U of A astronomers have now produced the highest resolution direct images ever taken of a supermassive black hole in the infrared, using the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer.

Galaxies like the Milky Way grow by merging with smaller galaxies over billions of years, unlike dwarf galaxies, which have long been thought to lack the heft to attract mass and grow in the same way. New observations challenge this view, suggesting that even dwarf galaxies can accrete mass from other small galaxies.

Three newly discovered dwarf galaxies in an isolated region of space show evidence of star formation being cut short by events in the early universe.

Taking advantage of a cosmic "double lens," astronomers resolved more than 40 individual stars in a galaxy so far away its light dates back to when the universe was only half its present age.

Billions of years ago, two icy worlds collided. Rather than destroying each other in a cosmic catastrophe, they spun together like a celestial snowman, finally separating but remaining forever linked in orbit. This is how Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, originated, a U of A study finds.

The U of A delivered $955 million in total research activity last year, ranking among the top 20 public research institutions and remaining No. 1 in astronomy and astrophysics. University officials project research activity exceeded $1 billion in fiscal year 2024 and are submitting the data to the National Science Foundation for review. The official number will be confirmed in the fall.

U of A scientists will participate in many aspects of NASA's Europa Clipper mission, which will orbit Jupiter and make 49 flybys of its moon Europa to study the moon's icy shell and help researchers better understand what lies beneath.

For the first time, one of the Giant Magellan Telescope's primary mirror segments, produced at the U of A Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab, has been integrated into a support structure that will maintain the mirror's shape once mounted on the telescope.

Every second, more than 3,000 stars are born in the visible universe. Many are surrounded by protoplanetary disks – swirling "pancakes" of hot gas and dust, from which planets form. U of A researchers have obtain detailed insights into the forces that shape protoplanetary disks.

U of A Regents Professor Dante Lauretta says he is "amazed by the discoveries we've made" since the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered an asteroid sample to Earth last year.