Science May 14, 2020

TRAPPIST-1 Planetary Orbits not Misaligned: First Scientific Result by the New Spectrograph on the Subaru Telescope

Astronomers using the Subaru Telescope have determined that the Earth-like planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system are not significantly misaligned with the rotation of the star.

Science April 28, 2020

TAMA300 Blazes Trail for Improved Gravitational Wave Astronomy

Researchers at the NAOJ have used the infrastructure of the former TAMA300 gravitational wave detector in Mitaka, Tokyo to demonstrate a new technique to reduce quantum noise in detectors.

Science March 27, 2020

ALMA Resolves Gas Impacted by Young Jets from Supermassive Black Hole

Astronomers obtained the first resolved image of disturbed gaseous clouds in a galaxy 11 billion light-years away by using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).

Topics March 25, 2020

Dr. Mitsuru Soma Wins Homer F. DaBoll Award

Dr. Mitsuru Soma, an assistant professor in the Division of Science at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) has won the 2019 Homer F. DaBoll Award presented by the International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA).

Science March 23, 2020

Star Formation Project Maps Nearby Interstellar Clouds

Astronomers have captured new, detailed maps of three nearby interstellar gas clouds containing regions of ongoing high-mass star formation.

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Topics March 13, 2020

NAOJ Statement on the Potential Impairment of Astronomical Observations by Satellite Mega-Constellations

We believe that our primary mission is to work side-by-side with the IAU and other astronomical observatories around the world, in asking for the cooperation of satellite-related businesses to seek possible solutions.

Science March 9, 2020

Safety Zone Saves Giant Moons from Fatal Plunge

Numerical simulations showed that the temperature gradient in the disk of gas around a young gas giant planet could play a critical role in the development of a satellite system dominated by a single large moon, similar to Titan around Saturn.

Science March 5, 2020

ALMA Spots Metamorphosing Aged Star

An international team of astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) captured the very moment when an old star first starts to alter its environment.

This article is including a link to a article for kids.

Topics February 19, 2020

GALAXY CRUISE—Your Galactic Journey as a Citizen Scientist

GALAXY CRUISE is the first citizen science project conducted by NAOJ. Why don’t you embark on a journey to explore galaxies with astronomers?

Science February 14, 2020

Galactic Cosmic Rays Affect Titan’s Atmosphere

Planetary scientists using ALMA revealed the secrets of the atmosphere of Titan.