Research
-
2026.09.18
Tsinghua-led team finds that superbubbles drive turbulence in the Andromeda galaxy
In 1979, astronomer Carl Heiles identified giant shells of neutral hydrogen in the Milky Way, some of them expanding across hundreds or thousands of light-years. The largest shell required more energy than a single supernova could supply. Such structures, known as superbubbles, can be formed by stellar winds and repeated supernova explosions.Superbubbles may also help answer a longstanding ques...
More -
2026.08.07
An International Team Led by Tsinghua University Probes the Architecture of the Young Planetary System AU Mic
In a recent study led by the Department of Astronomy at Tsinghua University, astronomers measured the spin–orbit architecture of two planets in the young planetary system AU Mic.Whether or not a planet’s orbit is aligned with the rotation of its host star provides an important clue to understanding the formation and history of planetary systems. In the Solar System, planet orbits are mostly a...
More -
2026.07.01
A cosmic lighthouse flashes every 44 minutes in a stellar graveyard
Summary: Astronomers have identified DART J1832-0911, a radio source that flashes every 44.27 minutes from inside the supernova remnant G22.7-0.2. As DART's first astronomical discovery, the source was found with DART and followed up by FAST, which detected a nearly 100% linearly polarized pulse, supporting the idea that the object is most likely a young neutron star slowed by materials left ov...
More -
2026.06.29
The Blue Eye Pulsar: Breaking Decades of Radio Silence
For decades, one class of neutron stars refused to speak in radio waves.An international research team led by Prof. Di Li of the Department of Astronomy at Tsinghua University has detected radio pulsations from the Central Compact Object (CCO) 1E 1207.4−5209, a young neutron star embedded in the supernova remnant PKS 1209−51/52. Published in Nature Astronomy, the discovery provides some of th...
More -
2026.06.17
Annual Review Article on the Evolution of Protoplanetary Disks
Recently, Professor Xuening Bai at the Institute for Advanced Study and Department of Astronomy at Tsinghua University published a review article which systematically reviewed the physical mechanisms behind angular momentum transport and long-term evolution of protoplanetary disks, and discussed future prospects on the study of protoplanetary disk gas dynamics and planet formation.Protoplanetar...
More