“What are the implications if ‘space-time’ (as conceived of in the Einstein Theory of General Relativity) is quantized like all other aspects of matter and energy?” asks Slashdot reader sixoh1. Space.com reports of a new study that tried to find out: In order for the math of general relativity to work, this fabric of space-time has to be absolutely smooth at…
Tag: very large telescope
Two (potentially) exciting new exoplanet discoveries
Scientists just announced 2 new exciting updates about exoplanets. One is a potentially habitable world similar in size and temperature to Earth. The other is a possible new planet – possibly with rings – orbiting the closest star to our sun, Proxima Centauri. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/exoplanets-kepler-1649c-proxima-centauri-c-nasa-seti-institute-sphere-vlt…
ESO Finds Star’s Orbit Around Black Hole Confirms Einstein’s General Relativity
puddingebola shares a report from ESO: Observations made with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have revealed for the first time that a star orbiting the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way moves just as predicted by Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Its orbit is shaped like a rosette and not like an ellipse as predicted by Newton’s…
Will we soon see potentially habitable exoplanets more clearly?
Because stars are so much brighter than their planets, we’ve barely begun to glimpse distant exoplanets, or planets orbiting distant stars. Now a new technology promises to provide better imaging of these potentially habitable exoworlds. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/exoplanets-direct-imaging-potential-habitability…
Meet the giant exoplanet where it rains iron
The temperatures on the day side of giant exoplanet WASP-76b are scorching, high enough for metals to be vaporized. But the night side is cooler, and winds carry an iron “rain” from the day side to the night side. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/wasp-76b-exoplanet-iron-rain-espresso…
Very Large Telescope observes exoplanet where it rains iron
Researchers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have observed an extreme planet where they suspect it rains iron. The ultra-hot giant exoplanet has a day side where temperatures climb above 2400 degrees Celsius, high enough to vaporise metals. Strong winds carry iron vapour to the cooler night side where it condenses into iron droplets. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-03-large-telescope-exoplanet-iron.html…
VLT sees surface of dim Betelgeuse
The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope is in northern Chile. Astronomers used it to capture the unprecedented dimming of Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star in the constellation of Orion. The new images show how the apparent shape of this star is changing. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/betelgeuse-dimming-supernova-new-vlt-images…
ESO telescope sees surface of dim Betelgeuse
Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have captured the unprecedented dimming of Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star in the constellation of Orion. The stunning new images of the star’s surface show not only the fading red supergiant but also how its apparent shape is changing. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-02-eso-telescope-surface-dim-betelgeuse.html…
VLT observations detect a low-mass companion of the young massive star MWC 297
Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, astronomers have discovered a low-mass stellar companion embedded in the disk of the young pre-main-sequence (PMS) massive star designated MWC 297. The finding is detailed in a paper published February 5 on the arXiv pre-print server. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-02-vlt-low-mass-companion-young-massive.html…
New clues in the search for the universe’s oldest galaxies
An astronomer reports on a very old galaxy cluster – labeled XLSSC 122 – whose light has taken 10.4 billion years to travel across the universe to us. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/new-clues-search-oldest-galaxies-in-the-universe…