Search Publications
Very regular high-frequency pulsation modes in young intermediate-mass stars
Smalley, Barry; Li, Yaguang; Li, Gang +33 more
Asteroseismology probes the internal structures of stars by using their natural pulsation frequencies1. It relies on identifying sequences of pulsation modes that can be compared with theoretical models, which has been done successfully for many classes of pulsators, including low-mass solar-type stars2, red giants3
A remnant planetary core in the hot-Neptune desert
Latham, David W.; Gandhi, Siddharth; Brogi, Matteo +92 more
The interiors of giant planets remain poorly understood. Even for the planets in the Solar System, difficulties in observation lead to large uncertainties in the properties of planetary cores. Exoplanets that have undergone rare evolutionary processes provide a route to understanding planetary interiors. Planets found in and near the typically bar…
Stellar clustering shapes the architecture of planetary systems
Kruijssen, J. M. Diederik; Longmore, Steven N.; Chevance, Mélanie +1 more
Planet formation is generally described in terms of a system containing the host star and a protoplanetary disk1-3, of which the internal properties (for example, mass and metallicity) determine the properties of the resulting planetary system4. However, (proto)planetary systems are predicted5,6 and observed7,…
The tidal remnant of an unusually metal-poor globular cluster
Lewis, Geraint F.; Casey, Andrew R.; Erkal, Denis +18 more
Globular clusters are some of the oldest bound stellar structures observed in the Universe1. They are ubiquitous in large galaxies and are believed to trace intense star-formation events and the hierarchical build-up of structure2,3. Observations of globular clusters in the Milky Way, and a wide variety of other galaxies, hav…
The Magellanic Corona as the key to the formation of the Magellanic Stream.
Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Lucchini, S.; D'Onghia, E. +3 more
The dominant gaseous structure in the Galactic halo is the Magellanic Stream, an extended network of neutral and ionized filaments surrounding the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC/SMC), the two most massive satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. Recent observations indicate that the Clouds are on their first passage around our Galaxy, the Stre…
The Philae lander reveals low-strength primitive ice inside cometary boulders
Parker, Joel Wm.; Auster, Hans-Ulrich; Heinisch, Philip +25 more
On 12 November 2014, the Philae lander descended towards comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, bounced twice off the surface, then arrived under an overhanging cliff in the Abydos region. The landing process provided insights into the properties of a cometary nucleus1-3. Here we report an investigation of the previously undiscovered site of …
Spectroscopic confirmation of a mature galaxy cluster at a redshift of 2
Brammer, G.; Stanford, S. A.; Allen, S. W. +6 more
Galaxy clusters are the most massive virialized structures in the Universe and are formed through the gravitational accretion of matter over cosmic time1. The discovery2 of an evolved galaxy cluster at redshift z = 2, corresponding to a look-back time of 10.4 billion years, provides an opportunity to study its properties. The…
An orbital water-ice cycle on comet 67P from colour changes
Longobardo, Andrea; Mottola, Stefano; Arnold, Gabriele +10 more
Solar heating of a cometary surface provides the energy necessary to sustain gaseous activity, through which dust is removed1,2. In this dynamical environment, both the coma3,4 and the nucleus5,6 evolve during the orbit, changing their physical and compositional properties. The environment around an active nucleus …
Reply to: On the signature of a 70-solar-mass black hole in LB-1
Soria, Roberto; Liu, Jifeng; Lu, Youjun +4 more
Eye of a skull reveals details of cometary materials
Asphaug, Erik
The Philae spacecraft was meant to anchor itself to the surface of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, but instead bounced into a hidden grotto. The telltale markings of its passage reveal details of the comet's fragile boulders.