Daily Archives: January 10, 2024

Astronomers revealed mysterious star formation by hearts of molecular clouds – Tech Explorist

Posted: January 10, 2024 at 6:55 am

Typically, new stars form when diffuse atomic gas condenses into concentrations of molecular gas, forming molecular clouds. The high-density cores within these molecular clouds act as triggers for star formation. While this process is common in the inner regions of galaxies, it becomes less common toward the outer edges of galaxies.

A team of astronomers has discovered unusual star formation at the outer edge of the galaxy M83. The study utilized various instruments, including ALMA, VLA, GBT from NRAO, Subaru Telescope from NAOJ, and GALEX from NASA.

The team identified 23 molecular clouds exhibiting a distinct type of star formation at the outer edges of the galaxy M83. Unlike typical molecular clouds, only the star-forming dense cores of these clouds were observed. This discovery provides valuable insights into the physical processes involved in star formation at the far edges of galaxies.

Astronomer Jin Koda of Stony Brook University, who led this research, said,The star formation at galaxy edges has been a nagging mystery since their discovery by the NASA GALEX satellite 18 years ago.

David Thilker of Johns Hopkins University commented,Previous searches for molecular clouds in this environment were unsuccessful. Seeing the search for dense clouds associated with the outer disk finally come to fruition has been gratifying, revealing a characteristically different observational fingerprint for the molecular clouds.

The discovery of these molecular clouds has revealed a connection to a vast reservoir of diffuse atomic gas. While it is common for atomic gas to condense into dense molecular clouds, where even denser cores lead to star formation, the conversion of atomic gas to molecular clouds at the edges of galaxies was not previously evident and still needs to be solved.

Its remarkable that an undergraduate student, Amanda Lee, played a significant role in processing data from the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) and Very Large Array (VLA) for these findings. Her work led to the discovery of the atomic gas reservoir at the edge of the galaxy M83.

She said,We still do not understand why this atomic gas does not efficiently become dense molecular clouds and form stars. As is often the case in astronomy, pursuing answers to one mystery can lead to another. Thats why research in astronomy is exciting.

This research was presented in a press conference at the 243rd American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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Spectroscopic sizing of interstellar icy grains with JWST – Nature.com

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Spectroscopic sizing of interstellar icy grains with JWST - Nature.com

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Kip Thorne and the mind-bending science of Interstellar | Astronomy.com – Astronomy Magazine

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Kip Thorne works at a blackboard in a screenshot taken from a promotional video for Interstellar. Credit: Warner Brothers.

Astronomy enthusiasts are my kinda people. Like me, they love all sorts of science, and science fiction, too particularly films that lead us into a dystopian, mysterious, explorative future we cant experience in our everyday lives. One of the most intriguing recent films of this type is the 2014 effort Interstellar, which I am willing to wager theres a pretty good chance youve seen.

Nominated for five Academy Awards, the movie performed extremely well and became an instant favorite for many science nerds. The New York Times declared that Interstellar investigates the relationships between science and faith and science and the humanities and that it illustrates the symbiosis between the fields.

The film featured a cast including Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, Michael Caine, and Matt Damon. Its cowriter, director, and producer was Christopher Nolan, and an executive producer was none other than Kip Thorne, the celebrated Caltech astronomer. Kip also acted as the films science consultant and wrote a tie-in book, The Science of Interstellar. He is very well known as the worlds leading expert on black holes, and is celebrated for his long body of astronomical work and collaboration with many important associates, including his good friends Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan.

In 2017 Kip won the Nobel Prize along with his collaborators Rainer Weiss and Barry Barish for their major contributions to the LIGO gravitational wave detectors and the breakthrough discovery of gravitational waves from colliding black holes. In recent years Ive had to pleasure to get to know Kip, as he is an active and frequent speaker and collaborator at the Starmus Festival, the science gatherings for which I serve on the board. Without question, he is one of the most brilliant, kind, and straight-out funny people in the entire world of astronomy and astrophysics.

Born in Logan, Utah, Kip studied at Caltech before earning masters and PhD degrees at Princeton, for the latter studying under the supervision of John Archibald Wheeler. Returning to Caltech in 1967, he soon thereafter became one of the youngest full professors in the history of the institution. He held some adjunct professorships, too, and after a long and storied career, resigned his professorship in 2009, went emeritus, and concentrated on writing and movie projects.

Aside from being one of the fathers of LIGO, Thorne is an expert on black hole cosmology, hypothetical wormhole and time travel research, relativistic stars, and assorted other astrophysical and cosmological pursuits. He is the author of a number of important books including Gravitation, the classic text coauthored with Charles Misner and John Wheeler, and the celebrated Black Holes and Time Warps.

Kips involvement in Interstellar arguably made it one of the most compelling sci-fi films not only of our time, but perhaps of all time. The story begins in 2067, when earthlings are facing a global famine. The plot moves quickly and is both hypothetical and smart enough to keep novices on their edges of their seats and to earn the respect of those who know science. McConaugheys character discovers a gravitational anomaly inside a bedroom, and the pattern leads to a NASA administrative facility. A NASA team, meanwhile, prepares to travels through a wormhole near Saturn. McConaugheys character leads a spacecraft crew on this dangerous mission.

Through the wormhole, the crew finds an ocean world complete with tidal waves, and return after experiencing time dilation, 23 years having passed on Earth and a few hours for the crew. They envision an exodus from Earth to find a habitable world. A second planet through the wormhole offers a possible habitat. During a complex set of problems, this doesnt work out, and they seek a third planet. Countless adventures follow, and allow the writers and filmmakers to explore all manner of dramatic and scientific subjects and possibilities.

Kip Thorne is unique among the world of astronomy. He has long been one of the worlds greatest experts on a panel of very important areas, those at the cutting edges of our curiosity. And yet his brilliant and groundbreaking knowledge has not limited his ability to communicate very smoothly and effectively with novices, and to entertain us all with inspiring stories.

Interstellar is a grand vision of just this mixture. If you have not seen the film, I encourage you to do so. If you have, perhaps you will sometime watch it again, and realize the story hides an advisor who made the script and the direction a little better, and a little more inspiring, toward the scientific wonder we all treasure.

David J. Eicher is Editor of Astronomy, author of 26 books on science and history, and a board member of the Starmus Festival and of Lowell Observatory.

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Here There Be DRAGNs National Radio Astronomy Observatory – National Radio Astronomy Observatory

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Active supermassive black holes often produce powerful jets of ionized gas that stream away from their host galaxies. These jets can be seen by radio telescopes as radio lobes. Active galaxies can have one or two radio lobes, and when they have two they are known as Double-lobed Radio sources associated with Active Galactic Nuclei, or DRAGNs. The jets of most DRAGNs are symmetrical, but a few are not. These asymmetrical DRAGNs could tell us a great deal about galaxies and their surrounding environment, but identifying them can be a challenge.

University of the West Indies student Kavita Gosine Bissessar wanted to find these asymmetrical DRAGNs, so she started with a catalog of 17,724 DRAGNs captured by the Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS). She combined this with infrared data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) to identify their host galaxies. From this Kavita found that 1,587 of them had confirmed galactic cores.

But to find out which of these were asymmetrical, Kavita had to comb through them by hand. She started by measuring the arm-core distance ratio since DRAGNs with larger ratios are more likely to be symmetrical. She found that 33 of them had ratios greater than 3.6. Interestingly, she found that those with the largest ratios appeared asymmetrical, but were actually false positives. Some were actually two separate galaxies, while others had bright radio cores misidentified as a lobe. Kavita found that DRAGNs with arm-core distance ratios between 3 and 8 had the greatest chance of being true asymmetrical DRAGNs.

This result can help astronomers find galaxies with asymmetric radio lobes more easily. In the future Kavita would like to study the environments of these galaxies to see how that might affect galactic lobe symmetry.

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Unistellar’s latest smart telescopes take the hassle out of backyard astronomy – Engadget

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French telescope company Unistellar has launched two new tech-infused models at CES 2024 promising to eliminate the tedious parts of backyard astronomy. The new Odyssey and Odyssey Pro smart telescopes use new technology to focus on both nearby objects like Jupiter and distant stars or nebulae. They also feature new Nikon optics and an updated smartphone app that helps you align and focus the telescope, while automatically finding targets to image.

Unistellar's current smart telescopes, the eVscope 2 and eQuinox 2, are primarily designed to image distant galaxies, stars, clusters and the like they can also image planets, but focus can be tricky. However, the Odyssey and Odyssey Pro use what the company calls Multi-Depth technology to focus equally well on both near and far objects, letting you switch instantly from viewing the Moon to a distant nebula.

It works by using the full sensor resolution to image close-in objects, which are bright but relatively small. For dim, larger objects it combines four pixels into one, much like many smartphone cameras, to boost the light gathering capability, at the cost of some detail. As the company told us at CES, it also "stacks multiple images of the same spot to render a clean output."

They even work in light-polluted areas, thanks to a high-sensitivity sensor and smart image processing. "With the Odyssey, Unistellar is offering a new generation of smart telescopes that are both ultra-powerful and capable of instantly transforming your stargazing evenings into adventures across the cosmos with family or friends, even in the middle of the city," said Laurent Marfisi, Unistellar co-founder and CEO.

The other big update is the Android/iOS app. As before, it automatically points the telescope toward the desired target at the right time, by recognizing groups of stars and calculating exactly where a target should be. However, it can now suggest items to look at on a particular evening, and provide extra context about the body in question.

Both telescopes have new optical tubes using Nikon optics and the company says they're the first that don't need manual adjustments something that can be difficult for amateur astronomers. That marries with a new autofocus system much like what you'd see on a digital camera to deliver consistently sharp images.

The new telescopes are cheaper than past models, though they do have smaller mirrors than the eVscope 2, at 320mm compared to 450mm focal length. The main difference between the two models is that the Odyssey Pro has slightly more resolution (4.1 megapixels compared to 3.4 megapixels), along with a Nikon-made eyepiece. The Odyssey is now shipping for $2,499, while the Odyssey Pro costs $3,999. The company also has a special edition Odyssey Pro Red Edition (above), that costs $4,499.

Engadget's Richard Lai contributed to this report.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

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20 of the best places to view the 2024 total solar eclipse – Astronomy Magazine

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The red spots at the top of the corona of the Sun during the total solar eclipse are called Bailey's beads. This image was taken during the Great American Eclipse of 2017. NASA Photo / Carla Thomas

The total solar eclipse set to occur April 8, 2024, will dazzle everyone who views it. However, potential observers might have some questions.

Where exactly in Mexico and the U.S. will totality be visible? Thats easy to answer with a detailed map, such as the one below. But which locations are the best spots to view the event? That answer is less straightforward.

Youll surely want to set up shop near the center line of the eclipse, where totality will last the longest. But what else makes for a good viewing site for a total solar eclipse? Below are 20 great locations you should consider for the 2024 Great North American Eclipse, starting in Mexico and working to the Northeast U.S.

Ill also offer one other suggestion when choosing a site: Carefully consider the population. All things being equal, a town of 10,000 is much more likely to have event-related problems than a city of 75,000. Traffic will be one of the primary issues; small communities with one main road may suffer hours of gridlock. If you opt to travel to such a location, get there early perhaps even a day or two ahead of the eclipse. (Remember: April 8, 2024, is a Monday, and most people will be free the entire weekend beforehand.)

Drive safe anddont forget your eclipse glasses. I wish you all clear skies!

The Moons umbra touches the coast of the United Mexican States at 12:07 p.m. Mexican Pacific Daylight Time less than 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Mazatln, which was one of the main destinations for travelers viewing the July 11, 1991 total solar eclipse. This city knows how to host a large influx of travelers, so its a good bet that it will be a prime destination.

Eclipse starts:9:51:28 a.m. MPDT Eclipse ends:12:32:11 p.m. MPDT Maximum eclipse:11:09:39 p.m. MPDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:69.1 Duration of totality:4 minutes 18 seconds Width of Moons shadow:123.7 miles (199.1 km)

At 1:15 p.m. Mexican Central Daylight Time, the umbra arrives at Nazas. This town of some 4,000 residents will surely see that number swell because it is the nearest location to the point of longest totality. The town itself will enjoy that duration, but the actual spot is about 3 miles (5 km) to the north, just east of Durango Paso Nacional, the road that connects Nazas to San Luis del Cordero. If youre headed here for the longest possible totality, get there at least a day early.

Eclipse starts:11:58:24 a.m. MCDT Eclipse end:2:39:42 p.m. MCDT Maximum eclipse:1:17:17 p.m. MCDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:69.8 Duration of totality:4 minutes 28 seconds Width of Moons shadow:122.6 miles (197.4 km)

Related: The best equipment to see an eclipse | How to make a pinhole camera out of a cardboard box

A large city that lies across the Rio Grande River from Eagle Pass, Texas, is Piedras Negras. Anyone from the U.S. who wants to experience the maximum duration of totality (4 minutes 28 seconds), will either cross the Eagle PassPiedras Negras International Bridge or the Camino Real International Bridge. Using Piedras Negras as a base is a good idea because its metro population is a quarter million, so it contains lots of amenities for travelers.

Eclipse starts:12:10:08 p.m. CDT Eclipse end:2:51:17 p.m. CDT Maximum eclipse:1:29:37 p.m. CDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:68.6 Duration of totality:4 minutes 25 seconds Width of Moons shadow:120.9 miles (194.5 km)

For eclipse chasers who want the greatest possible amount of totality without leaving the U.S., consider Radar Base, which lies right on the U.S.Mexico border. Its name, by the way, isnt that of a military base but instead a small town of several hundred residents. That number will balloon on eclipse day, so be sure to get there early.

Eclipse starts:12:10:26 p.m. CDT Eclipse end:2:51:30 p.m. CDT Maximum eclipse:1:29:53 p.m. CDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:68.5 Duration of totality:4 minutes 27 seconds Width of Moons shadow:120.9 miles (195.5 km)

While San Antonio certainly will be the base of operations for many eclipse chasers, most will not stay there, opting instead to head to the center line for an additional minute of umbral darkness. Several small towns lie centered in the path, the largest of which is Kerrville, with roughly 24,000 residents. Be sure to check in advance for any eclipse-related activities.

Eclipse starts:12:14:43 p.m. CDT Eclipse end:2:55:29 p.m. CDT Maximum eclipse:1:34:17 p.m. CDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:67.5 Duration of totality:4 minutes 25 seconds Width of Moons shadow:120.2 miles (193.4 km)

NASA/Bill Ingalls

Many travelers will choose to base in Austin, the state capital of Texas. Its a good choice because that city features lots of amenities, especially in the food and music realms. Unfortunately, it lies near the southern limit of the path of totality. So, a good choice on eclipse day would be to drive the 68 miles (109 km) north to Lampasas, which lies quite near the center line.

Eclipse starts:12:18:03 p.m. CDT Eclipse ends:2:58:23 p.m. CDT Maximum eclipse:1:37:35 p.m. CDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:66.5 Duration of totality:4 minutes 24 seconds Width of Moons shadow:119.7 miles (192.6 km)

Although not a huge city, Hillsboro is an easy destination, lying, as it does, on Interstate 35 where I-35E and I-35W split south of Dallas. It also lies right along the center line of totality, which will help maximize your time under the Moons umbra.

Eclipse starts:12:21:23 p.m. CDTEclipse ends:3:01:16 p.m. CDTMaximum eclipse:2:40:53 p.m. CDTSuns altitude at maximum eclipse:65.5 Duration of totality:4 minutes 23 seconds Width of Moons shadow:119.2 miles (191.8 km)

Another great location in the Lone Star State is Sulphur Springs. It lies along Interstate 30, so getting there wont be a problem. Although the city isnt huge (less than 20,000 residents), there are many open areas. One is Coleman Lake and Park, which offers 186 acres with trails and waterfalls. Cooper Lake State Park lies 15 miles (24 km) north. It has more than 2,500 acres of land and nearly 20,000 acres of lake. Observing from a boat would certainly be relaxing. And youll only lose 2 seconds of totality compared to Sulphur Springs.

Eclipse starts:12:25:38 p.m. CDT Eclipse ends:3:04:52 p.m. CDT Maximum eclipse:1:45:04 p.m. CDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:64 Duration of totality:4 minutes 21 seconds Width of Moons shadow:118.4 miles (190.6 km)

With a population near 30,000, Russellville has enough resources to host a moderate influx of visitors for the eclipse. Those eclipse chasers who prefer to observe the event outside the city could head for nearby Mount Nebo, a flat-topped mountain that rises 1,350 feet (410 meters) above the surrounding valley.

Eclipse starts:12:33:08 p.m. CDT Eclipse ends:3:10:46 p.m. CDT Maximum eclipse:1:52:10 p.m. CDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:49.0 Duration of totality:4 minutes 11 seconds Width of Moons shadow:117.2 miles (188.6 km)

The largest city in southeastern Missouri that will experience totality is Cape Girardeau, with its 80,000 residents. It lies on the bank of the Mississippi River and is easily accessible from Interstate 55. For an additional 4 seconds of totality, eclipseophiles can head 10 miles (16 km) west on State Route 72 to Jackson. Eclipse starts:12:41:51 p.m. CDT Eclipse ends:3:17:26 p.m. CDT Maximum eclipse:2:00:21 p.m. CDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:57.3 Duration of totality:4 minutes 6 seconds Width of Moons shadow:115.5 miles (185.9 km)

This small city of some 16,000 residents lies along U.S. Highway 50 (east-west) and U.S. Highway 150, which becomes U.S. Hwy. 41 (north-south). Its a quick hop from Interstate 69. More importantly, it sits squarely on the eclipses center line, so it will probably be a popular destination for inhabitants of the region. Eclipse starts:1:46:59 p.m. EDT Eclipse ends:4:20:57 p.m. EDT Maximum eclipse:3:04:55 p.m. EDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:54 Duration of totality:4 minutes, 5 seconds Width of Moons shadow:114.5 miles (184.3 km)

The umbra will cover a wide swath of Indiana, but most of the attention will focus on the states capital city. Downtown Indianapolis is a metropolis served by four interstate highways and will surely be one of the most sought-after destinations. It offers plentiful lodging, excellent cuisine, and many attractions for travelers.

Eclipse starts:1:50:31 p.m. EDT Eclipse ends:4:23:10 p.m. EDT Maximum eclipse:3:07:56 p.m. EDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:53 Duration of totality:3 minutes 49 seconds Width of Moons shadow:114 miles (183.4 km)

This small city of 36,000 is well positioned for viewing the eclipse and is just large enough to handle a moderate influx of visitors. For those who want the maximum possible length of totality, youll get 6 additional seconds if you drive south on Interstate 75 to Wapakoneta, and an extra second if you continue south to the center line.

Eclipse starts:1:54:51 p.m. EDT Eclipse ends:4:26:01 p.m. EDT Maximum eclipse:3:11:43 p.m. EDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:50.8 Duration of totality:3 minutes 51 seconds Width of Moons shadow:113 miles (181.9 km)

With a metro population of more than 2 million, this city will host a multitude of eclipse chasers. Get there a couple of days early, and fill the waiting time with visits to some of Clevelands highlights, including the Cleveland Museum of Arts and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Eclipse starts:1:59:20 p.m. EDT Eclipse ends:4:28:57 p.m. EDT Maximum eclipse:3:15:37 p.m. EDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:48.6 Duration of totality:3 minutes 49 seconds Width of Moons shadow:111.9 miles (180.1 km)

The only large city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to be graced by the Moons umbra is Erie, which, with its 100,000 residents, sits on the shore of the Great Lake that bears its name. Its certain that many eclipse chasers from Pittsburgh, 130 miles to the south via Interstate 79, will visit for the event.

Eclipse starts:2:02:23 p.m. EDT Eclipse ends:4:30:48 p.m. EDT Maximum eclipse:3:18:12 p.m. EDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:47 Duration of totality:3 minutes 42 seconds Width of Moons shadow:111.2 miles (179 km)

If the Northeastern United States has good weather on eclipse day, the most picturesque images of the event might come from Niagara Falls. One of the best perspectives will come from the outlook called Terrapin Point, where the Sun will hang halfway up in the southwest directly over the Falls! Science buffs who observe or photograph the eclipse from this area surely will want to visit the Nikola Tesla Statue within Queen Victoria Park on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. It lies only 0.3 mile (0.5 km) north of Terrapin Point.

Eclipse starts:2:04:50 p.m. EDT Eclipse ends:4:31:57 p.m. EDT Maximum eclipse:3:20:02 p.m. EDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:45.6 Duration of totality:3 minutes 31 seconds Width of Moons shadow:110.8 miles (178.4 km)

The largest city in New York that will experience the Moons umbra is Buffalo, with its metropolitan population of 1.1 million. The center line passes right through downtown, so expect all activity to come to a screeching halt in mid-afternoon. Travelers desiring information about the eclipse might want to check with the staff of Zygmunt Planetarium, which is part of the Buffalo Museum of Science.

Eclipse starts:2:04:54 p.m. EDT Eclipse ends:4:32:07 p.m. EDT Maximum eclipse:3:20:11 p.m. EDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:45.6 Duration of totality:3 minutes 45 seconds Width of Moons shadow:110.7 miles (178.2 km)

This small city of roughly 20,000 residents makes this list primarily because its a one-hour drive from Montral, Canadas second most populous city. Montral itself will enjoy nearly 2 minutes of totality, but all serious eclipse chasers will head south to the center line for that additional 90 seconds. Good choice.

Eclipse starts:2:14:02 p.m. EDT Eclipse ends:4:37:04 p.m. EDT Maximum eclipse:3:27:29 p.m. EDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:40.4 Duration of totality:3 minutes 33 seconds Width of Moons shadow:108.4 miles (174.5 km)

Those Canadians who may not wish to cross the border can opt for Sherbrooke, which is only a 100-mile (161 km) drive from Montral. With a metro population of nearly a quarter million, Sherbrooke offers plenty of lodging and other amenities. And a quick 10-mile (16 km) drive south will bring you to the center line and 5 additional seconds of totality.

Eclipse starts:2:16:35 p.m. EDT Eclipse ends:4:38:13 p.m. EDT Maximum eclipse:3:29:23 p.m. EDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:38.8 Duration of totality:3 minutes 25 seconds Width of Moons shadow:107.8 miles (173.5 km)

To be honest, Mars Hill is a small town of some 1,500 residents. But just think of it: an amateur astronomer watching the Moon cover the Sun from a place named Mars Hill? Terrific. This location also is one of the last spots in the U.S. to see totality. But if youre one of those serious types, just drive 20 miles (32 km) south for an additional 10 seconds of totality.

Eclipse starts:2:22:20 p.m. EDT Eclipse ends:4:40:52 p.m. EDT Maximum eclipse:3:33:41 p.m. EDT Suns altitude at maximum eclipse:35.2 Duration of totality:3 minutes 12 seconds Width of Moons shadow:106.2 miles (171 km)

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20 of the best places to view the 2024 total solar eclipse - Astronomy Magazine

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Northern Arizona astronomy: How old is our third generation sun? – Grand Canyon News

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Evidence builds that Kamo’oalewa is a chunk of the Moon accompanying Earth – Astronomy Magazine

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Simulations show it's possible for lunar material to achieve a quasi-satellite orbit like Kamo`oalewa.

By using the NASA's JPL Small-body Database Lookup, the orbit of 469219 Kamo'oalewa can be displayed alongside Earth's orbit. The orbits appear to be nearly identical but just shifted. In the bottom-left corner it provides the distance from Kamo'oalewa to Earth and to the Sun. Credit: NASA

Normally, near-Earth objects (NEOs) are either asteroids or comets that are gravitationally influenced enough by nearby planets to enter Earths neighborhood. However, in April 2016, a group of astronomers discovered a near-Earth asteroid named Kamooalewa (pronounced kamo-o-a-lewa) and provisionally designated (469219) 2016 HO3, that appeared to be an outlier compositionally.

Fast forward five years and a team of astronomers from the University of Arizona suggested that the object could have originated from the Moon, since it shared more similarities with our earth-bound satellite than any other known asteroid.

Two years and a second University of Arizona team later, this time led by a graduate student in the Department of Physics, Jose Daniel Castro-Cisneros, the 2016 study and a 2021 study pushed a step further to confirm their idea.

Several teams are dedicated to detecting NEOs because asteroids and comets close to Earth can reveal key details about the early days of the solar system. Many asteroids and comets are relatively pristine since their formation, offering a window to the distant past. So, when the results for Kamooalewa differed, the team knew something unusual was going on.

Kamooalewa stood out for several reasons. First, it is classified as a quasi-satellite, meaning that it seems to orbit Earth but is really orbiting the Sun in an earth-like orbit. Second, Kamooalewa displays loyalty to Earth through its longevity. Usually, objects with earth-like orbits are stable for only a few decades, but Kamooalewa is expected to have a dynamical lifetime of millions of years. Further, the objects spectrum offered clues to its unusual composition. Astonishingly, the spectrum matches lunar material and suggests the object is a small piece of the Moon.

We looked at Kamooalewas spectrum only because it was in an unusual orbit, says Regents Professor of Planetary Sciences and co-author Renu Malhotra of the University of Arizona. If it had been a typical near-Earth asteroid, no one would have thought to find its spectrum and we wouldnt have known Kamooalewa could be a lunar fragment.

The spectrum shows that Kamooalewa is silicate-rich, a typical find in lunar-like material. Its history is partially revealed through extensive space weathering and reddening, beyond what is seen in nearby asteroids. Given the findings, the team suggested that Kamooalewa could have been ejected from one of the many meteorite impacts that have struck the Moon.

An ejected piece of Moon entering a quasi-earth-satellite orbit was always considered an unlikely phenomenon. Normally, when objects impact the Moon, the ejecta can either fall back on the Moons surface or even Earths surface. In rare cases the right amount of kinetic energy exists to launch material out of the Earth-Moon system but too much to enter earth-like orbits. Kamooalewa is testing this idea and now, the Castro-Cisneros team is testing Kamooalewa.

The 2023 group is using numerical simulations to show that it is, indeed, feasible for lunar material to achieve a quasi-satellite orbit. We are now establishing that the Moon is a more likely source for Kamooalewa, says Malhotra.

Castro-Cisneros plans on developing a simulation that creates a free pathway for Kamooalewa to reach Earths co-orbital space, and to calculate its age. Numerical computations like these will improve the understanding of NEOs. Whats more, these studies can help our space forces combat asteroids that may pose dangers to Earth.

If youd like to know more, feel free to read University of Arizonas news release, or some of our articles on either tracking NEOs or about the Apollo 17 lunar samples that revealed secrets of the Moons violent origin.

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The Sky This Week from January 5 to 12: Visitors to the Scorpion – Astronomy Magazine

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The constellation Scorpius sits beneath the arch of the Milky Way in this image. The yellow-orange star near the branches is Antares, which receives several visitors this week. Credit: Luis Argerich (Flickr)

Friday, January 5 The mighty ringed planet Saturn remains a fixture in the southwestern sky after sunset, shining at magnitude 0.9. Youll find it still 30 high an hour after sunset, to the upper right of a relatively bright star that sits about half as high above the horizon thats Fomalhaut, the magnitude 1.2 alpha star of Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish.

Through a telescope, Saturns disk stretches 16 across, with its rings just over twice that width. Those rings are tilted 9 to our line of sight, still showing off their northern side before next years ring plane crossing.

With no Moon in the sky, try to catch Saturn during the window starting after the sky is dark but before the planet sinks too low. You might spot several of its moons clustered nearby. The brightest at roughly magnitude 9 is Titan, which sits just southeast of the planet. It passes south of the gas giant overnight and will be southwest of the world tomorrow. Also visible may be 10th-magnitude Tethys, Rhea, and Dione. Tethys sits west of Saturn, about 17 from the western tip of the rings, Rhea is close to the disk and slightly northeast, while Dione is just south of the eastern tip of the rings. Even fainter moons are also present, but youll need a large telescope to see them. Iapetus, now a challenging 12th magnitude, reaches its eastern elongation tomorrow and sits a whopping 7.7 east of Saturn tonight.

Sunrise: 7:22 A.M. Sunset: 4:49 P.M. Moonrise: 1:21 A.M. Moonset: 12:15 P.M. Moon Phase: Waning crescent (35%) *Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40 N 90 W. The Moons illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.

Saturday, January 6 Venus passes 6 north of the bright star Antares at 3 A.M. EST. You can catch the pair about an hour before sunrise in the southeast, when magnitude 4 Venus appears just to the upper left of the magnitude 1.1 star. Its a lovely pairing, particularly because of Antares deep red color. This aging star has cooled down as its fuel runs low, lending it a ruby hue.

Adding to the sight, the delicate crescent Moon (just less than 30 percent lit) lies in Libra, to Venus and Antares upper right. The scene is an appealing one for astrophotographers as morning twilight begins to color the sky and the trio rises higher. The Moon will track east and pass close to both Antares and Venus in just a few days, so stay tuned to the morning sky for more.

If you prefer observing in the evening, theres some action for you tonight as well: The Galilean moons Europa and Ganymede are transiting the face of Jupiter. The event is underway at sunset in the Midwest, when Jupiter is high in the southeast. By 5:50 P.M. EST, Ganymede is just finishing its transit, about to slip off the southwestern limb of the planet. Europa is not yet halfway across, making its way from east to west south of Jupiters equator. It will finally exit the disk just before 7:30 P.M. EST, following Ganymede and pulling away to the west.

Keep watching and youll catch Europas shadow appear on the cloud tops not long after, around 7:40 P.M. EST. Nearly two hours later, Ganymedes much larger shadow joins it at 9:20 P.M. EST. The shadow is so large that it takes some 10 minutes to fully appear against the disk. The dark blot will then take almost two hours to cross Jupiters southern polar region.

Sunrise: 7:22 A.M. Sunset: 4:50 P.M. Moonrise: 2:25 A.M. Moonset: 12:40 P.M. Moon Phase: Waning crescent (26%)

Sunday, January 7 Colorful stars can be a delight to observe, particularly when they come in contrasting sets. If youre willing to stay out over the course of a few hours this evening, you can check out two particularly popular pairs: the famous star Albireo in Cygnus and its wintertime counterpart 145 Canis Majoris.

Lets start with Albireo itself, cataloged as Beta () Cygni. Youll want to observe this one first, as the Swan is setting in the west as the sky grows dark after sunset. Albireo marks the head of the graceful bird as it flies through the sky; the bright star Deneb (Alpha [] Cyg) is the Swans tail. Ninety minutes after sunset, Albireo is roughly 20 high. It glows at magnitude 3.1, readily visible to the naked eye. Pull out a telescope and youll discover not one but two stars, separated by about 35. The brighter sun shines golden yellow, while the fainter star is a hotter blue-white. Their stunning color contrast is readily visible to most observers.

A few hours later, around 9:30 P.M. local time, Cygnus has set but the stars of Canis Major have climbed high enough in the southeast to track down the so-called Winter Albireo. 145 Cma is fainter than Albireo at magnitude 4.8; it lies 3.5 northeast of magnitude 1.8 Wezen (Delta [] Cma) and about 10 east-southeast of Sirius, the brightest star in the northern sky. This beautiful double star looks much like Albireo, with a cooler but brighter yellow-orange primary and a hotter secondary of blue-white. This pair is slightly closer, roughly 27 apart still easy to split with most instruments.

Sunrise: 7:22 A.M. Sunset: 4:50 P.M. Moonrise: 3:34 A.M. Moonset: 1:12 P.M. Moon Phase: Waning crescent (17%)

Monday, January 8 Now its the Moons turn to visit Antares in Scorpius, passing just 0.8 north of the star at 10 A.M. EST. The Moon then passes 6 south of Venus at 3 P.M. EST.

Again, early morning is time to observe this scene. Look southeast around 6:15 A.M. local time to find the trio 12 high and rising as the sky starts to lighten with the coming dawn. The Moon is now just a sliver of light, roughly 11 percent lit with only its western limb illuminated as it wanes toward New. It sits about 1 from Antares, directly between this star and nearby magnitude 2.9 Sigma () Scorpii. About 5.7 north-northeast of the Moon is Venus, just waiting for Luna to slip due south in a few hours.

Take out a telescope for a more detailed view. On the Moon, you may be able to spot the small, dark round blot of Grimaldi Crater near the terminator that separates lunar night from day. Venus is also an excellent target, presenting an 80-percent-lit face that is a hefty 14 across. Even as the stars begin to fade, bright Venus will continue to stand out in fact, observing the planet in the brightening sky often offers a better view because of the lower contrast. Just take care to put away any optics well in advance of sunrise from your location, which may differ slightly from the time given at our standard location below.

Sunrise: 7:22 A.M. Sunset: 4:51 P.M. Moonrise: 4:44 A.M. Moonset: 1:53 P.M. Moon Phase: Waning crescent (10%)

Tuesday, January 9 Continuing its trek across the ecliptic, the Moon passes 7 south of Mercury at 2 P.M. EST. Mercury, too, is a morning planet, so youll need to be up early to catch this pairing as well.

Look southeast an hour before sunrise and the first thing youll likely spot is again bright Venus. Its the brightest thing in the sky! Drop down closer to the horizon and a little to the left to find the 5-percent-illuminated Moon and, to its upper left, magnitude 0.1 Mercury. The solar systems smallest planet spans just 7 on the sky, but through a telescope will readily show off its roughly half-lit (56 percent) face.

As you enjoy the scene, note the distance between Mercury and Venus. They are now 12.5 apart, but will move slightly closer day by day until the 17th, when they stand 11 apart. It can be hard to notice subtle motion one day at a time, so consider taking a shot of the morning sky as dawn approaches and then doing so again every day or two for the next week. Comparing your photos over time may better show the planets motion as they close in.

Sunrise: 7:22 A.M. Sunset: 4:52 P.M. Moonrise: 5:55 A.M. Moonset: 2:45 P.M. Moon Phase: Waning crescent (4%)

Wednesday, January 10 The Moon passes 4 south of Mars at 4 A.M. EST; the Red Planet, however, is still too close to the Sun and not yet visible. It should finally pop out from our stars bright glow next week.

In the evening sky tonight, asteroid 4 Vesta is passing near the famous supernova remnant M1 in Taurus this week. Often called the Crab Nebula, this glowing tangle of gas is all thats left of a massive star. Its explosive end was seen by astronomers on Earth in the year 1054.

Lets start by finding 3rd-magnitude Alheka (Zeta [] Tauri), already 40 high in the east two hours after sunset. This star marks the tip of Taurus southern horn, while Elnath marks the northern horns tip. M1 lies just 1 northwest of Alheka and tonight Vesta sits roughly between them, about 30 northwest of Alheka.

Vesta is 7th magnitude, about a full magnitude brighter than the magnitude 8.4 Crab. The two look quite different, with the asteroid resembling a faint star and the nebula more a thumbprint smear of grayish-white light. If you have trouble spotting M1 where you think it should be, try shifting your gaze to the edge of your eyepiece without physically moving your telescope. The nebulas soft glow may pop out in your peripheral vision; this is called averted vision, and it helps because the light-sensitive cells in your eye are located on the sides, while the color-sensing cells (which need more light to register an object) are in the center. Thus, looking directly at faint objects can make them more difficult to see.

Come back to this field over the next several nights to watch Vesta move slowly west-northwest, sliding due south of M1 on the 12th.

Sunrise: 7:22 A.M. Sunset: 4:53 P.M. Moonrise: 7:00 A.M. Moonset: 3:49 P.M. Moon Phase: Waning crescent (1%)

Thursday, January 11 New Moon occurs at 6:57 A.M. EST, leaving the heavens dark and perfect for deep-sky observing.

Lets look to Monoceros the Unicorn tonight, which houses the Rosette Nebula. Youll find the Rosette some 50 high in the south by 10 P.M. local time; it sits just 2 east of magnitude 4.4 Epsilon () Monocerotis. The Rosette itself stretches more than 1 across and surrounds the young star cluster NGC 2244. The cluster has a collective magnitude of 4.8, making it an easy target: Even a small scope from a dark site should show more than two dozen stars. Moving to larger apertures will increase this number to more than 100 young suns.

But what about the Rosette? This gaseous, petal-like gas complex is made up of several different regions, all sporting different catalog numbers. As a whole, the Rosette is best seen with a large telescope (10 inches or more) and lower magnification (around 50x). Use an OIII or nebula filter to cut down on the stars brightness and bring out the nebulas gauzy glow. Alternatively, smaller apertures can work well when coupled with a camera stacked or long exposures will help reveal what the eye cannot see in smaller instruments.

Sunrise: 7:22 A.M. Sunset: 4:55 P.M. Moonrise: 7:56 A.M. Moonset: 5:04 P.M. Moon Phase: New

Friday, January 12 Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation from the Sun at 10 A.M. EST, when it is 24 from our star. Check out the planet an hour before sunrise, where it now stands 11.7 east of Venus in the southeastern sky. Through your telescope, youll notice that Mercurys illuminated face has grown from earlier in the week its now 63 percent lit and magnitude 0.2, just slightly brighter than the last time we observed it.

Venus now sits level with Antares, 9to the left (east-northeast) of the red giant star. There are several other bright stars visible in the early-morning sky as well, lingering until the impending sunrise blots them from view. Altair, Lyra, and Deneb the stars of the Summer Triangle are rising in the east, to the left of Venus and Mercury. Vega is highest, with Deneb to its lower left and Altair to its lower right, closest to the horizon. Far above Venus and just slightly to the right is Arcturus in Botes; to the lower right of this star is Spica in Virgo.

Sunrise: 7:21 A.M. Sunset: 4:56 P.M. Moonrise: 8:42 A.M. Moonset: 6:23 P.M. Moon Phase: Waxing crescent (2%)

Sky This Week is brought to you in part by Celestron.

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The Sky This Week from January 5 to 12: Visitors to the Scorpion - Astronomy Magazine

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AAS 243 NRAO Press Announcement – National Radio Astronomy Observatory

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New scientific results from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the Very Large Array (VLA), and Green Bank Observatory (GBO) will be revealed at multiple press conferences during the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) from January 8-11, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The AAS meeting includes a series of press conferences based on a range of themes. Presentations will highlight new research, including new types of planet and star formation, and the accidental discovery of a primordial galaxy.

Press conferences will be held in person during the conference, and streamed live on the AAS Press Office Page.

Note: Each press conference consists of a panel of scientists presenting 4-5 unique scientific results. The number listed in parentheses indicates the order of presentation for the listed result.

All press conferences are listed and will occur in Central Time.

Monday, 8 January 2024, 10:15 am CT Dust, Clouds & Darkness

A Polarized Dust Ring in the Milky Ways Center Natalie Butterfield (NRAO) (1)

Mystery of Star Formation Revealed by Hearts of Molecular Clouds Jin Koda (Stony Brook University) & Amanda Lee (U.Mass. Amherst) (3)

The Dark Galaxy J0613+52 Karen ONeil (Green Bank Observatory) (4)

Monday, 9 January 2024, 2:15 pm CT High-Energy Phenomena and Their Origins

Evolution of Planetary Disk Structures Seen for the First Time Cheng-Han Hsieh (Yale University) (3)

Tuesday, 9 January 2024, 2:15 pm CT High-Energy Phenomena and Their Origins

Spatially-resolved spectroscopy of dual quasars at cosmic noon with JWST and ALMA Yuzo Ishikawa (Johns Hopkins University) (1)

Wednesday, 10 January 2024, 10:15 am CT

A New Census of Neutral Clouds in the Milky Ways Nuclear Wind Jay Lockman (Green Bank Observatory)

Wednesday, 10 January 2024, 2:15 pm CT Stars, Disks & Exoplanets

JWSTs New View of Beta Pictoris Suggests Recent Episodic Dust Production from an Eccentric, Inclined Secondary Debris Disk

Christopher Stark (NASA Goddard) (3)

Thursday, 11 January 2024, 2:15 pm CT Oddities in the Sky

The Smith Cloud: A Dust Bowl Barreling Through Our Galactic Halo Johanna Vazquez (Texas Christian University) (3)

For embargo access for members of the press, please contact Jill Malusky at jmalusky@nrao.edu or Corrina Jaramillo Feldman at cfeldman@nrao.edu.

NRAO Media Contacts

Corrina C. Jaramillo Feldman Public Information Officer New Mexico VLA, VLBA, ngVLA Tel: +1 505-366-7267 cfeldman@nrao.edu

Jill Malusky NRAO & GBO News & Public Information Manager Tel: +1 304-460-5608 jmalusky@nrao.edu

In addition to the press conferences, dozens of papers with new and ongoing science results from NRAO and GBO facilities will be presented during AAS 243 conference sessions. Highlights will be posted to the NRAO website, the GBO website, and social media.

About NRAO

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under a cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

About Green Bank Observatory

The Green Bank Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation and is operated by Associated Universities, Inc.

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AAS 243 NRAO Press Announcement - National Radio Astronomy Observatory

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