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    Category Astronomy/Space

    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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    Baby Star Near the Black Hole in the Middle of our Milky Way: It exists after all

    March 1, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    The baby star X3a in its envelope, X3 (shown in blue). The envelope is blown by stellar winds, which is why it forms a cigar-like shape. On timescales of less than 10 years clumps can form which in turn are swallowed by X3a. Copyright: Florian Peißker

    Scientists have detected the heaviest and youngest infant star ever discovered close to the black hole at the center of our Galaxy. They also identified the region where this ‘impossible star’ may have formed.

    An international team of researchers under the leadership of Dr Florian Peißker at the University of Cologne’s Institute of Astrophysics has discovered a very young star in its formation phase near the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A) at the centre of our Milky Way...

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