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NGC 2275: An Absolute Unit of Galactic Flocculence The Hubble Space Telescope has the knack for finding every size and shape of galaxy imaginable – from small, medium to large, all the way up to absolute units. This unusual galaxy, named NGC 2775, is incredibly fluffy-looking, or flocculent. It’s definitely a spiral, but instead of well-defined, organized spiral arms, it’s just a big … Continue reading “NGC 2275: An Absolute Unit of Galactic Flocculence” The post NGC 2275: An Absolute Unit of Galactic Flocculence appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

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5000 eyes on the skies: Scientists choreograph robots to observe distant galaxies Since 2005, scientists have been scanning the night sky to create a three-dimensional map of our universe with the purpose of shedding light on one of the biggest mysteries in physics: the nature and identity of dark energy and dark matter. That effort is about to get a massive upgrade with the successful installation and testing of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Emission from the blazar 1ES 1218+304 explored with NASA space telescopes Using three NASA space observatories, astronomers have conducted a multiwavelength study of emission from a blazar known as 1ES 1218+304. Results of the investigation, presented in a paper published June 29 on arXiv.org, deliver more insights into the properties of this high-energy source. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Mysterious spinning neutron star detected in the Milky Way proves to be an extremely rare discovery On March 12th 2020 a space telescope called Swift detected a burst of radiation from halfway across the Milky Way. Within a week, the newly discovered X-ray source, named Swift J1818.0–1607, was found to be a magnetar, a rare type of slowly rotating neutron star with one of the most powerful magnetic fields in the universe. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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China’s Mars Rover Launches in Late July In July there’s another launch window to Mars. It looks like China is ready to take advantage of it, by launching their first rover to the planet. It’s called Tianwen-1, meaning “Heavenly Questions”, or “Questions to Heaven.” The complete mission consists of a lander, an orbiter, and a rover. The exact day has not been … Continue reading “China’s Mars Rover Launches in Late July” The post China’s Mars Rover Launches in Late July appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

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There’s a Black Hole With 34 Billion Times the Mass of the Sun, Eating Roughly a Star Every Day In the 1960s, astronomers began theorizing that there might be black holes in the Universe that are so massive – supermassive black holes (SMBHs) – they could power the nuclei of active galaxies (aka. quasars). A decade later, astronomers discovered that an SMBH existed at the center of the Milky Way (Sagitarrius A*); and by … Continue reading “There’s a Black Hole With 34 Billion Times the Mass of the Sun, Eating Roughly a Star Every Day” The post There’s a Black Hole With 34 BillionRead More →

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Astronomers See Through the Milky Way’s Dust to Track Where Radiation is Coming From at the Center of the Galaxy The center of our very own galaxy might be one of the Universe’s most mysterious places. Astronomers have to probe through thick dust to see what’s going on there. All that dust makes life difficult for astronomers who are trying to understand all the radiation in the center of the Milky Way, and what exactly … Continue reading “Astronomers See Through the Milky Way’s Dust to Track Where Radiation is Coming From at the Center of the Galaxy” The post Astronomers See Through the MilkyRead More →

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Dying stars breathe life into Earth: study As dying stars take their final few breaths of life, they gently sprinkle their ashes into the cosmos through the magnificent planetary nebulae. These ashes, spread via stellar winds, are enriched with many different chemical elements, including carbon. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Measuring the structure of a giant solar flare The sun’s corona, its hot outermost layer, has a temperature of over a million degrees Kelvin, and produces a wind of charged particles, about one-millionth of the moon’s mass is ejected each year. Transient events have been known to cause large eruptions of high-energy charged particles into space, some of which bombard the Earth, producing auroral glows and occasionally veven disrupting global communications. One issue that has long puzzled astronomers is how the sun produces these high-energy particles. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Star-forming region IRAS 12272-6240 probed in infrared Astronomers have conducted spectroscopic observations of a star-forming region known as IRAS 12272-6240. Results of this observational campaign shed more light on the nature of this massive and complex region. The study was detailed in a paper published June 25 on arXiv.org. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Researchers identify role of turbulence for plasmas heating in solar flares On July 2, The Astrophysical Journal published a numerical study on a solar flare current sheet (CS). Dr. Ye Jing from Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and his collaborators in this study investigated the turbulent radiation features found in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) observations. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Image: Snapshot of cosmic pyrotechnics If you’re looking for fireworks for the U.S. celebration of Independence Day, then look no further than the world of astronomy. The cosmic firework at the center of this image, the spiral galaxy NGC 925, resembles a vast pinwheel, with a bright central bar and swirling spiral arms. The red bursts strewn throughout NGC 925 are eruptions of star formation, which can be traced by observing conspicuous hydrogen-alpha emission. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Breakthrough Listen Releases its one-of-Everything “Exotica” Catalog Breakthrough Listen, the largest SETI effort ever mounted, just released a list of over 700 objects that could be of interest to people looking for aliens! The post Breakthrough Listen Releases its one-of-Everything “Exotica” Catalog appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

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One of the Best Pictures Ever Taken of ISS from the Ground. You Can Even See the Canadarm2 Astrophotographer Thierry Legault is renowned for his amazing shots of spacecraft transiting the Sun. He’s now outdone even himself. On June 24 and 25, 2020, Legault captured the International Space Station passing in front of the Sun with such clarity, even the station’s robotic arm, the Canadarm2, is clearly visible. The docked SpaceX Dragon capsule … Continue reading “One of the Best Pictures Ever Taken of ISS from the Ground. You Can Even See the Canadarm2” The post One of the Best Pictures Ever Taken of ISSRead More →

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Astronomers Might Have Seen a Star Just Disappear. Turning Straight to a Black Hole Without a Supernova A brilliant blue star has disappeared from view, which could mean it became a black hole in a novel way. The post Astronomers Might Have Seen a Star Just Disappear. Turning Straight to a Black Hole Without a Supernova appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

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Scientific ‘red flag’ reveals new clues about our galaxy Figuring out how much energy permeates the center of the Milky Way—a discovery reported in the July 3 edition of the journal Science Advances—could yield new clues to the fundamental source of our galaxy’s power, said L. Matthew Haffner of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. phys.org Go to SourceRead More →

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Take a Flight Over Korolev Crater on Mars We love flyover videos from other worlds. These stunning videos, created from imagery gathered by orbiting spacecraft, can give us a sense of what it would be like to fly in an airplane on another planet. This latest flyover video from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft, provides a stunning view of one of … Continue reading “Take a Flight Over Korolev Crater on Mars” The post Take a Flight Over Korolev Crater on Mars appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →