Astrobites

The Winner of the Cosmic Speed-Eating Contest Astrobites reports on RACS J0320−35, a quasar that appears to be breaking a cosmic limit by consuming matter faster than theory should allow.

Ansh Gupta reports for @astrobites.bsky.social on RACS J0320−35, a quasar that appears to be breaking a cosmic limit by consuming matter faster than theory should allow. aasnova.org/2026/02/03/t... 🔭

How Galaxy Mergers Can Bridge The Stellar Age Gap in Spiral Arms Can galaxy interactions help young and old stars in spiral arms get to know each other? These authors' simulations may have an answer!

From Veronika Dornan @dornanv.bsky.social : Can galaxy interactions help young and old stars in spiral arms get to know each other? These authors’ simulations may have an answer! ⚛️ 🔭 ☄️ 🧪
astrobites.org/2026/02/02/a...

Can’t we just take a picture of an exoplanet? If we want to know about the conditions for life on an Earth-like exoplanet, can’t we just take a picture of it? One where we can see continents, clouds and potential biospheres? The short answer is w...

From Kasper Zoellner: If we want to know about the conditions for life on an Earth-like exoplanet, can’t we just take a picture of it? The short answer is we can’t. The long answer as to why not is found in today’s bite. ⚛️ 🔭 ☄️ 🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/31/c...

SED Fitting: How Astronomers Understand Galaxies Across Time When studying distant galaxies, SED fitting is one tool to rule them all. But how can we learn the detailed history of entire galaxies from just a few snapshots?

From Ansh Gupta: When studying distant galaxies, SED fitting is one tool to rule them all. But how can we learn the detailed history of entire galaxies from just a few snapshots? ⚛️ 🔭 ☄️ 🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/30/s...

What’s the (Lagrange) point? There are a few locations in the solar system where the push and pull of gravity mellows out and you can orbit in (relative) peace. Read all about these islands of tranquility we call Lagrange points!

From Ryan White @astroryan.bsky.social : There are a few locations in the solar system where the push and pull of gravity mellows out and you can orbit in (relative) peace. Read all about these islands of tranquility we call Lagrange points! ⚛️ 🔭 ☄️ 🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/29/w...

How to ID some extrasolar dusty snowballs Exocomets are becoming more interesting, given their detections are more promising and well studied. So, naming them is of more importance now than ever. Today's bite summarizes a paper that proposes ...

From Maria Vincent @themariavincent.bsky.social : Exocomet detections are becoming more promising and well studied. So, naming them is of more importance now than ever. Today’s bite summarizes a paper that proposes a nomenclature for exocomets. ⚛️ 🔭 ☄️ 🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/28/h...

Feed the Fire, Fade the Metals Are cosmic clumps “homegrown”, or fueled by fresh inflow? Today’s authors find that star-forming clumps are usually more metal-poor than the disks around them.

From Niloofar Sharei @astroneal.bsky.social : Are cosmic clumps “homegrown”, or fueled by fresh inflow? Today’s authors find that star-forming clumps are usually more metal-poor than the disks around them. ⚛️ 🔭 ☄️ 🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/27/f...

The Black Hole Meetup: EMRIs and IMRIs in the Same Active Galactic Nucleus Disk Astrobites reports on how active galactic nucleus disks might connect black holes across the mass spectrum, setting the stage for extreme-mass-ratio and intermediate-mass-ratio inspirals in the same s...

William Smith reports for @astrobites.bsky.social on how active galactic nucleus disks might connect black holes across the mass spectrum, setting the stage for extreme-mass-ratio and intermediate-mass-ratio inspirals in the same system. aasnova.org/2026/01/27/t... 🔭

A Potential New Piece of the “Little Red Dot” Puzzle Today's paper presents an intriguing new object, which may be a early-Universe supermassive black hole shedding its gas cocoon!

From Drew Lapeer @giantmolecular.cloud: Today’s paper presents an intriguing new object, which may be a early-Universe supermassive black hole shedding its gas cocoon! ⚛️ 🔭 ☄️ 🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/26/x...

Sometimes You Do Have to Consider Them: Observing Magnetic Fields Using Pulsar Halos Whether you like them or not, magnetic fields permeate the interstellar medium. Today's paper outlines a novel way of observing them!

From Catherine Slaughter @catieslaughts.bsky.social : Whether you like them or not, magnetic fields permeate the interstellar medium. Today’s paper outlines a novel way of observing them! ⚛️🔭☄🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/24/p...

Spot the difference: eccentricity or precession Don’t get bamboozled by this sneaky resemblance!

From Viviana Cáceres: Don’t get bamboozled by this sneaky resemblance! ⚛️🔭☄🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/23/s...

Black Holes Eating Stellar Shedding Stars shed material as they shine, and today's authors think this may be enough to power X-ray emission from a massive black hole!

From Brandon Pries: Stars shed material as they shine, and today’s authors think this may be enough to power X-ray emission from a massive black hole! ⚛️🔭☄🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/22/m...

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a runaway supermassive black hole! Have we just discovered the first direct evidence of a runaway supermassive black hole?

From Nathalie Korhonen Cuestas: Have we just discovered the first direct evidence of a runaway supermassive black hole? ⚛️🔭☄🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/20/r...

Studying bubbles from the early Universe: an efficient matched filter approach In today's bite, we talk about how one can efficiently measure bubbles of ionized gas that signal the epoch of reionization (EoR).

From Abbé Whitford @abbew25.bsky.social : In today’s bite, we talk about how one can efficiently measure bubbles of ionized gas that signal the epoch of reionization (EoR). ⚛️🔭☄🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/19/r...

Are Water Worlds Just Made of Soot? Astrobites reports on whether the low-density planets that keep popping up in our growing collection of exoplanets are really the water worlds that we imagine them to be.

Kasper Zoellner reports for @astrobites.bsky.social on whether the low-density planets that keep popping up in our growing collection of exoplanets are really the water worlds that we imagine them to be. aasnova.org/2026/01/20/a... 🔭

Back for Seconds: Evidence of Two Bursts of Star Formation in an Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxy Reticulum II? More like Reticulum TWO distinct periods of star formation! Or at least that's what new spectroscopic observations incdicate.

From Veronika Dornan @dornanv.bsky.social : Reticulum II? More like Reticulum TWO distinct periods of star formation! Or at least that’s what new spectroscopic observations indicate. ⚛️🔭☄🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/17/r...

The Oldest Starlight What if some of JWST’s most extreme high-redshift galaxy candidates aren’t galaxies at all, but the explosive deaths of the very first stars?

From Lucie Rowland: What if some of JWST’s most extreme high-redshift galaxy candidates aren’t galaxies at all, but the explosive deaths of the very first stars? ⚛️🔭☄🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/16/t...

Global Calm, Local Chaos: How AGN-Driven Cosmic Rays Reshape Galaxies from the Inside Massive galaxies all seem to end up quiet and quenched—but the physics inside them can look wildly different. This story explores how AGN-driven cosmic rays reshape galaxies from the inside out, chang...

From Sandy Chiu: Massive galaxies all seem to end up quiet and quenched—but the physics inside them can look wildly different. Explore how AGN-driven cosmic rays reshape galaxies from the inside out, changing local conditions without altering their ultimate fate. ⚛️🔭☄🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/15/c...

I Survived a Type Ia, and All I Got Was This Kick Velocity Some type Ia supernovae involve a companion star that somehow survives the energetic explosion. What can we learn from these companions?

From Mckenzie Ferrari: Some type Ia supernovae involve a companion star that somehow survives the energetic explosion. What can we learn from these companions? ⚛️🔭☄🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/13/s...

A Black Hole Egg That Forgot to Hatch Astrobites reports on how astronomers got a closer view of the distant and mysterious little red dots.

Ansh Gupta reports for @astrobites.bsky.social on how astronomers got a closer view of the distant and mysterious little red dots. aasnova.org/2026/01/13/a... 🔭

Low, Low, and Lower: A Binary Ultracool Dwarf System is Detected at 340 MHz The lowest mass stars have been well-studied across the mid and high frequency radio bands. However, lower frequencies can reveal larger-scale magnetic structures and may even be the key to the first ...

From Will Golay: Low frequencies can reveal magnetic structures in the lowest mass stars and may even be the key to the first direct radio detection of an exoplanet. Learn about the first detection of a low-mass ultracool dwarf at the low frequency of 340 MHz! ⚛️🔭☄🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/12/l...

A tale of two toy models: towards understanding the geometry of cosmic rays in the Milky Way Today's astrobite looks at how we can use observations of gamma-rays and neutrinos to test our models of cosmic rays.

From Caroline von Raesfeld: Today’s astrobite looks at how we can use observations of gamma-rays and neutrinos to test our models of cosmic rays. ⚛️🔭☄🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/10/c...

Meet the AAS Keynote Speakers: Dr Maura McLaughlin Today we interview Dr. Maura McLaughlin, who is a professor at West Virginia University and one of this year's #AAS247 Plenary speakers!

...Dr. Maura McLaughlin talk about the NANOGrav project! #AAS247
astrobites.org/2026/01/07/m...

Meet the AAS 247 Keynote Speakers: Xavier Siemens Today we interview Prof Xavier Siemens, Professor at Oregon State University. He and his colleague, Maura McLaughlin, will accept the Bruno Rossi Prize on behalf of the NANOGrav Collaboration at #AAS2...

A double feature at 11:40am #AAS247: Dr. Xavier Siemens and....
astrobites.org/2026/01/07/m...

Meet the AAS Keynote Speakers: Dr Maya Fishbach Today we interview Dr. Maya Fishbach, assistant professor at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA), University of Toronto, winner of the 2025 Annie Jump Cannon Award and a plenary...

Dr. Maya Fishbach's plenary on gravitational waves: #AAS47
astrobites.org/2026/01/07/m...

Our interviews with Jan 8th's plenary speakers #AAS247 🧪☄️🔭✨:

To wrap things up, at 2:30 PM, we have a dissertation talk from Katya Gozman in room 229 A. Hope to see you there!

Its the last day of #AAS247! Make sure you don't miss the last few talks from folks at Astrobites!

Kicking us off at 10 AM in room 221 B is Briley Lewis ( @briles34.bsky.social ) giving a talk on writing education in astronomy! 🔭🧪☄️

Check out all the action from the first two days of #AAS247 with our summary wrap posts! ☄️🔭✨🧪
astrobites.org/2026/01/06/a...
astrobites.org/2026/01/07/a...

Our interviews with the plenary speaker for tomorrow, Jan 7th! #AAS247 ☄️🔭✨🧪