News
ESO milestone achieved: Deep insights into the universe
With METIS and MICADO, two instruments for what will be the largest optical telescope in the world, the Extremely Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory in Chile, have passed the final design review. The Austrian cooperation A* (Universities of Vienna and Innsbruck, JKU Linz, Austrian Academy of Sciences) is involved in the development.
Thousands of dwarf galaxies discovered
The European Space Agency ESA today published new data from its Euclid space telescope. These used for a galactic census undertaken by astronomer Francine Marleau and her team at the Department of Astro- and Particle Physics at the University of Innsbruck: In Euclid images the scientists identified and characterized 2,674 dwarf galaxies.
Citizen Science: Help classify the shapes of galaxies
Thanks to a new ESA Citizen Science project as part of the Galaxy Zoo initiative, citizens can help identify the shapes of tens of thousands of galaxies in images from ESA's Euclid space telescope. These classifications will help scientists clarify how the shapes of galaxies have changed over time and what caused these changes.
The origin of cosmic radiation
Current research results from the field of gamma-ray astronomy contrast the decades-old paradigm of the origin of galactic cosmic particle rays. A researcher from Innsbruck led the corresponding investigation with NASA's Fermi Space Telescope.
FWF/ESPRIT Award
On April 9th, 2024 the official FWF award ceremony for female ESPRIT and Elise-Richter prize winners took place at the Urania in Vienna.
Weighing Galaxy Clusters
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics have published the cosmological results of the first X-ray sky survey of the Western Galactic Hemisphere by the eRosita space telescope. The working group for Extragalactic Astrophysics at the University of Innsbruck was also significantly involved in the calculations.
Starting signal for the exploration of the invisible universe
Researchers at the University of Innsbruck are working intensively on preparations for the Euclid mission of the European Space Agency ESA. The space telescope will be launched on July 1 and is expected to produce the largest 3D map of the universe to date. Scientists hope to learn more about the previously unexplored dark matter and dark energy of the universe.
Astrophysics: Star-childhood shapes stellar evolution
In classical models of stellar evolution, so far little importance has been attached to the early evolution of stars. Thomas Steindl from the Department of Astro- and Particle Physics at the University of Innsbruck now shows for the first time that the biography of stars is indeed shaped by their early stage. The study was published in Nature Communications.
A clear shot into the center of the Milky Way
Nadeen Sabha,University Innsbruck is the first astrophysicist in Austria to lead a research project at the new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Together with an international team, she wants to detect very young stars at the center of our Galaxy. Although the birth of stars near a black hole is very unlikely and requires very special conditions, there is evidence for their existence.
First images of molecules around a born-again star
An international team of astronomers with participation of Stefan Kimeswenger from the Institute for Astro- and Particle Physics, succeeded for the first time in observing the formation of carbon-rich molecules in the vicinity of a born-again star. This prompted the European Southern Observatory ESO to write an extensive blog on this topic.
New class of galactic nebulae discovered
An international team of astronomers led by Stefan Kimeswenger from the Department of Astro and Particle Physics, together with scientific amateurs, has identified a new class of galactic nebulae. This provides an important building block in the understanding of stellar evolution and shows the importance of international collaboration between university research and community
Resolving particle acceleration in the jet of Centaurus A
The origin of highest-energy gamma radiation in the nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A could now be localised for the first time: It extends out into its jet, a strongly bunched matter flow. This has now been reported by scientists including those from Innsbruck in the scientific journal Nature.
Eliciting an energetic secret from the Crab Nebula
The Crab Nebula is the remnant of a supernova which was observed almost 1000 years ago. Although it corresponds to one of the most studied celestial objects, its extension in very high energy gamma-rays has up to now remained unknown. The team of scientists of the H.E.S.S. telescopes now finally succeeded to measure the extension of the Crab Nebula in very high energy gamma-rays.
A Decade of Gamma-Ray Burst Observation with Fermi-LAT
For 10 years, NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has surveyed the sky for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the universe’s most luminous explosions. Now a catalog presenting all GRB detections by Fermi-LAT over the 10 year period has been compiled. It comprises 186 individual GRBs. We now have, for the first time, a sizeable sample of these extreme objects at highest observable frequencies.
Final Agreements Signed for CTA’s Southern Hemisphere Site in Chile
Santiago, Chile – On 19 December 2018, the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) signed the final agreements needed for CTA’s southern hemisphere array to be hosted near ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile.
Fermi Links Cosmic Neutrino to Monster Black Hole
The discovery of a high-energy neutrino on Sept. 22, 2017, sent astronomers on a chase to locate its source - a supermassive black hole in a distant galaxy.
First Cherenkov Light with the FlashCam MST Prototype
In September 2017, the Medium-Sized Telescope structure (MST-STR) and FlashCam teams started a joint test campaign in Berlin-Adlershof that resulted in the capture of the MST prototype’s first Cherenkov light.