Tag Archives: detail

JWST Examines Interstellar Comet 3i/Atlas in Detail

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Infrared images of 3I/Atlas taken by the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA/James Webb Space Telescope

3I/Atlas, an interstellar visitor, is noted for being one of the most carbon-rich comets observed, suggesting a formation in an environment vastly different from our solar system.

Since July, astronomers have been monitoring 3I/Atlas. While many findings indicate it resembles typical comets, several peculiar features hint at a more exotic origin, including the emission of water gas at distances from the sun typically unobserved in solar system comets.

Martin Codinner from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, along with his team, has utilized the James Webb Space Telescope to capture some of the most intricate observations of the comet.

Codinner’s team studied 3I/Atlas in early August, when they were approximately three times the distance from the sun compared to typical comets. At this distance, temperatures rise enough for water to transition from ice to gas, resulting in comets usually generating water vapor and dust, known as a coma.

However, their findings revealed that the coma of 3I/Atlas contains a significantly higher amount of carbon dioxide relative to water, with an 8:1 ratio. This is 16 times more than what is generally seen in other comets from our solar system at this distance from the Sun.

High carbon dioxide levels could imply that comets formed in planetary systems where carbon dioxide ice is more prevalent than water ice, suggests Matthew Genge from Imperial College London. “This may indicate a fundamental difference in planetary system formation compared to ours,” Genge adds.

When planetary systems initially form, there are differing quantities of dust, gas, and water vapor found at varying distances from stars. Over time, stars expel gas, leaving behind solid materials. If the progenitor star of 3I/Atlas expelled water vapor from locations where comets developed earlier than in our solar system, it could account for its unique composition, Genge articulates.

The scarcity of water vapor may also be attributed to previous close encounters with other stars, Genge notes. Codinner offers that water could be concealed deep within the comet’s crust, thus insulated from higher temperatures, which is indeed unusual.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Inouye Solar Telescope Reveals Unmatched Detail in Coronal Flare Loop

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Astronomers utilizing a visible broadband imager at NSF’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope captured an extraordinary coronal loop strand during the attenuation phase of the X1.3 class flare on August 8, 2024. This discovery heralds a significant advancement in determining the fundamental scale of solar coronal loops, advancing flare modeling into a groundbreaking territory.

High-resolution image of flares from the Inouye Solar Telescope, taken at 8:12 UT on August 2024. The image shows approximately four earth diamonds on each side. Labels for various related regions of the image are added to clarify: flare ribbons (bright regions of energy emissions in the dense low solar atmosphere) and arcades of coronal loops (arcs of magnetic field lines that transport energy from the corona to the flare ribbons). Image credit: NSF/NSO/AURA.

Coronal loops are plasma arches that follow solar magnetic field lines and often precede solar flares, which release massive amounts of energy tied to some of these lines.

This energy burst ignites solar storms that can impact Earth’s vital infrastructure.

Inouye astronomers observe sunlight at the H-Alpha wavelength (656.28 nm) to reveal specific solar features that remain hidden in other forms of solar observation.

“A lot of effort has gone into understanding this domain,” noted Dr. Cole Tamburi, an astronomer from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

“These flares represent some of the most energetic occurrences in our stars, and we were fortunate to capture this under ideal observational conditions.”

Dr. Tamburi and his team concentrated on the thin magnetic field loops resembling razors, woven over the flared ribbons.

On average, the loops measured around 48 km in width, although some results were limited by the telescope’s resolution.

“Before Inouye, I could only envision what this scale might look like,” remarked Dr. Tamburi.

“Now we can witness it in reality. These are the tiniest coronal loops observed on the sun.”

Inouye’s Visible Broadband Imager (VBI) tuned to the H-Alpha filter can resolve features down to 24 km.

This resolution is more than twice as sharp as that of the next best solar telescope, making this discovery possible.

“It’s one thing to theorize about a telescope’s capabilities,” commented Dr. Maria Kazachenko, PhD, from the University of Colorado Boulder.

“It’s invigorating to see those theories validated in practice.”

Initially, the research plan involved investigating the dynamics of chromospheric spectral lines using Inouye’s Visible Spectrometer (VISP). However, VBI data uncovered an unexpected treasure: an intricate coronal structure that can directly enhance flare models built with complex radiative hydrodynamic codes.

“We set out to find one thing and stumbled upon something even more intriguing,” Dr. Kazachenko stated.

The prevailing theory suggested that coronal loops could range from 10 to 100 km in width, but verifying this observationally had been challenging.

“We are finally gaining insight into the spatial scales we have long speculated about,” Dr. Tamburi explained.

“This paves the way for examining not just size, but shape, evolution, and even the scales where magnetic reconnection—the engine behind flares—occurs.”

Perhaps the most exciting implication is that these loops might be fundamental structures, core components of flare architecture.

“In that scenario, we wouldn’t just be mapping out clusters of loops; for the first time, we’re analyzing individual loops,” Dr. Tamburi added.

“It’s akin to observing a forest and suddenly recognizing all the trees.”

The image itself is stunning. A radiant arcade crowned with dark, thread-like loops, vibrant flared ribbons marked with strikingly sharp contours—ascending triangular patterns near the center and arc-shaped formations at the top.

“Even casual observers will soon recognize its complexity,” Dr. Tamburi remarked.

“This represents a landmark moment in solar science.”

“We are finally observing the sun at a scale that makes sense.”

The team’s paper will be published in Astrophysics Journal Letters.

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Cole A. Tumburi et al. 2025. Revealing unprecedented microstructure in coronal flare loops using DKIST. apjl in press; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ADF95E

Source: www.sci.news

Hubble Space Telescope Captures Stunning Detail of NGC 45’s Outer Arm

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Astronomers utilizing the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured breathtaking new images of sections of the spiral galaxy known as NGC 45.

This Hubble image depicts the outer arm of the NGC 45, a spiral galaxy approximately 22 million light-years distant in the Cetus constellation. This color image was generated from individual exposures taken in both visible and near-infrared light using Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The colors have been produced by assigning different hues to each monochromatic image captured through various filters. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/D. Calzetti/R. Chandar/Mhözsaraç.

NGC 45 is located about 22 million light-years away within the constellation of Cetus.

Also referred to as DDO 223, ESO 473-1, or Leda 930, this galaxy spans roughly 81,000 light-years in diameter.

The discovery of NGC 45 dates back to November 11, 1835, by British astronomer John Herschel.

“The data from Hubble utilized to create this portrait of NGC 45 was obtained from two complementary observational programs,” stated Hubble astronomers.

“Initially, we leveraged Hubble’s capability to capture light from ultraviolet to near-infrared ranges to broadly observe galaxies and examine star formation within them.”

“In the second program, we focused on many of the same nearby galaxies as the first, narrowing down to a specific wavelength of red light known as H-alpha.”

“Star-forming nebulae emit strong H-alpha light, and several of these areas can be identified by their bright pink red color throughout NGC 45.”

“These observational programs aim to investigate star formation across galaxies of varying sizes, structures, and separations, making NGC 45 a particularly compelling target.”

Though it may appear to be an ordinary spiral galaxy, NGC 45 is actually a remarkable low surface brightness galaxy.

“Low surface brightness galaxies are more intriguing than the evening sky and are incredibly challenging to detect,” articulated the researchers.

“They possess relatively fewer stars in relation to the amount of gas and dark matter they contain, making them appear unexpectedly faint.”

“Since the accidental discovery of the first low-surface brightness galaxies in 1986, scientists have learned that 30-60% of all galaxies may fall within this category.”

“Investigating these elusive galaxies is crucial for understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies, and Hubble’s sensitive instruments are well-suited for this task.”

Source: www.sci.news

Vista achieves unprecedented detail in capturing images of the RCW 38

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The astronomer using it Telescope for ESO visible infrared investigation telescopes (Vista) created something amazing 80 million pixel images Star cluster RCW 38.

This Vista/Vircam Image shows the Superstar Cluster RCW 38. Image credit: ESO/VVVX survey.

RCW 38 is an approximately superstar cluster 5,500 light years They are separated by Vera's constellation.

It is the youngest of the 13 superstar clusters in the Milky Way (less than one million years) and is the dense stellar system in 13,000 light years from the Sun.

Includes hundreds of young, hot, giant stars and brown dwarfs.

RCW 38 is a “embedded” cluster in that new clouds of dust and gas still envelop the stars.

The intense radiation poured from the newly born stars makes the surrounding gas bright and bright.

This is in stark contrast to the cool, cosmic dust streams that engulf the region.

“Compared to our Sun, which is at a stable stage in that life about 4.6 billion years ago, the RCW 38 star is still very young,” the ESO astronomer said in a statement.

“In less than a million years, RCW 38 contains around 2,000 stars, creating this psychedelic landscape.”

“The cluster of stars is like a giant pressure cooker, and contains all the ingredients for star formation: dense gas clouds and opaque masses of cosmic dust. This mixture of gas and dust itself If it collapses under the gravity of the 'stars','

“The strong radiation from these newborn stars creates the gas that brightens up the glow of the star cluster, creating the pink tint you see here.”

“It's a truly spectacular sight! But in visible light, many of the stars in the RCW 38 cluster remain hidden from us, and dust blocks those views.”

That's where the Vista telescope appears. Its Vircam camera observes infrared rays that can pass through almost unobstructed dust, unlike visible light, and reveals the true richness of the RCW 38.

“We also see a cold “failed” star known as a young star, or a brown dwarf, in a dusty coco,” the astronomer said.

“This infrared image was taken during that time. Vista variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) surveycreated the most detailed infrared map of Home Galaxy ever made. ”

“Studies like this either reveal unknown astronomical objects, or give us a new perspective on known objects.”

Source: www.sci.news

Hubble captures Type IA Super Shinsei and its host galaxy in stunning detail

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Two years ago, a type IA supernova event called SN 2022ABVVT was discovered in Spiral Galaxy LEDA 132905.

This Hubble image LEDA 132905, a spiral galaxy over 400 million light years in sculptor constellation. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / RJ Foley, UC Santa cruz.

LEDA 132905 in the sculptor’s constellation is over 400 million light years away.

“The galaxy’s spiral structure, resembling a bright blue star patch, appears faint,” said members of the Hubble team.

“The bright white dot between the bright center of the galaxy and the faint left end is the SN 2022ABVVT supernova.”

The supernova SN 2022ABVT was discovered in 2022 by astronomers of the asteroid landlady impacted alert system (ATLAS).

About two months later, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observed the star explosion.

“Atlas, designed to track faint-moving signals from asteroids near Earth, also detects objects that suddenly become brighter or fade, like supernovae in the centers of galaxies, various stars, and hungry black holes,” astronomers explained.

This Hubble image of LEDA 132905 was captured using the Hubble wide field camera 3 (WFC3) in the infrared part of the spectrum.

Astronomers are interested in studying type IA supernovae, which occur when the exposed core of ancient stars ignites in a sudden and destructive nuclear fusion burst.

These supernovae are valuable for measuring accurate distances to other galaxies.

“The universe is vast, and supernova explosions are faint,” researchers stated.

“How can we be in the right place at the right time to observe a supernova?”

“Today, most supernovae are discovered by robot telescopes constantly scanning the night sky.”

“However, some are still found the traditional way, with diligent observers taking repeated images of the sky and searching for any changes.”

Source: www.sci.news

Astronomers achieve unprecedented level of detail in creating gravitational wave background map

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Astronomers using the MeerKAT Pulsar Timing Array, an international experiment using South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope, have discovered further evidence of gravitational wave signals originating from supermassive black hole mergers.

miles others. Created the most detailed map of gravitational waves throughout the universe to date. Image credit: Carl Knox / OzGrav / Swinburne University of Technology / South African Radio Astronomical Observatory.

“Our research opens up new avenues for understanding the universe we live in,” said astronomer Dr Matt Miles from the ARC Gravitational Wave Discovery Center (OzGRav) and Swinburne University of Technology. .

“By studying the background, we can listen to the echoes of cosmic events over billions of years. It reveals how galaxies and the universe itself have evolved over time.”

The MeerKAT Pulsar Timing Array observes and times pulsars (fast-spinning neutron stars) with nanosecond precision.

Pulsars act as natural clocks, and their steady pulses allow scientists to detect minute changes caused by passing gravitational waves.

This galaxy-scale detector provides the opportunity to map gravitational waves across the sky, revealing patterns and intensities that defy previous assumptions.

“The gravitational wave background is often thought to be uniformly distributed across the sky,” says Rowena Nathan, an astronomer at Ozgrab University and Monash University.

“The galaxy-sized telescope formed by the MeerKAT pulsar timing array allows us to map the structure of this signal with unprecedented precision, potentially revealing insights into its source.”

Astronomers have found further evidence of gravitational wave signals originating from merging supermassive black holes, capturing a signal more powerful than a similar global experiment in just one-third of the time.

“What we’re seeing suggests a much more dynamic and active Universe than we expected,” Dr. Miles said.

“We know that supermassive black holes are merging off Earth, but now we’re starting to know where they are and how many there are.”

Researchers used pulsar timing arrays to improve existing methods to build highly detailed gravitational wave maps.

This map revealed an interesting anomaly: an unexpected hotspot in the signal, suggesting a possible directional bias.

“The presence of a hotspot could point to a distinct source of gravitational waves, such as a pair of black holes billions of times more massive than the sun,” Nathan said.

“Looking at the arrangement and pattern of gravitational waves tells us how our universe exists today and contains signals from around the time of the Big Bang.”

“While there is still more work to be done to determine the significance of the hotspots we discovered, this is an exciting step forward for our field.”

“These discoveries raise exciting questions about the formation of supermassive black holes and the early history of the universe.”

“Further monitoring by the MeerKAT array could improve these gravitational wave maps and reveal new cosmic phenomena.”

“The research also has broader implications, with data that could help international scientists explore the origin and evolution of supermassive black holes, the formation of galactic structures, and even hints at early cosmic events. provided.”

The results were published in three papers. Royal Astronomical Society Monthly Notices.

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Matthew Miles others. 2024. MeerKAT Pulsar Timing Array: 4.5 Years of Data Release and Noise and Stochastic Signals in the Millisecond Pulsar Population. MNRASin press. doi: 10.1093/mnras/stae2572

Matthew Miles others. 2024. MeerKAT Pulsar Timing Array: The first search for gravitational waves with the MeerKAT radio telescope. MNRASin press. doi: 10.1093/mnras/stae2571

Kathryn Grandthal others. 2024. MeerKAT Pulsar Timing Array: Map of the gravitational wave sky with 4.5 years of data released. MNRASin press. doi: 10.1093/mnras/stae2573

Source: www.sci.news

New Images of Arp 142 Captured by Webb Show Stunning Detail

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Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have captured new infrared images of two interacting galaxies. Alp 142.

This Webb image shows two interacting galaxies known as Arp 142. On the left is NGC 2937, nicknamed “The Egg” because of its appearance, and on the right is NGC 2936, nicknamed “The Penguin” because of its appearance. Image courtesy of NASA/ESA/CSA/Webb/STScI.

The interacting pair, Arp 142, is located about 326 million light-years away in the southern constellation Hydra.

This system is ARP Catalog of Peculiar Galaxies It was observed by astronomer Halton C. Earp in the 1960s.

It contains the star-forming spiral galaxy NGC 2936 and its elliptical companion galaxy NGC 2937 at the lower left, which bears a striking resemblance to a penguin guarding its eggs.

The “penguin” part of the pair, NGC 2936, was probably once a relatively ordinary-looking spiral galaxy – flat like a pancake, with smoothly symmetrical spiral arms.

Because of the abundance of newly formed, hot stars, its shape is twisted and distorted by the gravitational forces of nearby stars.

The twin “egg,” NGC 2937, is a collection of much older stars and, in contrast, is largely featureless.

The absence of glowing red dust features indicates that it long ago lost its reservoir of gas and dust from which new stars could form.

“The two asteroids first came close to each other between 25 million and 75 million years ago, triggering 'fireworks' – the formation of new stars – in the constellation of Penguin,” astronomer Webb said in a statement.

“In the most extreme cases, galaxy mergers could result in the formation of thousands of new stars every year for millions of years.”

“In the case of penguins, studies have found that they form around 100-200 stars per year. By comparison, in our own Milky Way galaxy (which is not interacting with a galaxy of a similar size), around six to seven new stars form per year.”

“This gravitational rocking also changed the penguins' appearance,” they noted.

“The spiral arms uncoiled, pulling gas and dust in different directions like confetti.”

“When galaxies interact, it's rare for individual stars to collide (the universe is huge), but the intermingling of galaxies disrupts the orbits of stars.”

“Currently, the centre of the Penguin's galaxy looks like an eye inside its head, and the galaxy has a prominent star trail in the shape of a beak, spine and fanned-out tail. A faint but noticeable dust ribbon stretches from the beak to the tail.”

“Although the Penguin Galaxy appears much larger than the Egg Galaxy, the two galaxies have roughly the same mass,” the astronomers said.

“This is one of the reasons why the tiny looking egg hasn't merged with the penguin yet.”

“Because the elliptical egg is filled with old stars and contains very little gas or dust, it doesn't emit its own 'streams' or tidal tails, and instead maintains its compact elliptical shape.”

“If you look closely, the Egg has four noticeable diffraction spikes – it's glowing because of a high concentration of stars from the galaxy.”

“Now, find the bright, edge-on galaxy in the upper right. It may look like it's crashing the party, but it’s not close by.”

Cataloging No. 1237172It lies nearly 100 million light-years from Earth. It is relatively young and not covered by dust, making it virtually invisible in Webb's mid-infrared images.”

Source: www.sci.news