Universe Today » Astronomy

Found: Theoretical Supernova Actually Exists

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:16:26 +0000

A new kind of supernova. Credit: Tony Piro

Astronomers have identified a type of supernova that appears to be a type predicted in theory but never actually observed before. Two years ago Lars Bildsten from UC Santa Barbara and his colleagues predicted a new type of supernova in distant galaxies which they dubbed the “.Ia” (point one a) mechanism, involving a helium detonation on a white dwarf, ejecting a small envelope of material. This theoretical explosion would be fainter than most other supernovae and its brightness would rise and fall in only a few weeks. Dovi Poznanski from Berkeley went back and looked at seven-year-old observations and found this unusual kind of supernova. Poznanski and colleagues say supernova 2002bj belongs in its own category, as its spectra suggest that it evolved extremely fast and produced an unusual combination of elements.
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High School Students Get Published in Astrophysics Journal

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:16:18 +0000

From the left: Klaus Beuermann (group leader), Jens Diese (back,teacher), and the high-school students Joshua Zachmann (front), Alexander-Maria Ploch (back), Sang Paik (front). JD, JZ, and AMP are from the Max-Planck-Gymnasium, SP is from the Felix-Klein-Gymnasium.

High school students from Germany have now done what many scientists strive for: had their research work published by a science journal. The Astronomy & Astrophysics science journal published a paper co-authored by three students who observed the light variations of the faint (19th magnitude) cataclysmic variable EK Ursae Majoris (EK UMa) over two months. Led by astronomer Klaus Beuermann from the University of Göttingen, and the students' high school physics teacher, the team made use of a remotely-controlled 1.2-meter telescope in Texas. Astronomy & Astrophysics says the team "presents an accurate, long-term ephemeris," and that "they participated in all the steps of a real research program, from initial observations to the publication process, and the result they obtained bears scientific significance."
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© nancy for Universe Today, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Astronomy, astrophysics, Variable Stars

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Telescopes Open Up the Jewel Box

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:11:39 +0000

A Snapshot of the Jewel Box cluster with the ESO VLT

Nothing in my jewelry box compares to the Kappa Crucis Cluster, also known as NGC 4755 or simply the “Jewel Box.” This object is just bright enough to be seen with the unaided eye, but a combination of images taken by three exceptional telescopes, the Very Large Telescope, the 2.2-meter telescope at the La Silla observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope, has allowed the stunning Jewel Box star cluster to be seen in a whole new light. Above is the image from ESO' Very Large Telescope, which zooms in for a close look at the cluster itself. This new image is one of the best ever taken of this cluster from the ground, taken with an exposure time of just 5 seconds.
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© nancy for Universe Today, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Star Cluster, Very Large Telescope

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Supernova 2009js… Another One Bites The Dust!

Tammy Plotner — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:22:26 +0000

SN 2009 JS in NGC 918 by Joe Brimacombe

Far away in the constellation of Aries, in a 14th magnitude barred spiral galaxy designated as NGC 918… a star exploded with enough candlepower to briefly outshine its home. Discovered independently by Lick Observatory Supernova Search (LOSS) and Koichi Itagaki (Japan) on October 11, 2009, this Type II supernova might be hiding in the intergalactic dust, but it isn't hiding from Joe Brimacombe. (...)
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Can I Have One More #Moonwatch With You?

Nancy Atkinson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:03:50 +0000

Gazing at the Moon seems to be universal among humans. So why not share the experience with the rest of the world using the hottest social media tool? From Oct. 26-28 you can join in on Moonwatch on Twitter. Various Twitterers will be live-tweeting conversation and images of the Moon, planets and other astronomical objects. Moonwatch was headed up by astronomers from the Newbury Astronomical Society in the UK. Additionally, the Faulkes Telescope Network of professional telescopes will also be taking part and taking images with their 2-metre telescope situated in New South Wales, Australia.
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Answer to This Week's WITU Challenge Now Posted

Nancy Atkinson — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:24:35 +0000

Need to know the answer to this week's Where In The Universe Challenge? Find out back at the original post. And check back next week for another test of your visual knowledge of the cosmos!

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The Orionid Meteor Shower – What Did You See?

Tammy Plotner — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:00:58 +0000

If you had the opportunity this morning to witness the offspring of Comet Halley, then I'm curious as to what you might have noticed about this reliable annual meteor shower. (...)
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Hot Crescent Rolls… A Bubble?

Tammy Plotner — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:27:24 +0000

The Crescent Nebula, also known as NGC 6888, is a very well renown and most intriguing object located in the constellation Cygnus in the northern hemisphere. At an apparent size of about 18 by 13 arc-minutes it is a very pale nebula. Even in a moderate amateur telescope you can't quite see this one unless you have absolute dark skies (or narrow band filters) and a decent "light bucket". So how do we get a chance to study it? Photographically, of course… (...)
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Request For Twilight Observations of U Scorpii

Tammy Plotner — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:59:23 +0000

Further to AAVSO Alert Notice 367 and Special Notices 127 and 141, the AAVSO requests twilight observations of the recurrent nova U Scorpii prior to its solar conjunction in late 2009. These observations are in support of the long-term campaign by Dr. Bradley Schaefer (LSU) to catch this very fast nova during its rise. (...)
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Amateur Astronomer is "Chasing Galileo"

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:28:13 +0000

A collage of 21-day old Moons, sketched by Galileo, (left), an image from Jane Houston Jones' telescope, center, and Jane's sketch, right.

Amateur astronomers have different ways of documenting their observing sessions, such as taking astrophotos or keeping a logbook. Others, like Jane Houston Jones, employ an age-old method used by Galileo Galilei himself: they take pen in hand and sketch what they see through the lens of their telescope. During this International Year of Astronomy, Jones – an amateur astronomer who also happens to work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory — wanted to do something special to honor the legacy of Galileo, and decided to follow through with something she has been considering for quite a while. Jones is recreating all of Galileo’s astronomical sketches as she looks through a telescope similar in size to the one used by the father of modern observational astronomy. "Every time I look through a small telescope at these same objects that Galileo did, it just gives me chills," Jones said. "It fills me with wonder every time I think that I'm seeing the same view Galileo saw 400 years ago, and I wonder what was going through his mind as he made his observations."
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Astronomy Night at the White House

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:08:32 +0000

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Cosmic-Ray Intensity Hits 50-Year High

Brian Ventrudo — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:49:04 +0000

Planning a trip to Mars? Take plenty of shielding. According to sensors on NASA's ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer) spacecraft, galactic cosmic rays have just hit a space-age high.

"In 2009, cosmic ray intensities have increased 19% beyond anything we've seen in the past 50 years," says Richard Mewaldt of Caltech. "The increase is significant, and it could mean we need to re-think how much radiation shielding astronauts take with them on deep-space missions."

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Giga Galaxy Zoom Trilogy Now Complete

Nancy Atkinson — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:32:43 +0000

"Now the circle is complete. When I left you, I was but the learner, and now…" Oh, sorry, different triology. The third image of ESO's GigaGalaxy Zoom project has just been released online, completing this eye-opening dive into a galaxy not so far away; our own Milky Way. This third installment provides another breathtaking vista of an astronomical object, this time a 370-million-pixel view of the Lagoon Nebula with the quality and depth needed by professional astronomers in their quest to understand our Universe.
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A Prototype Detector for Dark Matter in the Milky Way

Brian Ventrudo — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:36:06 +0000

The business end of a dark matter detector based on a BGO crystal (right) and a germanium disc (left)

It doesn't emit electromagnetic radiation and no one really knows what it is, but that hasn't stopped a team of European researchers from developing a device which scientists will use to detect and determine the nature of the dark matter that makes up 1/4 of the mass of our universe.

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Yes, There's Water on the Moon

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:10:14 +0000

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Three different spacecraft have confirmed there is water on the Moon. It hasn't been found in deep dark craters or hidden underground. Data indicate that water exists diffusely across the moon as hydroxyl or water molecules — or both — adhering to the surface in low concentrations. Additionally, there may be a water cycle in which the molecules are broken down and reformulated over a two week cycle, which is the length of a lunar day. This does not constitute ice sheets or frozen lakes: the amounts of water in a given location on the Moon aren't much more than what is found in a desert here on Earth. But there's more water on the Moon than originally thought.
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Finding Buried Treasure on Mars: Radar Map Confirms Climate Cycles

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:57:17 +0000

A radar-generated map of the thickness of the layered deposits. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Rome/Southwest Research Institute/University of Arizona

A radar instrument on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has essentially looked below the surface of the Red Planet's north-polar ice cap, and found data to confirm theoretical models of Martian climate swings during the past few million years. The new, three-dimensional map using 358 radar observations provides a cross-sectional view of the north-polar layered deposits. "The radar has been giving us spectacular results," said Jeffrey Plaut of JPL, a member of the science team for the Shallow Radar instrument. "We have mapped continuous underground layers in three dimensions across a vast area."
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High School Student Discovers Strange Pulsar-Like Object

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:29:48 +0000

A high-school student from West Virginia has discovered a new astronomical object, a strange type of neutron star called a rotating radio transient. Lucas Bolyard, a sophomore at South Harrison High School in Clarksburg, WV, made the discovery while participating in a project in which students are trained to search through data from the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT). Bolyard made the discovery in March, after he already had studied more than 2,000 data plots from the GBT and found nothing.
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James Webb Space Telescope Begins To Take Shape

Brian Ventrudo — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:53:51 +0000

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is starting to come together. A major component of the telescope, the Integrated Science Instrument Module structure, recently arrived at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. for testing in the Spacecraft Systems Development and Integration Facility.

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Interactive 360-Degree Panorama of Entire Night Sky Now Available

Nancy Atkinson — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:30:01 +0000

A stunning new 800-million-pixel panorama of the entire sky has been released online for everyone to enjoy. GigaGalaxy Zoom is a project for the International Year of Astronomy, and it allows users to dive right into the Milky Way Galaxy, and learn more about our celestial neighborhood. The project allows stargazers to explore and experience the Universe as it is seen with the unaided eye from ESO’s observing sites in Chile, one of the darkest and best viewing locations in the world.
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Jupiter Captured Comet as Temporary Moon

Nancy Atkinson — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:15:22 +0000

Jupiter's gravity well has been known to capture objects – evidenced by the recent impact on the gas giant discovered by amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley. But one object captured by Jupiter in the mid 1900's was later able to escape from the planet's clutches. Researchers have found comet 147P/Kushida-Muramatsu was captured as a temporary moon of Jupiter, and remained trapped in an irregular orbit for about twelve years. "Our results demonstrate some of the routes taken by cometary bodies through interplanetary space that can allow them either to enter or to escape situations where they are in orbit around the planet Jupiter,” said team member Dr. David Archer.
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Magnetic Fields Have Key Influence on Star Formation

Brian Ventrudo — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:42:14 +0000

When a giant cloud of interstellar gas and dust collapses to form a new cluster of stars, only a small fraction of the cloud's mass ends up in stars. Scientists have never been sure why. But a new study provides insights into the role magnetic fields might play in star formation, and suggests more than the influence of gravity should be taken into account in computer models of stellar birth.

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Create Your Own Galaxy Mashup With New Galaxy Zoo Tool

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:42:31 +0000

M81. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA

If you haven't yet succumbed to the temptation of Galaxy Zoo, a new add-on to the popular citizen scientist project just might catapult you into joining the thousands of people who are clicking and classifying. Galaxy Zoo has now teamed up with Microsoft's World Wide Telescope to allow users to immerse themselves in the universe and be able to easily create videos and sky tours that can be customized and shared with friends and family. "Now there is an easy way to inflict your favorites on others," said Galaxy Zoo team member Dr. Pamela Gay.
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Great Views of the ISS and Shuttle From Earth and Space

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:57:35 +0000

The ISS and Discovery on Sept. 1, 2009. Credit: Paolo Beltrame

Paolo Beltrame from Italy sent us this amazing montage of images he took of space shuttle Discovery docked to the ISS on September 1, 2009. See the incredible details visible of the space station and docked shuttle! Paolo is with the Circolo AStrofili Talmassons (Amateur Astronomers Club in Talmassons, or CAST) who have an impressive observatory (take a look at Paolo's website). He took these selected images from a 2-minute movie taken with a TourcamPro webcam. As impressive as Paolo's astrophotos are, however, he says his real passion is viewing the night sky with the naked eye. His motto is "Lasciate che i fotoni vengano a me!" (Let the photons come to me!) See a close up of Paolo's best shot of the ISS/shuttle below, as well as images from other astrophotographers of Tuesday evening's pass of the shuttle and ISS as they flew in tandem after Discovery undocked from the station on Tuesday afternoon. There's also video from the shuttle's flyaround.
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Future Friday: Orbital Megastructures

Nancy Atkinson — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:53:42 +0000

Artists concept of a pair of O'Neill cylinders. Credit: NASA.

The International Space Station is big. About the size of American football field, it has an acre of solar panels, includes 358 cubic meters (12,626 cubic ft) of habitable volume, and there is enough reflective outer surface that in the right conditions, it can be seen from Earth during the day. But with the ISS, we're just getting warmed up with building structures in space. There are some ideas out there for even larger structures — so called megastructures in space. Here are a few proposals for future space stations and structures that one day could be built in Earth orbit.
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White Dwarf "Close" to Exploding as Supernova

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:31:15 +0000

ESA’s XMM-Newton orbiting X-ray telescope has uncovered the first close-up of a white dwarf star that could explode into a type Ia supernova within a few million years. That's relatively soon in cosmic time frames, and although this white dwarf that is orbiting its companion star HD 49798, is far enough away to pose no danger to Earth, it is close enough to become an extraordinarily spectacular celestial sight. Calculations suggest that it will blaze initially with the intensity of the full Moon and be so bright that it will be seen in the daytime sky with the naked eye. But don't worry, it will be awhile!
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