Tag Archives: active

Discovering a Triple System of Active Galactic Nuclei 1.2 Billion Light-Years Away: A Major Astronomical Breakthrough

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A rare triple-merger galaxy, known as J121/1219+1035, hosts three actively feeding radio-bright supermassive black holes, as revealed by a team of American astronomers.

Artist’s impression of J121/1219+1035, a rare trio of merging galaxies, featuring three radioactively bright supermassive black holes actively feeding, with jets illuminating the surrounding gas. Image credit: NSF/AUI/NRAO/P. Vosteen.

The J1218/1219+1035 system is located approximately 1.2 billion light-years from Earth.

This unique galaxy system contains three interacting galaxies, each harboring supermassive black holes at their centers that are actively accreting material and shining brightly in radio frequencies.

Dr. Emma Schwartzman, a research scientist at the US Naval Research Laboratory, states: “Triple active galaxies like J1218/1219+1035 are incredibly rare, and observing them during a merger allows us a front-row seat to the growth of supermassive galaxies and their black holes.”

“Our observations confirmed that all three black holes in J1218/1219+1035 are emitting bright radiation and actively firing jets. This supports the theory of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and provides insight into the life cycle of supermassive black holes.”

Schwartzman and colleagues utilized NSF’s Very Large Array (VLA) and Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) to study J1218/1219+1035.

The findings confirmed that each galaxy hosts a compact synchrotron-emitting radio core, indicating that all three harbor AGNs powered by growing black holes.

This discovery makes J1218/1219+1035 the first confirmed triple radio AGN and only the third known triple AGN system in nearby space.

“The three galaxies within J1218/1219+1035, located about 22,000 to 97,000 light-years apart, are in the process of merging, resulting in a dynamically connected group with tidal signatures indicative of their interactions,” the astronomers noted.

“Such triple systems are crucial in the context of hierarchical galactic evolution, wherein large galaxies like the Milky Way grow through successive collisions and mergers with smaller galaxies, yet they are seldom observed.”

“By capturing three actively feeding black holes within the same merging group, our new observations create an excellent laboratory for testing how galactic encounters funnel gas into centers and stimulate black hole growth.”

J1218/1219+1035 was initially flagged as an anomalous system through mid-infrared data from NASA’s Wide-Field Infrared Surveyor (WISE), which suggested the presence of at least two obscured AGNs within the interacting galaxies.

Optical spectroscopy confirmed one AGN in a core while revealing complex signatures in another, although the nature of the third galaxy remained uncertain due to the possibility of emissions from star formation.

“Only through new ultra-sharp radio imaging with VLA at frequencies of 3, 10, and 15 GHz did we uncover compact radio cores aligned with all three optical galaxies, confirming that each hosts an AGN bright in radio emissions and likely fueling small-scale jets and outflows,” the researchers explained.

“The radio spectra of the three cores exhibited traits consistent with non-thermal synchrotron radiation from the AGNs, featuring two sources with typical steep spectra and a third with an even steeper spectrum potentially indicative of unresolved jet activity.”

Source: www.sci.news

Hubble Captures Image of Active Spiral Galaxy NGC 7456

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Using the Widefield Camera 3 (WFC3) mounted on the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have captured a breathtaking new image of the Spiral Galaxy NGC 7456.

This Hubble image showcases NGC 7456, a spiral galaxy located 51 million light-years away in the constellation of Grus. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/D. Thilker.

NGC 7456 was discovered by British astronomer John Herschel on September 4, 1834.

This galaxy is approximately 51 million light-years from Earth, in the constellation Grus.

Also referred to as ESO 346-26, IRAS 22594-3950, or LEDA 70304, it spans a diameter of 117,100 light-years.

The NGC 7456 belongs to the LDC 1547 Galaxy Group, which includes 16 large galaxies.

“In Hubble’s image, one can observe the intricate, swirling arms of this galaxy in exquisite detail, complemented by a dark, diffuse mass of dust,” remarked an astronomer from Webb.

“The bright pink regions signify gas-rich areas where new stars are emerging, illuminating the surrounding clouds, as this gas emits transmitted red light.”

“The Hubble program has been gathering these data to study stellar activity, tracking new star-forming clouds, hydrogen, star clusters, and gaining insights into galaxy evolution over time,” they further explained.

“With its capability to capture visible ultraviolet and some infrared light, Hubble isn’t the only observatory focused on NGC 7456.”

“ESA’s XMM-Newton satellite has imaged X-rays from galaxies multiple times and discovered what is known as a hyper-luminous X-ray source.”

“These compact objects emit significantly more powerful X-rays than one would expect for their size.”

“We are still investigating what drives these extreme objects. NGC 7456 contributes several examples to this research.”

“Additionally, the area surrounding the galaxy’s supermassive black hole is incredibly bright and energetic, making NGC 7456 an active galaxy.”

“Whether viewed in visible light or X-rays, there’s always something intriguing about this galaxy, whether focusing on its core or its outer regions.”

Source: www.sci.news

This Massive “Zombie” Volcano Might Still Be Active After All

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Bolivian “zombie” volcanoes are displaying signs of activity; however, scientists assure that the risk of an eruption is minimal at this time.

The majestic summit of the Central Andes, Uturuncu, last erupted around 250,000 years ago.

For many years, researchers have noted unusual occurrences, including minor earthquakes and distinctive “sombrero” ground deformation patterns. The center of the volcano is gradually rising while the surrounding land sinks.

The cause of this phenomenon has yet to be determined.

A recent study published in the journal PNAS has identified pressure pockets, indicating that heated liquids and gases are still in motion beneath Uturuncu, causing surface deformations.

An international team of researchers from China, the UK, and the US has leveraged seismic data from over 1,700 earthquakes to create the most detailed three-dimensional representations of the volcano’s subsurface structure.

They discovered liquid rock rising from the Altiplano Puna Magma body, a large reservoir of partially melted rock located deep within the Andes.

GPS station with Cerro Uturuncu in the background. – Duncan Muir, Cardiff University

As these liquids ascend through narrow vertical channels, they gather just below the summit of the volcano, creating a reservoir of gas and brine. Instead of new magma being injected, this fluid movement seems to sustain Uturuncu’s ongoing activity.

“Our findings illustrate how integrated geophysical and geological methods can enhance our understanding of volcanoes and the hazards and potential resources they entail,” stated Professor Mike Kendall from Oxford University, a co-author of the study.

Notably, the researchers found that gas accumulation underground is relatively low, indicating a reduced likelihood of a significant eruption at this time.

These findings are intended to reassure the local community while highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring. Uturuncu is among numerous “zombie” volcanoes globally; these are classified as dormant yet still exhibit internal movement.

“This methodology can be applied to over 1,400 potentially active volcanoes,” remarked co-author Professor Matthew Pritchard from Cornell University. “This approach may also be relevant to other dormant volcanoes like Uturuncu that demonstrate signs of life.”

Currently, Uturuncu remains restless beneath the surface but is not prepared to awaken just yet.

Read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Webb finds evidence of active formation of low-mass galaxies in the early universe

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The newly discovered galaxy, called the Firefly Radiance, existed about 600 million years after the Big Bang and consisted of at least 10 star clusters.

The Firefly Sparkle galaxy is in the process of gathering and forming new stars, exists about 600 million years after the Big Bang, and would weigh about the same as the Milky Way if we could turn back the clock and watch the galaxy develop . Image credits: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / C. Willott, NRC-Canada / L. Mowla, Wellesley College / K. Iyer, Columbia.

The most distant galaxies detected date from when the universe was about 5% of its current age.

However, the mass of these galaxies is about 10,000 times smaller than that of the Milky Way, making them difficult to observe.

The Firefly Sparkle galaxy was first observed by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, but detailed new observations by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope shed more light on its formation.

“We never thought it would be possible to resolve galaxies that existed so early in the universe into so many different components, much less that their mass would be comparable to the mass of our galaxy in the process of forming. “I never thought it would be possible to discover similarities between the two,” he said. Dr. Ramiya Moura, astronomer at Wellesley College.

“There’s so much going on inside this small galaxy, including various stages of star formation.”

Webb was able to image the Firefly Sparkle galaxy in sufficient detail for two reasons.

One is the blessings of the universe. A massive galaxy cluster in the foreground, called MACS J1423.8+2404, radically enhanced the appearance of distant galaxies through a natural effect known as gravitational lensing.

And when combined with the telescope’s specialization in high-resolution imaging in infrared light, Webb provided unprecedented new data on the contents of galaxies.

“Without the benefit of this gravitational lensing, we would not have been able to understand this galaxy,” said Columbia University astronomer Karltej Ayer.

“We knew that was expected based on current physics, but to actually witness it was surprising.”

Astronomers also observed two neighboring galaxies they named Firefly Best Friend and Firefly New Best Friend. These galaxies are located 6,000 and 40,000 light-years from Firefly Sparkle, respectively, and are smaller than the present-day Milky Way.

The authors propose that the firefly glow could be a young, gas-rich galaxy in the early stages of formation.

These show that Firefly Sparkle’s mass is concentrated in 10 star clusters, with a total mass about 10 million times the mass of the Sun.

As such, Firefly Sparkle is one of the lowest-mass galaxies to have resolved into star clusters observed at the dawn of the universe, when galaxies began to form, and its mass is similar to that of the progenitor Milky Way. is.

“It has long been predicted that galaxies in the early universe formed through continuous interactions and mergers with other smaller galaxies,” says Yoshihisa Asada, a doctoral student at Kyoto University.

“We may be witnessing this process in action.”

“We have just started using space microscopy, so this is only the first of many such galaxies that Webb will discover,” said Dr. Marcia Bradač, an astronomer at the University of Ljubljana.

“Just as we can see pollen grains on plants with a microscope, the incredible resolution of the Webb and the magnifying power of gravitational lenses allows us to see tiny pieces inside galaxies.”

“Our team is currently analyzing all the early galaxies, and the results all point in the same direction. We still don’t know much about how these early galaxies formed. .”

of study Published in a magazine nature.

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L. Mora others. 2024. Low-mass galaxies were formed from star clusters in the Universe 600 million years ago. nature 636, 332-336; doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08293-0

Source: www.sci.news

Astronomers reveal new main-belt comet mistaken for active asteroid

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456P/Panstars, an active main-belt asteroid first discovered in 2021, is repeatedly active, and its activity is linked to volatile ice formations, according to new observations from the Magellan-Baade and Lowell Discovery telescopes. It is likely that this is caused by sublimation.

456P/PanSTARS image taken on October 3, 2024 with the Magellan Baade Telescope in Chile and with the Lowell Discovery Telescope in Arizona on October 26, 2024. At the center of each image is the comet’s head or nucleus, the tail extends to the right. Image credits: Scott S. Sheppard / Carnegie Institution for Science / Audrey Thirouin, Lowell Observatory / Henry H. Hsieh, Planetary Science Institute.

“Main-belt comets are icy objects found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, rather than outside the cold solar system, where icy objects would normally be expected,” said Henry Hsieh, senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute.

“They have comet-like features, such as tails that extend away from the sun and fuzzy clouds as the sun’s heat evaporates the ice.”

These objects were first discovered in 2006 at the University of Hawaii by Dr. Hsieh and his then-doctoral supervisor, Professor David Jewitt.

“Main-belt comets belong to a larger group of Solar System objects known as active asteroids, which look like comets but have asteroid-like orbits in the warm inner Solar System,” the astronomers said.

“This large group includes not only objects that emit dust from evaporated ice, but also objects that have clouds or tails of ejected dust from collisions or rapid rotation.”

“Both main-belt comets and active asteroids in general are still relatively rare, but scientists are discovering them.”

456P/PANSTARRS was discovered as P/2021 L4 (PANSTARRS) through observations by Pan-STARRS1 on June 9 and 14, 2021, and observations by Canada, France, and Hawaii telescopes on June 14, 2021.

Dr. Hsieh and his co-authors observed the object twice in October 2024 using the Magellan-Baade Telescope and the Lowell Discovery Telescope, establishing its status as a main-belt comet.

“This object is not just an asteroid that experienced a one-off event, but is essentially an active icy object, like other comets in the outer solar system,” Hsieh said.

If 456P/PANSTARRS’s activity is due to something other than ice evaporation, its tail would be expected to appear only once, randomly, and not repeatedly as it approaches the Sun.

On the other hand, icy objects heat up every time they approach the sun, and the evaporated ice is carried away with the dust.

As the object moves away from the sun and cools, it ceases to be active.

Observations of repeated dust ejection activity during their approach to the Sun are currently considered the best and most reliable method of identifying main-belt comets.

“Confirmed main-belt comets are still largely unknown,” Dr. Xie said.

“We want to grow the population so we can understand more clearly what its broader characteristics are, such as its size, active period, and distribution within the asteroid belt. We will be able to better utilize them to track ice within the asteroid belt and across the solar system.”

of findings Published in American Astronomical Society Research Notes.

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Henry H. Shea others. 2024. Recurrence activity of main belt comet 456P/Panstars (P/2021 L4) confirmed. Resolution memo AAS 8,283;doi: 10.3847/2515-5172/ad90a6

This article is a reprint of a press release provided by the Planetary Science Institute.

Source: www.sci.news

Webb makes a groundbreaking discovery of a region on a centaur with active outgassing

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Centaur is a former trans-Neptunian object that has been moved within Neptune's orbit by the planet's subtle gravitational influence over the past several million years, and could eventually become a short-period comet.

29P/An artist's concept showing the gas release activity of Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 from the side. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/L. Hustak, STScI.

Centaurs are transitional objects between primitive transsolar system objects and Jupiter-based comets.

Their composition and activity provide fundamental clues about the processes that influence the evolution of and interactions between these small celestial bodies.

“Centaurs are likely part of the remnants of the formation of our planetary system,” said Dr. Sarah Fudge, a researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and American University.

“Because they are stored at very low temperatures, they preserve information about the volatiles of the solar system's early stages.”

“The web really opened the door for us to impressive resolution and sensitivity. When we saw the data for the first time, we were excited. We had never seen anything like this before. I've never had one before.”

use Webb's NIRSpec (near infrared spectrometer) deviceDr. Fudge and colleagues observed 29P/Schwasmann Wachmann 1 (29P for short) is a centaur. known This is because very active, quasi-periodic explosions occur.

29P changes in intensity every six to eight weeks, making it one of the most active objects in the outer solar system.

They discovered a new jet of carbon monoxide and a jet of carbon dioxide gas never before seen, giving new clues about the nature of the centaur's core.

No signs of water vapor were detected in 29P's “atmosphere,” but this may be related to the extremely cold temperatures present on this object.

Based on the data collected by Webb, the researchers created a 3D model of the jet to understand its direction and origin.

Through modeling efforts, they discovered that the jets were emitted from different regions of the centaur's core, even though the nucleus itself could not be resolved by the web.

The angle of the jet suggests that the core may be a collection of separate objects with different compositions. However, other scenarios cannot be ruled out yet.

fudge others. collected data for 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 using Webb's spectrophotographic capabilities. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/L. Hustak, STScI/S. Faggi, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and American University.

Dr. Jeronimo Villanueva, a researcher at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, said: “The fact that there are such dramatic differences in the abundance of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide across the surface of 29P means that 29P is This suggests that it may be possible.”

“The two parts probably merged to form this centaur, which is a mixture of very different objects that went through separate formation paths.”

“This challenges our ideas about how primitive objects are created and stored in the Kuiper belt.”

The reasons for 29P's brightness outburst and the mechanisms behind its outgassing activity through carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide jets remain two major areas of interest that continue to require further investigation.

In the case of comets, scientists know that their jets are often driven by the release of water gas.

However, Centaur's location means that the nature of its outgassing activity is different from that of comets, as it is too cold for water ice to sublimate.

“We only had time to look at this object once, and it was like a snapshot in time,” said Dr. Adam McKay, a researcher at Appalachian State University.

“I would like to go back and look at 29P over a longer period of time. Is the jet always pointing in that direction? Perhaps there is another carbon monoxide jet that turns on at a different point in the rotation cycle? Is there one?”

“Looking at these jets over time will give us better insight into what is causing these explosions.”

of the team paper Published in a magazine nature.

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S.Fudge others. Inhomogeneous outgassing regions were identified in active centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1. Nat Astronpublished online on July 8, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02319-3

This article is a version of a press release provided by NASA.

Source: www.sci.news

Research uncovers evidence of active volcanoes on the moon during the dinosaur era

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New research suggests that volcanoes on the Moon were active during the time of the dinosaurs on Earth, but much more recently than previously believed.

Three small glass beads gathered from the lunar surface by a Chinese probe in 2020 indicate volcanic activity on the Moon 120 million years ago, according to the study. The findings were published Thursday in the journal Science.

Initial analysis of samples collected by the Chang’e-5 lunar mission suggested that volcanic activity ceased approximately 2 billion years ago, updating an earlier evaluation that the Moon had been devoid of active volcanoes for about 4 billion years.

Researchers examined around 3,000 lunar glass beads that may have been produced by volcanic eruptions or meteorite impacts, identifying three of them as of volcanic origin based on their texture and chemical makeup.

The research team expressed being “surprised and excited” by their “unexpected” discoveries.

The presence of relatively recent lunar volcanism “implies that a small celestial body like the Moon may have retained enough internal heat to support activity until very late,” co-authors Professor Li Qili and Associate Professor He Yuyang from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, shared in an email.

However, it remains “unclear” why the Moon has remained volcanically active for such a long period, as per the study.

Planetary volcanologist Qian Yuqi from the University of Hong Kong commented that identifying such a young volcano has “major” implications for the Moon’s development.

“Where did they originate from?” Qian, who was not part of the research, inquired in an email. “This could lead to future missions to search for them.”

The Chang’e-5 lunar mission marked the first return of lunar samples since the U.S. Apollo program in the 1970s and the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 mission. In June, China achieved a historic feat by retrieving rocks from the far side of the Moon through its Chang’e-6 mission.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Active Spiral Galaxy Discovered by Hubble Telescope

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Astronomers have captured stunning photos of the lenticular spiral galaxy IC 4709 using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a beautiful picture of IC 4709's swirling disk, filled with stars and dust bands, and the faint halo that surrounds it. The color image is composed of observations in the near-infrared and visible parts of the spectrum by the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The image is based on data obtained through two filters. The colors are obtained by assigning a different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / M. Koss / A. Barth.

No. 4709 It is located in the Southern Telescope constellation and is about 240 million light years away from Earth.

Also known as ESO 182-14 or LEDA 61835, the galaxy has a diameter of 60,000 light years.

IC 4709 is Found It was discovered on September 14, 1901 by American astronomer DeLisle Stewart.

In the galaxy Active galactic nucleiIt is a compact region at the center, and the material inside it is being pulled towards the supermassive black hole.

“If IC 4709's core were simply filled with stars, it would not be as bright as it is,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.

“Instead, we have a massive black hole with a mass 65 million times that of the Sun.”

“A disk of gas swirls around and eventually enters this black hole. As it spins, the gas collides with itself and heats up.”

“It reaches such high temperatures that it emits electromagnetic radiation ranging from infrared to visible light to ultraviolet light and beyond, including in this case x-rays.”

“The active galactic nucleus of IC 4709 is obscured by a dark dust belt that is barely visible in the galaxy's centre in Hubble Space Telescope images, blocking optical radiation from the nucleus itself,” the researchers added.

“But Hubble's incredible resolution gives us a detailed picture of very small active galactic nuclei and their interactions with their host galaxies.”

“This is essential for understanding supermassive black holes in galaxies much more distant than IC 4709, where it's impossible to resolve such fine detail.”

Source: www.sci.news

The oldest known termite mound, active 34,000 years ago, astounds scientists.

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Scientists in South Africa were surprised to find that a termite mound standing in the country’s arid regions is over 30,000 years old, making it the oldest active termite mound known.

Located near the Buffels River in Namaqualand, several mounds have been dated back to 34,000 years ago by researchers from Stellenbosch University.

“I was aware of its age, but not to this extent,” said Michel Francis, a senior lecturer at the university’s soil science department who led the study. The findings were published in May.

These mounds existed during a time when sabre-toothed cats and mammoths roamed the Earth, and large parts of Europe and Asia were covered in ice. They even predate the oldest cave paintings in Europe.

While fossilized termite mounds millions of years old have been found, the oldest human-inhabited mound prior to this discovery was in Brazil and approximately 4,000 years old, visible from space.

Francis described the Namaqualand mounds as termite “apartment complexes”, showing evidence of a continuous termite colony living there.

Although termite mounds are a common sight in Namaqualand, their age was not questioned until samples were sent to Hungarian experts for radiocarbon dating.

The largest mounds, known as “heuweltjies” locally, can reach around 100 feet in diameter, with termite nests found up to 10 feet underground.

Researchers had to excavate parts of the mound for samples, but the termites went into “emergency mode” and started filling in the holes. The team reconstructed the mound to protect the termites from predators like aardvarks.

The project not only provided insight into ancient structures but also revealed information about the prehistoric climate, indicating Namaqualand was wetter when the mounds formed.

Southern harvester termites play a crucial role in capturing and storing carbon by collecting twigs and dead wood, contributing to offsetting climate change. This process also benefits the soil, supporting the growth of wildflowers on top of termite mounds in low rainfall areas.

Pope Francis encouraged further research on termite mounds for the valuable lessons they offer on climate change, ecosystem maintenance, and agricultural practices.

“Studying the termites’ activities within the mounds could provide valuable insights, considering the tedious job they are believed to have carried out,” she added.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Research shows active hydrothermal systems on small ocean planets have the potential to sustain life

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Ocean worlds are planetary bodies with liquid oceans, often beneath an icy shell or within rocky interiors. In our solar system, several moons of Jupiter and Saturn are ocean worlds. Some ocean worlds are thought to have hydrothermal circulation, where water, rocks, and heat combine to pump and expel fluids to the ocean floor. Hydrothermal circulation influences the chemical composition of the water and rocks of ocean worlds and may help life develop deep beneath the icy surface. In a new study, planetary researchers used computer simulations of hydrothermal circulation based on well-understood systems on Earth to measure the effects of low gravity at values appropriate for ocean worlds smaller than our home planet. Simulations of ocean worlds with (lower) gravity result in fluid circulation that is roughly similar to that which occurs above and below the ocean floor on Earth, but with some key differences. Low gravity reduces buoyancy, so fluids do not become lighter as they heat up, which reduces their flow rate. This increases the temperature of the circulating fluids, which could lead to more extensive chemical reactions, possibly including those necessary to support life.

This diagram shows how Cassini scientists think rocks and water at the bottom of Enceladus’ ocean interact to produce hydrogen gas. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Southwest Research Institute.

Rock-heat-fluid systems were discovered on the Earth’s ocean floor in the 1970s, where scientists observed releases of fluids carrying heat, particles, and chemicals.

Many of the vents were surrounded by a novel ecosystem, including specialized bacterial mats, red and white tube worms and heat-sensing shrimp.

For the new study, Professor Andrew Fisher from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his colleagues used a complex computer model based on the hydrothermal cycle that occurs on Earth.

After varying variables such as gravity, heat, rock properties and depth of fluid circulation, the researchers found that hydrothermal vents could persist under a wide range of conditions.

If these flows occurred on an ocean world like Jupiter’s moon Europa, they could increase the chances of life surviving there as well.

“This study suggests that extraterrestrial ocean worlds may have supported low-temperature (but not hot enough for life) hydrothermal systems on timescales similar to those it took for life to become established on Earth,” Prof Fischer said.

The ocean circulation system on which the researchers based their computer model was discovered on the 3.5-million-year-old seafloor of the northwest Pacific Ocean, east of the Juan de Fuca Ridge.

There, cold undersea water flows through an extinct volcano (seamount), travels about 30 miles (48.3 km) underground, and then flows out into the ocean through another seamount.

“As water flows, it picks up heat, it’s warmer than when it entered, and its chemistry changes dramatically,” says Kristin Dickerson, a doctoral student at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

“The flow from seamount to seamount is driven by buoyancy – as water warms it becomes less dense and as it cools it becomes more dense,” Prof Fischer added.

“The difference in density creates a difference in fluid pressure within the rock, and the system is sustained by the flow itself. So as long as there is enough heat supplied and the rock properties allow for sufficient fluid circulation, the system will keep running. We call this a hydrothermal siphon.”

“Hot vent systems are primarily driven by sub-sea volcanism, while the Earth’s ocean floor experiences large amounts of fluid flowing in and out at much cooler conditions, driven primarily by Earth’s background cooling.”

“The flow of water through low-temperature vents is equivalent to all the rivers and streams on Earth in terms of the volume of water released, and accounts for about a quarter of the Earth’s heat loss.”

“About every 500,000 years, the entire volume of ocean water is pumped up and out of the ocean floor.”

Many previous studies of the hydrothermal circulation on Europa and Enceladus have considered hotter fluids.

“Cartoons and other illustrations often depict undersea systems that are similar to Earth’s black smokers, where cooler currents could occur just as much or even more than they do on Earth,” said Dr Donna Blackman from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The results show that in very low gravity, such as on the ocean floor of Enceladus, the circulation can continue at low to moderate temperatures for millions or billions of years.

This could help explain why small ocean planets can have long-lived fluid circulation systems beneath their seafloors despite limited heating: the inefficiency of heat extraction could extend their lifetimes considerably, potentially for the entire lifetime of the solar system.

Scientists acknowledge that it is uncertain when active hydrothermal systems will be directly observed on the ocean planet’s seafloor.

The distance from Earth and physical characteristics pose significant technical challenges for spacecraft missions.

“It is therefore essential to make the most of the available data, much of which is remotely collected, and to leverage the understanding gained from decades of detailed study of the analog Earth system,” the authors concluded.

their paper Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

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A.T. Fisher others2024. Gravitational maintenance of hydrothermal circulation in relation to the ocean world. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 129(6):e2023JE008202; doi:10.1029/2023JE008202

Source: www.sci.news

Fifteen new active asteroids discovered in Citizen Science Project

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Active asteroids behave dynamically like asteroids, but exhibit coma like comets. These objects are poorly understood, and fewer than 60 have been identified to date.

Asteroids discovered to be active as a result of the Active Asteroid Project: (af) Candidates for active asteroids and main-belt comets. (g) Active centaur. (hl) Active sub-Hilda asteroid. (mt) Jupiter-based comets.Image credit: Chandler other10.3847/1538-3881/ad1de2.

Active asteroids appear to have comet-like tails, but they follow orbits primarily within the asteroid belt.

Near-Earth asteroid (4015) Wilson-Harrington, the first active asteroid with a prominent tail, was discovered in 1949.

Fewer than 60 asteroids have been confirmed to be active in the past 70 years, a small fraction of the 1.3 million known asteroids, and the majority of discoveries have occurred in just the past 25 years.

citizen science project active asteroida NASA partner, is designed to find these rare objects.

Launched on August 31, 2021, the project is hosted on the Zooniverse online platform and has over 8,300 volunteers.

To find new active asteroids, volunteers combed through 430,000 images taken by the satellite. dark energy camera (DECam) instrument located on the 4 m Blanco telescope at the Cerro Tororo Inter-American Observatory.

“For an amateur astronomer like me, this is a dream come true,” said Virgilio Gonano, a volunteer from Udine, Italy.

“Congratulations to all the staff and friends who checked out the images!”

The volunteers were able to identify previously unknown activity in 15 asteroids and one Centaurus that were thought to be asteroids (i.e. inactive).

“I'm a member of the Active Asteroids team from the first batch of data,” said Tiffany Shaw Diaz, a volunteer from Dayton, Ohio, USA.

“And it is no exaggeration to say that this project has become an important part of my life.”

“I look forward to classifying subjects every day, as time and health permit. I am deeply honored to work with such esteemed scientists on a regular basis.”

of the project new paper Published in astronomy magazine.

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colin orion chandler other. 2024. Active Asteroid Citizen Science Program: Overview and First Results. A.J. 167, 156; doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ad1de2

Source: www.sci.news

Active Matter Theory sheds new light on longstanding biological enigmas

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November 22, 2023A team of scientists has developed a new algorithm to solve theoretical equations for active materials, deepening our understanding of living materials. This research is of vital importance in biology and computational science, paving the way for new discoveries in cell morphology and the creation of artificial biological machines. Advanced open-source supercomputer algorithms predict the patterns and dynamics of living matter and enable exploration of its behavior across space and time. Biological materials are made up of individual components, such as tiny motors that convert fuel into motion. This process creates a pattern of movement, guiding the shape of the material itself through a consistent flow driven by constant energy consumption. Such permanently driven substances are called “active substances.”

How cells and tissues work can be explained by active matter theory, a scientific framework for understanding the shape, flow, and form of living matter. Active matter theory consists of many difficult mathematical equations. Scientists from Dresden’s Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), the Dresden Center for Systems Biology (CSBD), and the Dresden University of Technology have developed an algorithm implemented in open-source supercomputer code. For the first time, you can solve active matter theory equations in realistic scenarios. These solutions bring him a big step closer to solving his century-old mystery of how cells and tissues acquire their shape, and to designing artificial biological machines. 3D simulation of active substances in a dividing cell-like geometry. Credit: Singh et al. Physics of Fluids (2023) / MPI-CBG

Biological processes and behaviors are often highly complex. Physical theory provides a precise and quantitative framework for understanding physical theories. Active matter theory provides a framework for understanding and explaining the behavior of active substances, which are materials made up of individual components that can convert chemical fuels (“food”) into mechanical forces. The development of this theory was led by several Dresden scientists, including Frank Uricher, director of the Max Planck Institute for Complex Systems Physics, and Stefan Grill, director of MPI-CBG. These physical principles allow us to mathematically describe and predict the dynamics of active organisms. However, these equations are very complex and difficult to solve. Therefore, scientists need the power of supercomputers to understand and analyze living matter. There are various ways to predict the behavior of active materials, including by focusing on small individual particles, by studying active materials at the molecular level, and by studying active fluids on a larger scale. These studies help scientists understand how active substances behave at different scales in space and time. Scientist in the research group of Dresden University of Technology Ivo Sbalzarini Professor at the Dresden Center for Systems Biology (CSBD), research group leader at the Max Planck Institute molecular cell The Dean of the Department of Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) and Computer Science at the Technical University of Dresden has now developed a computer algorithm to solve the active substance equation. Their research was published in the journal fluid physics and it appeared on the cover. They present an algorithm that is capable of solving complex equations for active materials in three-dimensional and complex-shaped spaces.

“Our approach can handle a variety of shapes in three dimensions over time,” says research mathematician Abhinav Singh, one of the study’s first authors. He continued, “Even when the data points are not regularly distributed, our algorithm employs a novel numerical approach that works seamlessly for complex biologically realistic scenarios, and the theoretical equations Using our approach, we can finally understand the long-term behavior of active materials in both mobile and non-mobile scenarios in order to predict dynamic scenarios. Additionally, theory and simulation can be used to program biological materials and create engines at the nanoscale to extract useful work.” The other first author, Philipp Suhrcke, holds a master’s degree in computational modeling and simulation from the Technical University of Dresden. “Thanks to our research, scientists can predict, for example, the shape of tissues and when biological materials will become unstable or dysregulated, leading to growth and disease. This has far-reaching implications for our understanding of mechanisms.”

The scientists implemented the software using the open source library OpenFPM. This means that others can use it freely. OpenFPM was developed by his Sbalzarini group to democratize large-scale scientific and technical computing. The authors first developed a custom computer language that allows computational scientists to write code for a supercomputer by specifying mathematical formulas that let the computer do the work of writing the correct program code. As a result, you no longer have to start from scratch every time you write code, effectively reducing code development time in scientific research from months or years to days or weeks, greatly increasing productivity.

Because the study of three-dimensional active materials has significant computational demands, using OpenFPM the new code is scalable on shared and distributed memory multiprocessor parallel supercomputers. This application is designed to run on powerful supercomputers, but can also be run on regular office computers to study 2D materials. Ivo Sbalzarini, the study’s lead researcher, summarizes: All this has been integrated into a tool for understanding her three-dimensional behavior of living matter. Our code, which is open source, scalable, and able to handle complex scenarios, opens new avenues in active materials modeling. This could ultimately lead to an understanding of how cells and tissues acquire their shape, addressing fundamental questions in morphogenesis that have puzzled scientists for centuries. There is a gender. But it may also be useful for designing artificial biological machines with minimal components.

References: “Numerical solver for three-dimensional active fluid dynamics and its application to active turbulence” by Abhinav Singh, Philipp H. Suhrcke, Pietro Incardina, and Ivo F. Sbalzarini, October 30, 2023. fluid physics. DOI: 10.1063/5.0169546 This research was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium f€ur Bildung und Forschung, BMBF), the Federal Center for Scalable Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence, ScaDS.AI, and Dresden/Leipzig. The computer code supporting the results of this study is publicly available in the 3Dactive-hydynamics github repository at: https://github.com/mosaic-group/3Dactive-hydrodynamic sThe open source framework OpenFPM is available at: https://github.com/mosaic-group/openfpm_pdataRelated publications for embedded computer languages https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2019.03.007https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00121-x (function (d, s, id) {var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName (s) [0]; if (d.getElementById (id)) return; js = d.createElement (s); js.id = id; js.src = “https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.6”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore (js, fjs); } (document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));

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