An international team of astronomers reports that the transient Gaia18aen discovered by ESA’s Gaia spacecraft turns out to be a symbiotic star. This makes it the first symbiotic star identified by this astrometric satellite. The finding is detailed in a paper published September 30 on arXiv.org. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-10-symbiotic-star-gaia-satellite.html…
Tag: gaia
Researchers investigate properties of the open cluster Kronberger 60
Using data from ESA’s Gaia satellite, astronomers from the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics in Cairo, Egypt, have explored the open star cluster Kronberger 60. Results of the study, published September 2 on the arXiv pre-print server, provide more insights into the properties of this cluster. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-09-properties-cluster-kronberger.html…
A breakthrough in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence
The researchers called their new analytical technique “a milestone in SETI.” One researcher commented: “We now know that fewer than one in 1,600 stars closer than about 330 light years host transmitters just a few times more powerful than the strongest radar we have here on Earth.” Source: https://earthsky.org/space/analytical-breakthrough-seti-expand-search-200-times…
Four new open clusters detected in the Cygnus Cloud
By analyzing the data from ESA’s Gaia satellite, Chinese astronomers have discovered four new open clusters in the Cygnus Nebula Cloud. The newfound clusters, designated QC1 to QC 4, are located between 4,100 and 7,600 light-years away. The finding is reported in a paper published August 17 on arXiv.org. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-08-clusters-cygnus-cloud.html…
Deneb is distant and very luminous
When you gaze at the bright star Deneb, you’re gazing across thousands of light-years of space. Source: https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/deneb-among-the-farthest-stars-to-be-seen…
Watch for the moon and the Scorpion
July is a grand time of year to learn to recognize the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. If you’re in the city – with no dark sky – you probably won’t see the entire constellation. But you can still see the star that represents the Scorpion’s Heart, a bright red star called Antares. Our chart shows…read more » Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/watch-for-the-moon-and-the-scorpion…
Gaia revolutionises asteroid tracking
ESA’s Gaia space observatory is an ambitious mission to construct a three-dimensional map of our galaxy by making high-precision measurements of over one billion stars. However, on its journey to map distant suns, Gaia is revolutionising a field much closer to home. By accurately mapping the stars, it is helping researchers track down lost asteroids. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-07-gaia-revolutionises-asteroid-tracking.html…
Did galactic crash trigger solar system formation?
The formation of the sun, the solar system and the subsequent emergence of life on Earth may be a consequence of a collision between our galaxy – the Milky Way – and a smaller galaxy called Sagittarius. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/galactic-crash-milky-way-sagittarius-trigger-solar-system-formation…
Using AI to unlock clues to the origins of the stars and planets
An artificial intelligence (AI) system analyzing data from the Gaia space telescope has identified more than 2,000 large protostars, young stars that are still forming and could hold clues to the origin of the stars in our Milky Way. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-06-ai-clues-stars-planets.html…
Video: One billion stars and counting—the sky according to Gaia’s second data release
Launched in 2013, ESA’s Gaia satellite has been scanning the sky to measure the positions, distances and motions of more than one billion stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. The goal of the mission is to create the most detailed galactic map ever made, in order to investigate the Milky Way’s past and future history like never before. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-05-video-billion-stars-countingthe-sky.html…