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Largest 3D map of the universe...ever made At Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, scientists have achieved a monumental milestone in astrophysics using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). They've created the most comprehensive 3D map of the universe ever, which reveals the large-scale structure of the cosmos and challenges our understanding of dark energy. The map not only illustrates the spatial distribution of galaxies and quasars over the past 11 billion years but also measures the rate of the universe's expansion during this time with unprecedented precision. Key Highlights: 🔹First Mapping with Precision: DESI provides the first-ever measurements of the universe’s expansion from 8 to 11 billion years ago with a precision better than 1%. 🔹Frontier Technology: Utilizes 5,000 robotic devices in a mountaintop telescope to capture light from distant celestial bodies. 🔹Scientific Impact: Confirms foundational cosmological models and opens new avenues for research. 👉https://lnkd.in/gjbtD3QY #puzzlex #matterverse #exponentialtech

🔭 Indian Scientists Revolutionize the Thirty Meter Telescope with Open-Source Tool! 🌟 Indian scientists have made a groundbreaking contribution to the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) by developing an open-source tool to enhance its Adaptive Optics System (AOS) 🌌. This will create a comprehensive star catalogue, allowing the TMT to generate sharper astronomical images by counteracting atmospheric distortion in real-time 🌠. 🛠️ Key Highlights: - 🌍 Adaptive Optics System (AOS): Uses deformable mirrors and computers to correct atmospheric turbulence - ⭐ Natural Guide Stars (NGS): Requires feedback from bright reference stars to measure and correct image blurring - 💡 Laser Guide Star (LGS): Enhanced by NFIRAOS on TMT 📍TMT Installation: - Located at Maunakea, Hawaii 🏝️ - Developed by the TMT International Observatory LLC (TIO) - Involves international partners: USA, Japan, India, Canada 🌐 📉 Ground-Based Astronomy: - Cost-effective and easier to maintain than space telescopes - Includes major projects like the Giant Magellan Telescope and European Southern Observatory 🔬 👏 Kudos to the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), and Aryabhatta Research Institute for Observational Sciences (ARIES) for their collaborative efforts! Explore the endless possibilities of HAPPENING AROUND YOU! 🌠 If you like this article, follow for more LATEST updates and share your thoughts below! 👇 #Astronomy #TMT #Innovation #Science #Space #Research #India #AI #ML #IIT #IISC #ISRO #Astrophysics #Optics #GroundBasedAstronomy #TechInnovation #STEM #ScientificResearch #GlobalCollaboration

📃Scientific paper: PASO -- Astronomy and Space Situational Awareness in a Dark Sky Destination Abstract: The Pampilhosa da Serra Space Observatory \(PASO\) is located in the center of the continental Portuguese territory, in the heart of a certified Dark Sky destination by the Starlight Foundation \(Aldeias do Xisto\) and has been an instrumental asset to advance science, education and astrotourism certifications. PASO hosts astronomy and Space Situational Awareness \(SSA\) activities including a node of the Portuguese Space Surveillance \& Tracking \(SST\) infrastructure network, such as a space radar currently in test phase using GEM radiotelescope, a double Wide Field of View Telescope system, a EUSST optical sensor telescope. These instruments allow surveillance of satellite and space debris in LEO, MEO and GEO orbits. The WFOV telescope offers spectroscopy capabilities enabling light curve analysis and cosmic sources monitoring. Instruments for Space Weather are being considered for installation to monitor solar activities and expand the range of SSA services. ;Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, Keywords: Dark Sky, radioastronomy, space, space debris, space situational awareness; Draft from Talk presented at Astronomy and Satellite Constellations: Pathways Forward, IAU Symposium 385, October 2023, Ed. C. Walker, D.Turnshek, P.Grimley, D.Galadi-Enriquez & M.Aub\'e, International Astronomical Union Proceedings Series, Cambridge University Press, 2024 Continued on ES/IODE ➡️ https://etcse.fr/zf3b ------- If you find this interesting, feel free to follow, comment and share. We need your help to enhance our visibility, so that our platform continues to serve you.

In November 2023 ESA’s Integral spotted a sudden explosion from a rare object. For only a tenth of a second, a short burst of energetic gamma-rays appeared from the direction of the bright galaxy M82. The satellite data were received in the Integral Science Data Centre in Geneva, from where a gamma-ray burst alert was sent out to astronomers worldwide, only 13 seconds after its detection. The IBAS (Integral Burst Alert System) software gave an automatic localisation coinciding with the nearby galaxy M82. Now it was up to astronomers to figure out what had happened; was this one of the more common gamma-ray bursts or a rare occasion of a giant flare from a magnetar?  “We immediately realised that this was a special alert. Gamma-ray bursts come from far-away and anywhere in the sky, but this burst came from a bright nearby galaxy,” explains Sandro Mereghetti of the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF–IASF) in Milan, Italy, and lead author of a paper on this discovery.  The team requested ESA's XMM-Newton space telescope to perform a follow-up observation of the burst’s location as soon as possible. If this had been a short gamma-ray burst, caused by two colliding neutron stars, the collision would have created gravitational waves and have an afterglow in X-rays and visible light.  “XMM-Newton’s observations only showed the hot gas and stars in the galaxy. If this explosion had been a short gamma-ray burst, we would have seen a fading source of X-rays coming from its location, but this afterglow was not present,” adds co-author Michela Rigoselli from INAF.  Full Article: https://lnkd.in/ezGf5Tkc #ESA #M82 #Magnetar Part of the sky measured by the gamma-ray detector on ESA’s Integral satellite. Vague blue blobs dot a dark-blue map of the sky. One blob is much brighter than the others and two images show a cut-out zoom-in on this blob. One of the cut-outs shows X-rays from the galaxy and the other shows an observation in visible light. On both these two cut-out images only the galaxy M82 is seen, and no additional signals from the bright spot. (ESA)

A recent paper in Nature raises the question of whether AI can help astronomers to better manage the footprints of increasingly present satellites (https://lnkd.in/ecNfdFPy) Yes, indeed, and this was the subject of our recent work presented at the DATA 2024 conference: "Impact of Satellites Streaks for Observational Astronomy: A Study on Data Captured During One Year from Luxembourg Greater Region" -- https://lnkd.in/e7PFQq3D There's still a lot to do on the topic! Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) Research Luxembourg #ListDIGITAL #space #AI

Recent studies utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope have provided unprecedented insights into the icy planetesimals of the early solar system, specifically trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) and centaurs. These findings, published in Nature Astronomy, reveal the molecular composition of TNOs, identifying specific molecules such as water ice, carbon dioxide, and complex organics. The research categorizes TNOs into three distinct compositional groups, offering a clearer understanding of their formation and evolution. Additionally, the study of centaurs highlights their unique spectral signatures, suggesting varied origins and evolutionary stages within the TNO population.

On April 12, 2019, a significant milestone in astrophysics was achieved with the publication of the first-ever image of a black hole. This groundbreaking accomplishment was the result of years of collaborative effort involving scientists from around the world working together as part of the Event Horizon Telescope project. The black hole in question resides at the center of the galaxy M87, located about 55 million light-years from Earth. Capturing an image of a black hole posed a formidable challenge due to its extreme gravitational pull, which prevents even light from escaping its grasp. However, by synchronizing a network of radio telescopes across the globe, researchers were able to effectively create a virtual telescope the size of the Earth. The resulting image, which quickly became iconic, revealed the silhouette of the black hole against the bright, glowing gas swirling around it. This historic achievement not only provided visual confirmation of the existence of black holes but also offered valuable insights into their nature and behavior, confirming predictions made by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. The publication of the black hole image marked a triumph of human ingenuity and technological innovation in the quest to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos.

A supermassive black hole in a distant galaxy is rewriting the rules of astrophysics with unprecedented activity that has left astronomers around the world both fascinated and perplexed. Plasma jets traveling at record-breaking speeds and rapid X-ray fluctuations near the event horizon are just some of the strange phenomena observed in real time. These observations provide critical insights into the inner workings of supermassive black holes, from the conditions that produce plasma jets to the mysteries surrounding their accretion disks. They also highlight the value of multi-mission collaborations, with data from NASA’s Swift Observatory, NICER, and NuSTAR, as well as ESA’s XMM-Newton, enabling astronomers to piece together a complex picture of this active galaxy.

An international team of astronomers has discovered a large radio jet in the quasar J1601+3102, a radio-loud quasar at a redshift of 4.9. Using the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) and Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph (GNIRS), the team identified an extended radio structure with a jet spanning at least 215,000 light years. This is the most extensive radio jet observed at such a high redshift. The study also revealed that the supermassive black hole in J1601+3102 is approximately 450 million solar masses, suggesting that exceptional black hole mass is not essential for powerful jet formation in quasars.

The odd remnants of SN 1181. Researchers led by Tim Cunningham from the Harvard & Smithsonian’s Center for Astrophysics, using Caltech’s Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI), have studied the "zombie" star at the center of the remnants of supernova SN 1181. Located in the nebula Pa 30 at the Cassiopeia constellation, it's the result of an explosion known as Type Iax supernova. SN 1181 is thought to have been a thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf that typically should have been completely destroyed, but that in this odd case survived. The team could generate a detailed 3D map of the nebula including sulfur filaments protruding beyond a shell of ejected material. Oddly, the filaments appear in an asymmetrical distribution, travelling at a constant speed of 1000 kilometers per second since the explosion up to now. The findings have been published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters (24 October, 2024). https://lnkd.in/dECkPCYi #physics #physicsnews #astrophysics #astronomy #kcwi #zombiestar #sn1181 #supernova #supernovae #typeiax #typeiaxsupernova #pa30 #pa30nebula