Astronomy and Planetary Science Thread

Astronomers unveil new—and puzzling—features of mysterious fast radio bursts

What makes the latest observations surprising to scientists is the irregular, short-time variations of the so-called "Faraday rotation measure", which is the strength of the magnetic field and density of particles in the vicinity of the FRB source. The variations went up and down during the first 36 days of observation and suddenly stopped during the last 18 days before the source quenched.

"I equate it to filming a movie of the surroundings of an FRB source, and our film revealed a complex, dynamically evolving, magnetized environment that was never imagined before," said Zhang. "Such an environment is not straightforwardly expected for an isolated magnetar. Something else might be in the vicinity of the FRB engine, possibly a binary companion," added Zhang.
Click to expand...

phys.org

Astronomers unveil new—and puzzling—features of mysterious fast radio bursts

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-long cosmic explosions that each produce the energy equivalent to the sun's annual output. More than 15 years after the deep-space pulses of electromagnetic radio waves were first discovered, their perplexing nature continues to surprise scientists—and...
phys.org phys.org

Here’s the related paper:

A fast radio burst source at a complex magnetized site in a barred galaxy

Abstract
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are highly dispersed, millisecond-duration radio bursts1,2,3. Recent observations of a Galactic FRB4,5,6,7,8 suggest that at least some FRBs originate from magnetars, but the origin of cosmological FRBs is still not settled. Here we report the detection of 1,863 bursts in 82 h over 54 days from the repeating source FRB 20201124A (ref. 9). These observations show irregular short-time variation of the Faraday rotation measure (RM), which scrutinizes the density-weighted line-of-sight magnetic field strength, of individual bursts during the first 36 days, followed by a constant RM. We detected circular polarization in more than half of the burst sample, including one burst reaching a high fractional circular polarization of 75%. Oscillations in fractional linear and circular polarizations, as well as polarization angle as a function of wavelength, were detected. All of these features provide evidence for a complicated, dynamically evolving, magnetized immediate environment within about an astronomical unit (AU; Earth–Sun distance) of the source. Our optical observations of its Milky-Way-sized, metal-rich host galaxy10,11,12 show a barred spiral, with the FRB source residing in a low-stellar-density interarm region at an intermediate galactocentric distance. This environment is inconsistent with a young magnetar engine formed during an extreme explosion of a massive star that resulted in a long gamma-ray burst or superluminous supernova.

www.nature.com

A fast radio burst source at a complex magnetized site in a barred galaxy - Nature

Analysis of a set of 1,863 bursts from the repeating source FRB 20201124A provides evidence of a complicated magnetized site within about an astronomical unit from the source in a barred galaxy.
www.nature.com www.nature.com
 
www.nanodaily.com

Making nanodiamonds out of bottle plastic

Dresden, Germany (SPX) Sep 05, 2022 - What goes on inside planets like Neptune and Uranus? To find out, an international team headed by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), the University of Rostock and France's Ecole Polyte
www.nanodaily.com
 
New study 'gives best indication yet' that there is liquid water on Mars

British scientists say they have found evidence which "gives the best indication yet that there is liquid water on Mars".

Their study is the first independent lead using data, apart from radar, that such water lies beneath the red planet's south polar ice cap.

But the experts have also cautioned that it "does not necessarily mean that life exists on Mars".
Click to expand...

news.sky.com

New study 'gives best indication yet' that there is liquid water on Mars

The study is the first independent lead using data other than radar that such water lies beneath the red planet's south polar ice cap.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 
Flyaway said:
New study 'gives best indication yet' that there is liquid water on Mars

British scientists say they have found evidence which "gives the best indication yet that there is liquid water on Mars".

Their study is the first independent lead using data, apart from radar, that such water lies beneath the red planet's south polar ice cap.

But the experts have also cautioned that it "does not necessarily mean that life exists on Mars".
Click to expand...

news.sky.com

New study 'gives best indication yet' that there is liquid water on Mars

The study is the first independent lead using data other than radar that such water lies beneath the red planet's south polar ice cap.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
Click to expand...

I always thought that there was water on Mars. Now all we need is for human exploration of Mars to mine the water and convert it to hydrogen for deep space exploration.
 
science.slashdot.org

Milky Way's Graveyard of Dead Stars Found - Slashdot

The first map of the "galactic underworld" -- a chart of the corpses of once massive suns that have since collapsed into black holes and neutron stars -- has revealed a graveyard that stretches three times the height of the Milky Way, and that almost a third of the objects have been flung out...
science.slashdot.org
 

Geopolitical Implications of a Successful SETI Program​


We discuss the recent "realpolitik" analysis of Wisian & Traphagan (2020, W&T) of the potential geopolitical fallout of the success of SETI. They conclude that "passive" SETI involves an underexplored yet significant risk that, in the event of a successful, passive detection of extraterrestrial technology, state-level actors could seek to gain an information monopoly on communications with an ETI. These attempts could lead to international conflict and potentially disastrous consequences. In response to this possibility, they argue that scientists and facilities engaged in SETI should preemptively engage in significant security protocols to forestall this risk.

We find several flaws in their analysis. While we do not dispute that a realpolitik response is possible, we uncover concerns with W&T's presentation of the realpolitik paradigm, and we argue that sufficient reason is not given to justify treating this potential scenario as action-guiding over other candidate geopolitical responses. Furthermore, even if one assumes that a realpolitik response is the most relevant geopolitical response, we show that it is highly unlikely that a nation could successfully monopolize communication with ETI. Instead, the real threat that the authors identify is based on the perception by state actors that an information monopoly is likely. However, as we show, this perception is based on an overly narrow contact scenario.

Overall, we critique W&T's argument and resulting recommendations on technical, political, and ethical grounds. Ultimately, we find that not only are W&T's recommendations unlikely to work, they may also precipitate the very ills that they foresee. As an alternative, we recommend transparency and data sharing (which are consistent with currently accepted best practices), further development of post-detection protocols, and better education of policymakers in this space.

TLDR: https://www.iflscience.com/the-poli...-intelligence-may-not-go-as-you-d-think-65659
 
Strange Ripples Have Been Detected at The Edge of The Solar System

The bubble of space encasing the Solar System might be wrinkled, at least sometimes.

Data from a spacecraft orbiting Earth has revealed ripple structures in the termination shock and heliopause: shifting regions of space that mark one of the boundaries between the space inside the Solar System, and what's outside – interstellar space.
Click to expand...

www.sciencealert.com

Strange Ripples Have Been Detected at The Edge of The Solar System

The bubble of space encasing the Solar System might be wrinkled, at least sometimes.
www.sciencealert.com www.sciencealert.com
 
I am guessing this could be a hypernova candidate.

Scientists Just Detected a Colossal Gamma-Ray Burst, And It's a Record-Breaker

Observatories around the world have just detected a colossal flare of extremely energetic radiation described as "record-breaking".

The event, first detected on October 9, was so bright that it was initially confused for an event closer to home. Initially dubbed Swift J1913.1+1946, it was thought to be a brief flash of X-rays from a not-too-distant source. It was only through further analysis that astronomers discovered the true nature of the glow – a gamma-ray burst, one of the most violent explosions in the Universe, now re-named GRB221009A.

Though further away, it was still one of the closest seen yet, just 2.4 billion light-years away. Moreover, this exceptionally bright gamma-ray burst appears to be the most energetic ever detected, coming in at up to 18 teraelectronvolts.
Click to expand...

It's unclear, yet, what we're looking at with GRB221009A.

"It is still too early to tell," Anderson says. "The light from an underlying supernova will take days to brighten. However, given this gamma ray burst's long duration, it may be a very powerful type of supernova."
Click to expand...

What we do know is that the burst appears to have emerged from a very dusty galaxy, and that it was very powerful. And the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), a Cherenkov observatory in China, has detected photons with energies up to roughly 18 teraelectronvolts (TeV). To date, just a handful of gamma-ray bursts have been detected with emission in the TeV range; if the LHAASO data is verified, GRB221009A will be the first above 10 TeV.
Click to expand...

www.sciencealert.com

Scientists Just Detected a Colossal Gamma-Ray Burst, And It's a Record-Breaker

Observatories around the world have just detected a colossal flare of extremely energetic radiation described as "record-breaking".
www.sciencealert.com www.sciencealert.com
 
Flyaway said:
I am guessing this could be a hypernova candidate.

Scientists Just Detected a Colossal Gamma-Ray Burst, And It's a Record-Breaker

Observatories around the world have just detected a colossal flare of extremely energetic radiation described as "record-breaking".

The event, first detected on October 9, was so bright that it was initially confused for an event closer to home. Initially dubbed Swift J1913.1+1946, it was thought to be a brief flash of X-rays from a not-too-distant source. It was only through further analysis that astronomers discovered the true nature of the glow – a gamma-ray burst, one of the most violent explosions in the Universe, now re-named GRB221009A.

Though further away, it was still one of the closest seen yet, just 2.4 billion light-years away. Moreover, this exceptionally bright gamma-ray burst appears to be the most energetic ever detected, coming in at up to 18 teraelectronvolts.
Click to expand...

It's unclear, yet, what we're looking at with GRB221009A.

"It is still too early to tell," Anderson says. "The light from an underlying supernova will take days to brighten. However, given this gamma ray burst's long duration, it may be a very powerful type of supernova."
Click to expand...

What we do know is that the burst appears to have emerged from a very dusty galaxy, and that it was very powerful. And the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), a Cherenkov observatory in China, has detected photons with energies up to roughly 18 teraelectronvolts (TeV). To date, just a handful of gamma-ray bursts have been detected with emission in the TeV range; if the LHAASO data is verified, GRB221009A will be the first above 10 TeV.
Click to expand...

www.sciencealert.com

Scientists Just Detected a Colossal Gamma-Ray Burst, And It's a Record-Breaker

Observatories around the world have just detected a colossal flare of extremely energetic radiation described as "record-breaking".
www.sciencealert.com www.sciencealert.com
Click to expand...

It would be interesting to see if the candidate hypernova came from colliding neutron stars or Black Holes, it is also fascinating to see that it occurred just over 2.4 billion light years away.
 
This latest study makes the discrepancy between the two measurements even more significant. Also that two thirds of the universe is just dark energy, the other third is dark matter with then some matter.

Astrophysicists have performed a powerful new analysis that places the most precise limits yet on the composition and evolution of the universe. With this analysis, dubbed Pantheon+, cosmologists find themselves at a crossroads.

Pantheon+ convincingly finds that the cosmos is composed of about two-thirds dark energy and one-third matter — mostly in the form of dark matter — and is expanding at an accelerating pace over the last several billion years. However, Pantheon+ also cements a major disagreement over the pace of that expansion that has yet to be solved.
Click to expand...

Taking the data as a whole, the new analysis holds that 66.2 percent of the universe manifests as dark energy, with the remaining 33.8 percent being a combination of dark matter and matter.
Click to expand...

news.harvard.edu

Most precise accounting yet of dark matter and dark energy

Analyzing more than two decades’ worth of supernova explosions, astrophysicists now have the most precise limits yet on the composition and evolution of the universe.
news.harvard.edu news.harvard.edu
 
A new paper suggests that looking for life on planets orbiting M dwarfs maybe a case of barking up the wrong tree. As their study shows that the planet studied has no significant atmosphere.

GJ 1252b: A Hot Terrestrial Super-Earth with No Atmosphere

Abstract
In recent years, the discovery of increasing numbers of rocky, terrestrial exoplanets orbiting nearby stars has drawn increased attention to the possibility of studying these planets' atmospheric and surface properties. This is especially true for planets orbiting M dwarfs, whose properties can best be studied with existing observatories. In particular, the minerological composition of these planets and the extent to which they can retain their atmospheres in the face of intense stellar irradiation both remain unresolved. Here, we report the detection of the secondary eclipse of the terrestrial exoplanet GJ 1252b, obtained via 10 eclipse observations using the Spitzer Space Telescope's IRAC2 4.5 μm channel. We measure an eclipse depth of ${149}_{-32}^{+25}$ ppm, corresponding to a dayside brightness temperature of ${1410}_{-125}^{+91}$ K. This measurement is consistent with the prediction for a bare rock surface. Comparing the eclipse measurement to a large suite of simulated planetary spectra indicates that GJ 1252b has a surface pressure of ≲10 bar, i.e., substantially thinner than the atmosphere of Venus. Assuming energy-limited escape, even a 100 bar atmosphere would be lost in <1 Myr, far shorter than our gyrochronological age estimate of 3.9 ± 0.4 Gyr. The expected mass loss could be overcome by mantle outgassing, but only if the mantle's carbon content were >7% by mass—over two orders of magnitude greater than that found in Earth. We therefore conclude that GJ 1252b has no significant atmosphere. Model spectra with granitoid or feldspathic surface composition, but with no atmosphere, are disfavored at >2σ. The eclipse occurs just +1.4${}_{-1.0}^{+2.8}$ minutes after orbital phase 0.5, indicating $e\cos \omega $ = +0.0025 ${}_{-0.0018}^{+0.0049}$, consistent with a circular orbit. Tidal heating is therefore likely to be negligible with regard to GJ 1252b's global energy budget. Finally, we also analyze additional, unpublished TESS transit photometry of GJ 1252b, which improves the precision of the transit ephemeris by a factor of 10, provides a more precise planetary radius of 1.180 ± 0.078 R⊕, and rules out any transit-timing variations with amplitudes ≳1 minute.

ShieldSquare Captcha

iopscience.iop.org iopscience.iop.org
 
jeffb said:
Don't know if this is just click bait or not:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1584624854623715334
View: https://twitter.com/BenHansen00/status/1584624854623715334?s=20&t=DAeOAtYNduXGidPhEIZ6Jw

https://twitter.com/x/status/1584469699374374912
View: https://twitter.com/TobyAM/status/1584469699374374912?s=20&t=DAeOAtYNduXGidPhEIZ6Jw
Click to expand...

Wierd photo, it looks to me like it is just quite possibly Martian dust that has somehow got caught in the camera lens and then got blown away by the wind. That could be how it was there one minute and gone the next, that is just my theory.
 
Modelling cosmic radiation events in the tree-ring radiocarbon record

Qingyuan Zhang , Utkarsh Sharma , Jordan A. Dennis , Andrea Scifo , Margot Kuitems , Ulf Büntgen , Mathew J. Owens , Michael W. Dee and Benjamin J. S. Pope
Published:26 October 2022https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2022.0497

Abstract

Annually resolved measurements of the radiocarbon content in tree-rings have revealed rare sharp rises in carbon-14 production. These ‘Miyake events’ are likely produced by rare increases in cosmic radiation from the Sun or other energetic astrophysical sources. The radiocarbon produced is not only circulated through the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans, but also absorbed by the biosphere and locked in the annual growth rings of trees. To interpret high-resolution tree-ring radiocarbon measurements therefore necessitates modelling the entire global carbon cycle. Here, we introduce ‘ticktack’ (https://github.com/SharmaLlama/ticktack/), the first open-source Python package that connects box models of the carbon cycle with modern Bayesian inference tools. We use this to analyse all public annual  14C
tree data, and infer posterior parameters for all six known Miyake events. They do not show a consistent relationship to the solar cycle, and several display extended durations that challenge either astrophysical or geophysical models.

royalsocietypublishing.org

Modelling cosmic radiation events in the tree-ring radiocarbon record | Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences

Annually resolved measurements of the radiocarbon content in tree-rings have revealed rare sharp rises in carbon-14 production. These ‘Miyake events’ are likely produced by rare increases in cosmic radiation from the Sun or other energetic astrophysical ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
 
Long-term Photometric Study of the Pre-main Sequence Star V1180 Cas

In this paper results from the optical photometric observations of the pre-main-sequence star V1180 Cas are reported. The star is a young variable associated with the dark cloud Lynds 1340, located at a distance of 600 pc from the Sun in the star forming region in Cassiopeia. V1180 Cas shows a large amplitude variability interpreted as a combination of accretion-induced and extinction-driven effects. Our data from VRI CCD photometric observations of the star are collected from September 2011 to February 2022. During our monitoring, we recorded several brightness dips with large amplitudes of up to 5 mag. (I-band). At the same time, increases in brightness over periods of several weeks have also been recorded. In this paper, we compare the photometric data obtained for V1180 Cas with observations of other low-mass pre-main sequence objects.

 
L 363-38 b: a planet newly discovered with ESPRESSO orbiting a nearby M dwarf star

Context. Planets around stars in the solar neighbourhood will be prime targets for characterisation with upcoming large space- and ground-based facilities. Since large-scale exoplanet searches will not be feasible with such telescopes, it is crucial to use currently available data and instruments to find possible target planets before next generation facilities come online.
Aims. We aim at detecting new extrasolar planets around stars in the solar neighbourhood by blind radial velocity (RV) search with ESPRESSO. Our target sample consist of nearby stars (d < 11 pc) with little (< 10) or no previous RV measurements.
Methods. We use 31 radial velocity measurements obtained with ESPRESSO at the VLT between December 2020 and February 2022 of the nearby M dwarf star (M_star = 0.21 M_sun, d = 10.23 pc) L 363-38 to derive the orbital parameters of the newly discovered planet. In addition, we use TESS photometry and archival VLT/NaCo high contrast imaging data to put further constraints on the orbit inclination and the possible planetary system architecture around L 363-38.
Results. We present the detection of a new extrasolar planet orbiting the nearby M dwarf star L 363-38. L 363-38 b is a planet with minimum mass mp sin(i) = 4.67+/-0.43 M_Earth orbiting its star with a period P = 8.781+/-0.007 d, corresponding to a semi-major axis a = 0.048+/-0.006 AU, which is well inside the inner edge of the habitable zone. We further estimate a minimum radius rp sin(i) = 1.55 - 2.75 R_Earth and an equilibrium temperature Teq = 330K.

 
Scientists have found a vast “extragalactic structure” hidden behind the Milky Way.

The structure has been hidden because it is in the so-called “zone of avoidance”. That is the part of space that is hidden by the “bulge” of our own galaxy, and so means it has been little explored.

The zone, which is also called the zone of galactic obscuration, happens because the dust and stars of our own Milky Way get in the way of its light as it makes its way to Earth. It means that some 10 per cent of the sky remains largely mysterious, hidden behind our own galaxy.
Click to expand...

www.independent.co.uk

Scientists find hidden ‘extragalactic structure’ in space

Scientists have found a vast “extragalactic structure” hidden behind the Milky Way.
www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk
 
Talk about looking for a needle in a haystack and even now with the re-analysis it still hasn’t reached 5 sigma significance.

Don your binoculars for a night of star gazing and you might be able to spot the seemingly innocuous spiral galaxy Messier 77 (M77), a bright but dusty mass of stars that sits 47 million light-years from Earth. Hidden under this dust is a supermassive black hole that is powering intense radiation from the surrounding gas. Now the IceCube Collaboration reports that they have found evidence that this galaxy is also a source of high-energy cosmic neutrinos [1]. Collaboration members say that the finding paves the way to using cosmic neutrinos for astrophysical measurements that could help solve the origin of cosmic rays, the Universe’s highest-energy particles, and help solve mysteries about cosmic rays and dark matter.
Click to expand...

physics.aps.org

Neutrino Astronomy Enters a New Era

Using the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, researchers have found significant evidence of a cosmic source of high-energy neutrinos.
physics.aps.org physics.aps.org

Here’s the related paper:

 
Grey Havoc said:
www.space.com

Record breaker! Newfound black hole is closest known to Earth

Gaia BH1 is just 1,560 light-years from our planet.
www.space.com www.space.com


www.space.com

Astronomers have detected another 'planet killer' asteroid. Could we miss one coming our way?

If you surfed the web this morning, you may have seen news of the latest existential threat to humanity: a “planet killer” asteroid named 2022 AP7.
www.space.com www.space.com
Click to expand...

Just as long as the new Black Hole does not approach the Solar System then there is nothing to worry about.
 
A powerful (and likely young) radio-loud quasar at z=5.3

We present the discovery of PSO J191.05696+86.43172 (hereafter PSO J191+86), a new powerful radio-loud quasar (QSO) in the early Universe (z = 5.32). We discovered it by cross-matching the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) radio catalog at 1.4 GHz with the first data release of the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS PS1) in the optical. With a NVSS flux density of 74.2 mJy, PSO J191+86 is one of the brightest radio QSO discovered at z∼5. The intensity of its radio emission is also confirmed by the very high value of radio loudness (R>300). The observed radio spectrum of PSO J191+86 shows a possible turnover around ∼1 GHz (i.e., ∼6 GHz in the rest frame), making it a Gigahertz-Peaked Spectrum (GPS) source. However, variability could affect the real shape of the radio spectrum, since the data in hand have been taken ∼25 years apart. By assuming a peak of the observed radio spectrum between 1 and 2 GHz (i.e. ∼ 6 and 13 GHz in the rest-frame) we found a linear size of the source of ∼10-30 pc and a corresponding kinetic age of 150-460 yr. This would make PSO J191+86 a newly born radio source. However, the large X-ray luminosity (5.3×1045 erg s−1), the flat X-ray photon index (ΓX=1.32) and the optical-X-ray spectral index (αox~=1.329) are typical of blazars. This could indicate that the non-thermal emission of PSO J191+86 is Doppler boosted. Further radio observations (both on arcsec and parsec scales) are necessary to better investigate the nature of this powerful radio QSO.

 
The GMRT High Resolution Southern Sky Survey for pulsars and transients − IV: Discovery of 4 new pulsars with an FFA search

The fast Fourier transform (FFT) based periodicity search methods provide an efficient way to search for millisecond and binary pulsars but encounter significant sensitivity degradation while searching for long period and short duty cycle pulsars. An alternative to FFT-based search methods called the Fast Folding Algorithm (FFA) search, provides superior sensitivity to search for signals with long periods and short duty cycles. In the GMRT High Resolution Southern Sky (GHRSS) survey, we are using an FFA-based pipeline to search for isolated pulsars in a period range of 100 ms to 100 s. We have processed 2800 degree2 of the sky coverage away from the Galactic plane and discovered 6 new pulsars. Here, we report the discovery of 4 of these pulsars with the FFA search pipeline. This includes a narrow duty cycle pulsar, J1936−30, which shows nulling behavior with an extreme nulling fraction of ∼90%. Two of the GHRSS discoveries from the FFA search lie in narrow duty cycle ranges beyond the limit of the existing population. The implementation of FFA search in the GHRSS survey and other pulsar surveys is expected to recover the missing population of long period and short duty cycle pulsars.

 

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