Magnetic fields are known to align silicate dust grains, resulting in polarization of starlight, and though carbon-rich dust grains have no such intrinsic alignment, they might be aligned by radiation pressure.
New estimates of the abundance of a radioactive isotope of calcium suggest that this it is 1,000 times more abundant than expected, which yields clues to the enrichment pathway for this species.
A survey of the Messier 17 HII region turned up nearly 200 radio sources — more than in comparable regions — at least 40% of which are associated with emission from stellar coronas.
Near-infrared observations enable discovery of black hole candidates in galaxies without bulges, and the derived masses of these black holes are in line with what is expected given the stellar masses of the galaxies.
New laboratory work has determined the infrared spectrum of a type of nitrogen-containing ice that is found in Titan’s atmosphere and may also be present on other solar system bodies as well as exoplanets.
New observations reveal the structure of 12 planetary nebulae, but determining the cause of their unusual morphologies — and whether they are related to the evolution of their central stars — requires further work.