Physics Today: The Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) is a network of eight radio observatories—five in the Netherlands, three in Germany—that operate in one of the most challenging spectral regions for astronomy: wavelengths of 1–10 meters. Yesterday the LOFAR collaboration announced it had achieved a significant milestone: its first high-resolution image of a quasar. Observing in the 1-m to 10-m waveband is difficult because of high background and weak signals. It’s worthwhile because at the high redshifts of galaxy formation an important tracer of neutral hydrogen, the 21-cm emission line, is redshifted into the waveband.
The finding that the Saturnian moon may host layers of icy slush instead of a global ocean could change how planetary scientists think about other icy moons as well.
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.
January 29, 2026 12:52 PM
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