Latest news with #observatories
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Hubble reveals new details about alien comet 3I/ATLAS
Hubble has captured the sharpest images to date of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, revealing new details about this icy alien traveller. The discovery of the third interstellar object passing through our solar system has the astronomy community fairly excited. Given the limited amount of time we have to observe 3I/ATLAS before it leaves our solar system, never to be seen again, astronomers want to find out as much as they can about it, while they have a chance. To this end, increasingly more powerful telescopes are being turned towards 3I/ATLAS. Ground-based observatories have been delivering images, so far, giving researchers a chance to make educated guesses at the nature of the object and how big it is. On July 21, astronomers got their first look at 3I/ATLAS using the Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble's first image of Comet 3I/ATLAS. The streaks in the background are distant stars, drawn out into lines as the telescope tracked the moving object. According to NASA, a blue filter was used for these observations. (Image: NASA, ESA, David Jewitt (UCLA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)) With 3I/ATLAS currently surrounded by a cloud of dust, ice, and gas (its 'coma'), the solid nucleus of the comet cannot be seen, even by Hubble. However, these observations give astronomers a better estimate of the size of this alien object, simply by comparing what they're seeing with the behaviour of 'home grown' comets. From ground observatories, based on its brightness, the original best estimate for the size of its nucleus was anywhere from 10-20 kilometres in diameter. New data from Hubble has significantly reduced that, putting an upper limit on the comet's size of 5.6 kilometres wide. That's still substantially larger than both 2I/Borisov and 1I/'Oumuamua, which were estimated at being roughly 500 metres wide and 100 metres wide, respectively. Still, the researchers who took the Hubble observations believe it's possible 3I/ATLAS's nucleus could be as small as just 320 metres across. Hubble's view of 3I/ATLAS. The comet is travelling from left to right in this field of view, with the Sun generally located off the right edge of the image. (Image: NASA, ESA, David Jewitt (UCLA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)) The image captured by Hubble also reveals more detail, confirming 3I/ATLAS's cometary nature. As seen above, the solid nucleus is located within the bright region on the left side of the fuzzy 'teardrop'. The diffuse region on the right appears to be a plume of dust being ejected from it, as sunlight warms the nucleus' surface. Comets produce tails of dust and ionized gas, which both generally point away from the Sun. However, this kind of dust plume being generated in the direction of the Sun is apparently common in comets when they are farther out in space and first begin to feel the Sun's heat. Additionally, according to NASA, the researchers report seeing the hints of a dust tail streaming away from the nucleus. We still have roughly a month before most telescopes will lose sight of comet 3I/ATLAS as it passes around the other side of the Sun. At that time, orbiters around Mars might get a better look. Then, starting in early December, astronomers will pick up observations of it again, and have at least until early 2026 before it gets too far away to see. "Observations from other NASA missions including the James Webb Space Telescope, TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, as well as NASA's partnership with the W.M. Keck Observatory, will help further refine our knowledge about the comet, including its chemical makeup," says NASA. Watch below: August Sky Guide — Watch for a six planet parade Click here to view the video Solve the daily Crossword
Sustainability Times
25-07-2025
- Science
- Sustainability Times
Deep-Space Water War: The 140-Trillion-Ocean Discovery That's Fueling Global Tensions, Wild Conspiracies, and Scientific Revolt
IN A NUTSHELL 💧 Astronomers discovered a colossal water reservoir in space, estimated to be 100 trillion times the volume of Earth's oceans, surrounding the quasar APM 08279+5255 . . 🌌 The quasar features a supermassive black hole at its center, with a mass equivalent to 20 billion suns, emitting energy comparable to 1 trillion suns. at its center, with a mass equivalent to 20 billion suns, emitting energy comparable to 1 trillion suns. 🔭 Advanced technology, including the Z-Spec spectrograph and other observatories, played a critical role in identifying and confirming the vast amount of water vapor. ✨ This discovery provides new insights into early quasar environments and the evolution of supermassive black holes, highlighting the universe's complexity and potential for further exploration. Space exploration continuously reveals awe-inspiring discoveries that expand our understanding of the universe. One such revelation is the detection of a colossal water reservoir in the cosmos, a find that transcends our previous comprehension of celestial bodies. This extraordinary water mass, estimated to be 100 trillion times the volume of Earth's oceans, orbits the quasar APM 08279+5255, located 12 billion light-years away. This discovery not only underscores the universe's vastness but also opens new avenues for understanding quasar environments and the formation of black holes. A Glance into the Cosmic Universe: Quasar APM 08279+5255's Massive Water Cloud APM 08279+5255 is no ordinary quasar. At its heart lies a supermassive black hole weighing as much as 20 billion suns, making it one of the most powerful known entities in the universe. This black hole is enveloped by an immense cloud of water vapor, spreading over several hundred light-years. The energy produced by this quasar equals that of 1 trillion suns, fueling the surrounding gas, dust, and matter spiraling into the black hole. Among the most remarkable aspects of this discovery is the sheer volume of water vapor. In stark contrast, the Milky Way contains significantly less gaseous water, most of which remains frozen. The substantial concentration of water in APM 08279+5255 suggests an environment capable of heating the encircling gas to emit intense X-rays and Infrared radiation, creating a hot and dense atmosphere. This phenomenon hints at the dynamic processes at play in quasars, offering a glimpse into the universe's complexity. 'We Never Thought It Could Be This Huge': Astronomers Stunned by 10-Milky-Way-Sized Gas Thread Connecting Distant Galaxies Discovery of Water Vapor Provides New Insights into Early Quasar Environments and the Growth of Black Holes The detection of water vapor in this distant quasar not only highlights the quasar itself but also the atmospheric conditions surrounding such astronomical phenomena. Water, often considered a minor molecule in space, proves invaluable in assessing the thermodynamic properties like temperature and pressure of gases. Despite the gas temperature near the quasar being relatively low, at about minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit, it is significantly warmer and denser than typical galactic gases found in the Milky Way. This finding holds significance as it aligns with the universe's earliest epochs, captured at a redshift of z=3.9, when the quasar was merely 1.6 billion years old. Understanding these early conditions helps scientists comprehend the evolution of supermassive black holes. In APM 08279+5255's case, the potential for the black hole to grow up to six times its current size due to available gas is conceivable. Yet, whether the black hole will consume all this gas, or if some will transform into stars or disperse into space, remains uncertain. 'It's a Crazy, Unexplainable Signal From Space': Repeating Radio Burst Every 2 Hours Baffles Scientists and Reveals New Star System Innovative Instruments Trace Water Vapor in Quasar, Paving Way for the Study of the Cosmic Dawn The discovery of this vast water reservoir is attributed to advanced millimeter and submillimeter technology. At the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory in Hawaii, researchers utilized the Z-Spec spectrograph to identify water vapor in a high-redshift quasar. Follow-up observations with the Plateau de Bure Interferometer and CARMA further confirmed both the presence and the magnitude of the water content. These innovative tools, though recently available, are pivotal in exploring the early universe and its expansion. Such technological advancements are critical for delving into the cosmic dawn, offering insights into the universe's formative stages. The large water vapor region around a quasar, driven by a supermassive black hole, showcases the universe's richness and potential for further black hole growth. With ongoing technological progress, astronomers are poised to unveil more about the universe's origins and evolution, enhancing our cosmic comprehension. For the First Time in History, Astronomers Capture the Moment a Distant Solar System Is Born in Deep Space The Impact of This Cosmic Discovery on Understanding Universe Evolution The recent discovery of the largest and most distant water reservoir in the universe provides a fresh perspective on cosmic evolution during primitive stages. This discovery highlights the vastness of the universe and the potential for more black holes to grow. As technology advances, it's increasingly likely that astronomers will uncover more about the universe's beginnings and its transformation over time. The presence of such a massive water reservoir in space challenges our understanding and invites further exploration into the early universe's mysteries. As we continue to unravel the secrets of the cosmos, this discovery stands as a testament to human curiosity and innovation. What other remarkable revelations await us in the vast expanse of space, and how will they reshape our understanding of the universe and our place within it? This article is based on verified sources and supported by editorial technologies. Did you like it? 4.6/5 (25)
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Detect Sign of Something Impossible Out in Deep Space
The very concept of black holes seems improbable. Albert Einstein infamously refused to believe they could exist, even though his theory of general relativity was instrumental in predicting them. Now, scientists have witnessed evidence of something about these baffling cosmic monstrosities that further stretches the boundaries of both physics and credulity: a titanic collision of two already enormous black holes so utterly extreme that it has scientists wondering if the event they seem to have detected is even possible. As detailed in a new yet-to-be-peer-reviewed paper by a consortium of physicists, the resulting black hole, whose signal has been designated GW231123, boasts an astonishing mass about 225 times that of our Sun — easily making it the largest black hole merger ever detected. Previously, the record was held by a merger that formed a black hole of about 140 solar masses. "Black holes this massive are forbidden through standard stellar evolution models," Mark Hannam at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), which made the detection, said in a statement about the work. "This is the most massive black hole binary we've observed through gravitational waves, and it presents a real challenge to our understanding of black hole formation." Black holes can produce huge, propagating ripples in spacetime called gravitational waves, which were predicted by Einstein back in 1916. Nearly 100 years later, LIGO — which consists of two observatories on opposite corners of the US — made history by making the first ever detection of these cosmic shudders. The merger was first spotted in November 2023 in a gravitational wave, GW231123, that lasted just a fraction of a second. Even so, it was enough to infer the properties of the original black holes. One had a mass roughly 137 times the mass of the Sun, and the other was around 103 solar masses. During the lead up to the merger, the pair circled around each other like fighters in a ring, before finally colliding to form one. These black holes are physically problematic because it's likely that one, if not both of them, fall into an "upper mass gap" of stellar evolution. At such a size, it's predicted that the stars that formed them should have perished in an especially vicious type of explosion called a pair-instability supernova, which results in the star being completely blown apart, leaving behind no remnant — not even a black hole. Some astronomers argue that the "mass gap" is really a gap in our observations and not the cause of curious physics. Nonetheless, the idea is "a hill at least some people were willing to get wounded on, if not necessarily die on," Cole Miller of the University of Maryland, who was not involved in the research, told ScienceNews. But perhaps the black holes weren't born from a single star. "One possibility is that the two black holes in this binary formed through earlier mergers of smaller black holes," Hannam said in the statement. Equally extreme as their weight classes are their ludicrously fast spins, with the larger spinning at 90 percent of its maximum possible speed and the other at 80 percent, both of which are equal to very significant fractions of the speed of light. In earthly terms, it's somewhere around 400,000 times our planet's rotation speed, according to the scientists. "The black holes appear to be spinning very rapidly — near the limit allowed by Einstein's theory of general relativity," Charlie Hoy, a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration at the University of Portsmouth, said in the statement. "That makes the signal difficult to model and interpret. It's an excellent case study for pushing forward the development of our theoretical tools." The researchers will present their findings at the GR-Amaldi meeting in Glasgow, which takes place this week. "It will take years for the community to fully unravel this intricate signal pattern and all its implications," according to LIGO member Gregorio Carullo at the University of Birmingham — so, tantalizingly, we're likely only scratching the surface of this mystery. More on space: James Webb Space Telescope Spots Stellar Death Shrouds
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Starlink Satellites Are 'Leaking' Radio Emissions
Specialists at Australia's Square Kilometer Array (SKA) released a report this week showing Starlink's unexpected impact on radio astronomy. Despite national and international protections against radio emissions in certain bands, Starlink is clogging the skies with electromagnetic pollution. Light pollution stretches far beyond the hazy glow of a city on the horizon. Down in the radio portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, governments barter sections of light. Large portions of bandwidth stay reserved for the military, while others get auctioned off (sometimes literally) to communications companies. Squeezed in between these chunks of spectrum lie bands for public broadcasting, HAM radio, and science. Governments, corporations, and private citizens are supposed to stay away from protected bands so that radio telescopes can observe in peace. When the Starlink satellites launched, SpaceX collaborated with key radio astronomy observatories to avoid broadcasting while transiting above telescopes. Strategies include turning off Starlink WiFi services completely in certain regions of the sky. The resulting disruptions to Starlink operations are not insignificant. Spectrum management, especially in the United States, involves give-and-take on both sides. But American observatories have the benefit of observing at mid- to high-frequencies, at least by radio standards. Those frequency bands are less polluted than low frequencies, because emitting at low frequencies takes less energy and so costs less. If corporations and the military ignored protected bands, it would cause serious problems for radio astronomy. But a new study by engineers at the SKA suggests unintended electromagnetic radiation, or UEMR, may be a bigger issue than intended radiation. The SKA is still under construction. When completed, it will be the most powerful radio telescope in the world. The low-frequency part of the telescope (SKA-Low) is designed to go after trace echoes from when matter began to coalesce 13 billion years ago. SKA-Low looks odd even by the standards of radio telescopes. A thick forest of metallic Christmas trees in the Australian desert maximizes sensitivity to faint signals. But the new era of radio telescopes is butting up against a new era of satellites. There are more satellites in orbit than ever before, including massive networks of related satellites called constellations. With 7,000 satellites in Low Earth Orbit, Starlink is the biggest constellation. As they transit above SKA-Low, Starlink satellites release radio emissions through multiple protected bands. In a pre-print of their study, the SKA-Low team reports 112,534 intrusions of Starlink satellites in their radio images. Their month-long study showed that 30% of all Starlink satellites in the sky at the time appear in their data. Most of this emission seems to be accidental. UEMR from Starlink interfering with radio astronomy isn't unprecedented. During the initial launch phase, radio astronomers found that the propulsion system on the satellites emitted at unexpectedly low frequencies, decreasing the quality of astronomical data in an already polluted band. But the satellites had all been launched at the time of this new study. So where is all this radio pollution coming from? We don't know the various origins of the UEMR the SKA-Low team observed, except for one feature at 99.7 MHz. If that sounds like an FM radio band, it's no coincidence. Starlink satellites bounce FM radio shows back down to the Earth. For telescopes carefully located in radio-quiet zones, that's not ideal. Fixing this issue is particularly crucial to the success of SKA-Low, which seeks to look further back in time than any telescopes in a similar radio band. Signals from the early universe are very faint, and Starlink satellites are not. Unfortunately, the codes governing spectrum use only ban intended radio emission in protected bands. Consider a hyperbolic analogy: Imagine if murder were illegal, but manslaughter wasn't. Spectrum experts and regulators are currently discussing how to address this issue. For now, though, as long as Starlink is here, so are the unintended radio emissions.
