Tags archives: space

 

Spin up of a Supermassive Black Hole

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Illustration Credit: Robert Hurt, NASA/JPL-Caltech

Illustration Credit: Robert Hurt, NASA/JPL-Caltech

How fast can a black hole spin? If any object made of regular matter spins too fast — it breaks apart. But a black hole might not be able to break apart — and its maximum spin rate is really unknown. Theorists usually model rapidly rotating black holes with the Kerr solution to Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, which predicts several amazing and unusual things.

 

 

Galaxy Collisions: Simulation vs Observations

 
 

What happens when two galaxies collide? Although it may take over a billion years, such titanic clashes are quite common. Since galaxies are mostly empty space, no internal stars are likely to themselves collide. Rather the gravitation of each galaxy will distort or destroy the other galaxy, and the galaxies may eventually merge to form a single larger galaxy. Expansive gas and dust clouds collide and trigger waves of star formation that complete even during the interaction process. Pictured above is a computer simulation of two large spiral galaxies colliding, interspersed with real still images taken by theHubble Space Telescope. Our own Milky Way Galaxy has absorbed several smaller galaxies during its existence and is even projected to merge with the larger neighboring Andromeda galaxy in a few billion years.

 

Kepler's Supernova Remnant in X-Rays

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Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/NCSU/M. Burkey et al. Optical: DSS

Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/NCSU/M. Burkey et al. Optical: DSS

What caused this mess? Some type of star exploded to create the unusually shaped nebula known as Kepler’s supernova remnant, but which type? Light from the stellar explosion that created this energized cosmic cloud was first seen on planet Earth in October 1604, a mere four hundred years ago. The supernova produced a bright new star in early 17th century skies within the constellation Ophiuchus. It was studied by astronomer Johannes Kepler and his contemporaries, without the benefit of a telescope, as they searched for an explanation of the heavenly apparition. Armed with a modern understanding of stellar evolution, early 21st century astronomers continue to explore the expanding debris cloud, but can now use orbiting space telescopes to survey Kepler’s supernova remnant (SNR)across the spectrum.

 

 

Horsehead sculpted in dust

 
 

From Hubblecast, the unveiling of Hubble’s 23rd Anniversary image: a stunning new image of one of the most distinctive objects in our skies: the Horsehead Nebula. This image shows the nebula in a whole new light, capturing plumes of gas in the infrared and revealing a beautiful, delicate structure that is normally obscured by dust.

 

 

Hypnotic solar explosions in 4k

 
 

To the naked eye, our sun is an unremarkable ball of heat and light. Under the eye of the Solar Dynamics Observatory, or S.D.O, the Sun’s activity is revealed under various spectrums of light. See incredibly detailed coronal mass ejections, bursts, and solar flares. Let the immense power of the sun immerse and mesmerize you [...]

 

MWC 922: The Red Square Nebula

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Image Credit & Copyright: Peter Tuthill (Sydney U.) & James Lloyd (Cornell)

Image Credit & Copyright: Peter Tuthill (Sydney U.) & James Lloyd (Cornell)

What could cause a nebula to appear square? No one is quite sure. The hot star system known as MWC 922, however, appears to be embedded in a nebula with just such a shape. The above image combines infrared exposures from the Hale Telescope on Mt. Palomar in California, and the Keck-2 Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

 

NGC 5189: An unusually complex planetary Nebula

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Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Why is this nebula so complex? When a star like our Sun is dying, it will cast off its outer layers, usually into a simple overall shape. Sometimes this shape is a sphere, sometimes a double lobe, and sometimes a ring or a helix. In the case of planetary nebula NGC 5189, however, no such simple structure has emerged.