Youngest neutron star detected turned 37 years old last Friday

The youngest neutron star detected so far turned 37 years old last week. To celebrate, James Webb Space Telescope has finally found the most direct evidence of it, hiding among the remains of the supernova cloud it was born in.Continue ReadingCategory:… Continue reading Youngest neutron star detected turned 37 years old last Friday

Ultraviolet eyes will explore the universe under new NASA mission

NASA has officially selected a new mission – the Ultraviolet Explorer, or UVEX. By scanning the skies in UV light, it will be able to study the hottest objects and fleeting events like supernovae, complementing existing and upcoming telescopes watching… Continue reading Ultraviolet eyes will explore the universe under new NASA mission

New findings reveal the ‘bones’ in the ghost-like ‘cosmic hand’ nebula

Astronomers have revealed more dramatic details of one of our most ghostly discoveries, the pulsar wind nebula MSH 15-52, also known as the ‘cosmic hand’ or ‘hand of God’. By combining the powers of two X-ray telescopes, NASA’s powerful Chandra X-ray O… Continue reading New findings reveal the ‘bones’ in the ghost-like ‘cosmic hand’ nebula

Mysterious explosion from empty region of space puzzles astronomers

It feels like every time astronomers get a handle on a cosmic phenomenon, a new one pops up that sends them back to the drawing board. Case in point – Hubble has spotted a strange burst of light in a region of space where there didn’t seem to be a trig… Continue reading Mysterious explosion from empty region of space puzzles astronomers

A supernova went off right next to the young Sun – how did it survive?

Meteorites can act as time capsules, preserving molecules from the solar system’s infancy. Certain fingerprints have been detected in these ancient space rocks that suggest a supernova went off right near our neighborhood – but that should have blasted… Continue reading A supernova went off right next to the young Sun – how did it survive?

Hackaday Links: June 18, 2023

Hackaday Links Column Banner

Will it or won’t it? That’s the question much on the minds of astronomers, astrophysicists, and the astro-adjacent this week as Betelgeuse continued its pattern of mysterious behavior that might …read more Continue reading Hackaday Links: June 18, 2023

Dying star’s ‘cocoon’ a potential new source of gravitational waves

Until now, we’ve only detected gravitational waves originating in binary systems, from the merger of black holes or neutron stars. But researchers from Northwestern University have potentially discovered a new non-binary source of gravitational waves: … Continue reading Dying star’s ‘cocoon’ a potential new source of gravitational waves

Webb telescope spots mysterious ‘Green Monster’ in supernova image

Operational only since July 2022, the James Webb Space telescope has already provided the world with astounding images of the universe. This includes new finds like “impossibly massive” galaxies and the most comprehensive profile of an exoplanet’s atmo… Continue reading Webb telescope spots mysterious ‘Green Monster’ in supernova image

Earth hit by brightest gamma-ray burst on record in 1-in-10,000-year event

NASA has confirmed that on October 9, 2022, our solar system was struck by a gamma-ray burst originating 1,900 light years away that was brighter than any since the beginning of human civilization, in what the space agency calls a “1 in 10,000 year” ev… Continue reading Earth hit by brightest gamma-ray burst on record in 1-in-10,000-year event

Long-lost invisible stellar graveyard revealed by radio telescope duo

Models of the universe predict that supernova remnants should be far more common than they are. Now, a new image from sensitive radio telescopes reveal that the missing remnants are hiding in plain sight.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Su… Continue reading Long-lost invisible stellar graveyard revealed by radio telescope duo