A new atlas of nearby binary stars plots more than a million pairs and reveals a profusion of identical twins. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/3d-map-million-binary-stars…
Tag: American Museum of Natural History
Opinion: Biden administration must act fast to save migratory birds
On Trump’s way out of the White House, his administration demolished a law that protects migratory birds, putting over 1,000 species at risk. The Biden administration can still salvage it, but only if they act swiftly. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/biden-administration-migratory-bird-treaty-act…
95 new cool brown dwarfs in the sun’s neighborhood
A group of citizen scientists working with a NASA citizen science project called Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 has discovered 95 new brown dwarfs in the sun’s nearby neighborhood. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/brown-dwarfs-cosmic-neighborhood-backyard-worlds-citizen-scientists…
First-ever measure of brown dwarf wind speed
Using data from both Spitzer and ground-based telescopes, scientists have been able to measure the speed of winds on a brown dwarf for the first time ever. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/brown-dwarf-wind-infrared-radio-spitzer-vla…
Coursera Together: Free online learning during COVID-19
Coursera Together: Free online learning & community resources during COVID-19 As each of us navigate the impact of COVID-19 on our lives, we hope that you can find comfort in the strength of the Coursera community. Know that you’re not alone, and we’re here to help in any way that we can. During this time, […]
The post Coursera Together: Free online…
What is dark matter?
Dark matter doesn’t emit light. It can’t be directly observed with any of the existing tools of astronomers. Yet astrophysicists believe it and dark energy make up most of the mass of the cosmos. What dark matter is, and what it isn’t. here. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/definition-what-is-dark-matter…
Citizen scientists discover rare cosmic pairing
Citizen scientists have uncovered a bizarre pairing of two brown dwarfs, objects much smaller than the Sun that lack enough mass for nuclear fusion. The discovery, reported in The Astrophysical Journal and confirmed by a scientific team led by astrophysicist Jackie Faherty at the American Museum of Natural History, shows that brown dwarf systems—the formation of which are still poorly understood—can…
New study proposes light signature for detecting black hole mergers
Gravitational wave detectors are finding black hole mergers in the universe at the rate of one per week. If these mergers occur in empty space, researchers cannot see associated light that is needed to determine where they happened. However, a new study in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, led by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History and the City University…
This ancient rhino roamed the Yukon
Fossils suggest that a long-extinct cousin of today’s rhinoceroses tromped through the forests of Northwest Canada roughly 8 to 9 million years ago. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/extinct-rhino-fossils-alaska-yukon…
What’s the birthstone for November?
Happy birthday November babies! Your birthstone, the topaz, can be blue, pale green, yellow, pink, red, purple, brown and even black. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/november-birthstone-topaz…