Category Astronomy/Space

Physical picture of the applied magnetic field lines (blue lines) and the magnetic field lines (red lines) modified by the plasma flow, i.e., sum of the applied and plasma-induced magnetic fields. The plasma decreases the axial field component at the upstream side of the magnetic nozzle and increases it at the downstream side of the nozzle as described by the insets, where the transition between these two states are identified as shown by the upper left inset. Credit: Kazunori Takahashi

Researchers from Tohoku University have been trying to find out how the plasma flow is influenced by its environment via laboratory experiments. And in doing so, have made headway on research towards creating an electrodeless plasma thruster used to propel spacecraft.

The universe is made up of plasma – a g...

A ribbon of ammonia — a tracer of star-forming gas — in the Orion Nebula as seen with the GBT (orange). Background image in blue is a WISE telescope infrared image showing the dust in the region. Credit: GBO/AUI/NSF; J.Pineda, MPE; NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/WISE/A.Meisner

A striking new image of the Orion Molecular Cloud (OMC) has been unveiled- a bustling stellar nursery teeming with bright, young stars and dazzling regions of hot, glowing gas. The researchers used the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in

West Virginia to study a 50 light-year long filament of star-forming gas that is wending its way through the northern portion of the OMC known as Orion A.

The GBT rendered this image by detecting the faint radio signals naturally emitted by molecules of ammonia t...

Analogue black hole machine is pictured. Credit: The University of Nottingham

Scientists at the University of Nottingham have successfully simulated the conditions around black holes using a specially designed water bath. Their findings shed new light on the physics of black holes with the first laboratory evidence of the phenomenon known as the superradiance, achieved using water and a generator to create waves.

The work was led by Silke Weinfurtner from the School of Mathematical Sciences. In collaboration with an interdisciplinary team she designed and built the black hole ‘bath’ and measurement system to simulate black hole conditions...

This is an artist impression of chaotic magnetic field lines very near a newly emerging protostar. Credit: NRAO/AUI/NSF; D. Berry

A team of astronomers using ALMA has discovered a surprisingly weak and wildly disorganized magnetic field very near a newly emerging protostar. These observations suggest that the impact of magnetic fields on star formation is more complex than previously thought. The researchers used ALMA to map the magnetic field surrounding a young protostar dubbed Ser-emb 8, about 1,400 light-years away in the Serpens star-forming region. These observations are the most sensitive ever made of the small-scale magnetic field surrounding a protostar. They also provide important insights into the formation of low-mass stars like our own sun.

Previous observations with other tel...