Latest news with #RingNebula
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
The Webb telescope found something exceedingly rare around a dying star
The Ring Nebula is a well-known space icon shaped like a doughnut about 2,500 light-years away in the constellation Lyra. But astronomers think it's been holding a secret that only the penetrating gaze of the James Webb Space Telescope, a joint project of NASA and the European and Canadian space agencies, could reveal. Using Webb's infrared-sensing MIRI instrument, scientists got a clear sightline to the small but scorching star at its center. The shriveled core — a white dwarf — is all that remains of the star on its deathbed, having molted its outermost layers. When researchers zoomed in, they got a surprise. Surrounding the withering star was a disk of dust, much like the kind found around new stars that are in their prime planet-birthing years. It was kind of like seeing a pregnant octogenarian in a nursing home. This is just the second time scientists have observed such a disk around a star at the end of its life. And though they can't actually see baby planets in their nebula images, they are now wondering if these space environments could trigger a second generation of planets, long after the original brood of worlds formed around the star. The discovery, published in The Astrophysical Journal, is "raising questions about their nature, formation, longevity, and potentially a second phase of planet formation," the authors wrote. SEE ALSO: Spectacular Webb telescope image shows a stellar death like never before The James Webb Space Telescope provides a clear view of the central white dwarf creating the Ring Nebula in the left image. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Raghvendra Sahai et al. Unlike giant stars that explode into a supernova and collapse into a black hole when their time is up, a medium star gradually runs out of nuclear fuel and suffers a more prolonged death. These stars, like our midsize sun in perhaps 5 billion years, decline into so-called planetary nebulas, a confusing misnomer for the phenomenon because they have more to do with aging stars than planets. Scientists have discovered a few thousand planetary nebulas in the Milky Way. Those include the Ring Nebula, aka NGC 6720 and Messier 57. With Webb, the researchers could see a compact dust cloud around the central white dwarf creating it. "These are first seen as the gas-and-dust-rich planet-forming disks in young stellar objects, and are an integral part of the star formation process itself," the authors wrote. "Remarkably, dusty disks or disk-like structures manifest themselves again as these stars reach the ends of their lives." Such a rare sighting is believed to have happened once before, when astronomers got a look at the Southern Ring Nebula with Webb, at wavelengths far beyond what people can see with their eyes. In the first images, astronomers were amazed to spot the true source of the nebula, said Karl Gordon, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. "We knew this was a binary star (beforehand), but we effectively didn't really see much of the actual star that produced the nebula," he said during a 2022 news conference. "But now in MIRI, this star glows red because it has dust around it." The James Webb Space Telescope spots a dusty disk around the central white dwarf powering the Ring Nebula. Credit: NASA GSFC / CIL / Adriana Manrique Gutierrez illustration The dust cloud around the Ring Nebula is composed of tiny grains of amorphous silicate, a glass-like substance, according to the new paper. These particles are miniscule, perhaps less than one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair. The cloud itself stretches thousands of times wider than the distance between the Earth and the sun. The researchers noticed something else intriguing at the center of the nebula. The white dwarf's brightness keeps changing. That might be a clue that another star is lurking in the shadows nearby, perhaps a small-but-feisty red dwarf star. While scientists haven't directly spotted the buddy yet, they can infer it's there from patterns in the nebula. The study could help confirm earlier findings that suggested the star had two companions — one far in the outskirts of the system and another nearby. A close star could explain the strange arcs and rings seen around the nebula.
News24
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
57 - that all-too-familiar number so often echoed in local football
The number 57 carries a range of meanings and associations across various fields, from mathematics and science to pop culture and sports. Though not a prime number, it is humorously referred to as a 'Grothendieck prime' in mathematical circles. In science, 57 is the atomic number of lanthanum, the first element in the lanthanide series. Astronomically, it designates both Messier 57 — the famed Ring Nebula — and NGC 57, an elliptical galaxy. In popular culture, the number features in films such as Passenger 57 and Contagion further embed it in the public imagination. The number 57 has acquired a curious notoriety. It is frequently hurled, half-jokingly and half-derisively, at Mamelodi Sundowns, the Pretoria-based juggernaut affectionately known as Bafana Ba Style. Despite their dominance in local football and their enviable trophy cabinet, the team is often teased for drawing modest crowds to their matches—57 being the tongue-in-cheek reference to the number of spectators allegedly in attendance. For rival fans of Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates — the country's most passionately supported and oldest clubs — the number has become a sly shorthand for undermining Sundowns' success by pointing to their perceived lack of mass following. Senzeni na? ?????? — Tebogo Khaas (@tebogokhaas) April 28, 2025 Much like an elliptical galaxy — composed of mature, radiant stars and marked by a calm, enduring brilliance — Sundowns has perfected the art of scouting with seasoned precision. Eschewing flashy theatrics, the club methodically assembles a luminous constellation of talent from across South Africa and beyond, with stars like midfielder Themba Zwane, Brazilian striker Lucas Ribeiro, Chile's Marcello Allende, Namibia's Peter Shalulile, and Ronwen Williams orbiting its core of sustained excellence and keeping the team firmly anchored at the summit of domestic and continental football. In Contagion, it was 'Vaccine #57' that offered hope — successfully protecting a lab monkey and symbolising a breakthrough against adversity. Similarly, Sundowns denied a clear penalty despite damning VAR evidence in their CAF Champions League semifinal against Al Ahly, appearing metaphorically inoculated against despair. From Mockery to Majesty: How 57 Became Sundowns' Sacred Number, by @tebogokhaas @Masandawana @CAFCLCC @OfficialPSL @SAFA_net @KickOffMagazine — Tebogo Khaas (@tebogokhaas) April 27, 2025 Like the fictional serum, their resilience proved potent, powering them to one of their most gallant performances yet — securing a place in the final, away from home, with unshaken resolve. This, despite a paltry — dare one say, 57?—yet unwavering contingent of Sundowns supporters dotting the stands, valiantly holding their ground amid a sea of red-clad Al Ahly fanatics. Much like lanthanum — often found alongside other rare earth elements and prized for its role in catalysts, scintillators, and welding — Sundowns delivered scintillating football that has become a catalytic force in elevating the local game, while exhibiting a welded solidity in their semifinal fixtures, fusing resilience and brilliance in pursuit of continental glory. Was it sheer brilliance or a touch of divine intervention that saw that fortuitous 'own goal' fall in Masandawana's favour? Mohamed Hossam / EPA Whatever the source, it felt as though the heavens themselves had a stake in Sundowns' journey. And who's to say it wasn't a sign? After all, the word Almighty appears exactly 57 times in 57 verses in the King James Bible — surely no coincidence for a team long mocked with that very number. Could this be the prophecy unfolding before our eyes? A celestial nod crowning Sundowns not just kings, but the Almighty of the 2025 CAF Champions League? Was it sheer brilliance or a flicker of divine intervention that saw that 'own' goal fall ever so kindly for Masandawana? ???????? ????????????????, ???? ?????? ???????????????? ?? The Brazilians will do battle with Pyramids FC in the #TotalEnergiesCAFCL final! ???????? #Sundowns #RabatsenaGape — Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) April 25, 2025 At that moment, as fortune bent ever so slightly in Sundowns' favour, it was tempting to believe that the football gods — or perhaps something higher — had cast their vote. And what of the symbolism? The curious alignment with the number long used to jibe at the club's sparse but steadfast support. Could it be that the mockery has been transformed into a mantle — an omen that Sundowns is destined not merely to compete, but to ascend as the Almighty of the Champions League? Perhaps. Or perhaps it's just football's poetry playing out in real time. Either way, as Masandawana marches toward its prime, one thing is certain: the yellow number 57 will never sound quite the same again. Only time — and perhaps a few more divine 57 yellow deflections — will tell.
Times
26-04-2025
- Times
This is the perfect side of Portugal for families and young children
'Just sit for ten minutes,' our guide said, switching off his torch and handing us a couple of blankets. 'It will get even better when your eyes adjust, I promise you.' Sitting in deckchairs, surrounded by the shadowy form of ancient olive trees, my seven-year-old son and I stared up as the Milky Way gradually appeared, a shining river arching across the black sky over the rural Alentejo region. Back home in south London, the best we could ever hope to see through the night-time haze is the flashing lights of planes heading for Gatwick or Heathrow. But at Sao Lourenco do Barrocal — a converted farm estate close to the Spanish border — light pollution is at the lowest level in Europe. And with an average of 289 cloudless nights a year, it is easy to see why in 2011 astronomers certified this part of Portugal the world's first Starlight Tourism Destination. My son was already thrilled at being allowed to stay up later than his three-year-old brother, who was tucked up asleep in our cottage (my wife, Nat, drew the short straw and stayed in with him). But when our guide, an astronomer from the nearby Dark Sky Alqueva Observatory, invited him to climb a stepladder to look through the huge telescope, he gasped: 'Woah.' After a little persuasion he stepped down to let me have a look. A bright ring with a hollow centre filled the eyepiece. This — about 2,500 light years away — was the Ring Nebula. At its heart, the astronomer explained, was a dying star — a white dwarf — and the ring surrounding it was the puff of gas emitted when the star exploded. One day this will happen to our sun. 'But not for a few billion years,' he reassured us. 'Woah,' my son repeated, taking another look. We were in Portugal for a half-term break. Our holiday had started with two days of action-packed sightseeing in Lisbon. We travelled the length and breadth of the city by bus, metro, tram and electric rickshaw, walked for miles and had a wonderful, utterly exhausting time. We visited the Oceanarium, one of the biggest and best aquariums in Europe, where we saw sharks and manta rays and sea otters; got delightfully lost in the higgledy-piggledy avenues of the Alfama quarter; and found the best pastel de nata in town, at the Mercado de Campo de Ourique, a bustling food market. We stayed in the Lumiares hotel in Bairro Alto, which was modern, luxurious and right in the heart of the action, with fantastic views from the rooftop restaurant. Lisbon is a great city for children: safe, affordable, just the right size, with easy public transport and plenty to keep them entertained. But after two nights we were ready for a slower pace. • The Lumiares hotel review: the rooftop rules at this boutique Lisbon aparthotel So we picked up a hire car, drove over the 25 de Abril Bridge (which gives the Golden Gate a run for its money) and headed for Alentejo. Two hours later, soon after the sleepy town of Evora, we realised that we hadn't seen another vehicle in quite a while. I was beginning to wonder whether we were heading in the right direction. Neat rows of holm oak lined the road, with olives and vines stretching beyond, but there was no sign of humanity. London has a population density of 14,600 people per square mile, while Lisbon has 14,100; Alentejo has just 49 — and it feels like most of them are hiding. This is the emptiest part of the country. Tourists flock to the beaches of the Algarve, the vineyards of the Douro Valley or the cities of Lisbon and Porto. The province of Alentejo, in the southern interior, covers a third of the country yet contains just five per cent of its population, as people have generally left the region for the cities and coasts, and the tourism money they bring. Eventually we turned off the road and bumped down a long, narrow track, avoiding a long-horned cow, and stopped before a group of low, white buildings with orange roofs. 'Welcome to Barrocal,' a smiling staff member said, helping us to unload our bags as the sun lowered towards the horizon. 'I hope the birds do not annoy you — it can get quite noisy at this time of the day.' The sparrows were indeed lively, chattering away as they hunted for bugs in the creepers cloaking the cottages. Nat and I shared a glance as guests in spa robes padded by between lemon trees and neatly clipped hedges of rosemary. If the visitors here were prone to be irritated by the sound of birdsong, how were they going to react to our slightly feral sons, already racing each other along the cobbled paths that separated the buildings? Had this upmarket hotel complex, famed for its spa and food and wine, been the right choice for a family holiday? We needn't have worried. Barrocal, above all else, has space in abundance — even enough to accommodate energetic boys without them worrying anyone else. Once we had checked in (we were invited to fill in our forms while sitting in the bar with a glass of wine, rather than queueing at reception — a nice touch after a long car journey), we were shown to one of the hotel's barn cottages. The 1,900-acre estate has been in the same family for more than 200 years but fell into ruin during the 1970s, amid political turmoil in which there was a forced collectivisation of the region's farms. In 2016 the eighth-generation owner, Jose Antonio Uva, brought the estate back to life as a hotel after a 14-year renovation. The spacious rooms speak to the history of the farm, with terracotta brick floors, whitewashed walls, vaulted ceilings and wood and wool furnishings. The food — served at Barrocal's three farm-to-fork restaurants or delivered to guest rooms in picnic baskets — is also in keeping with this theme: cattle is reared on the land, vegetables are grown in the walled garden, and everything is cooked in olive oil from the estate's groves. Sitting on the terrace outside the main restaurant with a bottle of deep-black red wine, made from touriga nacional grapes grown at Barrocal, we watched the sun set below a pink and purple sky. Fires burnt in pits dotted beside the paths. The boys played on the lawn — close enough to be within sight, but far enough away to give them (and us) a sense of freedom. They clambered over big granite boulders the size of cars — the barrocal after which the estate is named — and swung from the branches of olive trees. • The sleepy Algarve fishing town where you'll find the real Portugal This was a rare thing: a truly natural spot, rooted in its landscape, with wilderness all around us. Yet everything was perfectly placed and curated. Over the following days we explored the estate. We did a treasure hunt, put on by the staff, visited horses and donkeys in the stables and swam in one of the two pools in the walled garden. We paddled at nearby Alqueva Dam — Europe's largest artificial lake, dammed in 2002 — and visited the fortified medieval hill town of Monsaraz, with views to Spain. Breakfast was a particular treat, including local hams, preserves from the oranges and lemons grown on site and the lightest, fluffiest French toast we'd ever eaten, coated in sugar. Above all, we relaxed. As parents of young children, family holidays often mean prioritising their entertainment over our own. But here we could enjoy ourselves without them getting bored. There was plenty for all of us to do, with a thoughtfully kitted-out playroom (often an afterthought), bikes of all sizes and a huge range of activities, such as stargazing, balloon rides and fishing. • This ancient city is Portugal's artiest (and booziest) weekend break On our last morning we went walking with Nuno Guegues, a wildlife expert armed with another, albeit smaller, telescope. He pointed out rock martin and barn swallow nests, constructed from clay below the eaves of the cottages, demonstrated how to identify and pick wild fennel and asparagus and, through the telescope, showed us Sardinian warblers, meadow pipits, white wagtails, goldfinches and those noisy sparrows. Finally he sat us down before an ancient gnarled olive, full of nooks and crevices but still productive. Remarkably, this tree, estimated to be 2,000 years old, was a combination of two varieties — its roots of a wild olive, which would produce small, virtually inedible fruit; its trunk of a different variety, producing big, juicy olives. 'The people that 2,000 years ago started using this olive tree took a wild olive tree and inserted into it a branch of a grown variety,' he explained. However, that is just part of the story of the cultivation of this landscape. The first hunter-gatherers, migrating west from Turkey, settled on the Iberian peninsula 7,000 years ago to work the land. A giant menhir — a standing stone put up by those early farmers as a sign of ownership — stands on the Barrocal estate, suggesting that some laid roots here. Among the vines and olives, with the swallows darting through the trees, it is easy to see why, with all of Europe to choose from, they chose this spot to settle. Ben Spencer was a guest of the Lumiares, which has room-only apartments for four from £513 ( and Scott Dunn, which has five nights' room only for a family of four at Sao Lourenco do Barrocal from £5,510, including flights and transfers (
