The Astronomy Thread

[Ringel05]

Oh lookie!! Stars!!!

Looks kinda congested, does anyone up there provide traffic reports?

 

[American Horse]

Oh lookie!! Stars!!!

Looks kinda congested, does anyone up there provide traffic reports?

That region is flush with interesting star loops, snakes, and crown configs of stars. The bright star is Aldebaran, and the bright grouping upper right is the Pleiades aka "seven sisters'
The angular seperation between those two is about 14 degrees, the swatch is about 14 x 20 degrees, and represents about 1.1 percent of the sky, which partly accounts for how crowded it appears.

 

[Mr. H.]

Holy Chit!

 

[Ringel05]

Oh lookie!! Stars!!!

Looks kinda congested, does anyone up there provide traffic reports?

That region is flush with interesting star loops, snakes, and crown configs of stars. The bright star is Aldebaran, and the bright grouping upper right is the Pleiades aka "seven sisters'
The angular seperation between those two is about 14 degrees, the swatch is about 14 x 20 degrees, and represents about 1.1 percent of the sky, which partly accounts for how crowded it appears.

So that's what they call 'downtown' up there.........

 

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd wearin' his tin-foil lined jockey strap so' it don't fry the family jewels...

After solar flare, massive storm speeds Earthward
January 23, 2012 - A solar flare Sunday triggered an outburst of solar material that should hit Earth Tuesday. The disturbance could lead to voltage swings on some power lines, as well as stronger northern lights.

An outburst from the sun late Sunday night is bathing Earth in the most powerful solar-radiation storm in six years. The radiation storm is the first act of an event that will crescendo Tuesday, when the brunt of the outburst – called a coronal-mass ejection – arrives at Earth. It could trigger a disturbance of Earth's magnetic field, leading to voltage swings in long-distance power transmission lines as well as the appearance of the northern lights as far south as New York. The current radiation storm – rated an S3, or strong, on a scale of 1 to 5 – could damage satellite hardware and present an increased risk of radiation exposure to passengers flying at high altitudes across polar routes, say space-weather specialists. These risks, however, are expected to be manageable.

The outburst, which occurred at 11 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Sunday, marks the second major solar eruption in three days. Sunday's event began with a moderate solar flare that was "nothing special" on its own, says Doug Biesecker, a solar physicist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colo. But the flare triggered the release of billions of tons of energetic particles from the sun's atmosphere. This coronal-mass ejection (CME) is hurtling toward Earth at 4 million miles an hour, "by far the fastest CME directed at the Earth during the current solar cycle," Dr. Biesecker says.

CMEs are vast clouds of protons, electrons, as well as heavy atomic nuclei formed in the nuclear fusion reactions that power the sun. This CME's unusually high speed is accelerating some of its protons to nearly the speed of light, and they are arriving in quantities not seen since May 2005. The resulting radiation storm could cause some hardware or onboard software glitches for satellite operators. And radio communications at high latitudes, as well as navigation-satellite accuracy for high-precision uses, could suffer some degradation for the duration of the radiation storm. A geomagnetic storm Tuesday could further affect satellites.

For satellite operators, geomagnetic storms have a Janus-like quality. If strong enough, they can produce voltages on a satellite's exterior that can be powerful enough to arc and cause damage. And the storms can increase the atmosphere's drag on satellites, causing them to lose altitude. But such storms also can increase drag on space junk that can pose a risk to satellites, sending more of it to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. This week's geomagnetic storm also could bring auroras to viewers farther south than usual. Biesecker says the storm may reach a level that could render auroras visible as far south as Idaho and New York, and perhaps even Illinois and Oregon if the CME's intensity is large than estimated.

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Solar storm buffets Earth: How protected is the US power grid?
January 24, 2012 - Peak impact of the solar storm was expected Tuesday. Only a few of the strongest storms have a serious impact, but modern society is more dependent on power grids than ever.

Power-grid operators nationwide are on high alert Tuesday as gale-force geomagnetic winds from a solar storm sweep across the Earth – creating potentially dangerous electrical currents that, if severe enough, could damage the US power grid. The impact of this solar geomagnetic storm – called a “coronal mass ejection” by scientists – is being measured by satellites orbiting the Earth. It is the strongest such storm to hit Earth since 2005.

Still, it was expected to be moderate in intensity, compared with more severe events in the past, with only mild impacts on the power grid, solar storm experts said. Peak impact was expected Tuesday between morning and late in the day, solar weather experts said. After the flare showed up on satellite sensors Sunday, solar storm advisories were sent by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the nation’s independent system operators that oversee regional grid reliability in the nation 10 big power markets.

Solar flares and Northern lights

Beyond problems with satellites and radio communications, power generators and transmission line operators were advised to put the portions of the grid they control in a more defensive, robust posture. The idea is to gird for the impact of billions of tons of charged solar particles striking the Earth's magnetic field at two million miles per hour. “We do not expect an impact to the bulk power system, however utilities are monitoring their facilities, as usual, for any abnormal energy flows and are prepared to take all appropriate actions to maintain reliability of the bulk power system,” writes Kimberly Mielcarek, spokesman for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) in an e-mail. “We’re conferring with NOAA counterparts as needed, and sharing information with the North American bulk power system reliability coordinators.”

Intense debate has swirled over the issue of solar geomagnetic storms – and what, if anything, to do about these infrequent events beyond reactive, defensive actions. Most such storms have little impact on the Earth. Only a handful have had any serious impact over the past century. Still, the US and other modern societies are more dependent on power grids than ever – and damage to the grid could be severe in some cases. The power grid is 10 times larger than it was in 1921, when the last solar super storm hit, effectively making it a giant new antenna for geomagnetic current. A far stronger solar outburst could overload and wreck hundreds of critical high-voltage transformers nationwide, blacking out 130 million people for months and costing as much as $2 trillion, according to a 2010 Oak Ridge National Laboratory study.

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[waltky]

Granny been wonderin' if dat why it been warmer than usual `round here lately...

Solar storm was stronger than predicted
Jan. 25, 2012 WASHINGTON, Jan. 25,`12 (UPI) -- The solar storm that caused several days of intense geomagnetic activity in Earth's atmosphere was even stronger than originally predicted, U.S. officials said.

"Earlier, it was stated that the current Solar Radiation Storm was the largest since May 2005," an announcement from a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration division said. "After the arrival of the CME [coronal mass ejection] earlier today ... this is now the largest Solar Radiation Storm since October 2003 (The Halloween Storms)," NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center said on its Facebook page.

On Sunday, a cluster of sunspots in an active region of the sun blasted a bubble of energized plasma -- composed mainly of high-energy protons -- in the general direction of Earth. The blast -- known as a coronal mass ejection -- interacted with the Earth's magnetosphere beginning Tuesday, sparking a global geomagnetic storm.

Such storm can cause problems with satellite operation and radio communications, experts said. "High latitude [radio] communications can be impacted," NASA solar physicist C. Alex Young told Discovery News. "I have heard from colleagues that airlines have already had to reroute polar flights for up to two days because of communication blackouts at the poles."

Read more: Solar storm was stronger than predicted - UPI.com

 

[waltky]

Mystery of vanishing ions solved...

Solar Storms Blasting Electrons from Earth's Van Allen Belts
January 31, 2012 - Scientists say they have solved the mystery of why electrically-charged particles trapped in radiation belts thousands of kilometers above the Earth suddenly vanish and then reappear during periods of heightened solar activity.

NASA-funded researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) tracked the electrons using data collected simultaneously with 11 different spacecraft. Their findings show that when bursts of solar energy released by storms on the sun strike Earth’s magnetic field, they send electrons in the so-called Van Allen radiation belts hurtling into outer space. Within a few days, the depleted radiation rings once again swell with a whole new crop of the sun’s highly-charged electrons, which are so energetic that they move at almost the speed of light.

The UCLA researchers note that the highly charged particles that escape the Van Allen belts always stream outward, rather than raining down into Earth’s atmosphere as some theories suggest. Understanding how solar energy moves in and out of the Van Allen radiation belts has been a critical part of developing accurate space weather forecasts. Radiation from solar storms can pose a life-threatening danger to the crew of the International Space Station, but it also can damage orbiting satellites, silence ground communications and knock out electric power grids. The new NASA-UCLA study is published on the Internet in the journal, Nature Physics.

The Van Allen belts are a system of bubble-shaped rings of radiation that encircle the planet. Earth's protective magnetic field holds the Van Allen belts in their position several tens of thousands of kilometers above its surface, and protects the planet from deadly solar, cosmic and other types of space radiation. The Van Allen belts are named after late NASA astrophysicist James Van Allen, who confirmed presence of the radiation rings in 1958. The pioneering scientist died in 2006 at the age of 91.

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Scientists intrigued by atoms from beyond the solar system
January 31, 2012 - NASA's IBEX spacecraft has snagged atoms that came from outside our solar system. Interstellar space includes the raw material that becomes new stars, planets, and organic life.

A NASA satellite orbiting Earth has captured "aliens" from interstellar space – but with names like hydrogen, helium, oxygen, and neon, these are outsiders are actually quite welcome. By snagging these different elements at the same time, NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) is for the first time allowing astronomers to compare how elements are distributed in interstellar space versus within our own solar system. The composition of interstellar space is of particular interest to scientists because stars seed it with a range of elements – including nitrogen, oxygen, iron – when they end their lives. Once part of the interstellar medium, these elements become the raw material available for recycling into new stars, as well as planets, plants, and animals. The new data are already helping scientists gain a fuller understanding of the corner of the Milky Way in which our solar system currently finds itself.

IBEX is designed to study the boundary between interstellar space and the heliosphere – the region of space influenced by the charged particles of the solar wind and the sun's magnetic field. Cosmic radiation, which consists of charged particles, is mostly deflected by the heliosphere. But neutral atoms, which carry no electrical charge, can penetrate the sun’s protective shield. Tuesday’s IBEX report focuses on these neutral atoms. IBEX's sampling of neutral atoms has revealed intriguing differences in composition between the material in the solar system and in the interstellar cloud the solar system is passing through. IBEX found that for every 20 neon atoms reaching its detectors from the interstellar medium, it also was detecting 74 oxygen atoms. The solar system is richer in oxygen, with 111 oxygen atoms for each 20 neon atoms.

That points to two possibilities, says David McComas, a researcher at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, and the mission's lead scientist. Either the sun formed in a different part of the interstellar cloud it now occupies, where oxygen was more plentiful, or the missing oxygen is cradled in dust and ice in the cloud. If the differences are intriguing now, wait another 100 to 3,000 years or so. That's when the solar system is expected to exit the cloud it's now crossing into far different surroundings, the IBEX researchers say. In its current surroundings, the solar system is encountering a weaker interstellar headwind than previous estimates suggested, the IBEX team reports. Measurements from the European Space Agency's now-defunct Ulysses solar observatory indicated that helium was entering the solar system at 59,000 miles an hour. IBEX's more-precise measurements put the speed at 52,000 miles an hour.

This reduction in speed means that the heliosphere sports a different shape than previously estimated, notes Dr. McComas. Currently, that is most important to modelers trying to map the various forces at play in the solar system. “Frankly, all the modelers now have to go back and try to get their models to work with a very different balance” between the pressure the heliosphere is encountering from the headwind and the interplay between the heliosphere's magnetic field and the galactic magnetic field, he says. Both affect the shape of the heliosphere. Understanding the shape of the heliosphere could be more broadly important if the solar system heads into quarters of the galaxy with much greater headwinds. In principle, those headwinds could push the leading edge of the heliosphere closer to the sun – to the point that some planets could spend part of their orbit outside the sun’s protective envelope. The IBEX results appear in a special February supplement to the Astrophysical Journal.

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[Trajan]

New alien planet is perfect for life, scientists say

By Denise Chow

Published February 02, 2012

| Space.com

A potentially habitable alien planet — one that scientists say is the best candidate yet to harbor water, and possibly even life, on its surface — has been found around a nearby star.

The planet is located in the habitable zone of its host star, which is a narrow circumstellar region where temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water to exist on the planet's surface.


"It's the Holy Grail of exoplanet research to find a planet around a star orbiting at the right distance so it's not too close where it would lose all its water and boil away, and not too far where it would all freeze," Steven Vogt, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, told SPACE.com. "It's right smack in the habitable zone — there's no question or discussion about it. It's not on the edge, it's right in there."

Vogt is one of the authors of the new study, which was led by Guillem Anglada-Escudé and Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution for Science, a private, nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C.

"This planet is the new best candidate to support liquid water and, perhaps, life as we know it," Anglada-Escudé said in a statement.

An alien super-Earth

The researchers estimate that the planet, called GJ 667Cc, is at least 4.5 times as massive as Earth, which makes it a so-called super-Earth. It takes roughly 28 days to make one orbital lap around its parent star, which is located a mere 22 light-years away from Earth, in the constellation Scorpius (the Scorpion).

"This is basically our next-door neighbor," Vogt said. "It's very nearby. There are only about 100 stars closer to us than this one."

Interestingly enough, the host star, GJ 667C, is a member of a triple-star system. GJ 667C is an M-class dwarf star that is about a third of the mass of the sun, and while it is faint, it can be seen by ground-based telescopes, Vogt said. [Gallery: The Strangest Alien Planets]

"The planet is around one star in a triple-star system," Vogt explained. "The other stars are pretty far away, but they would look pretty nice in the sky."

Read more: New Alien Planet Is Perfect For Life, Scientists Say | Fox News

 

[waltky]

The better to see E.T. with...

Four telescope link-up creates world's largest mirror
3 February 2012 : The combination of four units of the Very Large Telescopes creates a virtual 130m-mirror

Astronomers have created the world's largest virtual optical telescope linking four telescopes in Chile, so that they operate as a single device. The telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal observatory form a virtual mirror of 130 metres in diameter. A previous attempt to link the telescopes last March failed. Thursday's link-up was the system's scientific verification - the final step before scientific work starts. Linking all four units of the VLT will give scientists a much more detailed look at the universe than previous experiments using just two or three telescopes to create a virtual mirror.

The process that links separate telescopes together is known as interferometry. In this mode, the VLT becomes the biggest ground-based optical telescope on earth. Besides creating a gigantic virtual mirror, interferometry also greatly improves the telescope's spatial resolution and zooming capabilities. The VLT is one of several telescopes in the Atacama Desert, set up by the European Southern Observatory (Eso). Eso is an international research organisation headquartered in Munich, Germany, and sponsored by 15 member countries.

Vital milestone

Even prior to the start of the operation, as the domes of the four VLT units opened on a desert mountaintop in Chile, excitement filled the Paranal observatory's tiny control room. t was going to be a special night, said one of the astronomers. The head of instrumentation at Paranal, Frederic Gonte, called the event a "milestone in our quest for uncovering secrets of the universe". "It's an extremely important step because now we know that we're ready to do real science," he said. "From now on we'll be able to observe things we were not able to observe before." To link the VLT units, the team of international astronomers and engineers used an instrument called Pionier, which replaces a multitude of mirrors with a single optical microchip.

Although the first attempt to combine the four telescopes happened in March 2011, it did not really work, said Jean-Philippe Berger, a French astronomer involved in the project. But this time, it was already pretty clear that all the instruments were working correctly, he added. "Last time, the atmospheric conditions and vibrations in the system were so bad that the data was just worthless, we stopped after half an hour knowing that it wouldn't improve," he said. "So this attempt is a real first one to carry out observations for several hours straight to test the system in different conditions." From now on, the system will be offered to the astronomical community, he added - any astronomer working at Paranal or visiting it will be able to use it.

Gigantic mirror

 

[rdean]

450 million years after the big bang.

http://www.psc.edu/science/2006/blackhole/

 

[percysunshine]

Ok, reality check.

No one was around to see the big bang. If a lawyer tried to prosecute a black hole, he would be sucked into a judicial singularity.

These are all hypothetical models.

 

[American Horse]

To be precise the animation covers a time frame from .2b to about 5.2b years after the big bang. The filamental cobweb structure at the end of the animations hows a universe that has coelescesced into strings of galaxies and represents about a million galaxies grouped into giant clusters in the brightest regions. Those caoncentrations are connected by filaments made up of less concentrated outlying populations of galaxies more representative of our own local group.

The distance spanned in the animation frame is almost 110 million light years, a large enough sample to be representative of the universe. By comparison our own galaxy (the Milky Way) and the Andromeda galaxy are seperated by about 2.54 million light years, or a region about 5/100 of one percent of the frame.

Percysunshine, how the the universe got to the state it is in is hypothetical, but its structure is well known, and has been since the 80's through observation. These scientists are creating computer models that mathematically evolve into the known structure in an attempt to get from a diffuse homogenous state to what it is today.

 

[percysunshine]

To be precise the animation covers a time frame from .2b to about 5.2b years after the big bang. The filamental cobweb structure at the end of the animations hows a universe that has coelescesced into strings of galaxies and represents about a million galaxies grouped into giant clusters in the brightest regions. Those caoncentrations are connected by filaments made up of less concentrated outlying populations of galaxies more representative of our own local group.

The distance spanned in the animation frame is almost 110 million light years, a large enough sample to be representative of the universe. By comparison our own galaxy (the Milky Way) and the Andromeda galaxy are seperated by about 2.54 million light years, or a region about 5/100 of one percent of the frame.

Percysunshine, how the the universe got to the state it is in is hypothetical, but its structure is well known, and has been since the 80's through observation. These scientists are creating computer models that mathematically evolve into the known structure in an attempt to get from a diffuse homogenous state to what it is today.

It is called extrapolation.

Not to be confused with the evil twin sibling called interpolation.

 

[American Horse]

Hey Percy, since astronomers/cosmologist believe they know the physical makeup of the universe just after the moment of the big bang, and know what its structure has evolved to at the present moment in time (as well as when it was 5.2b years old), wouldn't the deductions of the interim processes actually be inferential interpolations?

 

[RevBig]

As a serious amateur astronomer I spend a lot of time in deep thought thinking about what caused the big bang to 'bang', or what caused the BB itself to exist. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing existed before the BB, not time, not an quark of matter, not gravity nor light existed prior to the B*! We can only go back in time with our mathematical models to just a few nanoseconds after the BB. Our physics fail us. "The First Three Minutes" by Steven Weinberg while dated is still accurate. For the reason that "The First Three Minutes" centers on the very early development of the Universe, literally the first 190 seconds, however a reader with little or no knowledge of Cosmology might find it difficult. Anyway we must use other tools rather than conventional science to to explore what happened to produce the big bang.

* that is according to mainstream scientific thinking. Of course secular and atheist physicists and theoretical mathematicians are doing their absolute best to eliminate the BB. I believe that is because theologians began referencing the BB shortly after its discovery and confirmation showing that it's existence also supported Gods existence! Not good for atheist and secular science! (end of note)

I subscribe to a mix of observational science, philosophy, metaphysics and other disciplines for discovery. To be more precise I feel that the KCA best describes the events leading up to the Big Bang and the creation of our universe as we know it. As a Christian the KCA dovetails in with the bibles description that the Universe was create, and was not static and eternal as Einstein and other 20th century scientist etc argued. I also use other ontological arguments such as Godels (Kurt) to undermine atheist presumptions of how the universe began. Anyway if you are unaware of what the KCA is and the other things that I have touched on entail go to (below) to get started.

Reasonable Faith: One Minute Apologist - What is the Kalam Cosmological Argument?

Reva

 

[RevBig]

450 million years after the big bang. Projects in Scientific Computing 2006 (PSC)

Beautiful CFI! Thanks for the link as well!

Reva

 

[cooky]

Ocean-like water in the Jupiter-family comet 103P/Hartley 2 : Nature : Nature Publishing Group

The discovery that extraterrestrial deuterium to hydrogen ratios mirror those on Earth is a significant and fascinating revelation. There seems to be a growing body of evidence that suggests that much if not all of the H20 arrived from outerspace after the planet had formed is incredible as are its implications for the origin of life.

 

[American Horse]

As a serious amateur astronomer I spend a lot of time in deep thought thinking about what caused the big bang to 'bang', or what caused the BB itself to exist. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing existed before the BB, not time, not an quark of matter, not gravity nor light existed prior to the B*! We can only go back in time with our mathematical models to just a few nanoseconds after the BB. Our physics fail us. "The First Three Minutes" by Steven Weinberg while dated is still accurate. For the reason that "The First Three Minutes" centers on the very early development of the Universe, literally the first 190 seconds, however a reader with little or no knowledge of Cosmology might find it difficult. Anyway we must use other tools rather than conventional science to to explore what happened to produce the big bang.

* that is according to mainstream scientific thinking. Of course secular and atheist physicists and theoretical mathematicians are doing their absolute best to eliminate the BB. I believe that is because theologians began referencing the BB shortly after its discovery and confirmation showing that it's existence also supported Gods existence! Not good for atheist and secular science! (end of note)

I subscribe to a mix of observational science, philosophy, metaphysics and other disciplines for discovery. To be more precise I feel that the KCA best describes the events leading up to the Big Bang and the creation of our universe as we know it. As a Christian the KCA dovetails in with the bibles description that the Universe was create, and was not static and eternal as Einstein and other 20th century scientist etc argued. I also use other ontological arguments such as Godels (Kurt) to undermine atheist presumptions of how the universe began. Anyway if you are unaware of what the KCA is and the other things that I have touched on entail go to (below) to get started.

Reasonable Faith: One Minute Apologist - What is the Kalam Cosmological Argument?

Reva

The KCA concept relies on a causal effect; nothing happens without a cause.
If there was no universe and out of nothing it began to exist (the BB) then the agent of cause preceded it; therefore a God.

But, as an alternative explanation; if the universe always existed, and the current ephemeris only exploded after a collapse of an earlier cycle, then that god effect is not needed.

 

[RevBig]

The KCA concept relies on a causal effect; nothing happens without a cause. If there was no universe and out of nothing it began to exist (the BB) then the agent of cause preceded it; therefore a God.

Well, I must disagree. Of course causality exists in temporal (time dependent) systems. Remember time was created just after t-0 of the big bang according to current theory. (although as I have said secular and I must say atheist astronomers, cosmologists etc including the brilliant atheist Hawking seem to have an agenda against the traditional big bang theory and are working to eliminate a beginning point for our universe. If one can remove that point they can also eliminate a creating agent as well! Quantum gravity and modifying inflationary theory, is their MO...b but I am getting off your specific claim. Anyway lets go to the first premise of the KCA which actually supports causality. Anyway I will assume you are well versed in the intricacies of the (Classical argument) KCA, and only explain why cause and effect are a moot point, at least before T-0, ie time zero of the BB. God or GID (a word I aspire to trademark) which means God the Intelligent Designer are eternal agents. Being nothing known to science ie not energy not matter etc it seems plausible, and by the logic of deduction it is the best and nearly only answer. When combined with the logical syllogism of the KCA (when its joined with its supporting premises), the argument is both rational and appeals to logic. In fact the KCA could not exist without the process of logic!

In other words infinite regression is barred by the eternity of Gods existence. As for the believability of a domain where time does not exist, its very believable. it’s a FACT! We do not have to go outside our universe to find it either! Think the interior of black holes, and you will be there, time does not exist according to 99% of the theoretical physicists you might want to ask!

But, as an alternative explanation; if the universe always existed, and the current ephemeris only exploded after a collapse of an earlier cycle, then that god effect is not needed.

That would be sweet, however the empirical and observational evidence rebuts that scenario soundly. The universe began to exist according to most astronomers and physicists about 14b years ago. A cyclic universe isn’t possible at this time because there is not nearly enough mass to cause a rebound and a crunch. Of course as I said that fact does not stop many secular atheist astronomers feverishly developing quantum gravity models that tweak the inflationary period/event to the breaking point. Maybe one day if the evidence is there I would reconsider. However as of feb 7.3 2012 the traditional bb hot model/theory remains the overwhelmingly accepted explaination of our universe's origins.

Rev.b

 

[waltky]

Granny says when Uncle Ferd passes gas, dat oughta qualify as cosmic wind...

Astronomers Measure Record Cosmic Winds Near Small Black Hole
February 23, 2012 - The U.S. space agency says cosmic winds generated by a disk of cosmic gas spinning around a small-scale type of black hole are the fastest ever recorded near such an object.

NASA researchers say they clocked wind speeds of 32 million kilometers per hour - about 3 percent of the speed of light - using instruments aboard the orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory. Such tremendous cosmic wind speeds were previously thought to occur only near the largest black holes in the universe. Black holes are the densest, heaviest objects in the universe. Their powerful gravitational fields create vortexes that pull in gas and debris from millions of kilometers around and capture even light in their grip.

The largest such objects - known as supermassive black holes - are thought to be at the center of most large galaxies, including our own, the Milky Way. They can be millions, or even billions of times more massive than our sun. But stellar-mass black holes are tiny by comparison, with masses just five to 10 times that of the sun.

The Earth-orbiting Chandra probe shows that the little stellar-mass black hole powering the record-breaking winds orbits a sun-like star in a binary system 28,000 light years from Earth. NASA says the Chandra measurements and data shed important light on the behavior of smaller black holes, and their effect on nearby matter.

Gas disks like the one observed in the study are composed of the sub-atomic remains of material captured by the black hole’s powerful gravitational vortex, which spins the particles around at nearly light speeds. The energy generated during this process creates cosmic winds. The new study is published in the current issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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Astronomers Say Galaxy May Be Awash with Homeless Planets
February 24, 2012 - Astronomers say the Milky Way may be swarming with nomad planets wandering through space instead of orbiting a host star, and that the galaxy may have a greater number of unmoored planets than stars.

Last year, astronomers detected about a dozen nomad planets wandering about the galaxy, using a technique called gravitational microlensing, in which the light of stars is momentarily refocused, and brightened, by the gravity of passing planets. At that time, scientists estimated there could be two Jupiter-sized nomad planets for every typical star with orbiting planets in the Milky Way. Jupiter, a gas giant, is the largest planet in the solar system. A new analysis by researchers at the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford University in California now estimates there could be 100,000 times more homeless planets than stars.

Louis Strigari, a research scientist at Kavli, led the study that calculated the gravitational pull of the Milky Way galaxy and the amount of cosmic matter, or material, available to form nomad planets. "We imagined that the population of a dozen or so Jupiter-mass wandering or nomadic objects is just the tip of the iceberg relative to what’s really out there in terms of our galaxy," said Strigari. "So, if one makes assumptions about how many there are below the mass below Jupiter, then one can obtain a bound [an estimate] on how many of these actually exist.

While they might seem to be unlikely candidates for life as we know it, StrIgari says it is possible some of these wandering planets could harbor forms of bacterial life, even if they do not enjoy the heat of a sun. “If the object has a thick enough atmosphere and say there’s tectonic activity or radioactivity going on, on the surface of the planet, the heat could get trapped by the thick atmosphere and could potentially be hospitable to microbial life,” said the research scientist.

Strigari also says there is a slight chance that two nomad planets could collide, flinging bacterial debris into other solar systems. Astronomers hope to confirm the number of wandering planets in the next decade, when a newer generation of larger, more powerful telescopes - including the space-based Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope and the ground-based Large Synoptic Survey Telescope proposed by the U.S. space agency (NASA) - begins operating. An article by Louis Strigari and colleagues on nomadic planets is published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

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