Using the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT), astronomers have detected 86 new Beta Cephei (β Cep) stars in the Milky Way galaxy. The discovery, detailed in a paper published July 26 on the arXiv pre-print repository, greatly improves the number of galactic β Cep stars known to date. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-08-astronomers-dozens-beta-cephei-stars.html…
Tag: Milky Way Galaxy
Astronomers map our local cosmic void
Our universe is a tapestry of galaxy congregations and vast voids. An international team of astronomers has now published a new study revealing more of this cosmic structure as it appears surrounding our Milky Way. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/tully-cosmicflows-3-local-void…
When our Milky Way merged with an ancient dwarf galaxy
Analysis of measurements via the Gaia space telescope – of star positions, brightnesses and distances – has let astronomers probe a merger 10 billion years ago between the primitive Milky Way and a dwarf galaxy called Gaia-Enceladus. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/gaia-enceladus-collision-milky-way…
A 3-D model of the Milky Way Galaxy using data from Cepheids
A team of researchers at the University of Warsaw has created the most accurate 3-D model of the Milky Way Galaxy to date. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group explains how they used measurements from a special group of pulsating stars to create the map. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-08-d-milky-galaxy-cepheids.html…
Dark Rift in the Milky Way
Standing under a dark sky in late July or August? Look up! You’ll notice a long, dark lane dividing the bright Milky Way. This Dark Rift is a place where new stars are forming. Source: https://earthsky.org/clusters-nebulae-galaxies/the-great-rift-in-the-milky-way…
See the constellation Scutum the Shield
Scutum has only has 4 stars that make up the constellation outline, but it’s noticeable in a dark sky because a rich region of the Milky Way is behind it. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/constellation-named-for-a-polish-king-2…
The black hole disk that shouldn’t exist
Astronomers didn’t expect to see a thin disk around the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy NGC 3147, some 130 million light-years away. They’re using Einstein’s theories of relativity to understand the velocities involved, and the intensity of black hole’s pull. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/black-hole-disk-shouldnt-exist-galaxy-ngc-3147…
Find M4 near the Scorpion’s Heart
If you’ve never found a deep-sky object on your own before, M4 – a globular star cluster, one of the nearest to our solar system – is a grand place to start. It’s near the bright red star Antares in the easy-to-spot constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. To spot it, you’ll need a dark sky. Source: https://earthsky.org/clusters-nebulae-galaxies/find-m4-a-globular-cluster-by-the-scorpions-heart…
The Milky Way Was an Adorable Cannibal, Cosmic ‘Baby Picture’ Reveals
Researchers have developed a “baby picture” of the Milky Way galaxy, tracing its origins back to the time before it cannibalized another, smaller galaxy. Source: https://www.livescience.com/65999-milky-way-baby-cannibal-photo.html
Astronomers map vast void in our cosmic neighborhood
An astronomer from the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy (IfA) and an international team published a new study that reveals more of the vast cosmic structure surrounding our Milky Way galaxy. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-07-astronomers-vast-void-cosmic-neighborhood.html…