Featured Posts
SciTech Daily
18 May 2020, 09:51 UTC
A pair of gigantic gamma-ray bubbles centered on the core of the Milky Way galaxy were discovered by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope 10 years ago. But how these so-called “Fermi bubbles” arose was a mystery.
Common Origin of Colossal Fermi Bubbles and Galactic Center X-Ray Outflows Revealed
18 May 2020, 09:51 UTC
A pair of gigantic gamma-ray bubbles centered on the core of the Milky Way galaxy were discovered by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope 10 years ago. But how these so-called “Fermi bubbles” arose was a mystery.
Universe Today
15 May 2020, 18:54 UTC
Neutrinos are mysterious and elusive particles. They have a tiny mass, no electric charge, and they interact with other matter only rarely. They are also extremely common. At any moment, about 100 billion neutrinos are streaming through every square centimeter of your body. Neutrinos were produced by the big bang, and are still being produced by everything from stars to supernovae.
High Energy Neutrinos Are Coming From Supermassive Black Holes
15 May 2020, 18:54 UTC
Neutrinos are mysterious and elusive particles. They have a tiny mass, no electric charge, and they interact with other matter only rarely. They are also extremely common. At any moment, about 100 billion neutrinos are streaming through every square centimeter of your body. Neutrinos were produced by the big bang, and are still being produced by everything from stars to supernovae.
ESO Blog
15 May 2020, 14:00 UTC
In December 2019, astronomers announced that they had efficiently discovered and characterised planets outside the Solar System using an innovative technique. So far, the researchers have used the technique with ESO’s HARPS instrument to find six exoplanets, some of which hold the key to unlocking the geology of rocky planets. We spoke to lead researcher Carole Haswell from the Open University in the UK to find out more about the project and the implications of these discoveries.
Hunting hot exoplanets
15 May 2020, 14:00 UTC
In December 2019, astronomers announced that they had efficiently discovered and characterised planets outside the Solar System using an innovative technique. So far, the researchers have used the technique with ESO’s HARPS instrument to find six exoplanets, some of which hold the key to unlocking the geology of rocky planets. We spoke to lead researcher Carole Haswell from the Open University in the UK to find out more about the project and the implications of these discoveries.
Nanowerk Space Exploration News
15 May 2020, 10:26 UTC
Mergers between black holes and neutron stars in dense star clusters are quite unlike those that form in isolated regions where stars are few. Their associated features could be crucial to the study of gravitational waves and their source.
Like thunder without lightning - In star clusters, black holes merge with neutron stars, unseen
15 May 2020, 10:26 UTC
Mergers between black holes and neutron stars in dense star clusters are quite unlike those that form in isolated regions where stars are few. Their associated features could be crucial to the study of gravitational waves and their source.
Lights in the Dark
14 May 2020, 16:13 UTC
Here’s a view of the upper limb of Saturn seen through the atmosphere of its largest moon Titan. It’s a color-composite of images captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft on March 31, 2005 as it passed just 7,500 kilometers (4,660 miles) from Titan. Saturn was 1.2 million kilometers (745,000 miles) away from Cassini at the time.
Saturn Seen Through Titan’s Hazy Atmosphere
14 May 2020, 16:13 UTC
Here’s a view of the upper limb of Saturn seen through the atmosphere of its largest moon Titan. It’s a color-composite of images captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft on March 31, 2005 as it passed just 7,500 kilometers (4,660 miles) from Titan. Saturn was 1.2 million kilometers (745,000 miles) away from Cassini at the time.
Scientific American
14 May 2020, 15:30 UTC
The dwarf planet’s blue-tinged air may punch far above its weight
Pluto's Wispy Atmosphere May Be Surprisingly Robust
14 May 2020, 15:30 UTC
The dwarf planet’s blue-tinged air may punch far above its weight
Sky and Telescope
14 May 2020, 00:28 UTC
Scientists have forecast the behavior of light coming from the vicinity of one of the biggest supermassive black holes known. The light, which traveled to us over 3.5 billion years, flared in brightness just as they said it would — within four hours of the time they had predicted.
Black Hole Duo Flares Right on Time
14 May 2020, 00:28 UTC
Scientists have forecast the behavior of light coming from the vicinity of one of the biggest supermassive black holes known. The light, which traveled to us over 3.5 billion years, flared in brightness just as they said it would — within four hours of the time they had predicted.
Universe Today
13 May 2020, 19:43 UTC
Last week, SpaceX passed another milestone in the development of its Starship prototype. This was the crucial engine static fire test, which saw the fourth full-scale Starship prototype (SN4) ignite a fully-integrated Raptor engine for the first time. The successful test took place on Tuesday night (May 5th) at 08:57 PM local time (09:57 PM EDT; 06:57 PM PDT) and saw the Raptor engine ignite and fire for four full seconds.
Another Starship Success! Raptor Engine Fires for 4 Seconds and Nothing Explodes
13 May 2020, 19:43 UTC
Last week, SpaceX passed another milestone in the development of its Starship prototype. This was the crucial engine static fire test, which saw the fourth full-scale Starship prototype (SN4) ignite a fully-integrated Raptor engine for the first time. The successful test took place on Tuesday night (May 5th) at 08:57 PM local time (09:57 PM EDT; 06:57 PM PDT) and saw the Raptor engine ignite and fire for four full seconds.
Discover
13 May 2020, 17:00 UTC
To Understand the Universe, Scientists Are Studying the Milky Way’s Cosmic Neighbors
13 May 2020, 17:00 UTC
astrobites
13 May 2020, 15:38 UTC
Besides the main celestial bodies in our solar system – the planets, moons, and dwarf planets (RIP Pluto) we’re familiar with – there are also around 150 million asteroids floating around. Among these are Trojan asteroids, special groups of asteroids that fall within the orbital paths of planets. As one may guess, the asteroids are named after the Trojans from Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, with the largest asteroids getting specific names of heroes from the tales, such as Hektor and Achilles.
