Astronomy News

[mamooth]

'Cuz we don't need a separate thread for every little thing.

I'll start.

How to See a Star Explode in 2022
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Their latest calculations suggest that if the speed at which the stars are merging continues to follow the same trend as V1309 Sco, the two will become one around the year 2022. When the stars collide, they’ll produce what’s called a red nova, an eruption somewhere between the brightness of a cataclysmic supernova and a more run-of-the-mill classical nova.

Regardless, the stellar fireworks will be bright enough to see from Earth with the unaided eye.
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[mamooth]

A reminder, total eclipse of the sun on Monday, August 21, 2017, visible over much of the USA.

 

[Moonglow]

I was reading that the other day and hoping I get to see it...With the telescope of course...

 

[Auld Phart]

Not likely to be around then

 

[Old Rocks]

Yep. That eclipse is right in my backyard, and will occur a month after I retire. Barring catastrophe I will see it, maybe from the Painted Hills of Oregon.

 

[waltky]

Very Large Array Antennas in New Mexico Search for Cosmic Discoveries...

Giant Antennas in New Mexico Search for Cosmic Discoveries
September 19, 2017 — Employing an array of giant telescopes positioned in the New Mexico desert, astronomers have started a massive surveying project aimed at producing the most detailed view ever made of such a large portion of space using radio waves emitted from throughout the Milky Way and beyond.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory announced the project this week, saying the Very Large Array will make three scans of the sky that's visible from the scrubland of the San Augustin Plains. It is one of the best spots on the planet to scan space, with 80 percent of the Earth's sky visible from the location. The array works like a camera. But instead of collecting light waves to make images, the telescopes that look like big satellite dishes receive radio waves emitted by cosmic explosions and other interstellar phenomenon. Astronomers expect the images gathered by the array will allow them to detect in finer detail gamma ray bursts, supernovas and other cosmic events that visible-light telescopes cannot see due to dust present throughout the universe. For example, the array can peer through the thick clouds of dust and gas where stars are born.

Scientists involved in the project say the results will provide valuable information for astrophysics researchers. "In addition to what we think [the survey] will discover, we undoubtedly will be surprised by discoveries we aren't anticipating now," project director Claire Chandler said in a statement. "That is the lesson of scientific history and perhaps the most exciting part of a project like this." The survey is possible because of a major technological upgrade at the Very Large Array, which was initially conceived in the 1960s and built in the 1970s. The antennas relied on their original electronics and processing systems for years until a recent overhaul made the system capable of producing much higher resolution images. The work done at the Very Large Array is similar to that of the Hubble Space Telescope — making high-quality images so scientists can better study objects in the universe and the physics of how they work.

A few of the radio antennas that make up the Very Large Array astronomical observatory, which are positioned on tracks on the Plains of San Augustin west of Socorro, N.M.​

Research efforts elsewhere search the galaxy for signals or evidence of extraterrestrials, but the New Mexico operation would almost certainly get involved if signals are received, said Very Large Array spokesman Dave Finley. "I do think when the time comes that they find a signal that they think is the real thing, the first phone call they will make will be to us. They'll want an image of that region," Finley said. Astronomers using the array also expect to see more examples of powerful jets of superfast particles propelled by the energy of massive black holes at the center of galaxies. This could help in understanding how galaxies grow over time.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory in 2013 invited astronomers from around the world to submit ideas and suggestions for the survey. Based on the recommendations, scientists and engineers designed the survey and ran a test in 2016. Approval for the full survey was granted this year. The survey will involve about 5,500 hours of observing time. Data from the three separate scans will be combined to produce the radio images. The scanning began Sept. 7 and the raw data will be available to researchers as quickly as the observations are made. The seven-year project will not come at an additional financial cost because the array already has a $15 million annual budget for making observations 24 hours a day for various scientific requests. More of that time will now be dedicated to the project.

Giant Antennas in New Mexico Search for Cosmic Discoveries

See also:

Cassini Disintegrates in Saturn's Atmosphere, Ending 20-year Journey
September 15, 2017 — Tears, hugs and celebrations Friday marked the end of a 20-year mission to Saturn for the spacecraft Cassini.

In mission control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Cassini program manager Earl Maize's voice was heard loud and clear: "The signal from the spacecraft is gone, and within the next 45 seconds, so will be the spacecraft." At a news conference afterward, Maize paid tribute to Cassini. "This morning, a lone explorer, a machine made by humankind, finished its mission 900 million miles away. The nearest observer wouldn't even know until 84 minutes later that Cassini was gone. To the very end, the spacecraft did everything we asked," he said.

The northern hemisphere of Saturn as seen from the Cassini spacecraft on its descent toward the planet.​

Launched in 1997, Cassini's trip to Saturn took seven years. "When I look back at the Cassini mission, I see a mission that was running a 13-year marathon of scientific discovery, and this last orbit was just the last lap," Cassini project scientist Linda Spilker said.

Saturn and its moons

Cassini has been exploring Saturn and some of its moons, making discoveries along the way. "The discoveries that Cassini has made over the last 13 years in orbit have rewritten the textbooks of Saturn, have discovered worlds that could be habitable and have guaranteed that we'll return to that ringed world," Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director Michael Watkins said. Cassini discovered ocean worlds on the Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus. It also detected strong evidence of hydrothermal vents at the base of Enceladus' ocean. These discoveries prompted the decision to destroy Cassini as it ran out of fuel, so there would be no risk of contaminating these moons with bacteria from Earth.

Cassini's Amazing Photos of Saturn, Rings & Moons​

In its last hours, Cassini took final images, including Enceladus setting behind Saturn; Saturn's rings; Titan's lakes and seas; and an infrared view of Saturn. As Cassini plunged into Saturn, its sensors experienced the first taste of the planet's atmosphere, sending critical information to Earth until it disintegrated. "It just really tells us about how Saturn formed and the processes going on and really how all the planetary bodies in our solar system have formed," said Nora Alonge, Cassini project science and system engineer.

Bittersweet moments

 

[Dalia]

Signs of second largest black hole in the Milky Way
Possible missing link in black hole evolution

Artist's impression of the clouds scattered by an intermediate mass black hole.

Date:
January 15, 2016
Source:
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Summary:
Astronomers using the Nobeyama 45-m Radio Telescope have detected signs of an invisible black hole with a mass of 100 thousand times the mass of the Sun around the center of the Milky Way. The team assumes that this possible 'intermediate mass' black hole is a key to understanding the birth of the supermassive black holes located in the centers of galaxies.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160115085208.htm

 

[miketx]

'Cuz we don't need a separate thread for every little thing.

I'll start.

How to See a Star Explode in 2022
---
Their latest calculations suggest that if the speed at which the stars are merging continues to follow the same trend as V1309 Sco, the two will become one around the year 2022. When the stars collide, they’ll produce what’s called a red nova, an eruption somewhere between the brightness of a cataclysmic supernova and a more run-of-the-mill classical nova.

Regardless, the stellar fireworks will be bright enough to see from Earth with the unaided eye.
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The simple minded are alive and well. It will take 1800 years for the light from this event to reach us.