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Computational astrophysics is the study of the phenomena that occur in space using computer simulations. This can involve modelling processes that take place over millions of years, such as colliding galaxies or the slow destruction of a star by a black hole. This also includes understanding the high-energy phenomena that take place in stars.
It is widely believed that the Milky Way is set to collide with Andromeda, its nearest neighbour. New calculations using data from Hubble and Gaia that account for the effects of other galaxies show an almost 50% chance of our Galaxy avoiding this fate.
Compact exoplanetary systems masses have a similar mass ratio compared to the host star’s mass. Here, authors propose that these planets are surviving remnants of planet accretion during the end stages of stellar infall.
Hydrogen escape has contributed to Mars’s progressive aridity, but current hydrogen loss rates cannot explain inferred past water abundances. A three-dimensional model shows that during periods of increased axis tilt, hydrogen loss rates were up to ten times higher than present values.
An alternative model challenges the conventional view of isolated protoplanetary disks. Providing insights into angular momentum in supersonic turbulence, it shows that disk sizes are determined by mass captured from the environment.
State-of-the-art computer simulations show that the first water in the Universe formed in primordial supernova remnants 100 Myr after the Big Bang. This water enriched sites of future planet formation, leading to water mass fractions close to those present in the Solar System today.
The adage that ideas are cheap in astronomy, with execution being paramount, may already be obsolete. The impact of large language models (LLMs) on research looms on the horizon, compelling the astronomy community to reevaluate the very metrics of merit, the definition of research identity and methodology, and the foundations of education.
Computer simulations based on the prevailing cosmological model, ΛCDM, reproduce many observed properties of our Universe. But a study of coherent satellite motions in galaxy clusters yields discrepancies that challenge the definition of ‘today’.
