Paul M. Sutter, Author at Universe Today

September 12, 2021September 10, 2021 by Paul M. Sutter

In Addition to Gravitational Waves, is There any way to Detect Merging Black Holes

In February 2016, LIGO detected gravity waves for the first time. As this artist's illustration depicts, the gravitational waves were created by merging black holes. The third detection just announced was also created when two black holes merged. Credit: LIGO/A. Simonnet. — Artist's impression of merging binary black holes. Credit: LIGO/A. Simonnet.

If two black holes merge in the middle of space, and nobody’s around to see it, does it really happen?

September 11, 2021September 10, 2021 by Paul M. Sutter

ALMA’s new Receivers Will let it see Longer Wavelengths, Peering Closer to the Beginning of the Universe

ALMA is an array of dishes located at the Atacama Desert in Chile. Image: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), O. Dessibourg

The ALMA telescope is getting a new set of receivers, enabling it to detect wavelengths down to 8.5 mm. These wavelengths are crucial for observations of the transformative epoch of reionization, when the first stars to appear in the universe unleashed a fury of radiation.

September 11, 2021September 10, 2021 by Paul M. Sutter

Doomed Satellite was Equipped With a Drag Sail to Deorbit it After its Mission was Complete

Drag sails can be used to de-orbit old satellites. Image Credit: Purdue University/David Spencer

A team at Purdue University developed a drag sail to attach to satellites to help them de-orbit to combat space debris. Unfortunately, the rocket carrying the test device, launched by Firefly Aerospace, exploded shortly after launch.

September 10, 2021September 10, 2021 by Paul M. Sutter

There Should be More Material Left Over From Bombardment Eras. Maybe the Sun Blew it all Away?

This artwork shows a rocky planet being bombarded by comets. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The early solar system was an especially violent place. The terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) likely formed by suffering countless collisions between planetesimals. But the material left over from all those collisions should have remained in orbit around the sun, where it would’ve eventually found itself in the asteroid belt. But the belt contains no such record of that process.

September 9, 2021September 8, 2021 by Paul M. Sutter

White Dwarfs can Continue Burning Hydrogen, Even After They’re Dead

White dwarfs are supposed to be dead remnants of stars, doomed to simply fade away into the background. But new observations show that some are able to maintain some semblance of life by wrapping themselves in a layer of fusing hydrogen.

September 8, 2021September 7, 2021 by Paul M. Sutter

Ground-Based Observatories Could use Starshades to see Planets too

Artist's concept of the prototype starshade, a giant structure designed to block the glare of stars so that future space telescopes can take pictures of planets. Credit: NASA/JPL

All hail the occulter: an orbiting starshade for ground-based telescopes.

September 8, 2021September 7, 2021 by Paul M. Sutter

What Formed the Strange Troughs on Vesta?

A view of Vesta. Image credit: NASA and JPL

New research suggests that the humble asteroid Vesta may have cracked open like an egg.

September 7, 2021September 7, 2021 by Paul M. Sutter

A Black Hole or Neutron Star Fell Into Another Star and Triggered a Supernova

Artist's conception of the ring of material surrounding a star shortly after engulfing a dense companion. Credit: Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF

What happens when you slam a neutron star (or black hole, take your pick) into a companion star? A supernova, that’s what. And for the first time ever, astronomers think they’ve spotted one.

September 7, 2021September 7, 2021 by Paul M. Sutter

Many Sunlike Stars Gobbled up Some of Their Planets

New research shows that other sunlike stars in our galaxy aren’t so kind to their planets. Up to a quarter of them may consume planets before they even establish a solar system. That consumption leaves behind a distinct chemical fingerprint in the stars, which can help researchers understand how common planetary systems are…and how often they get destroyed.

August 21, 2021August 16, 2021 by Paul M. Sutter

Astronomy Jargon 101: Standard Candles

This illustration shows three steps astronomers used to measure the universe's expansion rate (Hubble constant) to an unprecedented accuracy, reducing the total uncertainty to 2.3 percent. The measurements streamline and strengthen the construction of the cosmic distance ladder, which is used to measure accurate distances to galaxies near to and far from Earth. The latest Hubble study extends the number of Cepheid variable stars analyzed to distances of up to 10 times farther across our galaxy than previous Hubble results. Credits: NASA, ESA, A. Feild (STScI), and A. Riess (STScI/JHU)

In this series we are exploring the weird and wonderful world of astronomy jargon! If only there was a way to measure the distance to today’s topic: standard candles!