The death of a star: Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen and DTU Space in Lyngby have determined the emission of extremely energetic light particles during the death of a very heavy star for the first time. The discovery was made in collaboration with a large, international team of scientists. The light particles were measured with the telescope MAGIC, situated on the Canary Islands. The researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute subsequently measured the particles with the neighboring Nordic Optical Telescope. The scientific perspective – the source detection of the emission of particles – is to gain basic insights into the extreme physical processes in the death of the heaviest stars. The study is now published in the journal Nature.
NBI news story --- Preprint --- Main paper
The final piece in the puzzle of the origin of the elements (October 2019)
The first unequivocal evidence of where the heaviest elements were forged has now been found by a research group led by the University of Copenhagen. For the first time, an element heavier than iron has been clearly detected in the collision of two neutron stars, resolving one of the fundamental questions about the history of the universe.
NBI news story --- Preprint --- Main paper
New observations link gigantic star collisions to homeless short duration gamma ray bursts (July 2018)
NEUTRONSTAR COLLISION: Scientists from the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, have been involved in detecting a beam of light that provides a link between neutron star mergers and short duration gamma ray bursts. The result is now published in Nature Astronomy.
NBI new story --- Preprint --- Main paper
Milky Way type dust particles discovered in a galaxy 11 billion light years from Earth (June 2018)
An international research team, with participation from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen, has found the same type of interstellar dust that we know from the Milky Way in a distant galaxy 11 billion light years from Earth. This type of dust has been found to be rare in other galaxies and the new discovery plays an important role in understanding what it takes for this particular type of interstellar dust to be formed.
NBI new story --- AAO news story --- Preprint --- Main paper
ESO Telescopes Observe First Light from Gravitational Wave Source (October 2017)
ESO's fleet of telescopes in Chile have detected the first visible counterpart to a gravitational wave source. These historic observations suggest that this unique object is the result of the merger of two neutron stars. The cataclysmic aftermaths of this kind of merger - long-predicted events called kilonovae - disperse heavy elements such as gold and platinum throughout the Universe. This discovery, published in several papers in the journal Nature and elsewhere, also provides the strongest evidence yet that short-duration gamma-ray bursts are caused by mergers of neutron stars.
ESO Press Release --- Preprint1,Preprint2,Preprint3 --- Main paper
Dark Cosmology Centre in hunt for gravitational wave sources (February 2016)
Today it was announced that gravitational waves, a key prediction of Einstein's theory of general relativity, have been directly detected for the first time and astrophysicists from the Niels Bohr Institute's Dark Cosmology Centre have been involved in trying to find out where they came from.
NBI Press Release
Astronomy archaeology - finding 120-year-old observations (December 2015)
HISTORIC ASTRONOMY In the basement under the Niels Bohr Institute building on Juliane Maries Vej in Copenhagen they have found astronomical observations that go more than 120 years back in time. The observations were recorded on thin photographic plates made out of glass and they have been shown to contain footage a solar eclipse that is of particular historical interest.
NBI Press Release
The Birth of Monsters (November 2015)
ESO's VISTA survey telescope has spied a horde of previously hidden massive galaxies that existed when the Universe was in its infancy. By discovering and studying more of these galaxies than ever before, astronomers have, for the first time, found out exactly when such monster galaxies first appeared.
ESO Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
ESO Telescopes Observe Swift Satellite's 1000th Gamma-ray Burst (November 2015)
On 27 October 2015, at 22:40 GMT, the NASA/ASI/UKSA Swift satellite discovered its 1000th gamma-ray burst (GRB). This landmark event was subsequently observed and characterised by ESO telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory in northern Chile, which revealed that this GRB was an especially interesting object.
ESO Annoncement --- NASA Press Release
Super-bright supernova with extreme burst of gamma radiation (July 2015)
Astronomers from the Niels Bohr Institute have observed a super-bright supernova association with a very unusual long lasting gamma-ray burst. Gamma-ray bursts are in rare cases observed in connection with supernovae, which are the deaths of massive stars and they usually only last a few minutes, but the new burst lasted more than a half an hour. The supernova itself was extremely bright - more than three times as bright as the supernovae previously associated with gamma-ray bursts. The results are published in the scientific journal, Nature.
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
New insights into gamma-ray Burst afterglows (May 2014)
Gamma-ray bursts are powerful bursts of gamma-ray radiation in connection with the explosive death of massive stars. The bursts themselves are short lived lasting typically less than a few minutes, but is followed by an afterglow that can be observed for several days after the gamma-ray burst. The afterglow is thought to occur when a shockwave is emitted from the dying star and collides with the surrounding material. It is an extreme process and researchers have made theoretical models of it, but using new observations, a team including researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute, have shown that the afterglow behaves differently than expected. The results are published in scientific journal, Nature.
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
Quasar observed in 6 separate multiple images (August 2013)
Quasars are active black holes primarily from the early universe. Using a special method where you observe light that has been bent by gravity on its way through the universe, a group of physics students from the Niels Bohr Institute have observed a quasar whose light has been deflected and reflected in six separate images. This is the first time a quasar has been observed with so many light reflections. The results are published in the scientific journal, Astrophysical Journal.
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
New knowledge about early galaxies (July 2013)
The early galaxies of the universe were very different from todays galaxies. Using new detailed studies carried out with the ESO Very Large Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope, researchers, including members from the Niels Bohr Institute, have studied an early galaxy in unprecedented detail
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
Johan Fynbo får anerkendelse fra Verdens Kultur Rådet (April 2012)
VISTA Stares Deep into the Cosmos (March 2012)
Treasure trove of new infrared data made available to astronomers.
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
The Most Distant Object Yet Discovered in the Universe (April 2009)
ESO's Very Large Telescope has shown that a faint gamma-ray burst detected last Thursday is the signature of the explosion of the earliest, most distant known object in the Universe (a redshift of 8.2). The explosion apparently took place more than 13 billion years ago, only about 600 million years after the Big Bang.
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
NASA's Swift Catches Farthest Ever Gamma-Ray Burst (September 2008)
NASA's Swift satellite has found the most distant gamma-ray burst ever detected. The blast, designated GRB 080913, arose from an exploding star 12.8 billion light-years away.
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
Controlled by Distant Explosions (March 2007)
VLT Automatically Takes Detailed Spectra of Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows Only Minutes After Discovery
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
The Dark Side of Nature: the Crime was Almost Perfect (December 2006)
VLT Uncovers New Way to Form Black Hole
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
Long-lasting but Dim Brethren of Cosmic Flashes (August 2006)
Unusual Gamma-Ray Burst Studied in Detail
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper --- APOD
Falling onto the dark (July 2006)
Rare Blob Unveiled: Evidence for Hydrogen Gas Falling onto a Dark Matter Clump?
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
Earth is Safe from One Class of Gamma-ray Burst (May 2006)
We can remove long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) from the list of potential natural disasters
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper --- APOD
Cosmic Evolution with Gamma-Ray Bursts (April 2006)
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
Flashes Shed Light on Cosmic Clashes (August 2005)
ESO's Telescopes See Afterglows of Elusive Short Bursts
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper --- APOD
Discovery of a Dark Matter Halo around a distant Quasar (2004)
Press Release (dead link) --- Preprint --- Paper
Cosmological Gamma-Ray Bursts and Hypernovae Conclusively Linked (2003)
Clearest-Ever Evidence from VLT Spectra of Powerful Event
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
A Glimpse of the Very Early Universal Web (2001)
The VLT Maps Extremely Distant Galaxies
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
The Most Remote Gamma-Ray Burst (2000)
ESO Telescopes Observe "Lightning" in the Young Universe
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper
Press Release --- Preprint --- Paper --- APOD
Last updated 06-06-2018 by jfynbo[at]nbi.ku.dk