In the leading model of cosmology, most of the universe is invisible: a combined 95 percent is made of dark matter and dark energy. Exactly what these dark components are remains a mystery, but they have a tremendous impact on our universe, with dark matter exerting a gravitational pull and dark energy driving the universe’s accelerating expansion. What scientists know about dark matter and dark energy comes from observing their effects on the visible universe. Astrophysicists from the University of Chicago measured those effects on a new patch of sky to illuminate the invisible cosmos.

Astronomer Michael R. Blanton will join the Carnegie Science Observatories as its 12th director, overseeing astronomical research in Pasadena and telescope operations at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, one of the world’s elite observing sites.

Kyoto, Japan --  "Why are we here?" is humanity's most fundamental and persistent question. Tracing the origins of the elements is a direct attempt to answer this at its deepest level. We know many elements are created inside stars and supernovae, which then cast them out into the universe, yet the origins of some key elements has remained a mystery.

Chlorine and potassium, both odd-Z elements -- possessing an odd number of protons -- are essential to life and planet formation. According to current theoretical models, stars produce only about one-tenth the amount of these elements observed in the universe, a discrepancy that has long puzzled astrophysicists.

This inspired a group of researchers at Kyoto University and Meiji University to examine supernova remnants for traces of these elements. Using XRISM -- short for X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, an X-ray satellite launched by JAXA in 2023 -- the team was able to perform high-resolution X-ray spectroscopic observations of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant within the Milky Way.

Astronomers using the Subaru Telescope in Hawaiʻi have discovered a massive planet and a brown dwarf orbiting distant stars. The discoveries are the first results from OASIS (Observing Accelerators with SCExAO Imaging Survey), which combines space-based measurements with the Subaru Telescope’s advanced imaging to find hidden worlds. These discoveries in turn enable NASA’s upcoming Roman Space Telescope to test critical technologies for imaging Earth-like planets.