The Universe in Review

Supernova, the cataclysmic explosion of a massive Star - video

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 13:36:52 +0000

What is a supernova?
Andy Briggs in ASTRONOMY ESSENTIALS | November 12, 2020

A supernova is a star’s colossal explosion at the end of its life, potentially outshining its entire galaxy. Read about the causes and types of supernovae here.

A supernova is the name given to the cataclysmic explosion of a massive star at the end of its life. It can emit more energy in a few seconds than our sun will radiate in its lifetime of billions of...

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Some exoplanets may be able to see us

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Sat, 24 Oct 2020 14:26:53 +0000

Smile, wave: Some exoplanets may be able to see us, too
Cornell University | 21 October 2020

Three decades after Cornell astronomer Carl Sagan suggested that Voyager 1 snap Earth's picture from billions of miles away -- resulting in the iconic Pale Blue Dot photograph -- two astronomers now offer another unique cosmic perspective: Some exoplanets -- planets from beyond our own solar system -- have a direct line of sight to observe Earth's biological qualities from...

Star being ripped apart by a supermassive black hole - video

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 13:51:35 +0000

Astronomers see a star ‘spaghettified’ by a black hole
Deborah Byrd in SPACE | October 13, 2020

Astronomers have spotted a rare blast of light from a star being ripped apart by a supermassive black hole. The phenomenon – known as a tidal disruption event – is the closest such flare recorded to date at just over 215 million light-years from Earth.

It must be wonderful for astronomers when a concept they learned about in school as theory is...

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Black Dwarf Supernova Explosions

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Sun, 23 Aug 2020 13:09:46 +0000

Will Universe End with ‘Black Dwarf’ Supernova Explosions?
News Staff, Sci News Staff | Aug 20, 2020

A series of ‘black dwarf’ supernovae will be the last astrophysical events to occur in our Universe prior to the so-called heat death, when the Universe will be populated only by black holes and ‘frozen’ white dwarfs, according to a paper by Illinois State University theoretical physicist Matt Caplan.

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Planets Orbiting Black Holes Could Harbor Life

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Sun, 09 Aug 2020 12:44:19 +0000

“Exist at an Astonishing Scale” – Planets Orbiting Black Holes Could Harbor Life ‘Beyond Extreme’
The Daily Galaxy | 8 August 2020

“The black holes of nature are the most perfect macroscopic objects there are in the universe –the only elements in their construction are our concepts of space and time,” said Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the Noble-Prize winning, Indian-American...

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A monster quasar in the early universe

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 12:10:35 +0000

A monster quasar in the early universe
Deborah Byrd in SPACE | June 26, 2020

Astronomers just announced the most massive quasar yet known in the early universe. Its monster central black hole has a mass equivalent to 1.5 billion of our suns. The object has been given a Hawaiian name, Poniua’ena.

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Artist’s concept of a quasar, a very distant and exceedingly luminous...

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Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to Earth

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 12:15:01 +0000

Wowzer! Pluto spacecraft sees parallax for Proxima
EarthSky in SPACE | June 15, 2020

New images from the fringes of our solar system. The fast-moving New Horizons spacecraft sees a parallax shift – a different apparent position against the background stars – for Proxima Centauri.

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The New Horizons spacecraft, which visited Pluto in 2015, is really out there! This 2-frame...

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Black holes are like a hologram

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Sat, 06 Jun 2020 13:50:01 +0000

Black holes are like a hologram
EarthSky in SPACE | June 5, 2020

The theory of relativity describes black holes as being spherical, smooth and simple. Quantum theory describes them as being extremely complex and full of information. New research now proposes a surprising solution to this apparent duality.

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Who could forget this image? It’s the first...

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A galaxy that shouldn't exist

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Sat, 23 May 2020 11:22:25 +0000

Astronomers find the Wolfe Disk, a galaxy that shouldn't exist, in the distant universe
Ashley Strickland, CNN | Sat May 23, 2020

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Artists impression of the Wolfe Disk, a massive rotating disk galaxy in the early universe.[/TD]
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(CNN) Astronomers have spotted a massive disk galaxy, not unlike our own, that formed 12.5 billion...

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Why clouds form near black holes

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Tue, 19 May 2020 14:20:27 +0000

Why clouds form near black holes
EarthSky Voices in SPACE | May 19, 2020

Clouds in the greater universe are clumpy areas of greater density than their surroundings. Space telescopes have observed these cosmic clouds in the vicinity of supermassive black holes.

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This artist’s concept depicts a quasar, a type of active galactic nucleus, surrounded by a dusty donut shape...

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Black Hole lies in a visible star system

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Sat, 09 May 2020 12:56:28 +0000

New closest-known black hole lies in a visible star system
EarthSky Voices in SPACE | May 6, 2020

Only 1,000 light-years away, the star system can be seen with the unaided eye.

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Artist’s concept of a black hole via ESO.

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A team of astronomers from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and other institutes has discovered a black hole lying...

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Milky Way galaxy may sometimes launch newly forming stars into the space - video

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Sun, 03 May 2020 12:53:50 +0000

Milky Way could be catapulting stars into its outer halo
Eleanor Imster in SPACE | May 3, 2020

Scientists used computer simulations to learn that our Milky Way galaxy may sometimes launch newly forming stars into the space around itself – that is, into the halo of our galaxy – via outflows triggered by supernova explosions.

An example of one of the movies from the FIRE-2 simulations

Though mighty, the Milky Way and galaxies of similar mass...

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What is dark energy?

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 12:42:34 +0000

What is dark energy?
Andy Briggs in SPACE | March 31, 2020

Dark energy is one of the great unsolved mysteries of cosmology. It’s now thought to make up 68% of everything in the universe.

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Illustration showing snapshots from a simulation by astrophysicist Volker Springel of the Max Planck Institute in Germany. It represents the growth of cosmic structure (galaxies and...

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Quasar tsunamis

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 12:29:21 +0000

Quasar tsunamis rip across galaxies
EarthSky Voices in SPACE | March 27, 2020

Astronomers using the Hubble Telescope found that the region around a quasar’s black hole pushes out material at a few percent the speed of light. These quasar tsunamis wreak havoc on the galaxies in which the quasars live.

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Artist’s concept of a distant quasar. They’re thought to have...

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Mizar and Alcor double star

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 12:19:15 +0000

Mizar and Alcor, famous double star
Bruce McClure in ASTRONOMY ESSENTIALS | BRIGHTEST STARS | March 25, 2020

Mizar and its fainter companion star Alcor are easy to spot in the Big Dipper’s handle.

Mizar and Alcor. Image via F. Espenak/astropixels.

Mizar and its fainter companion star Alcor are one of the most famous double stars in the sky. You’ll spot Mizar first...

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Fascinating Astronomy Facts

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 12:44:23 +0000

The 13 Most Fascinating Astronomy Facts
From Florida Tech's Astronomy Website

Black Hole Depiction

1. Our Sun is one of over 100 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, and the Milky Way is one of over 100 million galaxies in the universe.

2. The planet Saturn would float on water—it’s the only...

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Rain Liquid Iron...?!?

invalid@example.com (4me2c) — Sun, 15 Mar 2020 01:47:37 +0000

Code:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/astronomers-discover-scorching-hot-planet-rains-liquid-iron-2020-03-14/

"On one particularly hot planet, hundreds of light-years away from Earth, the forecast is cloudy with a chance of liquid iron rain. Scientists recently discovered the bizarre exoplanet, which they referred to as one of the most "extreme" they've ever observed.

Using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), researchers observed an "ultra-hot" giant...

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Biggest Explosion in History of Universe

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 14:03:17 +0000

Astronomers detect biggest explosion in history of universe
Eleanor Imster in SPACE | March 1, 2020

Scientists studying a distant galaxy cluster have discovered the biggest explosion seen in the universe since the Big Bang.

Scientists studying a distant galaxy cluster say they’ve got a new record-holder for the biggest explosion seen in the universe since the Big Bang in which our universe began. The blast is thought to have come from a...

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What is dark matter?

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Sun, 23 Feb 2020 13:22:12 +0000

What is dark matter?
Andy Briggs in ASTRONOMY ESSENTIALS | SPACE | February 23, 2020

Dark matter doesn’t emit light. It can’t be directly observed with any of the existing tools of astronomers. Yet astrophysicists believe it and dark energy make up most of the mass of the cosmos. What dark matter is, and what it isn’t.

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Since the 1930s, astrophysicists have been trying to...

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Neutron stars are born in supernova explosions

invalid@example.com (ilan) — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 14:06:45 +0000

What is a neutron star?
Andy Briggs in ASTRONOMY ESSENTIALS | SPACE | February 12, 2020

Neutron stars are born in supernova explosions. They are stars with a couple of times our sun’s mass, squeezed into a sphere the size of an earthly city.

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Artist’s concept of a neutron star. The star’s tiny size and extreme density give it incredibly...

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