A hundred years before the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration released the first image of a black hole in 2019 – located at the heart of the galaxy M87 – astronomer Heber Curtis had already discovered a strange jet protruding from the galaxy’s center. Today, we know this to be the jet of the black hole M87*. Such jets are also emitted by other black holes. Theoretical astrophysicists at Goethe University have now developed a numerical code to describe with high mathematical precision how black holes transform their rotational energy into such ultra-fast jets.

A game-changing instrument is set to improve the detection and direct imaging of planets outside our Solar System by harnessing the power of liquid crystals. The Programmable Liquid-crystal Active Coronagraphic Imager for the DAG telescope (PLACID) was installed earlier this year at the 4m-diameter telescope of the newly-built Eastern Anatolian Observatory (DAG) observatory in Eastern Turkey. Now in the integration and validation phase, the first on-sky observations of PLACID are expected in the first quarter of 2026. 

A world-first study has proven microbes essential for human health can survive the extreme forces of space launch.

Whether an asteroid is spinning neatly on its axis or tumbling chaotically, and how fast it is doing so, has been shown to be dependent on how frequently it has experienced collisions. The findings, presented at the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting in Helsinki, are based on data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission and provide a means of determining an asteroid’s physical properties – information that is vital for successfully deflecting asteroids on a collision course with Earth.

Researchers have for the first time measured the true properties of individual MXene flakes — an exciting new nanomaterial with potential for better batteries, flexible electronics, and clean energy devices. By using a novel light-based technique called spectroscopic micro-ellipsometry, they discovered how MXenes behave at the single-flake level, revealing changes in conductivity and optical response that were previously hidden when studying only stacked layers. This breakthrough provides the fundamental knowledge and tools needed to design smarter, more efficient technologies powered by MXenes.

The University of Texas at Arlington is teaming up with NASA to celebrate International Observe the Moon Night this Saturday, Oct. 4. At the free event, held in the UTA Observatory from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., visitors will be able to examine the moon, talk to astronomy experts, and take pictures through a 16-inch scientific-grade telescope.