Our local “basin of attraction” is the region containing all the galaxies that would contract to a single point, if we were to neglect the dominant expansion. The authors define this region as our home supercluster, Laniakea.
How well do the current methods of measuring the star formation rate of galaxies match then known star formation rate in simulations?
As galaxies evolve they eventually stop forming stars. There are a host of (sometimes violent) processes that can end star formation in galaxies. The authors examine how galaxy mass plays a role in stopping star formation for nearby galaxies.
Stars: steady-burning nuclear flames that pierce the darkness of space. Except when they’re not. The star known as HD 181068 is bright, but it’s no standard candle. On closer inspection, this well-studied system is actually home to three stars locked in a complex cosmic dance.
The authors break in the new Gemini Planet Imager with spectroscopy of the well-studied but not yet well-explained exoplanets HR 8799 c and d.
This wasn’t a week of watching; it was a week of doing.