NRAO Archives

This image of R Leporis, a star in the final stages of its evolution, is the highest resolution image ever achieved with ALMA. It has an angular resolution of 5 milli-arcseconds, equivalent to seeing a 10-metre-long bus on the Moon. It was achieved using the ALMA Band 10 (high-frequency) receivers and an array configuration with a maximum baseline length of 16 km, as well as a novel calibration technique. Submillimeter-wave emission from the stellar surface is shown in orange and hydrogen cyanide maser emissions at 891 GHz are shown in blue. The observations show that the star is surrounded by a ring-like structure of gas and that gas from the star is escaping to the surrounding space. Mass loss from AGB stars builds up a circumstellar envelope (CSE) rich in molecules and dust. In using different molecular species we can probe the CSE, and therefore the mass-loss process, at different radii from the central stars. Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is one of the most abundant molecules in carbon-rich CSEs and is known to exhibit maser action in many transitions in the (sub)millimeter domain. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/Y. Asaki et al. Larger imagery

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release

R Leporis – Surrounded By A Cloud Of Carbon Compounds – As Imaged By ALMA

by Keith CowingDecember 29, 2023December 29, 2023

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner, has achieved the highest resolution observations since it began operations.

Located in the constellation Sagittarius, the young star HD 169142 is host to a giant protoplanet embedded within its dusty, gas-rich protoplanetary disk. This artist’s conception shows the Jupiter-like planet interacting with and heating nearby molecular gas, driving outflows seen in several emission lines, including those from shock-tracing molecules like SO and SiS, and the commonly seen 12CO and 13CO. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), M. Weiss (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

A Surprise Chemical Find by ALMA At HD 169142 May Help Detect and Confirm Protoplanets

by Keith CowingJune 29, 2023June 29, 2023

Scientists using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to study the protoplanetary disk around a young star have discovered the most compelling chemical evidence to date of the formation of […]

Astronomy & Telescopes, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures

The Very Large Array Will Search For Signals From Extraterrestrial Civilizations

by Keith CowingMay 1, 2023May 1, 2023

One of the world’s most powerful radio telescope arrays is joining the hunt for signals from other galactic civilizations. The National Science Foundation’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), […]

Astrochemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

ALMA Traces The History Of Water In Planet Formation Back To The Interstellar Medium

by Keith CowingMarch 8, 2023March 10, 2023

Scientists studying a nearby protostar have detected the presence of water in its circumstellar disk. The new observations made with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) mark the first detection […]

Astrochemistry

Water Has Been Detected In The Most Massive Galaxy In The Early Universe

by Keith CowingNovember 4, 2021

Scientists studying SPT0311-58 found H20, along with carbon monoxide in the galaxy, which is located nearly 12.88 billion light years from Earth. Detection of these two molecules in abundance suggests […]

Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures

New Technologies, Strategies Expand Search for Extraterrestrial Life

by Keith CowingFebruary 14, 2020

Emerging technologies and new strategies are opening a revitalized era in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). New discovery capabilities, along with the rapidly expanding number of known planets orbiting […]

Europa, Press Release

ALMA Maps The Temperature of Europa

by Keith CowingOctober 24, 2018

Jupiter’s icy moon Europa has a chaotic surface terrain that is fractured and cracked, suggesting a long-standing history of geologic activity. A new series of four images of Europa taken […]

Astrochemistry

ALMA Observes Water Jets And Organic Compounds

by Keith CowingAugust 19, 2018

The ALMA telescope in Chile has transformed how we see the universe, showing us otherwise invisible parts of the cosmos. This array of incredibly precise antennas studies a comparatively high-frequency […]

Proxima Centauri

Powerful Flare from Star Proxima Centauri Detected with ALMA

by Keith CowingFebruary 26, 2018

Using data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a team of astronomers discovered that a powerful stellar flare erupted from Proxima Centauri last March. This finding, published in the […]

Astrochemistry, Press Release

Stellar Embryos In Nearby Dwarf Galaxy Contain Surprisingly Complex Organic Molecules

by Keith CowingJanuary 30, 2018

The nearby dwarf galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is a chemically primitive place. Unlike the Milky Way, this semi-spiral collection of a few tens-of-billions of stars lacks […]