Tag Archives: cosmic

Amateur astronomers find speedy L-type subdwarf star in our cosmic neighborhood

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At an estimated distance of 140 parsecs (457 light years), the L-type subdwarf star CWISE J124909+362116.0 (J1249+36 for short) has a total velocity of at least 600 km/s, exceeding the local galactic escape velocity. Remarkably, the star may have been ejected from a globular cluster in the outer reaches of the Milky Way sometime in the past 10 to 30 million years.

A simulation of the hypothetical J1249+36 white dwarf binary ends with the white dwarf star exploding in a supernova. Image courtesy of Adam Makarenko / WM Keck Observatory.

J1249+36 was first discovered by a citizen scientist. Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 Program.

The star immediately stood out as its speed across the sky was initially estimated to be around 600 km/s.

This speed is fast enough for the star to escape the gravity of the Milky Way, making it a potential hypervelocity star.

To better understand the properties of J1249+36, Professor Adam Burgasser of the University of California, San Diego, and his colleagues used the W. M. Keck Observatory to measure its infrared spectrum.

These data revealed that the object is a rare L-type subdwarf star, a class of stars with an extremely low mass and temperature.

Spectral data and imaging data from multiple ground-based telescopes allowed the team to precisely measure J1249+36's position and velocity in space, and predict its orbit within the Milky Way galaxy.

“What makes this source so interesting is that its speed and orbit suggest it is moving fast enough to escape the Milky Way,” Professor Burgasser said.

The researchers focused on two scenarios to explain J1249+36's unusual orbit.

In the first scenario, J1249+36 was originally a low-mass companion to a white dwarf.

If a companion star is in a very close orbit with a white dwarf, it can transfer mass, causing periodic explosions called novae. If the white dwarf gathers too much mass, it can collapse and explode as a supernova.

“In this type of supernova, the white dwarf is completely destroyed, so the companion star is freed to fly away at the orbital velocity it was originally moving at, plus a bit of a supernova blast,” Prof Burgasser said.

“Our calculations show that this scenario holds true. However, because the white dwarf no longer exists and the remnants of the explosion that probably occurred millions of years ago have already dissipated, we have no conclusive evidence that this is its origin.”

In the second scenario, J1249+36 was originally a member of a globular cluster, a tightly bound group of stars that is immediately recognizable by its distinctive spherical shape.

The centers of these clusters are predicted to contain black holes with a wide range of masses.

These black holes can also form binary systems, and such systems prove to be great catapults for any star that happens to get too close to them.

“When a star encounters a black hole binary, the complex dynamics of this three-body interaction can cause the star to be thrown out of the globular cluster,” said Dr Kyle Kremer, an astronomer at the University of California, San Diego.

The scientists ran a series of simulations and found that, on rare occasions, these types of interactions can cause low-mass subdwarf stars to be ejected from globular clusters and follow orbits similar to the one observed in J1249+36.

“This is a proof of concept, but we don't actually know which globular cluster this star is from,” Dr Kremer said.

“By tracking J1249+36 back in time, we find that it lies in a very crowded part of the sky that may be hiding undiscovered star clusters.”

To determine whether one of these scenarios, or some other mechanism, can explain J1249+36's orbit, the team wants to take a closer look at its elemental composition.

For example, the explosion of a white dwarf star could produce heavy elements that could pollute J1249+36's atmosphere as they escape.

Stars in the Milky Way's globular clusters and satellite galaxies also have unique presence patterns that could shed light on the origins of J1249+36.

“We're basically looking for a chemical fingerprint that will pinpoint exactly what system this star came from,” says Roman Gerasimov, also of the University of California, San Diego.

“Whether J1249+36's high-speed movement is the result of a supernova, a chance encounter with a black hole binary, or some other scenario, its discovery offers astronomers a new opportunity to learn more about the history and dynamics of the Milky Way.”

The astronomers discovery this week's 244th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society In Madison, Wisconsin.

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Adam Burgasser others2024. A superfast L-type subdwarf star passes near the solar system. 224 AustraliaAbstract #3

Source: www.sci.news

Three million years ago, a cosmic cloud left Earth exposed to interstellar space

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Illustration of a protection bubble around the sun (yellow dot) and the earth (blue dot)

Harvard Radcliffe Institute

Two to three million years ago, the solar system encountered galactic-scale turbulence and collided with dense interstellar clouds, potentially altering both the Earth's climate and evolution.

Only recently have researchers been able to map the Sun's orbit through the Galaxy, particularly in relation to the relatively dense hydrogen clouds that pass through the interstellar medium, the vast expanse of space between star systems.

the current, Merab Offer A research team from Boston University in Massachusetts has found evidence that one of these clouds, a “local cold cloud ribbon” in Lynx, likely intersects with the Sun's heliosphere.

The heliosphere is a protective cocoon or bubble formed by the solar wind pushing out to the edge of the solar system. Within the heliosphere, the planet is protected from the worst gamma radiation in the galaxy.

The new study proposes that as the solar system passed through the interstellar cloud, the heliosphere retreated from it and moved inward toward the Sun. The researchers think that the heliosphere may have shrunk so much that Earth was outside the protective cocoon provided by the solar wind, perhaps for around 10,000 years.

Merab and his colleagues used the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite to map the location of the dense, cold clouds and the sun's past orbit.

Ofer says the heliosphere's encounter with the cold cloud coincides with deposits of the elements plutonium-244 and radioactive iron-60 in Antarctic ice, deep-sea cores and lunar samples. These elements, which originated from distant supernovae, would have been captured in interstellar clouds and deposited while Earth was outside the heliosphere.

“There are signs of an increase in these elements over the past two years. [million] “The solar cloud record going back 3 million years provides compelling evidence that the Sun did in fact pass through it around 2 million years ago,” Offer says. “The exposure of Earth to a cloud of cold interstellar material and the associated increase in atmospheric hydrogen and radiation almost certainly had a major impact on Earth and its climate.”

Sarah Spitzer The University of Michigan researcher says the paper provides “compelling” evidence that the heliosphere was exposed to a much denser interstellar cloud two to three million years ago. As the solar system passed through that dense, cold cloud, Earth would have been outside the heliosphere and directly exposed to the interstellar environment, she says.

“Understanding this can teach us about the impact interstellar material has had on life on Earth in the past,” Spitzer says, “but it also helps us better understand the impact the heliosphere has on life on Earth today, what would happen if Earth were exposed to interstellar material again in the future, and when that might happen.”

Evan Economo Researchers from Japan's Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology say it's intriguing to consider how encounters in “our nearby space” could have influenced the environment experienced by life on Earth.

“The heliosphere is part of the extended environment experienced by life on the Earth's surface, influencing climate and radiation from space,” he says. “If we had been outside the heliosphere for a period of time, it could have altered the evolutionary trajectory of a wide range of life, including humans. Such connections are highly speculative at this point, but they provide us with new research directions.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Scientists are baffled by the discovery of a mysterious cosmic sphere in the universe

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Discovered by chance in 2019, Odd radio circles (ORCs) are circular regions of faint radio radiation with bright edges that are not visible to optical, infrared, ultraviolet, and X-ray wavelengths.

Some ORCs contain galaxies at their centers, while others do not, but what sets them apart is their size, which is significantly larger than normal galaxies. Some ORCs display a double ring structure, while others have a single ring. There are also some with internal arc-like structures that might be linked to galaxies surrounded by bubbles of radio emission.

While objects with high spherical symmetry are common in the universe, ORCs appear to be distinct from them all, prompting astronomers to classify them as a new type of object.

ORCs could potentially be a type of spherical shock wave generated by fast radio bursts, gamma-ray bursts, or neutron star mergers. If this is the case, they must be extremely ancient to have grown to such a large size.

Alternatively, they may be associated with material jets emanating from the central regions of radio galaxies, but explaining their size and the absence of central objects in all galaxies is challenging.

One intriguing theory suggests that ORCs are created by the fusion of two supermassive black holes in a central galaxy. The available data also support the idea that the shell is caused by a “shock termination” of high-energy particle winds from the central “starburst” galaxy.

Another hypothesis proposes that the ORC is the throat of a “wormhole,” a theoretical passage through spacetime. However, astronomers have yet to agree on the true nature of ORC.

This article addresses the question (by Bradford’s Brendan Owens): “What are strange radio circles?”

If you have any questions, please email us at: questions@sciencefocus.comor send us a message Facebook, Xor Instagram Page (remember to include your name and location).

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

The Internet: A Cosmic Creation by David Bowie that Revolutionized the Music Industry

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IAlthough it’s far from his best album, or even the best album of the 1990s, Hours… is David Bowie’s most important album of the decade. However, it wasn’t the music’s fault, but the way it was released. The first album by an artist on the Major His label appeared as a download before it was physically released.

Rolling Stone, writing about the album in August 1999 ahead of its September release, called The Hours a “cyber coup.” This is a continuation of Bowie’s enthusiasm for releasing music online, which began with his 1996 single ‘Telling Lies’. He was also very active. He embraced webcasting and in 1998 he founded his own internet service provider with BowieNet. “I couldn’t be happier with the opportunity to bring the music industry closer to making digital downloads the norm rather than the exception,” he says. How did Bowie explain the release of “Hours…” at the time? “We all know that broadband opportunities are still not available to the overwhelming majority of people, so we hope that the success of this experiment will be measured in hundreds of downloads, not thousands. But just as color television broadcasts and film content on home videotape were necessary first steps to expand the industry’s consumer use, I believe this small step will help my own and others’ We hope this will lead to a huge leap forward for people and ultimately give consumers more choice and easier choice, allowing them to access the music they enjoy.”




The strangeness of cyberspace… David Bowie’s artwork for The Hours…

In early 1998, Virgin Records/EMI made Massive Attack’s Mezzanine available for streaming in its entirety online, with track-by-track previews available over several weeks, in conjunction with its physical release. At the time, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) warned against this, suggesting that streaming experiments could increase the likelihood of albums being pirated and burned onto CDs by tech-savvy individuals. This did not stop other major labels and their label acts from experimenting from time to time. Def Leppard and Red Hot Chili Peppers made their latest albums, Euphoria and Californication, respectively, available for streaming in full on June 4, 1999, four days before the records hit stores. Bob Merlis of the Chili Peppers’ label, Warner Bros., said, “Getting airplay is getting airplay. You just have to define the atmosphere.” “Since I can’t download it, I thought this was a good idea.”

But Bowie’s album release was designed to be a huge step forward. In 1999 he Interview by Jeremy Paxman He appeared on BBC Newsnight to talk about his career, art and what gives him the most energy – the internet. This 16-minute interview is still published on the BBC website, especially since Bowie’s death in January 2016, as evidence of his remarkable foresight regarding the impact of the internet on art, politics and society. Shared frequently. “I don’t think we’ve even seen the tip of the iceberg,” he told the weary and cynical Paxman. “I think the possibilities that the Internet brings to society are unimaginable, for better or worse. I think we are actually on the cusp of something both exhilarating and frightening.” Paxman says in his own words. suggested that it was just a “tool” that inspired Bowie to take action. “No, it’s not,” he said. “No, it’s an extraterrestrial!”

He went on to say that the Internet…

Source: www.theguardian.com

An undisclosed ice base uncovers ethereal cosmic particles in Antarctica

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Scientists have faced a challenge for nearly a century: How do you detect the undetectable, like the elusive neutrino? But now, in a groundbreaking discovery, neutrinos from elsewhere in the Milky Way have been detected for the first time, shedding light on a new era of neutrino astronomy.

The discovery of neutrinos has opened up new possibilities, and researchers like Steve Sclafani from the University of Maryland are excited about this new frontier. Neutrinos, the second most abundant elementary particles in the universe, are notoriously difficult to detect due to their elusive nature. When Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli proposed their existence in the 1930s, he thought they could never be detected, but he was proven wrong in 1956.

The discovery of neutrinos from outside the Milky Way was made possible by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a massive telescope located near the South Pole. By detecting high-energy neutrinos from distant galaxies, scientists are uncovering the mysteries of cosmic particle accelerators. These accelerators, like supermassive black holes, can provide clues about the origins of cosmic rays and other cosmic phenomena.

Small particles, huge targets

The IceCube detector, operated by a collaboration of scientists from around the world, works by detecting Cherenkov radiation emitted when high-energy neutrinos interact with the ice. This innovative approach allowed researchers to distinguish Milky Way neutrinos from other background signals, leading to the detection of hundreds of neutrinos over a 10-year period.

By studying the distribution of these neutrinos, scientists hope to learn more about the origins of cosmic rays and other high-energy phenomena in our galaxy. With plans to expand the IceCube observatory and improve detection methods, the future of neutrino astronomy looks promising.

Birth of neutrino astronomy

The detection of high-energy neutrinos from the Milky Way marks a new era in astronomy, providing researchers with a unique tool to study cosmic phenomena. By tracking these neutrinos back to their sources, scientists hope to uncover the mechanisms behind cosmic particle accelerators and other cosmic mysteries.

Neutrino astronomy offers a new perspective on the universe, allowing researchers to peer into the heart of energetic and turbulent environments near supermassive black holes. This discovery opens up a whole new window on the universe, providing invaluable insights into the workings of the cosmos.

New perspective

Neutrino astronomy has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the universe, offering a rare glimpse into the inner workings of cosmic particle accelerators and other energetic phenomena. By studying the origins of high-energy neutrinos, researchers can uncover the mysteries of the cosmos and explore new frontiers in astrophysics. Exciting times lie ahead for neutrino astronomy, with new discoveries and advancements on the horizon.

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About our experts

Mirko Hünefeld from Dortmund University of Technology and Steve Sclafani from the University of Maryland are leading scientists in the field of neutrino astronomy. Their contributions to the IceCube observatory have helped advance our understanding of the universe and unlock new insights into cosmic phenomena.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Unraveling the Enigmatic Giant Examoon: Exploring the Cosmic Mysteries of Pandora’s Box

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This artist’s impression shows a gas giant exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star, represented by Kepler-1625b. Credit: NASA

The discovery of giant exomoons around the planets Kepler-1625b and Kepler-1708b raises questions. Since the planets orbit, it is not uncommon for these exoplanets to have moons around them. This makes them even more difficult to detect. So far, only two of the more than 5,300 known exoplanets have been discovered to have moons. New data analysis shows that scientific statements are rarely black and white, that behind every result there is more or less uncertainty, and that the path to a statement often resembles a thriller. Masu.

Introduction to Exomoon research

In observations of the planets Kepler-1625b and Kepler-1708b with the Kepler and Hubble Space Telescopes, researchers discovered the first traces of such moons. New research calls these previous claims into question. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and Sonnenberg Observatory in Germany report in the same journal. natural astronomy

The “planet-only” interpretation of the observations is more definitive.

For their analysis, the researchers used Pandora, a newly developed computer algorithm that facilitates and accelerates the search for the Exum Moon. They also investigated what types of exomoons could in principle be discovered with modern space-based astronomical observations. Their answers are quite shocking.

Examoon: A rare entity in observation

In our solar system, with the exception of Mercury and Mercury, the fact that a planet orbits one or more moons is more the rule than the exception. Venus, all other planets have such companions.

For gas giants Saturn Researchers have discovered 140 natural satellites to date. Therefore, scientists believe that planets in distant star systems are also likely to have moons. But so far, there is only evidence for two such examooons: Kepler-1625b and Kepler-1708b. This low yield is not surprising. After all, distant satellites are naturally much smaller than their home world, and therefore much more difficult to find. And combing through observations of thousands of exoplanets for evidence of satellites is extremely time-consuming.

Pandora: Exomoon search algorithm

To make searching easier and faster, the authors of the new study utilize a search algorithm called Pandora that they developed and optimized for exomoon searches. They announced the method last year And the algorithm is available to all researchers as open source code. When applied to observational data from Kepler-1625b and Kepler-1708b, the results were surprising.

“We wanted to confirm the discovery of exomoons around Kepler-1625b and Kepler-1708b,” said MPS scientist Dr. Rene Heller, lead author of the new study. “However, unfortunately, our analysis shows that this is not the case,” he added.


Source: scitechdaily.com

Exploring the Cosmic Landscape: Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines

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This Copernicus Sentinel 2 image shows the Nueva Vizcaya province in the Philippines, highlighting its agricultural landscape and urban areas through a false color composite. The image depicts different seasons in different colors, revealing intricate details about crop growth stages, flooded rice fields, and urbanization. Credit: Contains corrected Copernicus Sentinel data (2022-23) processed by ESA. CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

This pseudocolor satellite image from Copernicus Sentinel 2 brightens the center of Nueva Vizcaya province on Luzon, the Philippines’ largest and most populous island.

The image’s color is due to it being a multitemporal composite consisting of three Copernicus Sentinel 2 images acquired in the mission’s near-infrared channel over a 10-month period. Each acquisition is assigned a different color. Red is the acquisition in May 2022 during the hot dry season, green is the acquisition in September 2022 during the rainy season, and blue is the acquisition in March 2023 during the cool dry season.

This combination highlights different characteristics such as crop type and changes that occur between acquisitions indicating different growth stages.

A patchwork of brightly colored farmland stands out from the center of the image to the bottom left. Areas of red and green shades mean that plant growth took place in May and September, respectively. The fields visible in shades of blue, which make up most of the image, indicate that plant growth occurred mainly in March, during the cool dry season.

Perhaps due to intensive rice production, there are irrigation canals between the fields, and most fields remain flooded all year round. A bright white area, such as the one in the middle of a field, indicates a zone covered with dense vegetation.

Straight lines and gray areas represent roads and urban areas. These include Nueva Vizcaya’s largest town, Solano, visible in the lower left surrounded by blue fields, and Bayombong, the provincial capital further south.

The dark curving lines represent rivers, the largest of which is the Magat River, flowing northeast through the image. If you look closely, you can see different colors along the river’s flow. This is probably due to changes in water levels and river channels at different times of the year.

Copernicus Sentinel 2 has 13 spectral channels and is designed to provide data that can be used to map and monitor agricultural land, as the mission frequently revisits the same areas and has high spatial resolution. , changes in inland waters can be closely monitored.

In January 2023, ESA and the European Commission signed an agreement to build the first Copernicus mirror site in Southeast Asia in the Philippines. This new initiative will strengthen the Philippines’ response capacity and resilience to natural and man-made disasters through the strategic use of space data.


Source: scitechdaily.com