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    Category Astronomy/Space

    Astronomers Detect Radio Recombination Lines of Carbon/Oxygen Ions for first time

    March 7, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    First detection of radio recombination lines of carbon/oxygen using TMRT. The white line shows the RRLs of ions of C and/or O detected by TMRT. The green areas are the modeled emission of ion RRLs. The green dotted lines are the modeled emission, taking into account all RLLs and molecular lines. The background is the image of the heart-shaped Orion nebula (M42), with Orion KL located within the lower-left bright region of M42, credit to Shawn Nielsen. (Image by SHAO)

    A research team from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has detected radio recombination lines (RRLs) of ions heavier than helium for the first time, using the TianMa 65-m Radio Telescope (TMRT). These lines were assigned to carbon and/or oxygen ions.

    The findings were publis...

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    Resurrected Supernova Provides Missing-link

    March 7, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    An image of the central region of M77 taken by the Hubble space telescope (left). Right panels show the expanded view around SN 2018ivc based on the data taken by ALMA, at ~200 days (upper right) and ~ 1000 days (lower right)
    An image of the central region of M77 taken by the Hubble space telescope (left), in which the position of SN 2018ivc is marked. Right panels show the expanded view around SN 2018ivc based on the data taken by ALMA, at ~200 days (upper right) and ~ 1000 days (lower right), clearly showing that the rebrightening happened at about one year after the SN explosion. Credit: (left) Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, and obtained from the Hubble Legacy Archive, which is a collaboration between the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI/NASA), the Space Telescope European Coordinating Facility (ST-ECF/ESA) and the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre (CADC/NRC/CSA). (right) ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), K. Maeda et al.

    Astronomers have discovered a supernova exhibiting un...

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    Ultracool Dwarf Binary Stars Break Records

    March 3, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    The researchers say that by studying similar star systems, we can learn more about potentially habitable planets beyond Earth. Ultracool dwarfs are much fainter and dimmer than the sun, so any worlds with liquid water on their surfaces — a crucial ingredient to form and sustain life — would need to be much closer to the star. NASA/JPL Caltech image

    Astrophysicists discover the closest and oldest ultracool dwarf binary ever observed. Northwestern University and the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) astrophysicists have discovered the tightest ultracool dwarf binary system ever observed.

    The two stars are so close that it takes them less than one Earth day to revolve around each other. In other words, each star’s “year” lasts just 17 hours.

    The newly discovered ...

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    AI Draws Most Accurate Map of Star Birthplaces in the Galaxy

    March 1, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Osaka Metropolitan University scientists identified about 140,000 molecular clouds in the Milky Way Galaxy from large-scale data of carbon monoxide molecules, observed in detail by the Nobeyama 45-m radio telescope. Using AI, the researchers estimated the distance of each of these molecular clouds to determine their size and mass, successfully mapping the distribution of the molecular clouds in the Galaxy in the most detailed manner to date.

    Stars are formed by molecular gas and dust coalescing in space. These molecular gases are so dilute and cold that they are invisible to the human eye, but they do emit faint radio waves that can be observed by radio telescopes.

    Observing from Earth, a lot of matter lies ahead and behind these molecular clouds and these overlapping features m...

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