Paul M. Sutter, Author at Universe Today

November 13, 2021November 11, 2021

Astronomy Jargon 101: Cosmic Microwave Background

In this series we are exploring the weird and wonderful world of astronomy jargon! Get a good look at today’s topic: the cosmic microwave background!

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021

Astronomy Jargon 101: Wormholes

In this series we are exploring the weird and wonderful world of astronomy jargon! Take a strange trip through today’s topic: wormholes!

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021

Astronomy Jargon 101: Gravity

In this series we are exploring the weird and wonderful world of astronomy jargon! I hope you’re sitting down for today’s topic: gravity!

November 11, 2021November 11, 2021

Astronomy Jargon 101: Type-1a Supernovae

In this series we are exploring the weird and wonderful world of astronomy jargon! Today’s topic is almost too hot to handle: Type-1a Supernovae!

November 11, 2021November 11, 2021

Astronomy Jargon 101: Type-II Supernovae

This image of the supernova remnant SN 1987A was taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope in January 2017 using its Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). Since its launch in 1990 Hubble has observed the expanding dust cloud of SN 1987A several times has helped astronomers get a better understanding of these cosmic explosions. Supernova 1987A is located in the centre of the image amidst a backdrop of stars. The bright ring around the central region of the exploded star is material ejected by the star about 20 000 years before the actual explosion took place. The supernova is surrounded by gaseous clouds. The clouds’ red colour represents the glow of hydrogen gas. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and R. Kirshner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation) and P. Challis (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)

In this series we are exploring the weird and wonderful world of astronomy jargon! You’ll have a blast learning about today’s topic: Type-II Supernovae!

October 13, 2021October 7, 2021

Next Generation Telescopes Could Detect the Direct Collapse of Enormous Black Holes Near the Beginning of Time

The first black holes to appear in the universe may have formed from the direct collapse of gas. When they collapsed, they released a flood of radiation, including radio waves. A new study has found that the next generation of massive radio telescopes may be able to detect these bursts, giving precious insights into a critical epoch in the history of the universe.

October 12, 2021October 7, 2021

Rare Planet Found Orbiting Three Stars

It’s a hat-trick! Astronomers may have spotted the first ever known planet orbiting not one, not two, but three stars.

October 11, 2021October 7, 2021

Gravitational-Wave Observatories Should be Able to Detect Primordial Black Hole Mergers, if They’re out There

The tumultuous era of the big bang may have been chaotic enough to flood the universe with primordial black holes. Eventually some of those black holes will find each other and merge, sending out ripples of gravitational waves. A comprehensive search for those gravitational wave signatures hasn’t found anything, putting tight constraints on the abundance of these mysterious objects.

October 10, 2021October 7, 2021

Wind Speeds in Jupiter’s Great Red Spot are Picking up

The Great Red Spot of Jupiter – the largest storm in the solar system – has been raging for centuries. Over the past 100 years however, the cyclone has been dwindling, but recent observations with Hubble show that the wind speeds may be picking up again. Is this just temporary, or will the storm return to its former glory?

October 9, 2021October 6, 2021

Next-Generation Gravitational Wave Observatories Could Detect the First Stars When They Exploded as Supernovae

The first stars to appear in the universe are no longer with us – they died long ago. But when they died they released torrents of gravitational waves, which might still be detectable as a faint hum in the background vibrations of the cosmos.