Astronomers watched a high-speed gas cloud slam into the atmosphere of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. Source: https://www.livescience.com/65265-black-hole-gas-crash.html
Tag: gas
Research provides insights into molecular gas in the massive spiral galaxy NGC 5908
In a recently published research, which is part of a broader observational campaign focused on studying massive spiral galaxies, astronomers have investigated molecular lines of carbon monoxide and its isotopologues in NGC 5908. The study, detailed in a paper published April 10 on arXiv.org, sheds more light on properties of molecular gas in this galaxy, what could be helpful to better…
Astronomers Have Spotted the Universe’s First Molecule
Astronomers have detected the universe’s first molecule. “Helium hydride (HeH), a combination of helium and hydrogen, was spotted some 3000 light-years from Earth by an instrument aboard the airborne Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a telescope built into a converted 747 jet that flies above the opaque parts of Earth’s atmosphere,” reports Science Magazine. The findings have been reported in…
Jumbo exoplanet discovered in double system with a dead star
The giant exoplanet – 13 times more massive than Jupiter – is the first yet found that orbits a binary star system in which 1 of the 2 stars is dead. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/exoplanet-13x-bigger-than-jupiter…
The race to save the planet from plastic
Scientists are trying to accelerate evolution to make plastics rot. A tiny new organism is showing them how. Sometime between 2010 and 2015, a tiny organism with an unusual appetite made a home in an industrial site near a bottle-recycling plant in Sakai, Japan. The site, located by a bustling port in one of the… Continue reading The race to save the planet from plastic
Variations in the ‘fogginess’ of the universe identify a milestone in cosmic history
Large differences in the ‘fogginess’ of the early universe were caused by islands of cold gas left behind when the universe heated up after the big bang, according to an international team of astronomers. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-04-variations-fogginess-universe-milestone-cosmic.html…
Lyrid meteor shower: All you need to know
In 2019, April 23 is the expected peak morning. There will be a bright waning gibbous moon in the sky. Want to make the most of this year’s Lyrid meteor shower? Here’s how. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-lyrid-meteor-shower…
Mysterious Ice Circle Appears on Frozen Salt Lake in China
If it’s springtime in the Northern Hemisphere, that means it’s time for crop circles to begin popping up in England and other places where there are large farms and people with time on their hands. Or extraterrestrials anxious to send messages using that sophisticated communications device known as the “field.” China is in the Northern… Continue reading Mysterious Ice Circle Appears on Frozen Salt Lake in China
A Gas Could Hint at Signs of Life on Mars. Why Hasn’t a New Spacecraft Found It?
Two spacecraft have detected methane in the Martian air. But the Trace Gas Orbiter, with more sensitive instruments, has come up empty. Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/science/mars-methane-life.html?partner=rss&emc=rss…
It’s not your imagination. Allergy season gets worse every year.
Pollen allergy seasons continue to get longer and more intense as temperatures rise. The weather is warming. The flowers are blooming. Noses are running. Eyes are watering. It’s allergy season yet again, and it’s already severe in states like Georgia and Tennessee. It’s shaping up to be brutal in cities like Chicago, where the frigid… Continue reading It’s not your imagination. Allergy season gets worse every year.