Julianne Dalcanton on Hubble Imaging of 216 Interacting Galaxies

Astronomers have identified a rare galaxy that appears to defy expectations by not showing the typical rotational behavior seen in most spiral systems. Instead of spinning in a clear, structured pattern, it seems unusually chaotic or misaligned, challenging existing models of galaxy dynamics. In Milky Way and other well-studied systems, rotation is a key factor in maintaining structure—but this object suggests that under certain conditions, galaxies may evolve in far more complex ways than previously thought. What forces could stop an entire galaxy from spinning the way we expect? Watch the full reel to explore the mystery—and dive deeper into space insights on our YouTube channel.

When I saw the cosmic web image released by the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy on May 16, 2026, it really struck me how the universe doesn’t look like empty space at all—it looks more like a vast, interconnected network of filaments, almost like a cosmic-scale roadmap. It immediately brought to mind the idea of “hidden highways” in spacetime that physicists sometimes explore in theory: not literal roads, but natural structures shaped by gravity and dark matter that might one day help us understand the most efficient paths through the universe. It also makes me think of Star Trek, where interstellar travel using warp drive or spacetime jumps isn’t just fantasy but a normalized way of moving through space by bending spacetime itself rather than crossing it conventionally. When concepts like warp fields or spacetime jumps move from fiction into engineering, then mapping structures like the cosmic web could become incredibly relevant—not just for understanding where galaxies are, but for figuring out how spacetime itself can be navigated. We’re still far from that reality, but images like this blur the line between science fiction and the long-term direction of real physics, where the universe isn’t something we cross so much as something we learn to “route through.” #CosmicWeb #InterstellarTravel #WarpDrivePhysics #SpacetimeJumps

COSMOS-Web is the gift that keeps on giving! Since it's data release grabbed international headlines nearly a year ago (https://lnkd.in/g9wraGJ6), the JWST program has led to the most detailed map of dark matter ever produced, and now one of the best looks ever of the cosmic web. I can't wait to see what comes next in this unprecedented time of space discovery! 🤓

🔬 X‑ray Astronomy (The Deep X‑ray Survey) ✨ Look up now and realize that by 2125 we won’t just watch the cosmos—we’ll call it home. The astronomy of the next century shifts from passive observation to active destination, turning X‑ray observatories into navigation beacons for interstellar settlement. ✓ 🔭1. Ground X‑ray observatories become museum pieces; orbital interferometer array resolves black‑hole event horizons, and citizens reference hometowns by X‑ray source. ✓ 🚀2. Cryogenic mirrors obsolete; quantum‑enhanced detectors capture high‑energy transients in real time, enabling daily alerts about supernovae and gamma bursts. ✓ ⭐3. Space‑based X‑ray data feeds AI climate models, and people greet each other with 'clear X‑ray skies' instead of weather. 🟢 Would you buy a one‑way ticket to Mars or Europa? #XrayFuture #SpaceScience #Astronomy2125 #InterstellarLiving #TechInnovation

🔬 X‑ray Astronomy (The Deep X‑ray Survey) ✨ Look up now and realize that by 2125 we won’t just watch the cosmos—we’ll call it home. The astronomy of the next century shifts from passive observation to active destination, turning X‑ray observatories into navigation beacons for interstellar settlement. ✓ 🔭1. Ground X‑ray observatories become museum pieces; orbital interferometer array resolves black‑hole event horizons, and citizens reference hometowns by X‑ray source. ✓ 🚀2. Cryogenic mirrors obsolete; quantum‑enhanced detectors capture high‑energy transients in real time, enabling daily alerts about supernovae and gamma bursts. ✓ ⭐3. Space‑based X‑ray data feeds AI climate models, and people greet each other with 'clear X‑ray skies' instead of weather. 🟢 Would you buy a one‑way ticket to Mars or Europa? #XrayFuture #SpaceScience #Astronomy2125 #InterstellarLiving #TechInnovation

𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐞𝐛; 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐱𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞. The filament stretches 3 million light-years. The light that formed this image travelled for 11 billion years to reach the telescope. It took 150 hours of observations at the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile just to make it visible. Here is why this matters. Dark matter shapes a gigantic web-like framework made of long filaments across the cosmos. At the points where these filaments intersect, galaxies form. Without steady inflow of gas along these filaments, galaxies would exhaust their star-forming material in a few hundred million years and fade. The cosmic web is the plumbing of the Universe. We have been inferring its existence from theory and indirect measurement for thirty years. This is the first time we have photographed a piece of it directly. For the first time, researchers could trace the boundary between the gas inside galaxies and the material contained within the cosmic web itself through direct observation. And when they compared what they saw against supercomputer simulations of the Universe, the simulations and the observations matched. The Universe built the structure exactly where the models said it would be. MPA staff scientist Fabrizio Arrigoni Battaia put it plainly: "One doesn't count. We are gathering further data to uncover more such structures." One filament is a proof of concept. A hundred would be a map of how the Universe actually feeds its galaxies. We just got the first photograph. The map comes next. 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲: https://lnkd.in/dSGk2S9a 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐀𝐩𝐩 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬: https://lnkd.in/gXeKtgwS 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://lnkd.in/dfE_5fMg #CosmicWeb #Astronomy #Space #Science #TheTrustedTimes

𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐞𝐛; 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐱𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞. The filament stretches 3 million light-years. The light that formed this image travelled for 11 billion years to reach the telescope. It took 150 hours of observations at the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile just to make it visible. Here is why this matters. Dark matter shapes a gigantic web-like framework made of long filaments across the cosmos. At the points where these filaments intersect, galaxies form. Without steady inflow of gas along these filaments, galaxies would exhaust their star-forming material in a few hundred million years and fade. The cosmic web is the plumbing of the Universe. We have been inferring its existence from theory and indirect measurement for thirty years. This is the first time we have photographed a piece of it directly. For the first time, researchers could trace the boundary between the gas inside galaxies and the material contained within the cosmic web itself through direct observation. And when they compared what they saw against supercomputer simulations of the Universe, the simulations and the observations matched. The Universe built the structure exactly where the models said it would be. MPA staff scientist Fabrizio Arrigoni Battaia put it plainly: "One doesn't count. We are gathering further data to uncover more such structures." One filament is a proof of concept. A hundred would be a map of how the Universe actually feeds its galaxies. We just got the first photograph. The map comes next. 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲: https://lnkd.in/dSGk2S9a 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐀𝐩𝐩 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬: https://lnkd.in/gXeKtgwS 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://lnkd.in/dfE_5fMg #CosmicWeb #Astronomy #Space #Science #TheTrustedTimes

🚀 Excited to share our new paper on arXiv titled: "Producing the GeV Galactic Center Excess via Cosmic Ray-Dark Matter Scattering" In this work, we propose a novel mechanism to explain the long-standing gamma-ray excess observed by NASA's Fermi Large Area Telescope from the Galactic Center via cosmic-ray scattering off dark matter, yielding spectral fits comparable to those of leading explanations in the literature, such as dark matter annihilation and millisecond pulsars. In addition to the physics results, this project incorporated several computational aspects I particularly enjoy: ✅ Building a large-scale Monte Carlo simulation (~10M+ events) ✅ Statistical inference with correlated systematics using covariance matrices ✅ Model fitting and comparison against observational data ✅ High-dimensional parameter exploration and validation ✅ Scientific software/tool development and reproducible workflows Developed "pygcexcess", a Python package (public release coming soon) that integrates the entire pipeline, including signal generation, simulation, fitting, and comparison, into a reusable, reproducible toolkit. A particularly rewarding aspect was connecting physically motivated modeling with statistically rigorous comparisons to real-world, noisy data, specifically in signal-versus-background discrimination. Paper: https://lnkd.in/gFFzkPMZ Package release soon: pygcexcess #QuantitativeResearch #StatisticalModeling #Optimization #ProblemSolving #NumericalSimulation #NASA

Exploring the universe has never been this powerful or precise today. China’s FAST telescope is rewriting the rules of astronomy. Stretching 500 meters across, it is the largest telescope in human history, so massive that it even hosts its own miniature ecosystem within its structure. This engineering marvel allows scientists to detect signals as faint as a mobile phone on Mars, giving humanity an unprecedented window into the cosmos. FAST isn’t just about size, it’s about discovery. Since becoming operational in 2016, it has detected over 900 new pulsars, mapping the universe in ways no other telescope on Earth can. Its sensitivity allows astronomers to study black holes, pulsars, and even search for potential extraterrestrial signals, opening the door to discoveries that could redefine our understanding of space. The telescope’s advanced design combines cutting-edge radio technology with precise dish engineering, allowing it to scan vast areas of the sky quickly and accurately. Unlike smaller observatories, FAST can catch the faintest whispers from distant galaxies, revealing cosmic events invisible to conventional instruments. This capability gives researchers a tool to study the universe’s mysteries at scales never imagined before. FAST represents more than scientific achievement—it’s a symbol of curiosity, ambition, and global collaboration in the quest to understand our place in the universe. From mapping distant stars to seeking alien signals, the telescope shows how far technology has come in expanding human knowledge. As discoveries continue, FAST is poised to inspire generations to look up at the night sky with wonder, and imagine what might be waiting just beyond our reach. #nexees #techmedtimes #fasttelescope #astronomy #spaceexploration Credit to rightful source 🙏

A new instrument, the Tomographic Ionized-carbon Mapping Experiment (TIME), is enabling astronomers to observe the collective light from early galaxies that are too faint to be detected individually by traditional telescopes. Using line-intensity mapping, TIME measures the combined emission from vast numbers of galaxies, providing insights into cosmic history and star formation. Initial results from observations at the Arizona Radio Observatory confirm the instrument’s readiness for future studies, including mapping distant regions such as the COSMOS field. This approach offers a valuable method for tracing galaxy populations and understanding the evolution of cosmic structure.