Tag: astronomers
Starlink and Astronomers Are in a Light Pollution Standoff
Can Astronomers and Satellite Operators Learn to Share the Sky? Satellite streaks are ruining astronomical images. Can scientists and space companies find solutions before it’s too late? By Emma R. Hasson edited by Lee Billings Sunlight reflecting off a pair of communications satellites creates two bright flares in this time-lapse photograph of the night sky.…
Interstellar Meteors Hit Earth All the Time but Still Elude Astronomers
The UniverseFridays The Sky Is Falling—From Another Star Astronomers think small space rocks from beyond our solar system routinely strike Earth—but proving it isn’t easy By Phil Plait edited by Lee Billings Some shooting stars in Earth’s skies probably come from beyond the solar system. Stay connected to The Universe: Get email alerts for this…
Astronomers See Planet Formation ‘Time Zero’ in an Alien Solar System
Astronomers Witness an Alien Solar System’s Birth for the First Time Observations of a baby star may show the earliest stages of planet formation that astronomers have ever seen By Lee Billings edited by Dean Visser A view of HOPS-315, a baby star some 1,400 light-years from Earth where astronomers have observed evidence for the…
Rubin Observatory Data Flood Will Let the Universe Alert Astronomers 10 Million Times a Night
Astronomers Brace for 10 Million Alerts a Night from Rubin Observatory Astronomers have never had this much data available this quickly before By Meghan Bartels edited by Lee Billings Made from more than 1,100 images captured by NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the video begins with a close-up of two galaxies then zooms out to…
Astronomers Found the Most Self-Destructive Planet in the Sky
Astronomers Found the Most Self-Destructive Planet in the Sky This planet triggers flares on its star—spelling its ultimate doom By Jacek Krywko edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier In this artist’s impression, the planet HIP 67522 b sends a wave of energy along magnetic field lines toward the surface of its host star—triggering a massive flare…
Astronomers Discover Mysterious Object Bursting with X-Rays
Astronomers Discover Mysterious Object Bursting with X-Rays A celestial object some 15,000 light-years away is emitting bright flashes of radio and X-rays that scientists are struggling to explain By Robert Lea & SPACE.com An X-ray, infrared and radio view of the sky surrounding ASKAP J1832−0911 (circled) using combined light from multiple telescopes. Join Our Community of…
Why Astronomers Doubt Claims That Planet K2-18 b Finding Means Alien Life
Why Astronomers Are Not Sold on New Alien Life Claims NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope detected an intriguing compound in the atmosphere of the exoplanet K2-18 b, but scientists are divided about what the chemical means By Alexandra Witze & Nature magazine Artist’s impression of the exoplanet K2-18b. The announcement has been met with floods…
What Are ORCs? Astronomers Still Don’t Know
The UniverseFridays Strange Circles in the Sky Are Still Baffling Astronomers ORCs—odd radio circles—are one of the weirdest recent discoveries in the heavens above By Phil Plait edited by Lee Billings Stay connected to The Universe: Get email alerts for this weekly column by Phil Plait It’s rare these days for astronomers to find a…
As Starlink and Other Satellites Proliferate, Astronomers Learn to Manage Interference
In a Sky Full of Satellites, Astronomers Find Creative Ways to Observe the Stars Swarms of satellites launched by SpaceX and other companies are disrupting astronomical observations. Here’s how scientists are coping By Alexandra Witze & Nature magazine Satellite streaks appear in a photograph taken above the Pinnacles in Nambung National Park, Western Australia. In…