxies #matière #étoiles #carte #cartographie #filament #gaz #structure #physique #cycle #recherche #jets #NGC4696

Astronomie: comment s’alimentent les trous noirs supermassifs?
https://nouvelles.umontreal.ca/article/2026/07/09/astronomie-comment-s-alimentent-les-trous-noirs-supermassifs
#sciencde #astronomie #astrophysique #trounoir #UdM #TSJW #JWST #télescope #média #international #galaxies #matière #étoiles #carte #cartographie #filament #gaz #structure #physique #cycle #recherche #jets #NGC4696

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🔭⚫ A #PennState astronomer explains that supermassive #blackholes sit at the center of nearly every large #galaxy.

Scientists study them by measuring how fast nearby #stars and gas move. Two theories for their formation remain, and the #JWST may help settle the debate.

👉 https://theconversation.com/what-are-supermassive-black-holes-everything-you-need-to-know-and-what-astronomers-are-still-learning-about-these-mysterious-objects-283838

#astronomy #space #nasa #telescope #sagittariusa #m87 #milkyway #galaxies #science #spacescience #astrophysics

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🔭⚫ A #PennState astronomer explains that supermassive #blackholes sit at the center of nearly every large #galaxy.

Scientists study them by measuring how fast nearby #stars and gas move. Two theories for their formation remain, and the #JWST may help settle the debate.

👉 https://theconversation.com/what-are-supermassive-black-holes-everything-you-need-to-know-and-what-astronomers-are-still-learning-about-these-mysterious-objects-283838

#astronomy #space #nasa #telescope #sagittariusa #m87 #milkyway #galaxies #science #spacescience #astrophysics

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🔭⚫ A #PennState astronomer explains that supermassive #blackholes sit at the center of nearly every large #galaxy.

Scientists study them by measuring how fast nearby #stars and gas move. Two theories for their formation remain, and the #JWST may help settle the debate.

👉 https://theconversation.com/what-are-supermassive-black-holes-everything-you-need-to-know-and-what-astronomers-are-still-learning-about-these-mysterious-objects-283838

#astronomy #space #nasa #telescope #sagittariusa #m87 #milkyway #galaxies #science #spacescience #astrophysics

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🔭⚫ A #PennState astronomer explains that supermassive #blackholes sit at the center of nearly every large #galaxy.

Scientists study them by measuring how fast nearby #stars and gas move. Two theories for their formation remain, and the #JWST may help settle the debate.

👉 https://theconversation.com/what-are-supermassive-black-holes-everything-you-need-to-know-and-what-astronomers-are-still-learning-about-these-mysterious-objects-283838

#astronomy #space #nasa #telescope #sagittariusa #m87 #milkyway #galaxies #science #spacescience #astrophysics

#UniBonn:
"
Kollision im All doch kein Beweis für Dunkle Materie?

Studie .. legt neue Daten vor, die das gängige Modell in Frage stellen
"
".. Bullet-Cluster galt bislang als Beweis für die Existenz Dunkler Materie. .. Beobachtungen auch mit einer Alternativ-Erklärung vereinbar, .."

https://www.uni-bonn.de/de/neues/kollision-im-all-doch-kein-beweis-fuer-dunkle-materie

19.6.2026

#Astronomie #Astrophysik #BulletCluster #DM #DunkleMaterie #Eisen #GalaxienCluster #Galaxienhaufen #Gas #JWST #ModifizierteNewtonscheDynamik #Sauerstoff #Weltraumteleskop

#UniBonn:
"
Kollision im All doch kein Beweis für Dunkle Materie?

Studie .. legt neue Daten vor, die das gängige Modell in Frage stellen
"
".. Bullet-Cluster galt bislang als Beweis für die Existenz Dunkler Materie. .. Beobachtungen auch mit einer Alternativ-Erklärung vereinbar, .."

https://www.uni-bonn.de/de/neues/kollision-im-all-doch-kein-beweis-fuer-dunkle-materie

19.6.2026

#Astronomie #Astrophysik #BulletCluster #DM #DunkleMaterie #Eisen #GalaxienCluster #Galaxienhaufen #Gas #JWST #ModifizierteNewtonscheDynamik #Sauerstoff #Weltraumteleskop

Weekly Update from the Open Journal of Astrophysics 20/06/2026

It’s Saturday again so it’s time for another update of activity at the Open Journal of Astrophysics. Since the last update we have published a further three papers, bringing the number in Volume 9 (2026) to 126 and the total so far published by OJAp up to 574.

I will continue to include the posts made on our Mastodon account (on Fediscience); these announcements also show the DOI for each paper.

The first paper to report this week, published on Monday 15th June, is “SN 2025adpq: A Type Ia supernova in a collisional ring formed during a major galaxy merger” by Brendan O’Connor (Carnegie Mellon University, USA) and 18 others based in the USA, Germany and Australia. The study reports the discovery of a Type Ia supernova, SN 2025adpq, within a collisional ring formed by a major galaxy merger., offset from the nucleus of the primary galaxy. It is published in the folder Astrophysics of Galaxies.

The overlay for this paper is here

You can find the officially accepted version on arXiv here and the announcement on Fediverse here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116753183446523072

The second paper for this week, published on Tuesday June 16th in the folder Astrophysics of Galaxies is “The Colors of Ices: Measuring ice column density through photometry” by Adam Ginsburg (U. Florida, USA) and ten others based in the USA, Germany and Spain. This study demonstrates that JWST photometry can identify and quantify interstellar ices, using new open-source models, interstellar ices, finding significant abundance in non-star-forming gas, suggesting many avenues for further research.

The overlay looks like this:

The official version of the paper can be found on arXiv here and the Fediverse announcement here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116758595971333611

The third paper of the week, published on Wednesday 17th June in the folder Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics is “The Non-Gaussian Weak-Lensing Likelihood: A Multivariate Copula Construction and Impact on Cosmological Constraints” by Veronika Oehl and Tilman Tröster (both of ETH Zurich, Switzerland). This study presents a framework for computing non-Gaussian likelihoods for correlation functions, particularly useful in large-scale weak-lensing surveys. It suggests Gaussian likelihoods are sufficient for stage-IV surveys.

The overlay for this one is here:

The final, accepted version can be found on arXiv here and the Mastodon announcement is here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116764509657843733

The fourth and final paper of the week, also ublished on Wednesday 17th June but in the folder Astrophysics of Galaxies, is “Black Hole Feedback, Galaxy Quenching and Outflows at Cosmic Dawn: Analysis of the SEEDZ Simulations” by Lewis R. Prole (Maynooth University, Ireland) and 15 others based in Ireland, Germany, USA and UK. The study analyzes the growth and feedback effects of massive black holes in SEEDZ simulations, suggesting that black hole feedback, not nearby supernovae or gas exhaustion, limits initial growth.

The overlay is here:

The final, accepted version can be found on arXiv here and the Mastodon announcement is here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116764428903842241

And that concludes this week’s update. It has been a slow week on the publishing front, but the main reason is that we have a big backlog of papers accepted but waiting for the authors to put their final versions on arXiv and we can’t do anything about that! I’ll do another update next Saturday.

Weekly Update from the Open Journal of Astrophysics 20/06/2026

It’s Saturday again so it’s time for another update of activity at the Open Journal of Astrophysics. Since the last update we have published a further four papers, bringing the number in Volume 9 (2026) to 126 and the total so far published by OJAp up to 574.

I will continue to include the posts made on our Mastodon account (on Fediscience); these announcements also show the DOI for each paper.

The first paper to report this week, published on Monday 15th June, is “SN 2025adpq: A Type Ia supernova in a collisional ring formed during a major galaxy merger” by Brendan O’Connor (Carnegie Mellon University, USA) and 18 others based in the USA, Germany and Australia. The study reports the discovery of a Type Ia supernova, SN 2025adpq, within a collisional ring formed by a major galaxy merger., offset from the nucleus of the primary galaxy. It is published in the folder Astrophysics of Galaxies.

The overlay for this paper is here

You can find the officially accepted version on arXiv here and the announcement on Fediverse here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116753183446523072

The second paper for this week, published on Tuesday June 16th in the folder Astrophysics of Galaxies is “The Colors of Ices: Measuring ice column density through photometry” by Adam Ginsburg (U. Florida, USA) and ten others based in the USA, Germany and Spain. This study demonstrates that JWST photometry can identify and quantify interstellar ices, using new open-source models, interstellar ices, finding significant abundance in non-star-forming gas, suggesting many avenues for further research.

The overlay looks like this:

The official version of the paper can be found on arXiv here and the Fediverse announcement here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116758595971333611

The third paper of the week, published on Wednesday 17th June in the folder Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics is “The Non-Gaussian Weak-Lensing Likelihood: A Multivariate Copula Construction and Impact on Cosmological Constraints” by Veronika Oehl and Tilman Tröster (both of ETH Zurich, Switzerland). This study presents a framework for computing non-Gaussian likelihoods for correlation functions, particularly useful in large-scale weak-lensing surveys. It suggests Gaussian likelihoods are sufficient for stage-IV surveys.

The overlay for this one is here:

The final, accepted version can be found on arXiv here and the Mastodon announcement is here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116764509657843733

The fourth and final paper of the week, also ublished on Wednesday 17th June but in the folder Astrophysics of Galaxies, is “Black Hole Feedback, Galaxy Quenching and Outflows at Cosmic Dawn: Analysis of the SEEDZ Simulations” by Lewis R. Prole (Maynooth University, Ireland) and 15 others based in Ireland, Germany, USA and UK. The study analyzes the growth and feedback effects of massive black holes in SEEDZ simulations, suggesting that black hole feedback, not nearby supernovae or gas exhaustion, limits initial growth.

The overlay is here:

The final, accepted version can be found on arXiv here and the Mastodon announcement is here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116764428903842241

And that concludes this week’s update. It has been another slow week on the publishing front, but the main reason is that we have a big backlog of papers accepted – about 10 of them – but still waiting for the authors to put their final versions on arXiv and we can’t do anything about that! I’ll do another update next Saturday.

#SciAM:
"
Salty clouds discovered on pink puffball planet

A cold, cherry-blossom-hued exoplanet supports bizarre clouds chock-full of salts
"
".. GJ504b might not actually be a planet at all; it’s about 25 times the mass of Jupiter,.. .. used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to capture the dim light emanating from the object. .."

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/salty-clouds-discovered-on-pink-puffball-planet/

18.6.2026

#Astronomie #astronomy #BraunerZwerg #BrownDwarf #Exoplanet #Gasriese #GJ504b #JWST #PinkPlanet #salt #Salz #Weltraumteleskop

#SciAM:
"
Salty clouds discovered on pink puffball planet

A cold, cherry-blossom-hued exoplanet supports bizarre clouds chock-full of salts
"
".. GJ504b might not actually be a planet at all; it’s about 25 times the mass of Jupiter,.. .. used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to capture the dim light emanating from the object. .."

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/salty-clouds-discovered-on-pink-puffball-planet/

18.6.2026

#Astronomie #astronomy #BraunerZwerg #BrownDwarf #Exoplanet #Gasriese #GJ504b #JWST #PinkPlanet #salt #Salz #Weltraumteleskop

SW Bar 3 - Star-forming region in the Small Magellanic Cloud - JWST Space Telescope ❔

#astronomy #esa #jwst #nasa #smallmagellaniccloud #space #starformation #swbar3

▶️ 1 new picture from Individuals (Flickr) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SW_Bar_3_-_Star-forming_region_in_the_Small_Magellanic_Cloud_-_JWST_Space_Telescope_%2855344110560%29.png

SW Bar 3 - Star-forming region in the Small Magellanic Cloud - JWST Space Telescope ❔

#astronomy #esa #jwst #nasa #smallmagellaniccloud #space #starformation #swbar3

▶️ 1 new picture from Individuals (Flickr) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SW_Bar_3_-_Star-forming_region_in_the_Small_Magellanic_Cloud_-_JWST_Space_Telescope_%2855344110560%29.png

SW Bar 3 - Star-forming region in the Small Magellanic Cloud - JWST Space Telescope ❔

#astronomy #esa #jwst #nasa #smallmagellaniccloud #space #starformation #swbar3

▶️ 1 new picture from Individuals (Flickr) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SW_Bar_3_-_Star-forming_region_in_the_Small_Magellanic_Cloud_-_JWST_Space_Telescope_%2855344110560%29.png

SW Bar 3 - Star-forming region in the Small Magellanic Cloud - JWST Space Telescope ❔

#astronomy #esa #jwst #nasa #smallmagellaniccloud #space #starformation #swbar3

▶️ 1 new picture from Individuals (Flickr) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SW_Bar_3_-_Star-forming_region_in_the_Small_Magellanic_Cloud_-_JWST_Space_Telescope_%2855344110560%29.png

Astronomen finden Unterschiede zwischen den morgendlichen und abendlichen Bedingungen auf einem ultraheißen #Exoplaneten #MPIA #Astronomie #JWST

https://nachrichten.idw-online.de/2026/06/10/von-der-daemmerung-bis-zum-morgengrauen-auf-dem-exoplaneten-wasp-121-b

Astronomen finden Unterschiede zwischen den morgendlichen und abendlichen Bedingungen auf einem ultraheißen #Exoplaneten #MPIA #Astronomie #JWST

https://nachrichten.idw-online.de/2026/06/10/von-der-daemmerung-bis-zum-morgengrauen-auf-dem-exoplaneten-wasp-121-b

Gaze Into a Cosmic Crystal Ball Unlike Anything Else In the Universe https://petapixel.com/2026/06/09/gaze-into-a-cosmic-crystal-ball-unlike-anything-else-in-the-universe/ #jameswebbspacetelescope #planetarynebulae #gemininorth #ngc1514 #noirlab #gemini #hawaii #nebula #Space #space #News #jwst #webb #nsf

Gaze Into a Cosmic Crystal Ball Unlike Anything Else In the Universe https://petapixel.com/2026/06/09/gaze-into-a-cosmic-crystal-ball-unlike-anything-else-in-the-universe/ #jameswebbspacetelescope #planetarynebulae #gemininorth #ngc1514 #noirlab #gemini #hawaii #nebula #Space #space #News #jwst #webb #nsf

O exoplaneta TOI-199b, a cerca de 335 anos-luz da Terra, é o primeiro gigante gasoso temperado identificado com metano em sua atmosfera, segundo observações do Telescópio Espacial James Webb durante seu trânsito em frente à estrela hospedeira.

🔗 https://omniletters.com/jwst-identifica-atmosfera-metano-exoplaneta/

#exoplanetas #metano #jwst #astronomia #ciencia

“Little red dot“ in early Universe is a naked supermassive black hole

The black hole accounts for over two-thirds the mass of the object it inhabits.

#astronomy #astrophysics #black-hole #jwst #science #supermassive-black-hole
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/little-red-dot-in-early-universe-is-a-naked-supermassive-black-hole/

“Little red dot“ in early Universe is a naked supermassive black hole

The black hole accounts for over two-thirds the mass of the object it inhabits.

#astronomy #astrophysics #black-hole #jwst #science #supermassive-black-hole
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/little-red-dot-in-early-universe-is-a-naked-supermassive-black-hole/

“Little red dot“ in early Universe is a naked supermassive black hole The black hole accounts for over two-thirds the mass of the object it inhabits. https://s.faithcollapsing.com/bc5ra#astronomy #astrophysics #black-hole #jwst #science #supermassive-black-hole

🌍☀️ Scientists at #ArizonaState and #Caltech used the #JWST to produce the first weather report for WASP-94A b, a gas giant 700 light-years from #Earth.

The #planet has two different #weather sides: a morning edge with #clouds made of vaporized #rock and an almost cloud-free evening edge, driven by temperature differences and powerful winds.

👉 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/jwst-sees-partly-cloudy-skies-on-a-distant-giant-exoplanet/

#exoplanet #space #nasa #astronomy #wasp94ab #science #telescope #atmosphere #spectroscopy

🌍☀️ Scientists at #ArizonaState and #Caltech used the #JWST to produce the first weather report for WASP-94A b, a gas giant 700 light-years from #Earth.

The #planet has two different #weather sides: a morning edge with #clouds made of vaporized #rock and an almost cloud-free evening edge, driven by temperature differences and powerful winds.

👉 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/jwst-sees-partly-cloudy-skies-on-a-distant-giant-exoplanet/

#exoplanet #space #nasa #astronomy #wasp94ab #science #telescope #atmosphere #spectroscopy

#DerStandard:
"
Ein einziger Mond hat einst ein Inferno in Neptuns Umlaufbahn überstanden
"
"Der drittgrößte Neptunmond Nereid ist nach einer neuen Studie sein einziger originaler Mond. Die anderen stammen aus dem Kuipergürtel und vernichteten die ursprünglichen Monde"

https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000321514/ein-einziger-mond-hat-einst-ein-inferno-in-neptuns-umlaufbahn-ueberstanden?ref=niewidget

23.5.2026

#Astronomie #JWST #Kuipergürtel #Neptun #Nereid #Planetologie #Spektrometer #Triton #Weltraumteleskop

#DerStandard:
"
Ein einziger Mond hat einst ein Inferno in Neptuns Umlaufbahn überstanden
"
"Der drittgrößte Neptunmond Nereid ist nach einer neuen Studie sein einziger originaler Mond. Die anderen stammen aus dem Kuipergürtel und vernichteten die ursprünglichen Monde"

https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000321514/ein-einziger-mond-hat-einst-ein-inferno-in-neptuns-umlaufbahn-ueberstanden?ref=niewidget

23.5.2026

#Astronomie #JWST #Kuipergürtel #Neptun #Nereid #Planetologie #Spektrometer #Triton #Weltraumteleskop

#DerStandard:
"
Ein einziger Mond hat einst ein Inferno in Neptuns Umlaufbahn überstanden
"
"Der drittgrößte Neptunmond Nereid ist nach einer neuen Studie sein einziger originaler Mond. Die anderen stammen aus dem Kuipergürtel und vernichteten die ursprünglichen Monde"

https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000321514/ein-einziger-mond-hat-einst-ein-inferno-in-neptuns-umlaufbahn-ueberstanden?ref=niewidget

23.5.2026

#Astronomie #JWST #Kuipergürtel #Neptun #Nereid #Planetologie #Spektrometer #Triton #Weltraumteleskop

#DerStandard:
"
Ein einziger Mond hat einst ein Inferno in Neptuns Umlaufbahn überstanden
"
"Der drittgrößte Neptunmond Nereid ist nach einer neuen Studie sein einziger originaler Mond. Die anderen stammen aus dem Kuipergürtel und vernichteten die ursprünglichen Monde"

https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000321514/ein-einziger-mond-hat-einst-ein-inferno-in-neptuns-umlaufbahn-ueberstanden?ref=niewidget

23.5.2026

#Astronomie #JWST #Kuipergürtel #Neptun #Nereid #Planetologie #Spektrometer #Triton #Weltraumteleskop

#DerStandard:
"
Ein einziger Mond hat einst ein Inferno in Neptuns Umlaufbahn überstanden
"
"Der drittgrößte Neptunmond Nereid ist nach einer neuen Studie sein einziger originaler Mond. Die anderen stammen aus dem Kuipergürtel und vernichteten die ursprünglichen Monde"

https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000321514/ein-einziger-mond-hat-einst-ein-inferno-in-neptuns-umlaufbahn-ueberstanden?ref=niewidget

23.5.2026

#Astronomie #JWST #Kuipergürtel #Neptun #Nereid #Planetologie #Spektrometer #Triton #Weltraumteleskop

#JHU:
"
Astronomers de-fog exoplanet atmospheres with new cloud-detecting method
"
"Discovery by Johns Hopkins researchers of daily cloud cycle on a Hot Jupiter planet provides unique window into its make-up and evolution "

https://hub.jhu.edu/2026/05/21/astronomy-exoplanet-atmospheres-detecting-clouds/

21.5.2026

#Astronomie #astronomy #atmosphere #CloudCycle #Exoplanet #HotJupiter #JWST #WASP17b #WASP39b #WASP94Ab #Weltraumteleskop

#JHU:
"
Astronomers de-fog exoplanet atmospheres with new cloud-detecting method
"
"Discovery by Johns Hopkins researchers of daily cloud cycle on a Hot Jupiter planet provides unique window into its make-up and evolution "

https://hub.jhu.edu/2026/05/21/astronomy-exoplanet-atmospheres-detecting-clouds/

21.5.2026

#Astronomie #astronomy #atmosphere #CloudCycle #Exoplanet #HotJupiter #JWST #WASP17b #WASP39b #WASP94Ab #Weltraumteleskop

https://www.europesays.com/ie/488734/ Coupled Photochemical-Climate Modeling of Plausible Tenuous Outgassed Atmospheres on the TRAPPIST-1 Planets #AstroPhEP #Atmosphere #Éire #Exoplanet #IE #Ireland #jwst #outgassing #Photochemistry #Science #Spectroscopy #TRAPPIST1 #TRAPPIST1B #TRAPPIST1C #TRAPPIST1D #TRAPPIST1E #TRAPPIST1F #TRAPPIST1G #TRAPPIST1h

#JWST image of Messier 77 ✨

M77, also known as the Squid Galaxy, is a barred spiral galaxy more than 45 million light-years away, invisible to the naked eye.

Its bright centre is an active galactic nucleus, an intensely energetic region created as gravity pulls gas towards a central supermassive black hole.

The 6 bright lines (+ 2vertical rays) are diffraction spikes: visual artefacts created by Webb’s hexagonal mirrors & telescope design.

Image:ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, A.Leroy #NASAWebb #Astro

#JWST image of Messier 77 ✨

M77, also known as the Squid Galaxy, is a barred spiral galaxy more than 45 million light-years away, invisible to the naked eye.

Its bright centre is an active galactic nucleus, an intensely energetic region created as gravity pulls gas towards a central supermassive black hole.

The 6 bright lines (+ 2vertical rays) are diffraction spikes: visual artefacts created by Webb’s hexagonal mirrors & telescope design.

Image:ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, A.Leroy #NASAWebb #Astro

Weekly Update from the Open Journal of Astrophysics – 16/05/2026

It’s Saturday once again, so time for another update of activity at the Open Journal of Astrophysics. Since the last update we have published a further five papers, bringing the number in Volume 9 (2026) to 104 and the total so far published by OJAp up to 552. It took us until late July to pass 100 last year.

I will continue to include the posts made on our Mastodon account (on Fediscience) to encourage you to visit it. Mastodon is a really excellent service, and a more than adequate replacement for X/Twitter (which nobody should be using); these announcements also show the DOI for each paper.

The first paper to report this week, published on Monday 11th May in the folder High-Energy Astrophysical Phenomena is “Triaxial magnetars as sources of fast radio bursts” by Jonathan I Katz (Washington University, USA). This paper suggests that the mysterious properties of Fast Radio Bursts (FRB) could be explained by triaxial magnetars, with their activity levels influenced by precessional time scales.

The overlay for this paper is here

You can find the officially accepted version on arXiv here and the announcement on Fediverse here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116554775791392800

The second paper for this week, published on Tuesday 12th May in the folder Astrophysics of Galaxies, is “The Abundance of Thin Dwarf Galaxies: a Challenge for Cosmological Simulations” by Jose Benavides & Laura V. Sales (UC Riverside, USA), Julio F. Navarro (U. Victoria, Canada), Simon D. M. White (MPA Garching, Germany), and Carlos S. Frenk, Kyle A. Oman & Shaun Cole (U. Durham, UK). Depending on mass up to 40% of galaxies are intrinsically flat, a fraction that numerical models of galaxy formation struggle to reproduce suggesting the models are incomplete.

The overlay for this one is here:

The official version of the paper can be found on arXiv here and the Fediverse announcement here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116560106342500157

Next one up, the third paper of the week, also published on Tuesday 12th May but in the folder Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics is “Cosmological peculiar velocities in general relativity” by Chris Clarkson (Queen Mary, University of London, UK) and Roy Maartens (U. Western Cape, South Africa). This paper refutes claims that the 1+3 covariant approach to cosmological perturbation theory predicts stronger growth of galaxy peculiar velocities, arguing that standard treatments are correct and fully relativistic.

The overlay for this one is here:

The final, accepted version can be found on arXiv here and the Mastodon announcement is here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116560224426499932

The fourth paper this week, published on Wednesday May 13th “Possible evidence for a pair-instability supernova nature of ultra-early JWST sources” by Andrea Ferrara & Stefano Carniani (Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy), Takahiro Morishita (California Institute of Technology, USA), and Massimo Stiavelli (Space Telescope Science Institute, USA). Published in the section Astrophysics of Galaxies. This paper argues that recent observations challenge early galaxy formation models, suggesting that the bright source, Capotauro, could be a supernova from a massive, metal-free star, not a luminous galaxy as initially thought.

The overlay is here:

The officially accepted version can be found on arXiv here and here is the Mastodon announcement:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116566147448743997

The fifth and final article of this week was also published on Wednesday 13th May but in the folder Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics. The title is “Evolving and interacting dark energy: photometric and spectroscopic synergy with DES Y3 and DESI DR2” and it is by Maria Tsedrik and Benjamin Bose (University of Edinburgh, UK). The study investigates the Dark Scattering interacting dark energy scenario, using data from various sources. Results show no evidence of dark-sector interaction and a preference for the Chevallier-Polarski-Linder parametrisation.

The overlay is here:

You can find the authorized version of this paper on arXiv here and the Fediverse announcement is here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116566165139100860

And that concludes this week’s update. I’ll do another next Saturday.

Weekly Update from the Open Journal of Astrophysics – 16/05/2026

It’s Saturday once again, so time for another update of activity at the Open Journal of Astrophysics. Since the last update we have published a further five papers, bringing the number in Volume 9 (2026) to 104 and the total so far published by OJAp up to 552. It took us until late July to pass 100 last year.

I will continue to include the posts made on our Mastodon account (on Fediscience) to encourage you to visit it. Mastodon is a really excellent service, and a more than adequate replacement for X/Twitter (which nobody should be using); these announcements also show the DOI for each paper.

The first paper to report this week, published on Monday 11th May in the folder High-Energy Astrophysical Phenomena is “Triaxial magnetars as sources of fast radio bursts” by Jonathan I Katz (Washington University, USA). This paper suggests that the mysterious properties of Fast Radio Bursts (FRB) could be explained by triaxial magnetars, with their activity levels influenced by precessional time scales.

The overlay for this paper is here

You can find the officially accepted version on arXiv here and the announcement on Fediverse here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116554775791392800

The second paper for this week, published on Tuesday 12th May in the folder Astrophysics of Galaxies, is “The Abundance of Thin Dwarf Galaxies: a Challenge for Cosmological Simulations” by Jose Benavides & Laura V. Sales (UC Riverside, USA), Julio F. Navarro (U. Victoria, Canada), Simon D. M. White (MPA Garching, Germany), and Carlos S. Frenk, Kyle A. Oman & Shaun Cole (U. Durham, UK). Depending on mass up to 40% of galaxies are intrinsically flat, a fraction that numerical models of galaxy formation struggle to reproduce suggesting the models are incomplete.

The overlay for this one is here:

The official version of the paper can be found on arXiv here and the Fediverse announcement here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116560106342500157

Next one up, the third paper of the week, also published on Tuesday 12th May but in the folder Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics is “Cosmological peculiar velocities in general relativity” by Chris Clarkson (Queen Mary, University of London, UK) and Roy Maartens (U. Western Cape, South Africa). This paper refutes claims that the 1+3 covariant approach to cosmological perturbation theory predicts stronger growth of galaxy peculiar velocities, arguing that standard treatments are correct and fully relativistic.

The overlay for this one is here:

The final, accepted version can be found on arXiv here and the Mastodon announcement is here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116560224426499932

The fourth paper this week, published on Wednesday May 13th “Possible evidence for a pair-instability supernova nature of ultra-early JWST sources” by Andrea Ferrara & Stefano Carniani (Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy), Takahiro Morishita (California Institute of Technology, USA), and Massimo Stiavelli (Space Telescope Science Institute, USA). Published in the section Astrophysics of Galaxies. This paper argues that recent observations challenge early galaxy formation models, suggesting that the bright source, Capotauro, could be a supernova from a massive, metal-free star, not a luminous galaxy as initially thought.

The overlay is here:

The officially accepted version can be found on arXiv here and here is the Mastodon announcement:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116566147448743997

The fifth and final article of this week was also published on Wednesday 13th May but in the folder Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics. The title is “Evolving and interacting dark energy: photometric and spectroscopic synergy with DES Y3 and DESI DR2” and it is by Maria Tsedrik and Benjamin Bose (University of Edinburgh, UK). The study investigates the Dark Scattering interacting dark energy scenario, using data from various sources. Results show no evidence of dark-sector interaction and a preference for the Chevallier-Polarski-Linder parametrisation.

The overlay is here:

You can find the authorized version of this paper on arXiv here and the Fediverse announcement is here:

https://fediscience.org/@OJ_Astro/116566165139100860

And that concludes this week’s update. I’ll do another next Saturday.

A dead galaxy from the early universe is forcing astronomers to rethink galactic evolution

Space tends to reward expectations. Young galaxies should spin. Gas falls in, gravity takes hold, angular momentum builds,…
#NewsBeep #News #Physics #BenForrest #EarlyUniverse #GalaxyFormation #jameswebbspacetelescope #jwst #massivequiescentgalaxy #NatureAstronomy #research #Science #slowrotatorgalaxy #SpaceNews #stellarkinematics #UK #UnitedKingdom #XMM-VID1-2075
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/570047/

A dead galaxy from the early universe is forcing astronomers to rethink galactic evolution

Space tends to reward expectations. Young galaxies should spin. Gas falls in, gravity takes hold, ang…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Physics #BenForrest #earlyuniverse #GalaxyFormation #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #jwst #massivequiescentgalaxy #NatureAstronomy #Research #Science #slowrotatorgalaxy #SpaceNews #stellarkinematics #XMM-VID1-2075
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/627735/

A dead galaxy from the early universe is forcing astronomers to rethink galactic evolution

Space tends to reward expectations. Young galaxies should spin. Gas falls in, gravity takes hold, ang…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Physics #BenForrest #earlyuniverse #GalaxyFormation #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #jwst #massivequiescentgalaxy #NatureAstronomy #Research #Science #slowrotatorgalaxy #SpaceNews #stellarkinematics #XMM-VID1-2075
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/627735/

https://www.europesays.com/ie/471834/ A dead galaxy from the early universe is forcing astronomers to rethink galactic evolution #BenForrest #EarlyUniverse #Éire #GalaxyFormation #IE #Ireland #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #jwst #MassiveQuiescentGalaxy #NatureAstronomy #Physics #Research #Science #SlowRotatorGalaxy #SpaceNews #StellarKinematics #XMMVID12075

3/3 Die Untersuchung unter der Leitung von Sebastian Zieba und Laura Kreidberg entstand in enger Zusammenarbeit zwischen dem MPIA und dem Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. Sie markiert den Übergang von der Entdeckung hin zur systematischen geologischen Analyse ferner Welten.

#Astronomie #Exoplaneten #Geologie #MPIA #Wissenschaft #JWST