Astronomers Archives - Maya Ninth Wave

Tag: Astronomers

Astronomers just discovered a comet that could be brighter than most stars when we see it next year. Or will it?

March 20, 2023

Hot on the heels of the disappointing Green Comet, astronomers have just discovered a new comet with the potential to be next year’s big story—C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS).

Although it is still more than 18 months from its closest approach to Earth and the sun, comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS already has social media buzzing, with optimistic articles being written about how it could be a spectacular sight. What’s the full story on this new icy wanderer?

Introducing comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)

Every year, a few dozen new comets are discovered—dirty snowballs moving on highly elongated paths around the sun. The vast majority are far too faint to see with the unaided eye. Perhaps one comet per year will approach the edge of naked-eye visibility.

Occasionally, however, a much brighter comet will come along. Because comets are things of ephemeral and transient beauty, the

Cornell Astronomers Discover Uniquely New Galaxy

March 18, 2023 sNawaWebs.ADV

Cornell astronomers detailed a newly-discovered galaxy with many unique traits, which make it a subject of further exploration, in a Feb. 17 paper. Published in The Astrophysics Journal Letters, the study found that the newly-uncovered galaxy likely has an efficient star formation rate, meaning that more stars are born per year relative to other galaxies.

The galaxy, known as SPT0418-SE, was discovered in James Webb Space Telescope images of a well-known galaxy, SPT0418-47. The galaxies are close enough for SPT0418-SE’s gravitational fields to disturb those of SPT0418-47, a characteristic of the system that appears to contradict earlier research. Such findings are relevant to scientists studying the beginnings of the universe and galaxy evolution.

“It’s like looking at a human,” said author Bo Peng, a doctoral student in astronomy.” Looking at the growth of an infant is much more interesting than a 30-year-old person.”

SPT0418-47 is well-documented due to its unique

Astronomers Detect a Shockingly Lonely Galaxy That Ate All Its Neighbours

March 17, 2023 sNawaWebs.ADV

Sitting about 9.2 billion light-years away from our planet is the great 3C 297 galaxy — containing a quasar or a supermassive black hole pulling in gas at its centre. Now, this distant galaxy has all the makings of being a part of a cluster that can accommodate hundreds or even thousands of galaxies. And yet, the 3C 297 stands by itself, with no companions to ease the loneliness plaguing space.

But before you begin to sympathise with the 3C 297, you must know that this galaxy’s isolation might very well be self-inflicted.

Not long ago, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the International Gemini Observatory spotted this lonely galaxy. And once astronomers got a chance to study it, they found that it was mysteriously all alone –

Asteroid collision shows how much amateur astronomers have to offer

March 16, 2023 sNawaWebs.ADV

When NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft slammed into an asteroid on purpose last September, many telescopes were trained on this one-of-a-kind celestial event. Some were operated by teams of amateur astronomers — skilled skywatchers for whom astronomy is not their full-time day job (or, more accurately, night job). Three such teams on France’s Réunion island in the Indian Ocean, plus one in Nairobi, managed to watch the impact in real time.

These skywatchers are among the authors of a study in Nature that describes how the asteroid, named Dimorphos, became temporarily brighter and redder as the spacecraft hit it¹. One of five papers about the impact published in Nature

Astronomers find missing link for water in th

March 9, 2023 sNawaWebs.ADV

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers have detected gaseous water in the planet-forming disc around the star V883 Orionis. This water carries a chemical signature that explains the