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    Category Astronomy/Space

    Equatorial Jet in Venusian Atmosphere

    September 2, 2017, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    An illustration of Akatsuki successfully tracking lower-altitude clouds during the night with its near-infrared camera IR2. Credit: Copyrighted image; PLANET-C Project Team

    An illustration of Akatsuki successfully tracking lower-altitude clouds during the night with its near-infrared camera IR2. Credit: Copyrighted image; PLANET-C Project Team

    Observations by Japan’s Venus climate orbiter Akatsuki have revealed an equatorial jet in the lower to middle cloud layer of the planet’s atmosphere, a finding that could be pivotal to unraveling a phenomenon called superrotation. Venus rotates westward with a very low angular speed; it takes 243 Earth days to rotate once. The planet’s atmosphere rotates in the same direction but at much higher angular speeds, which is called “superrotation.” The planet is covered by thick clouds that extend from an altitude of about 45km-70km...

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    1st hints of possible Water content on TRAPPIST-1 Planets

    September 1, 2017, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    This artist's impression shows the view from the surface of one of the planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system. At least seven planets orbit this ultracool dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth and they are all roughly the same size as the Earth. Several of the planets are at the right distances from their star for liquid water to exist on the surfaces. Credit: ESO/N. Bartmann/spaceengine.org

    This artist’s impression shows the view from the surface of one of the planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system. At least seven planets orbit this ultracool dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth and they are all roughly the same size as the Earth. Several of the planets are at the right distances from their star for liquid water to exist on the surfaces. Credit: ESO/N. Bartmann/spaceengine.org

    An international team used Hubble to estimate whether there might be water on the 7 earth-sized planets orbiting the nearby dwarf star TRAPPIST-1. The results suggest that the outer planets of the system might still harbour substantial amounts of water. This includes the 3 planets within the habitable zone of the star, lending further weight to the possibility that they may indeed be habitable.

    The team used ...

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    Scientists Recover Nova 1st Spotted 600 years ago by Korean Astrologers

    September 1, 2017, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    This image shows the recovered nova of March 11, 1437 and its ejected shell. It was taken with the Carnegie SWOPE 1-meter telescope in Chile using a filter that highlights the hot hydrogen gas of the shell. The now-quiescent star that produced the nova shell is indicated with red tick marks; it is far from the shell's center today. However, its measured motion across the sky places it at the red '+' in 1437. The position of the center of the shell in 1437 is at the green plus sign. The agreement of the 1437 positions of the shell center and of the old nova are the 'clock' that demonstrates that the old nova of 1437 A.D. really is the source of the shell. Credit: © K. Ilkiewicz and J. Mikolajewska

    This image shows the recovered nova of March 11, 1437 and its ejected shell. It was taken with the Carnegie SWOPE 1-meter telescope in Chile using a filter that highlights the hot hydrogen gas of the shell. The now-quiescent star that produced the nova shell is indicated with red tick marks; it is far from the shell’s center today. However, its measured motion across the sky places it at the red ‘+’ in 1437. The position of the center of the shell in 1437 is at the green plus sign. The agreement of the 1437 positions of the shell center and of the old nova are the ‘clock’ that demonstrates that the old nova of 1437 A.D. really is the source of the shell. Credit: © K. Ilkiewicz and J. Mikolajewska

    New study proves that novae have long-term life cycle with multiple stages...

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    Star-formation ‘fuel tanks’ found around Distant Galaxies

    August 31, 2017, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    This cartoon shows how gas falling into distant starburst galaxies ends up in vast turbulent reservoirs of cool gas extending 30 000 light-years from the central regions. ALMA has been used to detect these turbulent reservoirs of cold gas surrounding similar distant starburst galaxies. By detecting CH+ for the first time in the distant Universe, this research opens up a new window of exploration into a critical epoch of star formation. Credit: ESO/L. Benassi

    This cartoon shows how gas falling into distant starburst galaxies ends up in vast turbulent reservoirs of cool gas extending 30 000 light-years from the central regions. ALMA has been used to detect these turbulent reservoirs of cold gas surrounding similar distant starburst galaxies. By detecting CH+ for the first time in the distant Universe, this research opens up a new window of exploration into a critical epoch of star formation. Credit: ESO/L. Benassi

    5 of 6 distant starburst galaxies were found by ALMA to be surrounded by turbulent reservoirs of hydrogen gas, the fuel for future star formation. In the early universe, brilliant starburst galaxies converted vast stores of hydrogen gas into new stars at a furious pace...

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