Category Archives: Astronomy

NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory has been collecting data on a kilonovaa powerful event illustrated here that happens when two neutron stars mergeassociated with GW170817. This is the first cosmic event that has produced gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation, or light, that have been detected on Earth. Credit: X-ray data from NASA, CXC and Northwestern Univ./A. Hajela; visual by NASA/CXC/M. Weiss

Astronomers may have detected a sonic boom from a powerful blast known as a kilonova. This eventcalled GW170817is a result of a merger of two neutron stars and is the first object for which both gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation, or light, have been detected form Earth. Continued detections of this light by NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatoryanalyzed by a collaboration that includes Penn State researchersrevealed this cosmic phenomenon.

Chandra has continued to detect electromagnetic radiation from this neutron star merger nearly four years after the event was first detected, said David Radice, assistant professor of physics and of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State and a member of the collaboration. These observations provide important information about what happens after the initial collision, such as when and how the two merged objects might form a black hole.

A kilonova occurs when two neutron stars some of the densest objects in the universe merge. On August 17, 2017, astronomers discovered gravitational waves from such a merger using the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in the United States and the Virgo detector in Italy, coinciding with a burst of gamma rays. Since then, astronomers have been using telescopes all over the world and in space, including NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory, to study GW170817 across the electromagnetic spectrum, which includes X-rays.

We have entered uncharted territory here in studying the aftermath of a neutron star merger, said Aprajita Hajela of Northwestern University, who led the new study of GW170817.

Astronomers think that after neutron stars merge, the debris generates light in the visible and infrared spectrum from the decay of radioactive elements like platinum and gold formed in the debris from the merger. This burst of light is called a kilonova. In the case of GW170817, visible light and infrared emission were detected several hours after the gravitational waves.

The neutron star merger looked very different in X-rays. Right after the initial LIGO detection was announced, scientists requested that Chandra quickly pivot from its current target to GW170817. At first, they did not see any X-rays from the source, but on Aug. 26, 2017, Chandra looked again and found a point source of X-rays.

This non-detection of X-rays quickly followed by a detection provides evidence for a narrow jet of high-energy particles produced by the neutron star merger. The jet is off-axis that is, not pointing directly towards Earth. Researchers think that Chandra originally viewed the narrow jet from its side, and therefore saw no X-rays immediately after the gravitational waves were detected.

However, as time passed, the material in the jet slowed down and widened as it slammed into surrounding material. This caused the cone of the jet to begin to expand more into Chandras direct line of sight, and X-ray emission was detected.

Since early 2018, the X-ray emission caused by the jet had steadily been getting fainter as the jet further slowed down and expanded. The research team then noticed that from March 2020 until the end of 2020 the decline stopped and the X-ray emission was approximately constant in brightness. This was a significant sign.

The fact that the X-rays stopped fading quickly was our best evidence yet that something in addition to a jet is being detected in X-rays in this source, said co-author Raffaella Margutti of the University of California at Berkeley. A completely different source of X-rays appears to be needed to explain what were seeing.

A leading explanation for this new source of X-rays is that the expanding debris from the merger has generated a shock, like the sonic boom from a supersonic plane. The emission produced by material heated by the shock is called a kilonova afterglow. An alternative explanation is that the X-rays come from material falling toward a black hole that formed after the neutron stars merged. GW170817 would be the first observation of either explanation.

Further study of GW170817 could have far-reaching implications, said co-author Kate Alexander, also from Northwestern University. The detection of a kilonova afterglow would imply that the merger did not immediately produce a black hole. Alternatively, this object may offer astronomers a chance to study how matter falls onto a black hole a few years after its birth.

To distinguish between the two explanations, astronomers will keep monitoring GW170817 in X-rays and radio waves. If it is a kilonova afterglow, the radio emission is expected to get brighter over time and be detected again in the next few months or years. If the explanation involves matter falling onto a newly formed black hole, then the X-ray output should stay steady or decline rapidly, and no radio emission will be detected over time. New Chandra observations of GW170817 from December 2021, which the team is currently analyzing, could help resolve this question.

This observation also paves the way for further study, said co-author Ashley Villar, assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State. When LIGO begins its fourth observing run, we hope to find more kilonovae and really explore the diversity of these events, including how the mass and energy signatures differ in the afterglow and how nonthermal components like jet structure might vary. The richness of this dataset is essential in illuminating the physics driving this diversity.

For more information on this research see:

Reference: The emergence of a new source of X-rays from the binary neutron star merger GW170817 by A. Hajela, R. Margutti, J. S. Bright, K. D. Alexander, B. D. Metzger, V. Nedora, A. Kathirgamaraju, B. Margalit, D. Radice, E. Berger, A. MacFadyen, D. Giannios, R. Chornock, I. Heywood, L. Sironi, O. Gottlieb, D. Coppejans, T. Laskar, Y. Cendes, R. Barniol Duran, T. Eftekhari, W. Fong, A. McDowell, M. Nicholl, X. Xie, J. Zrake, S. Bernuzzi, F. S. Broekgaarden, C. D. Kilpatrick, G. Terreran, V. A. Villar, P. K. Blanchard, S. Gomez, G. Hosseinzadeh, D. J. Matthews and J. C. Rastinejad, 5 April 2021, Astrophysics > High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena.arXiv:2104.02070

A paper describing these results appears in the latest issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatorys Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.

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Astronomers May Have Detected a Sonic Boom From a Powerful Blast Known as a Kilonova - SciTechDaily

It's pretty obvious that the boundary between Earth's mantle and crust has a profound effect on life on the surface: Volcanism and earthquakes are just two events that have a profound and immediate effect.

But new evidence has just been published that the reverse may be true as well. And not only does it appear that life on Earth has an impact on the top of the mantle, that effect can be traced all the way down to the Earth's core.

Whoa.

In the new work [link to paper], scientists looked at kimberlites, igneous rocks created in the mantle that find their way to Earth's surface via violent volcanic eruptions. Kimberlites are the most common source of diamonds, created when carbon deep inside the mantle is squeezed and heated so much it crystallizes.

But not all carbon is created equal. By definition, a carbon atom has six protons in its nucleus, but it can have a different number of neutrons these variations are called isotopes. The most common isotope of carbon has six neutrons, so we call it carbon-12 (or 12C): six protons plus six neutrons. The next most common has seven neutrons, so it's carbon-13 (13C). In general, on Earth, 13C makes up about 1% of all carbon.

The scientists examined 161 kimberlite samples from 69 different places on Earth. These range in age from 12 million to 2 billion years old, and, importantly, they all came from very deep within the Earth. The scientists specifically looked at kimberlites found in areas above deep mantle plumes, which are like conveyor belts of magma that come up from the planet's core/mantle boundary, about 3,000 kilometers beneath the surface.

They found a remarkable pattern: Kimberlites older than about 250 million years all have a higher ratio of 13C to 12C in them than ones that were younger than that age. The difference is small but consistent, and points to some sort of change in the available carbon isotopes in Earth's past that made up the kimberlites. That change is more likely to have occurred on Earth's always-changing surface versus the more stable mantle.

We know that a lot of carbon is recycled by Earth, brought up from the interior and then brought back down by subduction, when a continental plate slides under another and eventually finds itself in the mantle. If carbon from Earth's surface is made into these kimberlites, it takes about 300 million years for it to be dragged down to the core/mantle boundary and then dredged back up. So if something happened to change that carbon isotope ratio on Earth's surface, it happened roughly 550 million years ago.

Which, it so happens, was right around the time of the Cambrian Explosion.

This was a period in Earth's history when life underwent rapid evolutionary diversification, such as the evolution of hard shells that resist erosion and can be found in fossils today, including, famously, trilobites. Life at that time was fruitful and multiplied, raining carbon down into the seabeds, which was then subducted down into the mantle.

Here's the fun bit: Biology tends to prefer 12C over 13C in its chemistry. The extra neutron makes 13C heavier, and it takes more energy to move around and use than its lighter isotopic sister, so life in general uses the lighter 12C isotope (though of course in reality it's more complicated than this).

What this means is that if you look at a lump of inorganic carbon it will have a slightly higher ratio of 13C over 12C than a lump created through biology, because the latter will preferentially keep the 12C around.

What the scientists are positing here is that life got so abundant in the Cambrian Period that it affected the carbon isotope ratio of kimberlites made at the time. That's astonishing.

The logical steps go like this: Life got more abundant on Earth in the Cambrian about 550 million years ago. Life likes 12C, so as organisms died and fell to the seabed they brought a slightly higher mix of that isotope with them. This carbon got dragged down into the mantle, and in some places plunged way down to the Earth's core then back up toward the crust. As it did so it formed kimberlites, and these would have slightly more 12C than average, or, if you prefer, slightly less 13C. Any kimberlites made before the Cambrian Period had more 13C in them, and any made after had less.

Now mind you, there are complications. There are other processes, mostly chemical and geophysical, that can change the 13C/12C ratio, but after looking them over the scientists think that the biological explanation fits the data best.

If they're right, that's pretty dang amazing. Ancient creatures swimming in our prehistoric oceans actually changed the geochemistry of the planet!

or maybe it shouldn't be so surprising. We're changing our planet's chemistry now. We dump 40 billion extra tons of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere every year, outstripping every volcano on Earth combined by a factor of 100. The planet's climate is changing, and in the end it's humans doing that, and we're biology.

I just hope that, 500 million years from now, hyperevolved voles (or whatever) don't find evidence of some previously unknown species that mucked with the planet so much it changed the environment. We've seen it happen before, but hopefully we're smarter than cyanobacteria and trilobites.

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Bad Astronomy | Earth life changed the carbon chemistry of the mantle | SYFY WIRE - Syfy

New Delhi:

Forecasting models are good only for short-term projections and an IIT-Kanpur study predicting a fourth Covid wave in India in June may at best be data astronomy and guesswork, say several scientists.

Dispelling fears of another spike in cases in the next three months, they also took note of the fact that most people in India have had two vaccines and one natural infection. So even if there is a wave, the consequences in terms of hospitalisation and deaths should be manageable unless there is a new variant.

Active cases are decreasing quite fast and from looking at the current trends we certainly cannot say anything about a new wave in the future, said Sithabra Sinha, professor at Chennai's Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc).

The reproductive number (R) the expected number of cases directly generated by one case in a population for India is at the lowest value it has been since COVID-19 broke here in March 2020, he added.

According to the recent modelling study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur, the fourth wave of the Covid pandemic in India may start around June 22 and peak from mid- to late-August.

The yet-to-be peer-reviewed study, posted on the preprint repository MedRxiv, used a statistical model to make the prediction, finding that the possible new wave will last for four months.

The research led by Sabara Parshad Rajeshbhai, Subhra Sankar Dhar and Shalabh of IIT Kanpur, also noted that there is always a fair chance that a possible new variant of coronavirus may have an intense impact on the whole analysis.

The study led to animated debate with experts questioning the assumptions made in it.

The precise timing itself is suspect, said Gautam Menon, who has been tracking Covid numbers in India since the beginning of the pandemic. The methodology, in his view, is doubtful and any modelling exercise making predictions months in advance is not trustworthy.

I would not trust any such prediction, especially one with precise dates and times, the professor, Departments of Physics and Biology, Ashoka University in Haryana, told PTI.

We can predict nothing about the future because what new variant may come along is unknown. What we can, however, do, is be vigilant and collect the data that enables us to react fast and effectively, he added.

Public health expert Bhramar Mukherjee agreed, saying the kind of prediction made in the IIT Kanpur paper is akin to data astrology, not data science.

I do not believe in the former. In my experience, forecasting models are very good with short-term prediction two-four weeks ahead of time, Mukherjee, professor of Global Public Health at the University of Michigan, US, told PTI.

Long-range predictions are not reliable. Could anyone predict Omicron during Diwali? We should have some humility of knowledge based on the past, the scientist added.

Theoretical physicist Sinha echoed the views of the others.

I would in any case be fairly sceptical of such long-range predictions.. Given the large number of uncertainties involved, any statement about what's going to happen a few months down the line is no better than just pure guesswork. In epidemiologist Ramanan Laxminarayan's view, there will likely be new, smaller waves of the pandemic but the basis for the IIT Kanpur prediction is not clear.

Emergence of new variants, continuation of vaccination coverage and eventually, a booster policy will determine when and how COVID-19 will re-emerge, Laxminarayan, director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy in Washington and New Delhi, told PTI.

There are concerns that a future surge may be driven by the highly contagious Omicron BA.2 subavriant, spreading fast in many countries, including in Denmark and the UK, or an entirely new variant that could surprise the world like Omicron did in November last year.

"Already, there is a high level of hybrid immunity present, from a combination of prior infections and vaccinations. The Omicron wave was largely blunted because of this hybrid immunity, but also because that variant was less virulent overall, said Menon.

Laxminarayan added that there is a risk of a future surge. Experience from other countries shows that India's mutant third wave was not because Omicron was much less virulent but because Indians had immunity through prior exposure and vaccination.

We have to watch out for the data, focus on reopening schools and workplaces, keep vaccination efforts going, stock up on antivirals and treatments, and increase mitigation strategies when we see an uptick, just like we did for the Omicron wave, Mukherjee agreed.

Defending their study, authors Rajeshbhai, Sankar Dhar and Shalabh said the scientific calculations used in the paper are based on certain statistical models and scientific assumptions. The usage of such models and assumptions are common in academics and research, they told PTI in a joint email.

We have attempted to make forecasting using some statistical modelling which we think may work in such scenarios. In research, we are always attempting to solve an unknown problem based on scientific framework, the statement said.

But often several assumptions are required for the statistical inferences drawn. However, no one can guarantee the success beyond a certain confidence level, as there can be several factors that could influence the prediction which are mentioned in the preprint of the paper, the authors added.

The authors also noted that any statistical estimation is associated with variability.

We are in the process on addressing the confidence measure of the start and end dates of the fourth wave, that is to say the next wave could start on 22nd June plus-minus a few days, they added.

According to Union Health Ministry figures on Saturday, 5,921 people tested positive for the infection in a day, taking India's case tally to 4,29,57,477 (42.9 million/4.29 crore). Active cases were at 63,878.

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May be data astronomy: Indian experts question study predicting fourth Covid wave in June - DTNEXT

MSU St. Andrews's next virtual Family Astronomy Night is set for 7-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The topic of this event will be "Constellations: The History of Our Skies."

Time allowed for live Q & A throughout the event. ASL Interpretation featured during the event.

Presenters will talk about what it takes to make a constellation, how the most ancient constellations were chosen and named, where and by whom constellations were developed, when most of the sky was locked-in," and why modern astronomers have changed the definition of what a constellation is.

They will also focus on the mission of the recently-launched DART spacecraft in a monthly technology update. And, as always, presenters will show gusts how to find many fun things in the sky this month.

Have you noticed that one part of the winter sky features more of the brightest stars than any other season? Do you know how to use Orion or the Big Dipper as pointer systems to locate many other stars and constellations? Can you find the greatest of the ancient constellations as it briefly peeps above the horizon this month? Were you aware that all five naked-eye planets are hiding in the morning sky?

MSU St. Andrews staff will help guests see all of these things.

Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services, and activities. Accommodation for persons with disabilities may be requested by contacting 989-374-9904.

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Family Astronomy Night to focus on constellations Wednesday - Manistee News Advocate

Longtime amateur astronomer Jaskarn Singh Sid Sidhu now shares his name with an asteroid, after his nomination by fellow astronomers was approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Sidhu, who has his own telescope set up at his Greater Victoria area home, has been a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) Victoria centre since 1985 and currently runs its school and telescope loaner programs.

Despite his prolonged involvement, news that the IAU had approved attaching his name to a previously numbered celestial body came as a surprise. Sidhu was sitting in his mini-observatory at home when Victoria branch president Randy Enkin emailed him word of the decision.

I said, Hes pulling my legs. Theres no way. I didnt believe him, Sidhu told Black Press Media.

Astronomical societies across the globe were asked to nominate worthy candidates by the IAU.

Asteroid 10109, now named Sidhu, orbits the Sun outside the orbit of Mars and was discovered in 1992 by astronomers at the Mount Palomar Observatory in California.

In ideal conditions, the asteroid is 12 magnitude and is visible with the aid of a telescope. Currently, the magnitude is closer to 17 magnitude less visible in the night sky and beyond the capabilities of Sidhus home telescopes.

Im trying to convince my wife to let me buy a bigger telescope.

Sidhu became interested in astronomy in 1983 after a friend showed him their telescope during a summer camping trip at Parksvilles Rathtrevor Provincial Park. Since then hes been an active member in the Victoria society, especially its outreach and education programs. His outreach work during the International Year of Astronomy in 2009 saw him awarded the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Presidents Award.

He was nominated for the IAU small bodies nomenclature in 2018 by then-president Chris Purse, according to the RASC Victoria branchs Astronomy Cafe.

He helps fix up donated telescopes and gifts them to aspiring astronomers and is a big part of the societys school program prior to the COVID-19 pandemic he would visit 70 classes per year, Enkin said. The society has been doing some lessons virtually, including a weekly lecture for society members, but Sidhu is crossing his fingers hell be able to visit classes again in September.

The main idea was that if we could take one student, one child off the street, the whole process was worth it, he said.

The Victoria branch of the society, running since 1914, is always looking for new members, from experts to those with zero knowledge, Sidhu said.

Itll make you forget your problem with your wife and the husband and neighbours, etc. Its like a meditation For older people, I say, its a great hobby. For younger people, its a great opportunity for the future of their life.

ALSO READ: Lets start counting those blooms: Greater Victoria Flower Count launches this week

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Humble BC amateur astronomer now officially out of this world Terrace Standard - Terrace Standard

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"I'm driven by challenges, and I think I was born to do this.

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Theyre few, but mighty: women represent about 15 per cent of scientists in Canadian astronomy and related physics fields, but their contributions make them a powerful force. Here are three who are winning awards and mentoring the next generation.

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In January, Kathryn McWilliams, PhD, became the first Canadian to receive an honorary fellowship in geophysics from the U.K.-based Royal Astronomical Society (RAS).

I wasnt expecting it at all; it was very surprising and humbling, says McWilliams, a professor of physics and engineering physics at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

The RAS represents scientists in disciplines including astronomy, geophysics and space science. Its coveted fellowships recognize scientists outside the U.K. who have made significant contributions in their fields.

What I do is commonly called space science the science of the space between the Earth and the sun. Were trying to understand Earths space environment, so its kind of a study of weather and how conditions in space created by the suns activity affect us, explains McWilliams.

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McWilliams directs SuperDARN Canada, part of an international effort that uses radar to learn more about the Earths upper atmosphere. As a summer student in 1992, McWilliams helped build the first radar site, and today, she chairs the International SuperDARN Collaboration, which involves researchers from 10 countries.

It works like a police speed radar trap: we send out a signal into the atmosphere up about 250 kilometers, just below the space station. The moving electrically-charged particles up there modify our signal, and we get an echo back. Then, we can look at how the signal changes to determine how fast those particles are moving.

Our laboratory is practically the size of the solar system, and we work with people all over the world, because no one group could have enough funding or enough money to have all the instruments needed to answer these questions. I love that its a collaborative type of research field.

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Throughout her studies and career, McWilliams was often the only woman in the room, but that never deterred her.

It can be frustrating, but I just kept pushing ahead and taking advantage of opportunities, she says.

Along the way, Ive had good allies. Things have been improving; someone starting a PhD now would have a different experience than I had decades ago. In order to move ahead, you have to prioritize and make your path.

In 2017, Quebec-born Laurie Rousseau-Nepton became the first Indigenous woman in Canada to earn a PhD in astrophysics. After graduating from Universit de Laval, she became the resident astronomer at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii. Rousseau-Nepton is also the principal investigator for SIGNALS, a large-scale observation program using the cutting-edge telescope to investigate more than 50,000 star-forming regions around the Milky Way.

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The project, which includes an interdisciplinary team of about 70 experts, covers many fields of extragalactic astrophysics, says Rousseau-Nepton, who got involved as a summer student helping to build a camera for the project.

I came here for the first flight when the instrument was installed on the telescope, which was exciting, she says.

Stars form everywhere in galaxies, in the Milky Way and in many neighbouring environments, explains Rousseau-Nepton. Depending on how and where theyre formed, they evolve differently.

In astronomy, we do surveys to try to tackle questions that we dont have answers for yet. Star formation is such an important phenomenon because it drives the evolution of the whole universe, she explains.

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Before, we didnt have the tools to study star-forming regions around the Milky Way deeply. Now, we can see in great detail whats going on, and by studying thousands of them in different environments and areas were trying to figure out how they change and what they will become.

When it wraps this summer, SIGNALS will create the largest database of its kind. Rousseau-Nepton enjoyed collaborating with several female interns during this project.

By mentoring them, Im making sure they gain the best knowledge and tools. I was the only woman student in my group for a while, so I know how it can feel, and I share my experiences with them, she says.

I love my job. I wake up every day thinking, My job is to look into the universe and try to figure things out; isnt that the best? Im driven by challenges, and I think I was born to do this.

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As a child, Brenda Matthews loved science and looking at the night sky, but she didnt plan on merging the two as a career until her final undergraduate year at McMaster University, when she met Christine Wilson, a female astronomer who had just joined the physics department.

Christine was such a source of inspiration to me that I decided to pursue graduate studies in astronomy at the University of Calgary, says Matthews, who returned to McMaster to do her PhD with Wilson.

Having a female supervisor helped me get to the end of my doctorate and decide to continue, because thats one of the stages where women leave.

Today, Matthews is an astronomer at the Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre in Victoria, B.C. part of the National Research Council of Canada.

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Matthews researches planetary systems beyond the solar system, studying debris discs the equivalent of our comet and asteroid belts around other stars to see where planets might be located.

To detect planets that are further away, we can take an image of the system to detect that planet, but were limited in the mass of the planet we can detect, she explains.

So, if you want to detect Neptune or Saturn at their positions around other stars, you can place constraints on planets like that by studying their debris discs. We detect them with optical telescopes or near-infrared telescopes, or through emission: Because all the little comets and asteroids can undergo collisions and generate fine solids, we can detect those in the infrared and at longer wavelengths.

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Matthews says astronomy differs from other sciences because its so accessible and visually engaging. Many of us can appreciate seeing the night sky or stunning images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Its important to her to mentor other women pursuing this field.

Its a great job, and if you have a passion for it, you should be able to pursue it, says Matthews, adding that her organization recently formed an equity, diversity and inclusion committee to boost the number of underrepresented groups in the field.

I try to do my part in looking for talent and encouraging them along the way, because that very much benefited me.

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Among the stars: Meet the Canadian women making an impact in astronomy and physics - Vancouver Sun

On 7 March, NASA and the European Space Agency marked the 20th anniversary of the Advanced Camera for Surveys, or ACS, aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. With a wavelength range extending from the ultraviolet through the visible and into the near-infrared regions of the spectrum, the ACS has provided many of Hubbles most spectacular images, revealing uncounted galactic splendours and details, glimpses of the earliest galaxies and providing insights about the inner workings of stars, clusters, nebulae and other deep space denizens.

To mark the anniversary, NASA and ESA showed off prime examples of the cameras work over the years:

There was a sense that ACS would substantially change the way astronomy from space could be done, said Marco Chiaberge, an ESA/AURA astronomer and calibration lead for the ACS instrument. The surveys performed with the ACS led to groundbreaking work for fields such as galaxy evolution, large scale structures, searches for massive exoplanets and more. The impact on the public was also immense because of its unprecedented images.

Added Dan Coe, an ESA/AURA astronomer who was part of the ACS team: Two decades into its mission, the ACS continues to deliver ground-breaking science and some of the most incredible images of the distant Universe, and everything in between. Looking back through the archive of ACS images reminds us of the vast diversity of galaxies, colours and stories that have been shared with the world.

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Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys marks 20th year in space Astronomy Now - Astronomy Now Online

In 2020 a team of astronomers reported locating the closest black hole system at 1,000 light-years from Earth, but fellow researchers contested the results of the study and teamed up to produce a new study together.

The international team of astronomy researchers has published a new paper in Astronomy & Astrophysics that details the HR 6818 system with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. According to the paper, the HR 6818 system isn't a triple system that consists of one star orbiting a black hole every 40 days and a second star orbiting much wider as it was originally thought. It is actually a system that features two stars orbiting each other with no black hole.

The team used two of the VLT's instruments called GRAVITY and the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE), and with the results, were able to conclude that HR 6819 is a binary system that features two stars and no black hole. The reasoning for the miscategorization is that astronomers originally observed the system when one of the stars was ripping the atmosphere off of its companion star, which is described as being much like a vampire drawing blood from its victim.

"We agreed that there were two sources of light in the system, so the question was whether they orbit each other closely, as in the stripped-star scenario, or are far apart from each other, as in the black hole scenario," said team lead Thomas Rivinius, a Chile-based ESO astronomer and co-author of a new paper.

The results "confirmed that there was no bright companion in a wider orbit," and "was able to resolve two bright sources separated by only one-third of the distance between the Earth and the Sun. These data proved to be the final piece of the puzzle, and allowed us to conclude that HR 6819 is a binary system with no black hole," said Abigail Frost, KU Leuven researcher and lead author of the study.

"Our best interpretation so far is that we caught this binary system in a moment shortly after one of the stars had sucked the atmosphere off its companion star," said Julia Bodensteiner, KU Leuven researcher and coauthor, in the statement.

"Catching such a post-interaction phase is extremely difficult as it is so short" and that HR 6819 "presents a perfect candidate to study how this vampirism affects the evolution of massive stars," added Frost.

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Astronomers capture 'vampire' star sucking the life out of a victim - TweakTown

The LAMP mission, short for Loss through Auroral Microburst Pulsations, launched at 2:27 a.m. Alaska Standard time (6:27 a.m. EST) Saturday, Mar. 5, 2022, on a Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket.The rocket launched to a nominal apogee and the principal investigator confirmed that good data was received from the experiment.

The mission team includes Allison Jaynes,assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and LAMP co-investigator and graduate student Riley Troyer.

The mission hopes to understand an often overlooked kind of aurora, called a pulsating aurora, and to test a theory on what causes them.

The LAMP mission is an international collaboration with contributions from NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center, Dartmouth College, University of New Hampshire, and University of Iowa, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Tohoku University, Nagoya University, and Kyutech in Japan.

For more information, see these stories and the LAMP web page:

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NASA Sounding Rocket Launches into Aurora | Physics and Astronomy - The University of Iowa - The University of Iowa

ProfessorCraig Kletzingwas one of three distinguished University of Iowa faculty members who gave presentations at the39th Presidential Lecture on Feb. 27.

The lecture event, titled The University of Iowa at 175: Proud Legacy, Promising Future, was held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, at Hancher Auditorium and concluded a multi-day celebration of the UIs 175thanniversary.

In his presentation, "Space Science at the University of Iowa," Kletzing talked about space physics at Iowa, starting with a history of space physics in the department and how it got started. He then discussed past and current space physics projects and concluded with what the department has planned for the future, recognizing some young faculty who will carry this work forward in thefuture. Greg Howes, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy introduced Kletzig.

See Kletzing's presentation starting at 7:10 on YouTube:

Speakers at the Presidential Lecture also includedPatricia Winokur, executive dean, senior associate dean for clinical and translational research, and professor of internal medicine in the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, andChristopher Merrill, director of the International Writing Program. UI President Barbara Wilson led a discussion with the speakers following their presentations.

Kletzing holds the Donald A. and Marie B. Gurnett Chair in physics and astronomy. He joined the UI faculty in 1996 and his research interests lie in experimental space plasma physics, particularly measuring electric and magnetic wave fields in Earths Van Allen radiation belts. He is the principal investigator for theTandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites(TRACERS) anda $115 million contract award from NASA, announced in June 2019, that is the largest single award in UIhistory.

He has been principal and co-investigator on several sounding rockets and is also the principal investigator of a laboratory plasma experiment collaboration with the University of California, Los Angeles, to uncover more about how the auroras transfer energy. Kletzing has served on the National Research Councils Committee on Space and Solar Physics; NASAs Sounding Rocket Working Group; the Geospace Electrodynamic Connections Science and Technology Definition Team; and NASAs 2005 Sun-Solar System Connection Roadmap Committee. He has authored or co-authored more than 290 peer-reviewedpublications.

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Kletzing Speaks at 39th Annual Presidential Lecture | Physics and Astronomy - The University of Iowa - The University of Iowa