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Aided by an optical ring-shaped structure visible in the recombination lines of neon and oxygen, a neutron star (the central compact object) has been identified in X-ray data of the supernova remnant 1E 0102.2–7219.
Interferometric observations of 3C84 reveal a broad cylindrical jet a few hundred gravitational radii from the black hole, implying that the jet either undergoes a rapid lateral expansion on even smaller scales or is launched from the accretion disk.
The abundance of metals in Mercury’s interior is unique among the rocky planets of the Solar System. The characterization of the ‘super-Mercury’ exoplanet presented in this paper will improve our understanding of how Mercury-like planets can form and evolve.
A fast-evolving luminous transient (FELT) has been detected with a rise time to peak luminosity of only 2.2 days. This implies that the light-curve of this FELT cannot be powered by the decay of radioactive elements, as with type Ia supernovae.
Applying mass–radius–composition models to the exoplanet system of the M dwarf star TRAPPIST-1, its planets f and g are determined to contain substantial amounts of water, whereas b and c are much drier.
New hydrodynamical models are used to fit the Fermi-LAT data of the Galactic centre and show that the excess γ-ray emission of the region is better fitted by a non-spherical shape, indicating that it is not caused by dark-matter-related phenomena.
Laboratory experiments explore aerosol formation at conditions that can be found on planets with radii between Earth and Neptune that do not exist in the Solar System but are common elsewhere. Photochemically generated hazes are produced in most cases.
This paper puts into question the standard scenario of a primordial formation for bilobate comets. The authors show that bilobate comets can retain their properties even if they form through collisions of larger bodies, which can happen at any time.
The power source of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) is still debated. A detection of an absorption line at 4.5 keV in the Chandra spectrum of a ULX supports the scenario of a strongly magnetized neutron star accreting at super-Eddington rates.
Sloshing cold fronts in galaxy clusters—sharp jumps in density and temperature—retain a long-lived history of the motion of the cluster core. Chandra observations show that the cold front in Perseus is extremely sharp and is split into two edges.
The brightness variations of the interstellar object 1I/’Oumuamua observed during six nights are incompatible with a unique rotation rate, indicating that the body is tumbling. Colour measurements suggest a heterogeneous surface, with a large red region.
Hubble observations of the TRAPPIST-1 system exclude the presence of H2-dominated cloud-free atmospheres for the three planets within or around the system’s habitable zone. This result supports the hypothesis that these planets are terrestrial in nature.
The efficiency of the chemical desorption caused by the reactions between H2S, HS and H on an icy grain surface analogue has been quantified by means of in situ infrared measurements of the surface, providing valuable information for understanding non-thermal desorption processes.
A geochemical model for the state of early Mars suggests that short-term warm events grafted onto a generally cold climate could form Al-rich phyllosilicates in short-lived surface water bodies and Mg-rich ones in hydrothermal subsurface environments.
Methanol maser lines are key tracers of the magnetic field strength in high-mass star-forming regions. Here the authors model the magnetic properties of methanol in detail, including the hyperfine structure arising from its internal rotation.
Mars Climate Sounder’s multi-annual observations of the vertical distribution of water and dust in the Martian atmosphere show that deep convection from dust storms transports water from the lower to the middle atmosphere, enhancing water loss to space.
Global circulation theory predicts strong equatorial jets at the equators of hot gas giant exoplanets that blow hot gas to the east, resulting in an eastward hotspot. Here, Dang et al. present a detection of a hotspot significantly offset to the west.
A sample of quiescent early-type galaxies (ETGs) — home to most of the stars in the local Universe — at z ~ 1.8 contain two orders of magnitude more dust at a fixed stellar mass than local ETGs. This implies a higher gas content, at odds with the idea that star formation at this redshift is quenched by gas removal.
An M = −14 r-band magnitude cutoff for satellite galaxies around isolated massive early-type galaxies indicates that the luminosity function of these satellite galaxies is largely determined by their interaction with their host’s environment.
The distribution of circularity of stellar orbits within 300 galaxies of the present-day Universe, with masses between 108.7 and 1011.9M⊙, is directly observed by the CALIFA survey and provides a benchmark for galaxy simulations.
