Astronomers Detect Gamma-Ray Burst’s Magnetic Fingerprint

15 July 2026 at 23:42

This illustration depicts Faraday rotation in the afterglow of a gamma-ray burst. A powerful jet (upper left) sends polarized radio waves outward through the thin wall of a surrounding bubble of magnetized gas called an HII region. As the light passes through this material, its polarization angle is twisted by the magnetic field. Because the effect is stronger at longer wavelengths, the red and blue waves, which represent different radio wavelengths, exit the bubble oscillating in different directions. By measuring this difference, astronomers were able to map the magnetic environment surrounding GRB 260310A for the first time. Image credit: NSF / AUI / NRAO / M. Weiss

Using NSF’s Very Large Array (VLA), astronomers made the first radio detection of polarized light and Faraday rotation from a gamma-ray burst afterglow, offering an unprecedented glimpse of the magnetic fields surrounding one of the Universe’s most powerful explosions.

The post Astronomers Detect Gamma-Ray Burst’s Magnetic Fingerprint appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Radar Observations Reveal New Clues about Europa’s Hidden Interior

Sci.News

By: News Staff

17 June 2026 at 19:57

This artist’s impression shows radar waves from NASA’s Goldstone Solar System Radar pinging Europa; the radar waves penetrate Europa’s icy surface before bouncing back to be collected by NSF’s Green Bank Telescope on Earth. Image credit: NSF / AUI / NSF’s NRAO / P.Vosteen.

Using NASA’s Goldstone Solar System Radar and NSF’s Green Bank Telescope, astronomers from the University of California, Los Angeles, confirmed that the icy surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa scatters radio energy in an unusually strong and complex way not seen on rocky worlds.

The post Radar Observations Reveal New Clues about Europa’s Hidden Interior appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Gemini North Telescope Peers into Crystal Ball Nebula

Sci.News

By: Enrico de Lazaro

22 May 2026 at 21:00

This image of the Crystal Ball Nebula was captured by the 8.1-m Gemini North telescope at the International Gemini Observatory. Image credit: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez, International Gemini Observatory & NSF’s NOIRLab / T.A. Rector, University of Alaska Anchorage & NSF’s NOIRLab / D. de Martin & M. Zamani, NSF’s NOIRLab.

A stunning new image from the 8.1-m Gemini North telescope, located on the summit of Maunakea in Hawai’i, reveals the Crystal Ball Nebula in unprecedented detail: a lumpy, glowing sphere of gas sculpted by a pair of stars.

The post Gemini North Telescope Peers into Crystal Ball Nebula appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Reading view