Experts from Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science are available to discuss various aspects related to the upcoming solar eclipse.
Tag: Astronomy
Northern Arizona U. astronomer, “eclipse chaser” available to comment on April 8 total solar eclipse
In advance of the rare total solar eclipse coming on Monday, April 8, Northern Arizona University astronomer and “eclipse chaser” Cristina Thomas is available for comment. Thomas can share insights on: How solar eclipses work When and where this eclipse…
Broadband Will Bring High-Speed Internet Connectivity to the National Radio Quiet Zone
Pocahontas County, West Virginia residents are set to experience a transformative shift in their internet connectivity, as the state of West Virginia announces substantial developments in the broadband infrastructure.
Condor Telescope Reveals a New World for Astrophysicists
A new telescope called the “Condor Array Telescope” may open up a new world of the very-low-brightness Universe for astrophysicists.
Peering Into the Tendrils of NGC 604 with NASA’s Webb
In the astronomy field, the term “nearby” is quite relative. Neighboring galaxies to our home galaxy, the Milky Way, are a few million light-years away. In contrast, some of the most distant galaxies ever detected, closer to the Big Bang, are billions of light-years away.
Expert Available: April 8, 2024, Total Solar Eclipse – Deborah Skapik, NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassador
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, from Texas to Maine. Observers viewing the eclipse from outside the path of totality may observe a partial eclipse, where the Moon covers most, but not all…
Can Astronomers Use Radar to Spot a Cataclysmic Asteroid?
How does ground-based astronomical radar expand our understanding of the Universe? By allowing us to study our nearby Solar System, and everything in it, in unprecedented detail. Radar can reveal the surface and ancient geology of planets and their moons, letting us trace their evolution.
SETI institute employs SETI ellipsoid technique for searching for signals from distant civilizations
In a paper published in the Astronomical Journal, a team of researchers from the SETI Institute, Berkeley SETI Research Center and the University of Washington reported an exciting development for the field of astrophysics and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), using observations from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission to monitor the SETI Ellipsoid, a method for identifying potential signals from advanced civilizations in the cosmos.
Finding cannibalized stars
Scientists working with the powerful telescopes at Georgia State’s Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array have completed a survey of a group of stars suspected to have devoured most of the gas from orbiting companion stars.
FAU’s Ata Sarajedini, Ph.D., Among 21 New Fellows of the American Astronomical Society
Ata Sarajedini, Ph.D., was elected for his contributions to the field of resolved stellar populations as applied to the formation and evolution of star clusters and galaxies, extensive service to the astronomical community through leadership of committees, and outstanding efforts in public service such as hosting the “Astronomy Minute” podcast.
Journey Through the Universe celebra 20 años de exploración en la isla de Hawai‘i
Journey Through the Universe: una asociación entre el Observatorio Internacional Gemini, operado por NOIRLab de NSF, y el Departamento de Educación Hilo-Waiākea Complex Area de Hawaiʻi celebra 20 años de exploración cósmica con los estudiantes y la comunidad de Hawai‘i.
Journey Through the Universe Celebrates 20 Years of Exploration on Hawai‘i Island
Journey Through the Universe — a partnership between the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, and the Hawaiʻi Department of Education Hilo-Waiākea Complex Area — celebrates 20 years of cosmic exploration with Hawai‘i students and the community.
Astronomers spot 18 black holes gobbling up nearby stars
The detections more than double the number of known tidal disruption events in the nearby universe.
UC Irvine-led team unravels mysteries of planet formation, evolution in distant solar system
Irvine, Calif., Jan. 29, 2024 – A recently discovered solar system with six confirmed exoplanets and a possible seventh is boosting astronomers’ knowledge of planet formation and evolution.
Dr. Jennifer Lotz Appointed Space Telescope Science Institute Director
The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jennifer Lotz as the Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). Dr. Lotz will begin her five-year appointment as STScI Director starting February 12, 2024.
How Could a Piece of the Moon Become a Near-Earth Asteroid? Researchers Have an Answer
A team of astronomers has found a new clue that a recently discovered near-Earth asteroid, Kamo`oalewa, might be a chunk of the moon.
Record-breaking fast radio burst offers path to weigh the Universe
In a paper published today in Science, a global team led by Macquarie University’s Dr Stuart Ryder and Swinburne University of Technology’s Associate Professor Ryan Shannon, report on their discovery of the most ancient and distant fast radio burst located to date, about eight billion years old.
NASA’s Webb Discovers New Feature in Jupiter’s Atmosphere
Jupiter has some of the most conspicuous atmospheric features in our solar system. The planet’s Great Red Spot, large enough to envelop Earth, is nearly as well known as some of the various rivers and mountains on the planet we call home.
However, much like Earth, Jupiter is ever-changing, and there’s much about the planet we have yet to learn. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is unlocking some of those mysteries, revealing new features of Jupiter we’ve never seen before, including a high-speed jet speeding over the planet’s equator. While the jet stream is not as visually apparent or stunning as some of Jupiter’s other features, it’s giving researchers incredible insight into how the layers of the planet’s atmosphere interact with each other, and how Webb will aid in these investigations in the future.
Researchers capture first-ever afterglow of huge planetary collision in outer space
A chance social media post by an eagle-eyed amateur astronomer sparked the discovery of an explosive collision between two giant planets, which crashed into each other in a distant space system 1,800 light years away from planet Earth.
Source of electron acceleration and X-ray aurora of Mercury ̶ local chorus waves detected
Since Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun among the solar system planets, it is strongly influenced by the solar wind, a high-speed (several hundred km/s) stream of plasma blowing from the Sun.
Astronomers discover first step toward planet formation
Astronomers have gotten very good at spotting the signs of planet formation around stars. But for a complete understanding of planet formation, we also need to study examples where planet formation has not yet started.
Study sheds new light on strange lava worlds
Lava worlds, massive exoplanets home to sparkling skies and roiling volcanic seas called magma oceans, are distinctly unlike the planets in our solar system.
How Radio Astronomy Sees Magnetic Fields
Many objects in the Universe have magnetic fields. Planets such as Earth and Jupiter, the Sun and other stars, even galaxies billions of light years away.
Atmosphere – a ghost by the world of glass rains
Russian scientists have modelled atmosphere of the well-known “hot Jupiter” HD 189733b and found out what hindered from stable finding of hydrogen in the atmosphere of the planet. They also defined physico-chemical properties of this planetary system.
Hunting for Supermassive Black Holes in the Early Universe
Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) – black holes with masses exceeding a million times that of the Sun – are known to prevail in the universe today.
VLBA Marks 30 Years Pushing the Bounds of Science
On August 20, 2023, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) marked 30 years since the National Science Foundation’s Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) had its inauguration ceremony in the high desert of New Mexico. In the three decades since, the VLBA has become not only one of the world’s most famous radio telescopes, but has also played a key role in radio astronomy across the country and the world.
Astronomers Shed New Light on Formation of Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts
International team reports on a radio pulsar phase of a Galactic magnetar that emitted a fast radio burst in 2020; observations suggest unique origins for “bursts” and “pulses,” which adds to FRB formation theory.
Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) chooses Symplectic Grant Tracker to manage funding for innovative scientific research
The Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) has chosen Symplectic Grant Tracker from Digital Science’s suite of flagship products to advance its aims of providing catalytic funding for innovative scientific research.
Astronomers Reveal New Features of Galactic Black Holes
An international team of scientists, including UNLV astrophysicist Bing Zhang, reports in the July 26 issue of Nature a dedicated observational campaign on the Galactic microquasar dubbed GRS 1915+105. The team revealed features of a microquasar system that have never before been seen.
Exploring dark matter and the first bright galaxies simultaneously: 21-cm forest probe may unlock secrets of early universe
The mystery of the first galaxies of the universe is an indomitable urge of human beings.
A Surprise Chemical Find by ALMA May Help Detect and Confirm Protoplanets
Scientists using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to study the protoplanetary disk around a young star have discovered the most compelling chemical evidence to date of the formation of protoplanets.
When the First Stars Turned On: The Origins of the Universe
All stories start somewhere – even the incomprehensibly vast expanse above us has a beginning. Scientists have long studied the cosmos, searching for answers to the “how’s” and “why’s” of life, and that effort continues to this day. From concepts such as ‘Cosmic Dawn’ and ‘redshift,’ UNLV astronomer and computer scientist Paul La Plante focuses on topics that improve our understanding of where it all began.
DESI Early Data Release Holds Nearly Two Million Objects
The universe is big, and it’s getting bigger. To study dark energy, the mysterious force behind the accelerating expansion of our universe, scientists are using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to map more than 40 million galaxies, quasars, and stars. Today, the collaboration publicly released its first batch of data, with nearly 2 million objects for researchers to explore.
Bringing the Universe to You
Teachers, students, and the general public can now explore a suite of online, interactive experiences that highlight Rubin Observatory and its science.
The laws of physics have not always been symmetric. And it may explain why you exist.
The universe once preferred one set of shapes over their mirror images, a violation of parity symmetry that helps explain the abundance of matter over antimatter.
Mae Jemison to speak at University of Delaware commencement
Mae Jemison, the first woman of color in the world to go into space, will address the graduates at the University of Delaware’s Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 27.
First-of-its-kind measurement of the Universe’s expansion rate weighs in on a longstanding debate in physics and astronomy
A University of Minnesota Twin Cities-led team used a first-of-its-kind technique to measure the expansion rate of the Universe, providing insight that could help more accurately determine the Universe’s age and help physicists and astronomers better understand the cosmos.
Astronomers detect the closest example yet of a black hole devouring a star
Once every 10,000 years or so, the center of a galaxy lights up as its supermassive black hole rips apart a passing star. This “tidal disruption event” happens in a literal flash, as the central black hole pulls in stellar material and blasts out huge amounts of radiation in the process.
UAH research programs achieve record high $169.5M in R&D funding for FY22
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) notched a record $169.5 million in research and development expenditures for fiscal year (FY) 2022, a 13% increase over FY21. This announcement accompanies the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey findings which cover FY21 and mark the 10th year in a row UAH has had five or more research programs ranked in the top 25 nationally for federal research funding.
Researchers discover tiny galaxy with big star power using James Webb telescope
Using first-of-their-kind observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, a University of Minnesota Twin Cities-led team looked more than 13 billion years into the past to discover a unique, minuscule galaxy that could help astronomers learn more about galaxies that were present shortly after the Big Bang.
A Sharper Look at the First Image of a Black Hole
A team of researchers, including an astronomer with NSF’s NOIRLab, has developed a new machine-learning technique to enhance the fidelity and sharpness of radio interferometry images. To demonstrate the power of their new approach, which is called PRIMO, the team created a new, high-fidelity version of the iconic Event Horizon Telescope’s image of the supermassive black hole at the center of Messier 87, a giant elliptical galaxy located 55 million light-years from Earth.
Baseline 15: Space Lasers! How Astronomers Use Astrophysical Masers
Artificial lasers on Earth are used for everything from scanning grocery items to delicate surgery. But there are also naturally occurring lasers known as astrophysical masers. Join National Radio Astronomy Observatory as we explore what these “space lasers” tell astronomers about the Universe.
Research uncovers details about the mysterious author of early astronomy textbooks
Research by Gregory Girolami, the William and Janet Lycan Professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, uncovered previously unknown details about the enigmatic English scholar Margaret Bryan, including her family background and the names of her husband and two daughters.
‘Terminator zones’ on distant planets could harbor life, UC Irvine astronomers say
In a new study, University of California, Irvine astronomers describe how extraterrestrial life has the potential to exist on distant exoplanets inside a special area called the “terminator zone,” which is a ring on planets that have one side that always faces its star and one side that is always dark.
Galactic explosion offers astrophysicists new insight into the cosmos
Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope’s first year of interstellar observation, an international team of researchers was able to serendipitously view an exploding supernova in a faraway spiral galaxy.
New discovery sheds light on very early supermassive black holes
Astronomers from the University of Texas and the University of Arizona have discovered a rapidly growing black hole in one of the most extreme galaxies known in the very early Universe.
Newly discovered form of salty ice could exist on surface of extraterrestrial moons
Scientists suspect that the red streaks crossing the surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa is a frozen mixture of water and salts, but its chemical signature matches no known substance on Earth. Now researchers have discovered a new type of solid crystal that forms when water and table salt combine in cold, pressurized conditions. Researchers believe the new substance created in a lab on Earth could form at the surface and bottom of these worlds’ deep oceans.
Better tools needed to determine ancient life on Mars
Current state-of-the-art instrumentation being sent to Mars to collect and analyze evidence of life might not be sensitive enough to make accurate assessments, according to a research team co-led by a Cornell University astronomer.
‘Pursue what you want, believe in yourself and push as many boundaries as you can’
In honor of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, celebrated on Feb. 11, Northern Arizona University asked a variety of woman scientists why they chose their field and what advice they had for women and girls hoping to follow the same path.
Team Aims To Find ‘Earth 2.0’
Are there other Earth-like planets? Is there extraterrestrial life? In the quest to find planets that orbit stars other than the sun, “Earth 2.0” is the Holy Grail. Earth 2.0 is a planet similar enough to Earth to enable the existence of life as we know it. It would be the right temperature for liquid water, and it would orbit a star with a steady supply of light.