Latest news with #MilkyWay
New York Times
36 minutes ago
- General
- New York Times
Scientific Discoveries, and Dreams, in the Balance
One of the joys of science journalism is in seeing dreams come true — watching scientists push their career chips across the table, on behalf of a vision or a mission that will take years to achieve, and finally win. Their stories are sagas of passion, curiosity and sacrifice. William Borucki, a space scientist who didn't have a Ph.D., and his collaborator, David Koch, spent 20 years trying to convince NASA that a space telescope could find planets by detecting their shadows on other stars. NASA rejected their proposal five times until ultimately relenting. 'It's a wonderful thing to have someone tell you over and over again everything that is wrong with your experiment,' Mr. Borucki once said. He changed the galaxy: The Kepler satellite, launched in 2009, discovered more than 4,000 exoplanets in a small patch of the Milky Way, suggesting that there were as many as 40 billion potentially habitable planets in the Milky Way alone. Scientists involved in the effort to detect the space-time ripples known as gravitational waves tell a similar story. In the 1970s and 80s, when Rainer Weiss, a physicist at M.I.T., and Kip Thorne of Caltech started talking to the National Science Foundation about the possibility of observing these waves, 'everybody thought we were out of our minds,' Dr. Weiss once said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Spot Mysterious Object in Our Galaxy Pulsing Every 44 Minutes
Astronomers have spotted something strange and spectacular: a mysterious object that keeps emitting pulses every 44 minutes. In a press release from Australia's Curtin University, which was part of the international team that detected the object just 15,000 light-years away in our Milky Way galaxy, astronomers explained that the find was all the more stunning because the signal is coming in the form of both X-rays and radio waves. The object, which was named ASKAP J1832-0911 after Australia's ASKAP radio telescope that was used to detect it, was discovered emitting two-minute-long pulses that would pause and then repeat 44 minutes later. As the Curtin press release explains, the researchers lucked out when they realized that NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory was observing the same part of the sky and detected the same repeating signal in X-ray form. This dual-natured pulse belongs to a newly-discovered class of space phenomena known as "long-period radio transients," or LPTs for short. Discovered in 2022 by the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research — which also sponsored this latest study — these mystery pulses have unknown origins and occur in fixed intervals of minutes or hours. They're considered by astronomers to be remarkably slow as compared to the signals emitted by pulsars, those rapidly-rotating stars that send out similar bursts every few milliseconds when their poles point in Earth's direction. In the years since they were first discovered, astronomers around the world have only detected some 10 other LPTs — but before now, none have been run through X-ray telescopes as well. According to Ziteng "Andy" Wang, an ICRAR-affiliated Curtin astronomer and the lead author a paper about the finding that was just published in the journal Nature, discovering the dual nature of LPTs in such a coincidental manner "felt like finding a needle in a haystack." "The ASKAP radio telescope has a wide field view of the night sky, while Chandra observes only a fraction of it," Wang explained in the Curtin press release. "So, it was fortunate that Chandra observed the same area of the night sky at the same time." Because LPTs are such a new phenomenon to astronomers, they can't say for sure what causes them. When the first of them were discovered, astronomers posited that they could be coming from magnetars, a type of neutron star with extremely strong magnetic fields that also emit radio pulses at faster intervals, leading to the ICRAR team positing that they may have an "ultra-long-period magnetar" on their hands. While the magnetar theory appears to have been scrapped, the astronomers behind this update in LPT knowledge are hopeful that it will help them figure out what these strange, slow pulses are about. "This object is unlike anything we have seen before," said Wang. More on strange space: Scientists Startled by Discovery of Small Star Swimming Through Outer Layers of Another Larger Star
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Amazing Milky Way images captured over Cornwall
Stunning images of the Milky Way have been captured over the Cornish coast by an amateur Nuttall, 52, was on holiday in West Cornwall from his home in the Midlands, when he managed to take the pictures at Porthgwarra beach near said he spent time researching the location before waiting for a clear night and a new of all, he said, he was helped by the light pollution-free skies over west Cornwall. "It's one of the darkest places in the UK," Mr Nuttall said."There's just nothing there - it's just blackness, you know, once you look out to sea. "And yeah, the Milky Way looks fantastic."A lot of people say that you have quite a lot of cloudy skies and a bit of rain in Cornwall, so it's quite a rarity to get clear skies especially."I had three nights in a row while I was down there, so it was a bit of a bonus really." Mr Nuttall posted the images onto social media and said he was surprised how popular they have said: "I put them on a local Facebook page. "Obviously it went viral on there, and a lot of people, you know obviously liked it, and commenting on it and all that, saying how fantastic they were."
The Guardian
a day ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Milky Way photographer of the year 2025
The annual lupine bloom in New Zealand is spectacular, with fields of colourful flowers stretching across the Mackenzie Basin. This region in the heart of the South Island is renowned for its dark skies, making the scene even more surreal at night. Above the flowers, you can see the band of the outer Milky Way, alongside the constellations Orion, Gemini, and the Pleiades. Joining them are the bright planets Jupiter and Mars, with a strong display of green airglow visible along the horizon Photograph: Max Inwood/Milky Way photographer of the year Easter Island had been on my bucket list for a long time, and it once seemed almost impossible to reach. On our first night there, the weather forecast looked promising, so we decided to go ahead with the tour our group had booked months earlier. However, Rapa Nui sits in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where the weather is unpredictable. An hour later, we were frantically photographing the statues at Rano Raraku, when the sky suddenly began to clear. By 5am, it was completely clear, and we had less than two hours to capture all the shots we wanted. Photograph: Rositsa Dimitrova/Milky Way photographer of the year A panoramic shot of the Milky Way in a remote area of the Atacama cactus valley, known for its large concentration of cactus plants. I love this place with its countless possibilities. The panorama was taken just as the galactic centre began to rise, with the spectacular Gum Nebula visible on the right. It was an especially bright night with a breathtaking sky. The valley isn't easy to navigate, but it's always worth trying to find new compositions in such stunning locations beneath the night sky Photograph: Pablo Ruiz/Milky Way photographer of the year The Perseid meteor shower occurs every August. In 2024, I had planned to photograph it from the Canadian Rockies, but wildfires forced me to change my plans. I found a safe haven in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. Sitting on the rock is my friend Arne, gazing up at the magnificent core of our galaxy. Each meteor is painstakingly aligned to its true location in the night sky. The final depiction shows all the meteors I captured, combined into one frame – as if the Earth hadn't been rotating and all the meteors had fallen at once Photograph: Mike Abramyan/Milky Way photographer of the year This image captures the rare double arch Milky Way, where both the winter Milky Way (with Orion rising) and the summer Milky Way (with the galactic centre) appear in the same night – a seamless transition between seasons. Taken at 3,200 metres, in the heart of winter, the night was brutally cold, testing both my endurance and equipment. This is a time blend, preserving the real positions of both arches by combining frames taken hours apart, with the foreground captured at dawn for the best detail Photograph: Angel Fux/Milky Way photographer of the year Undoubtedly my wildest location this winter: Austria's Dobratsch mountain. After a two-hour hike through the snow with a 22kg backpack and sled, the stunning views kept me energised. I spent the evening exploring compositions, and this is my favourite: a panorama of the winter Milky Way with reddish nebulae, stretching above Dobratsch. The sky was magnificent, with Jupiter and Mars shining brightly. In the foreground is the cabin, where I spent three freezing hours, waiting for the perfect shot of the Milky Way's core Photograph: Uroš Fink/Milky Way photographer of the year After three years of waiting, the Yushan alpine rhododendrons are finally in bloom once again on Taiwan's 3,000-metre-high Hehuan mountain. On this special night, distant clouds helped block city light pollution, revealing an exceptionally clear view of the Milky Way. A solar flare from active region AR3664 reached Earth that evening, intensifying the airglow and adding an otherworldly touch to the sky. Together, these rare natural events created a breathtaking scene – vivid blooms glowing softly beneath a star-filled sky Photograph: Ethan Su/Milky Way photographer of the year With a clear night forecast and the Milky Way core returning for 2025, I set out to explore the Great Ocean Road. After a few setbacks – such as getting the car stuck on a sandy track – I almost gave up. However, I pushed on and found a great spot above the beach to capture the scene. The night was full of colour, with comet C/2024 G3 Atlas and a pink aurora in the early hours, followed by the Milky Way rising amid intense green airglow. Despite the challenges, the reward of this stunning image and the memory of the view made it all worthwhile Photograph: Brent Martin/Milky Way photographer of the year Socotra is one of my favourite places, but when it comes to a specific location, this one stands out. It doesn't have an official name, as it's not a destination for the few fortunate tourists who visit Socotra. After shooting there for the past four years and scouting the island, I've discovered hidden gems like this one, which I call Bottle Tree Paradise. Bottle trees are unique to Socotra, a result of the island's long isolation from the mainland. This separation allowed them to evolve distinctive features, such as their bottle-shaped trunks Photograph: Benjamin Barakat/Milky Way photographer of the year On the early morning of 2 June 2024, I summited Acatenango Volcano for the first time, hoping to witness the fiery beauty of the neighbouring Volcan de Fuego against the Milky Way's backdrop. That night, the volcano was incredibly active. Above, the Milky Way stretched diagonally across the sky. As the volcano erupted, the ash plume rose vertically, forming an acute angle of about 45 degrees with the galaxy's diagonal path, creating a stunning visual contrast between Earth's fury and the cosmos' serenity Photograph: Sergio Montúfar/Milky Way photographer of the year Capturing this image was a race against time, light and distance. With comet Tsuchinshan–Atlas (C/2023 A3) making its approach, I knew I had a rare opportunity to see it with the naked eye before it faded into the cosmos. I embarked on a five-hour round trip to McWay Falls in Big Sur. My window was narrow – just six precious minutes of true darkness before the Moon rose and washed out the night sky. But those six minutes were unforgettable. It was one of the most vivid and humbling naked-eye comet sightings I've ever experienced Photograph: Xingyang Cai/Milky Way photographer of the year When one Googles information about visiting Chad, the results aren't very encouraging from a safety perspective. Nevertheless, the intrepid astrophotographer in me decided to take the chance and visit this landlocked country, specifically the Ennedi Massif in the north. Sparsely populated and devoid of light pollution, the three-day drive from the capital, N'Djamena, was well worth the risks involved. The region is filled with rock formations, shapes, and arches, offering an abundance of options for foreground elements to frame the dramatic night skies Photograph: Vikas Chander/Milky Way photographer of the year On 14 March 2025, a total lunar eclipse occurred, especially visible over the Americas and the Pacific Ocean. I was fortunate to observe this particular eclipse from the NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. You can see how epic the sky was during totality, as the moon darkened enough for the majestic Milky Way, the faint belt of zodiacal light, and prominent airglow to stand out Photograph: Petr Horálek/Milky Way photographer of the year The first image I captured from this spot in Otago, New Zealand, is the one I feel kick-started my astrophotography journey. The set of sea stacks provided a foreground subject facing the right direction, and being a local spot relatively free of light pollution, it was the perfect location to capture the Milky Way core. It felt fitting to try again with a few extra years of experience and an astro-modified camera, which allows for easier capture of hydrogen-alpha-rich regions of the sky. The years of experience made panoramic shooting and editing easier Photograph: Kavan Chay/Milky Way photographer of the year I float in the cupola, looking out the seven windows composing this faceted transparent jewel. While my mind is submerged in contemplation, my eyes gorge on the dim reflections from a night-time Earth. There are more than 8 billion people who call this planet home. There are seven of us who can say the same for the space station. What a privilege it is to be here. I used an orbital star tracker to take out the star streak motion from orbit Photograph: Don Pettit/Milky Way photographer of the year
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Photographer captures ghostly ripples over Colorado night sky 'it is rare to see it directly overhead and moving like that' (photo)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Beneath the star-drenched skies of Colorado on May 26, as the Milky Way arched into view, photographer Aaron Watson pointed his lens upward — and captured something extraordinary unfolding in the night. "I have seen airglow a lot, but it is rare to see it directly overhead and moving like that," Watson told in an email. Watson's timelapse, captured around 3:30 a.m. local time and spanning about 30 minutes, reveals watery green ripples of airglow sweeping across the sky. "It was, for the most part, invisible to the naked eye," Watson said. Airglow is a natural light emission created when sunlight interacts with molecules in Earth's upper atmosphere, causing them to release energy as a faint glow. There are three types of airglow: dayglow, twilightglow and nightglow, according to Lancaster University's Aurora Watch UK. Dayglow and twilightglow are driven by the same process — sunlight charging atmospheric molecules — but twilight glow becomes briefly visible to the naked eye as daylight fades. These glowing emissions are about a billion times fainter than sunlight, which is why they're washed out during the day. Watson captured nightglow, the most visible type of airglow, created by a process called chemiluminescence. During the day, sunlight deposits energy into our atmosphere, charging up oxygen molecules (O₂) high above Earth. Around 62 miles (100 kilometers) up, some of the energy splits these molecules into individual oxygen atoms. These atoms hang onto that sun-deposited energy for hours because they can't easily release it. Eventually, the oxygen atoms find partners and recombine to form O₂ again. When they do, they release the stored energy as light, including that striking green glow captured in Watson's timelapse. The mesmerizing wave-like patterns seen in Watson's timelapse are the result of nearby thunderstorms producing gravity waves in the upper atmosphere. These waves ripple through the airglow, creating visible, wavelike patterns across the night sky. RELATED STORIES —Not 'Little Red Dots' or roaring quasars: James Webb telescope uncovers new kind of 'hidden' black hole never seen before —Hold the syrup: Weirdly perfect 'pancakes' on Venus may prove the planet is buckling —World's first color images of black holes are on their way "North is down in this image set, so the ripples were flowing from south to north, as if flowing out from above the storms to the south." Watson wrote in a post on his website. You can see more of Watson's impressive photography on his website Skies Alive. If this article has inspired you to get into astrophotography, our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can help you get ready to capture the next stunning skywatching event. This article was originally published on
