Latest news with #UniversityofSantiago
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronomers catch black holes 'cooking' their own meals in bizarre, endless feeding cycle
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Black holes' ravenous, incessant feeding is fueled partly by the powerful jets of gas these gluttonous monsters blast into space, according to a new study. The research suggests that many black holes across the universe actively regulate the material they consume, essentially "cooking" their own meals. The findings also offer a fresh glimpse into the complex ways black holes interact with and co-evolve alongside their immediate surroundings. In the new study, a team led by Valeria Olivares, an astrophysicist at the University of Santiago in Chile, studied the blasts of X-rays and radio emissions from supermassive black holes lurking within seven galaxy clusters located between 170 million and 1 billion light-years from Earth. One of these is the Perseus Cluster — one of the most massive known structures in the universe — featured on the left in the image below. The bright-white pocket at the center is the collective light from black holes lurking in the cluster's many galaxies, each measuring anywhere from millions to tens of billions of times the mass of the sun. Related: What's the biggest black hole in the universe? The new analysis, based on data from the space-based Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Very Large Telescope in Chile, also revealed numerous neon-pink "veins" branching out from the galaxies. These wispy filaments represent warm gas flowing between galaxies; this gas has been shaped and sculpted by the energetic jets emitted from the nearby black holes. These tendrils of gas are key to sustaining the black holes' feeding cycle, according to the study, which was published Jan. 27 in the journal Nature Astronomy. RELATED STORIES —'Impossible' black holes detected by James Webb telescope may finally have an explanation — if this ultra-rare form of matter exists —Gravitational waves offer a 'cosmic DNA test' for black holes —Supermassive black holes in 'little red dot' galaxies are 1,000 times larger than they should be, and astronomers don't know why The interaction between black hole jets and this ambient gas allows the cosmic monsters to prepare themselves a constant supply of food, the researchers suggest. The jets that are blasted into space interact with the hot gas that fills the space between galaxies, thereby cooling it enough to shape it into structured, gas-filled filaments. These filaments then facilitate the movement of warm gas, funneling some of it back toward the centers of galaxies, where it further feeds the black holes and provides fuel for future jet outbursts. This cycle of feeding and jet emission establishes a delicate feedback loop that helps sustain the cosmic behemoths' activity and growth, according to the study. But there's another winner at this endless dinner party. The gas-filled filaments not only play a crucial role in the feeding cycles of black holes but also blow out cavities in intergalactic space, thus setting the stage for the formation of new stars, the study authors said.
Voice of America
04-02-2025
- Science
- Voice of America
Huge Iceberg Could Threaten Penguins in the South Atlantic Ocean
Scientists are worried that a large iceberg heading toward an island in the South Atlantic Ocean could threaten wildlife there. Researchers say the iceberg is the largest in the world. It is moving through the South Atlantic toward the island of South Georgia. The island is a British overseas territory that is about 1,400 kilometers east of the Falkland Islands. Scientists say South Georgia is a main mating ground for wildlife, especially penguins and seals. The iceberg is officially known as A23a and it measures about 3,500 square kilometers. It has existed since 1986, when it broke off from the Antarctic shelf. Andrew Meijers is an oceanographer with the British Antarctic Survey. He told the French News Agency (AFP) that scientists have been using satellite imagery to follow the iceberg's movements. Meijers said observations had shown the iceberg had not broken into smaller pieces like some other so-called "megabergs" that passed through the Southern Ocean. He added that predicting the iceberg's exact path is difficult. But ocean conditions suggest it should reach South Georgia in two to four weeks. Meijers said he is worried the iceberg will get caught on the underground continental shelf around South Georgia. But he said it is also possible the large ice mass could miss the shelf and continue moving into open waters beyond South Georgia. If the iceberg does get caught, or stuck, on the shelf, Meijers said it could remain there for months or it could break into pieces. Meijers is concerned that this could harm efforts by penguins and seals on the island to feed and raise their young. Icebergs that have grounded there in the past led to the deaths of young penguins and seals, he said. Raul Cordero is a mechanical engineer from Chile's University of Santiago. He is also a member of the National Antarctic Research Committee. Cordero told AFP he thinks the iceberg will miss South Georgia. "The island acts as an obstacle for ocean currents and therefore usually diverts the water long before it reaches the island," he said. "The iceberg is moved by that water flow, so the chances of it hitting are not that high." Cordero added, however, that some iceberg pieces could affect the island. Soledad Tiranti is a glacier expert who is currently on an Argentinian exploration trip in the Antarctic. She told AFP that icebergs such as A23a "are so deep that before reaching an island or mainland they generally get stuck" on the seabed. It is currently summer in South Georgia and penguins and seals from the area have been looking for food in the cold Antarctic waters to bring back to their young. Meijers said the animals might have to go around the iceberg if it gets stuck. He added that if they had to move around it, this would take a lot of their energy, possibly leading to animal deaths. The seal and penguin populations on South Georgia have already been having a "bad season" with cases of bird flu, Meijers said. Iceberg A23a remained stuck for 30 years before finally breaking free from the Antarctic shelf in 2020. Scientists watching its movements say the iceberg has followed nearly the same path as other large ice masses in the past. The icebergs generally pass the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula through the Weddell Sea along a path known as "iceberg alley." They are pushed by the world's most powerful ocean current system, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. I'm Bryan Lynn. Agence France-Presse reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. ______________________________________________________ Words in This Story iceberg – n. a huge piece of ice that floats freely in the sea shelf – n. an area of relatively shallow water that surrounds a land mass continental shelf –n. an area of relatively shallow water that extends from the world's great land masses and beyond which is the deep ocean obstacle – n. something that makes it difficult or gets in the way of doing something; a barrier divert – v. to send someone or something to a place other than where they had expected to go glacier – n. a large mass of ice that moves very slowly, usually down a hill or valley alley – n. a narrow street or place where things are likely to pass
Jordan Times
28-01-2025
- Science
- Jordan Times
Mega-iceberg drifts towards Antarctic Penguin Island
The iceberg could threaten penguins as they forage to feed their young (AFP photo) PARIS — The world's biggest iceberg, more than twice the size of London, could drift towards a remote island where a scientist warns it risks disrupting feeding for baby penguins and seals. The gigantic wall of ice is moving slowly from Antarctica on a potential collision course with South Georgia, a crucial wildlife breeding ground in the South imagery suggested that unlike previous "mega bergs" this rogue was not crumbling into smaller chunks as it plodded through the Southern Ocean, Andrew Meijers, a physical oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey, told AFP on said predicting its exact course was difficult but prevailing currents suggested the colossus would reach the shallow continental shelf around South Georgia in two to four what might happen next is anyone's guess, he could avoid the shelf and get carried into open water beyond South Georgia, a British overseas territory some 1,400 kilometres east of the Falkland it could strike the sloping bottom and get stuck for months or break up into said this scenario could seriously impede seals and penguins trying to feed and raise their young on the island."Icebergs have grounded there in the past and that has caused significant mortality to penguin chicks and seal pups," he said. 'White wall'Roughly 3,500 square kilometres across, the world's biggest and oldest iceberg, known as A23a, calved from the Antarctic shelf in remained stuck for over 30 years before finally breaking free in 2020, its lumbering journey north sometimes delayed by ocean forces that kept it spinning in who encountered the iceberg face to face, while leading a scientific mission in late 2023, described "a huge white cliff, 40 or 50 metres high, that stretches from horizon to horizon"."It's just like this white wall. It's very sort of Game of Thrones-esque, actually," he said, referring to the dark fantasy series.A23a has followed roughly the same path as previous massive icebergs, passing the east side of the Antarctica Peninsula through the Weddell Sea along a route called "iceberg alley".Weighing a little under a trillion tonnes, this monster block of freshwater was being whisked along by the world's most powerful ocean "jet stream', the Antarctic Circumpolar Cordero from Chile's University of Santiago, who is also part of the National Antarctic Research Committee, said he was confident the iceberg would sidestep South Georgia."The island acts as an obstacle for ocean currents and therefore usually diverts the water long before it reaches the island," he said."The iceberg is moved by that water flow, so the chances of it hitting are not that high," though chunks could, he scientist, glaciologist Soledad Tiranti currently on an Argentinean exploration voyage in the Antarctic, said that icebergs such as A23a "are so deep that before reaching an island or mainland they generally get stuck" on the seabed. Icy obstacleIt is summer in South Georgia and resident penguins and seals along its southern coastline are foraging in the frosty waters to bring back food to fatten their young."If the iceberg parks there, it'll either block physically where they feed from, or they'll have to go around it," said Meijers."That burns a huge amount of extra energy for them, so that's less energy for the pups and chicks, which causes increased mortality."The seal and penguin populations on South Georgia have already been having a "bad season" with an outbreak of bird flu "and that [iceberg] would make it significantly worse," he A23a ultimately melted it could seed the water with nutrients that encourage phytoplankton growth, feeding whales and other species, and allowing scientists to study how such blooms absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While icebergs are natural phenomena, Meijers said the rate at which they were being lost from Antarctica was increasing, likely due to human induced climate change.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
World's biggest iceberg could collide with Antarctic penguin island
The world's biggest iceberg -- three time the size of New York City -- could drift towards a remote island where a scientist warns it risks disrupting feeding for baby penguins and seals. The gigantic wall of ice is moving slowly from Antarctica on a potential collision course with South Georgia, a crucial wildlife breeding ground in the South Atlantic. Satellite imagery suggested that unlike previous "megabergs," this rogue was not crumbling into smaller chunks as it plodded through the Southern Ocean, Andrew Meijers, a physical oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey, told AFP on Friday. He said predicting its exact course was difficult but prevailing currents suggested the colossus would reach the shallow continental shelf around South Georgia in two to four weeks. But what might happen next is anyone's guess, he said. It could avoid the shelf and get carried into open water beyond South Georgia, a British overseas territory some 870 miles east of the Falkland Islands. Or it could strike the sloping bottom and get stuck for months or break up into pieces. Meijers said this scenario could seriously impede seals and penguins trying to feed and raise their young on the island. The island hosts 1.3 million pairs of Chinstrap penguins — one of the world's largest colonies — about 5 million seals, and 65 million breeding birds. "Icebergs have grounded there in the past and that has caused significant mortality to penguin chicks and seal pups," he said. Roughly 1,550 square miles across, the world's biggest and oldest iceberg, known as A23a, calved from the Antarctic shelf in 1986. Before its calving in 1986, the colossal iceberg hosted a Soviet research station. falley It remained stuck for over 30 years before finally breaking free in 2020, its lumbering journey north sometimes delayed by ocean forces that kept it spinning in place. In 2023, the British Antarctic Survey posted a time-lapse of satellite imagery, showing the iceberg's movement. "Game of Thrones-esque" iceberg Meijers -- who encountered the iceberg face to face while leading a scientific mission in late 2023 -- described "a huge white cliff, 40 or 50 meters high, that stretches from horizon to horizon". "It's just like this white wall. It's very sort of Game of Thrones-esque, actually," he said, referring to the dark fantasy series. A23a has followed roughly the same path as previous massive icebergs, passing the east side of the Antarctica Peninsula through the Weddell Sea along a route called "iceberg alley." That is the same current of water that famed explorer Ernest Shackleton used in 1916 to make his storied escape from Antarctica after losing his ship, the Endurance. The legendary shipwreck was discovered off the coast of Antarctica in 2022. Weighing a little under a trillion tons, this monster block of freshwater was being whisked along by the world's most powerful ocean "jet stream" -- the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Raul Cordero from Chile's University of Santiago, who is also part of the National Antarctic Research Committee, said he was confident the iceberg would sidestep South Georgia. "The island acts as an obstacle for ocean currents and therefore usually diverts the water long before it reaches the island," he said. "The iceberg is moved by that water flow, so the chances of it hitting are not that high," though chunks could, he said. Another scientist, glaciologist Soledad Tiranti currently on an Argentinian exploration voyage in the Antarctic, said that icebergs such as A23a "are so deep that before reaching an island or mainland they generally get stuck" on the seabed. It is summer in South Georgia and resident penguins and seals along its southern coastline are foraging in the frosty waters to bring back food to fatten their young. "If the iceberg parks there, it'll either block physically where they feed from, or they'll have to go around it," said Meijers. "That burns a huge amount of extra energy for them, so that's less energy for the pups and chicks, which causes increased mortality." The seal and penguin populations on South Georgia have already been having a "bad season" with an outbreak of bird flu "and that (iceberg) would make it significantly worse," he said. As A23a ultimately melted it could seed the water with nutrients that encourage phytoplankton growth, feeding whales and other species, and allowing scientists to study how such blooms absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While icebergs are natural phenomena, Meijers said the rate at which they were being lost from Antarctica was increasing, likely due to human induced climate change. In January 2023, a massive piece of Antarctica's Brunt Ice Shelf — a chunk about the size of two New York Cities — broke free. The Brunt Ice Shelf lies across the Weddell Sea from the site of the Larsen C ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula. In 2022, the Larsen C ice shelf — which was roughly the size of New York City and was long considered to be stable — collapsed into the sea. Vice President JD Vance's first interview | Face the Nation Rebuilding Paradise A tour of the Bronx
CBS News
27-01-2025
- Science
- CBS News
World's biggest iceberg could be on collision course with Antarctic penguin island: "Game of Thrones-esque"
The world's biggest iceberg -- three time the size of New York City -- could drift towards a remote island where a scientist warns it risks disrupting feeding for baby penguins and seals. The gigantic wall of ice is moving slowly from Antarctica on a potential collision course with South Georgia, a crucial wildlife breeding ground in the South Atlantic. Satellite imagery suggested that unlike previous "megabergs," this rogue was not crumbling into smaller chunks as it plodded through the Southern Ocean, Andrew Meijers, a physical oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey, told AFP on Friday. He said predicting its exact course was difficult but prevailing currents suggested the colossus would reach the shallow continental shelf around South Georgia in two to four weeks. But what might happen next is anyone's guess, he said. It could avoid the shelf and get carried into open water beyond South Georgia, a British overseas territory some 870 miles east of the Falkland Islands. Or it could strike the sloping bottom and get stuck for months or break up into pieces. Meijers said this scenario could seriously impede seals and penguins trying to feed and raise their young on the island. The island hosts 1.3 million pairs of Chinstrap penguins — one of the world's largest colonies — about 5 million seals, and 65 million breeding birds. "Icebergs have grounded there in the past and that has caused significant mortality to penguin chicks and seal pups," he said. Roughly 1,550 square miles across, the world's biggest and oldest iceberg, known as A23a, calved from the Antarctic shelf in 1986. Before its calving in 1986, the colossal iceberg hosted a Soviet research station. falley It remained stuck for over 30 years before finally breaking free in 2020, its lumbering journey north sometimes delayed by ocean forces that kept it spinning in place. In 2023, the British Antarctic Survey posted a time-lapse of satellite imagery, showing the iceberg's movement. "Game of Thrones-esque" iceberg Meijers -- who encountered the iceberg face to face while leading a scientific mission in late 2023 -- described "a huge white cliff, 40 or 50 meters high, that stretches from horizon to horizon". "It's just like this white wall. It's very sort of Game of Thrones-esque, actually," he said, referring to the dark fantasy series. A23a has followed roughly the same path as previous massive icebergs, passing the east side of the Antarctica Peninsula through the Weddell Sea along a route called "iceberg alley." That is the same current of water that famed explorer Ernest Shackleton used in 1916 to make his storied escape from Antarctica after losing his ship, the Endurance. The legendary shipwreck was discovered off the coast of Antarctica in 2022. Weighing a little under a trillion tons, this monster block of freshwater was being whisked along by the world's most powerful ocean "jet stream" -- the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Raul Cordero from Chile's University of Santiago, who is also part of the National Antarctic Research Committee, said he was confident the iceberg would sidestep South Georgia. "The island acts as an obstacle for ocean currents and therefore usually diverts the water long before it reaches the island," he said. "The iceberg is moved by that water flow, so the chances of it hitting are not that high," though chunks could, he said. Another scientist, glaciologist Soledad Tiranti currently on an Argentinian exploration voyage in the Antarctic, said that icebergs such as A23a "are so deep that before reaching an island or mainland they generally get stuck" on the seabed. It is summer in South Georgia and resident penguins and seals along its southern coastline are foraging in the frosty waters to bring back food to fatten their young. "If the iceberg parks there, it'll either block physically where they feed from, or they'll have to go around it," said Meijers. "That burns a huge amount of extra energy for them, so that's less energy for the pups and chicks, which causes increased mortality." The seal and penguin populations on South Georgia have already been having a "bad season" with an outbreak of bird flu "and that (iceberg) would make it significantly worse," he said. As A23a ultimately melted it could seed the water with nutrients that encourage phytoplankton growth, feeding whales and other species, and allowing scientists to study how such blooms absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While icebergs are natural phenomena, Meijers said the rate at which they were being lost from Antarctica was increasing, likely due to human induced climate change. In January 2023, a massive piece of Antarctica's Brunt Ice Shelf — a chunk about the size of two New York Cities — broke free. The Brunt Ice Shelf lies across the Weddell Sea from the site of the Larsen C ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula. In 2022, the Larsen C ice shelf — which was roughly the size of New York City and was long considered to be stable — collapsed into the sea.
