Fast radio bursts, or FRBs—powerful, millisecond-duration radio waves coming from deep space outside the Milky Way Galaxy—have been among the most mysterious astronomical phenomena ever observed. Since FRBs were first discovered in 2007, astronomers from around the world have used radio telescopes to trace the bursts and look for clues on where they come from and how they’re produced. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-11-astronomers-clues-unveil-mystery-fast.html…
Tag: radio telescopes
The Yarkovsky effect: Pushing asteroids around with sunlight
The Yarkovsky effect is a minuscule push on a small body in space, imparted by nothing more than sunlight. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/the-yarkovsky-effect-pushing-asteroids-around-with-sunlight…
The magnetic fields of a jellyfish galaxy
New work reveals the intricate relationship between so-called jellyfish galaxies, and the magnetic environment through which they move. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/magnetic-fields-jellyfish-galaxy-jo206…
Is Planet Nine a Black Hole?
“Astrophysicists have recently begun hatching plans to find out just how weird Planet Nine might be,” reports the New York Times. Long-time Slashdot reader fahrbot-bot shares their report:
Although it is probably wishful thinking, some astronomers contend that a black hole may be lurking in the outer reaches of our solar system. All summer, they have been arguing over how to find…
Search for ETs among 10 million stars comes up empty
Astronomers used a radio telescope in Australia to search for artificial radio signals among 10 million stars. The search came up empty. But, they say, that’s not bad news for those hoping to find intelligent extraterrestrials. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/search-for-extraterrestrial-intelligence-10-million-stars…
Repeating fast radio burst woke up again on schedule. Now what?
FRB 121102 is one of the few known repeating fast radio bursts, and astronomers are trying to use this new period of activity to understand it better. Some predict the current active phase should end sometime between August 31 and September 9. Will it? Source: https://earthsky.org/space/repeating-fast-radio-burst-frb-121102-wakes-up-chime…
Where are stars made? NASA’s Spitzer spies a hot spot
The nebula known as W51 is one of the most active star-forming regions in the Milky Way galaxy. First identified in 1958 by radio telescopes, it makes a rich cosmic tapestry in this image from NASA’s recently retired Spitzer Space Telescope. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-08-stars-nasa-spitzer-spies-hot.html…
Snapped cable slashes a devastating hole in Arecibo radio telescope
As Tropical Storm Isaias hit Puerto Rico, a thick cable snapped at Arecibo Observatory – one of the biggest radio telescopes in the world – and crashed through the dish Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2251796-snapped-cable-slashes-a-devastating-hole-in-arecibo-radio-telescope/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Broken cable damages giant radio telescope in Puerto Rico
A broken cable caused severe damage at Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory, causing a suspension of operations for one of the world’s largest single-dish radio telescopes, officials said Tuesday. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-08-broken-cable-giant-radio-telescope.html…
VLBA finds planet orbiting small, cool star
Using the supersharp radio “vision” of the National Science Foundation’s continent-wide Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), astronomers have discovered a Saturn-sized planet closely orbiting a small, cool star 35 light-years from Earth. This is the first discovery of an extrasolar planet with a radio telescope using a technique that requires extremely precise measurements of a star’s position in the sky, and…