Hubble’s closest look at a quasar reveals … weirdness

View larger. | This is the Hubble Space Telescope’s new view of the quasar 3C 273, 2.5 billion light-years away. We can see various filaments and blobs, and the long L-shaped filament on the right in particular. It may be the result of small galaxies being devoured by the central supermassive black hole in the galaxy where the quasar resides. Image via NASA/ ESA/ Bin Ren (Université Côte d’Azur/CNRS)/ Hubblesite.

• Quasars are intensely bright objects in the centers of distant young galaxies. Supermassive black holes power them. Despite being billions of light-years away, their blinding light obscures other details when viewed in telescopes.
• NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has now taken the closest look yet at a quasar. It is one of the closest quasars, at 2.5 billion light-years from Earth.
• The new images reveal ‘weird things’ such as blobs and filaments near the quasar. One filament in particular is shaped like a giant L.

Looking for a Christmas gift for someone who loves astronomy? The 2025 EarthSky Lunar Calendar is now available. Get yours today!

Close look at a quasar reveals weirdness

Quasars are extremely bright objects in the centers of young galaxies. They are powered by supermassive black holes. Astronomers know of about a million of them now. Being incredibly far away, however, quasars still just look like pinpoints of light. But on December 5, 2024, NASA shared the Hubble Space Telescope’s closest-ever look at a quasar. The new images reveal a lot of “weird things,” including L-shaped filaments and blobs of various sizes.

Hubble took the closest look yet at the first known quasar.

Called 3C 273, this quasar is a brightly glowing galactic center powered by a black hole consuming material.

This helped astronomers open up a new gateway into better understanding quasars: https://t.co/16gBOXtWU5 pic.twitter.com/zvmWCWCWFo

— Hubble (@NASAHubble) December 5, 2024

Closest-ever look at a quasar

Quasars are powerful, emitting thousands of times as much energy as all the stars in a galaxy. However, they are so far away that they still just look like pinpoints of light in telescopes. That’s why astronomers refer to them as quasi-stellar objects. But if you could travel to a quasar, you would see the center of the young galaxy glowing intensely bright. Quasars are powered by supermassive black holes at the centers of these galaxies. They glow brightly as the black holes consume material in the region.

Now, Hubble has taken a new and closer look at a quasar called 3C 273. Astronomer Maarten Schmidt first discovered it in 1963. It is an incredible 2.5 billion light-years from Earth. So, what did Hubble see?

The astronomers said the new views showed a lot of “weird things.” Bin Ren of the Côte d’Azur Observatory and Université Côte d’Azur in Nice, France, said:

We’ve got a few blobs of different sizes, and a mysterious L-shaped filamentary structure. This is all within 16,000 light-years of the black hole.

” /> Here are 2 views of quasar 3C 273 from Hubble. In the bottom image, a coronagraph blocks out the central glare from the middle of the quasar. By doing this, astronomers can see many more fine details. Image via NASA/ ESA/ Bin Ren (Université Côte d’Azur/ CNRS)/ Hubblesite.

Hints of an active environment

Hubble showed hints of significant activity around quasars as early as 1994. The galaxies that hosted the quasars and black holes would collide with other nearby galaxies. As a result, the debris would then fall back onto the black holes, giving them more energy. The black holes, in turn, then continue to power the quasars. So there is a lot of activity around quasars.

Like staring into blinding headlights

Despite the immense distances to quasars, when Hubble looked at 3C 273, it was like staring into the blinding headlights of a car. Indeed, that makes it difficult to see any surrounding details in images.

So Hubble used its Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) instrument as a coronagraph to block out the main glare coming from the quasar. As a result, astronomers could see details eight times closer to the central black hole than previously. And this helped them see details they couldn’t before.

Artist’s concept of pair of quasars – bright, active galaxies – merging. Scientists saw these quasars merging only 900 million years after the Big Bang, in a time period known as the Cosmic Dawn. This makes the merging quasars the most distant merging pair known and the first pair astronomers have seen at the Cosmic Dawn. Image via International Gemini Observatory/ NOIRLab/ NSF/ AURA/ M. Garlick.

Blobs, filaments and jets

The new images revealed just how complex the region around the quasar is.

The researchers saw filaments and blobs around the quasar and black hole. The long L-shaped filament may be the result of small galaxies being devoured by the central supermassive black hole in the galaxy where the quasar resides.

In addition, the observations also provided a better look at a 300,000-light-year-long extragalactic jet of material coming from the quasar. The researchers compared the new images to older ones from Hubble and determined that material in the jet moves faster when it is farther away from the quasar.

As Ren said:

With the fine spatial structures and jet motion, Hubble bridged a gap between the small-scale radio interferometry and large-scale optical imaging observations, and thus we can take an observational step towards a more complete understanding of quasar host morphology. Our previous view was very limited, but Hubble is allowing us to understand the complicated quasar morphology and galactic interactions in detail. In the future, looking further at 3C 273 in infrared light with the James Webb Space Telescope might give us more clues.

More quasars in the early universe

The approximately 1 million known quasars sounds like a lot, and it is. But astronomers say there used to be even more of them earlier in the lifetime of the universe, about 3 billion years ago. At that time, there were more collisions occurring between galaxies. Astronomers also now know that some quasars merged together in the early universe, as early as 900 million years after the Big Bang.

Bottom line: NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has taken the closest-ever look at a distant quasar. The new images reveal complex blobs and filaments around the quasar.

Via Hubblesite

Read more: 1st pair of merging quasars seen at Cosmic Dawn

Read more: Do galaxy collisions power quasars? Will our Milky Way become a quasar?

The post Hubble’s closest look at a quasar reveals … weirdness first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/NFKkbOw

View larger. | This is the Hubble Space Telescope’s new view of the quasar 3C 273, 2.5 billion light-years away. We can see various filaments and blobs, and the long L-shaped filament on the right in particular. It may be the result of small galaxies being devoured by the central supermassive black hole in the galaxy where the quasar resides. Image via NASA/ ESA/ Bin Ren (Université Côte d’Azur/CNRS)/ Hubblesite.

• Quasars are intensely bright objects in the centers of distant young galaxies. Supermassive black holes power them. Despite being billions of light-years away, their blinding light obscures other details when viewed in telescopes.
• NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has now taken the closest look yet at a quasar. It is one of the closest quasars, at 2.5 billion light-years from Earth.
• The new images reveal ‘weird things’ such as blobs and filaments near the quasar. One filament in particular is shaped like a giant L.

Looking for a Christmas gift for someone who loves astronomy? The 2025 EarthSky Lunar Calendar is now available. Get yours today!

Close look at a quasar reveals weirdness

Quasars are extremely bright objects in the centers of young galaxies. They are powered by supermassive black holes. Astronomers know of about a million of them now. Being incredibly far away, however, quasars still just look like pinpoints of light. But on December 5, 2024, NASA shared the Hubble Space Telescope’s closest-ever look at a quasar. The new images reveal a lot of “weird things,” including L-shaped filaments and blobs of various sizes.

Hubble took the closest look yet at the first known quasar.

Called 3C 273, this quasar is a brightly glowing galactic center powered by a black hole consuming material.

This helped astronomers open up a new gateway into better understanding quasars: https://t.co/16gBOXtWU5 pic.twitter.com/zvmWCWCWFo

— Hubble (@NASAHubble) December 5, 2024

Closest-ever look at a quasar

Quasars are powerful, emitting thousands of times as much energy as all the stars in a galaxy. However, they are so far away that they still just look like pinpoints of light in telescopes. That’s why astronomers refer to them as quasi-stellar objects. But if you could travel to a quasar, you would see the center of the young galaxy glowing intensely bright. Quasars are powered by supermassive black holes at the centers of these galaxies. They glow brightly as the black holes consume material in the region.

Now, Hubble has taken a new and closer look at a quasar called 3C 273. Astronomer Maarten Schmidt first discovered it in 1963. It is an incredible 2.5 billion light-years from Earth. So, what did Hubble see?

The astronomers said the new views showed a lot of “weird things.” Bin Ren of the Côte d’Azur Observatory and Université Côte d’Azur in Nice, France, said:

We’ve got a few blobs of different sizes, and a mysterious L-shaped filamentary structure. This is all within 16,000 light-years of the black hole.

” /> Here are 2 views of quasar 3C 273 from Hubble. In the bottom image, a coronagraph blocks out the central glare from the middle of the quasar. By doing this, astronomers can see many more fine details. Image via NASA/ ESA/ Bin Ren (Université Côte d’Azur/ CNRS)/ Hubblesite.

Hints of an active environment

Hubble showed hints of significant activity around quasars as early as 1994. The galaxies that hosted the quasars and black holes would collide with other nearby galaxies. As a result, the debris would then fall back onto the black holes, giving them more energy. The black holes, in turn, then continue to power the quasars. So there is a lot of activity around quasars.

Like staring into blinding headlights

Despite the immense distances to quasars, when Hubble looked at 3C 273, it was like staring into the blinding headlights of a car. Indeed, that makes it difficult to see any surrounding details in images.

So Hubble used its Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) instrument as a coronagraph to block out the main glare coming from the quasar. As a result, astronomers could see details eight times closer to the central black hole than previously. And this helped them see details they couldn’t before.

Artist’s concept of pair of quasars – bright, active galaxies – merging. Scientists saw these quasars merging only 900 million years after the Big Bang, in a time period known as the Cosmic Dawn. This makes the merging quasars the most distant merging pair known and the first pair astronomers have seen at the Cosmic Dawn. Image via International Gemini Observatory/ NOIRLab/ NSF/ AURA/ M. Garlick.

Blobs, filaments and jets

The new images revealed just how complex the region around the quasar is.

The researchers saw filaments and blobs around the quasar and black hole. The long L-shaped filament may be the result of small galaxies being devoured by the central supermassive black hole in the galaxy where the quasar resides.

In addition, the observations also provided a better look at a 300,000-light-year-long extragalactic jet of material coming from the quasar. The researchers compared the new images to older ones from Hubble and determined that material in the jet moves faster when it is farther away from the quasar.

As Ren said:

With the fine spatial structures and jet motion, Hubble bridged a gap between the small-scale radio interferometry and large-scale optical imaging observations, and thus we can take an observational step towards a more complete understanding of quasar host morphology. Our previous view was very limited, but Hubble is allowing us to understand the complicated quasar morphology and galactic interactions in detail. In the future, looking further at 3C 273 in infrared light with the James Webb Space Telescope might give us more clues.

More quasars in the early universe

The approximately 1 million known quasars sounds like a lot, and it is. But astronomers say there used to be even more of them earlier in the lifetime of the universe, about 3 billion years ago. At that time, there were more collisions occurring between galaxies. Astronomers also now know that some quasars merged together in the early universe, as early as 900 million years after the Big Bang.

Bottom line: NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has taken the closest-ever look at a distant quasar. The new images reveal complex blobs and filaments around the quasar.

Via Hubblesite

Read more: 1st pair of merging quasars seen at Cosmic Dawn

Read more: Do galaxy collisions power quasars? Will our Milky Way become a quasar?

The post Hubble’s closest look at a quasar reveals … weirdness first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/NFKkbOw

Seals ride icebergs strategically to scoot around seas

The 2025 EarthSky lunar calendar makes a great gift. Get yours today!

Scientists have learned that seals ride icebergs strategically to scoot around Earth’s seas. They’ve learned that seal moms in icy parts of Earth’s globe use icebergs shed by glaciers as safe platforms to give birth and care for their young. The moms prefer stable, slower-moving bergs when caring for their newborn seal pups. Then, in the molting season, the moms and the rest of the seal population appear to move to speedier ice near the best foraging grounds. So, seals opt for different types of icebergs, depending on the time of year and their purposes. That’s according to a new study presented at this week’s American Geophysical Union meeting in Washington, D.C.

Lynn Kaluzienski, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alaska Southeast, shared her findings about seals and icebergs on December 10, 2024.

She explained how climate change affects glaciers and, consequently, the icebergs and seals that depend on these large blocks of ice in their daily lives.

Mom seals prefer slow, stable icebergs, where they care for their pups. However, seals prefer faster-moving icebergs for feeding. Image via Héloïse Delbos/ Unsplash.

Seals ride icebergs, but which ones?

When an iceberg breaks off from a glacier, its speed and trajectory are affected by many factors, including wind, ocean currents and freshwater runoff flowing from a glacier’s base. For example, a jet of fresh water, called a plume, is more buoyant than salty ocean water in a fjord, which is a inlet to the sea with steep sides or cliffs, often created by glaciers. The freshwater plume brings plankton and fish to the water’s surface, creating a moving buffet that seals can eat while riding aboard the icebergs.

The researchers used remote sensing data to find these plumes and compared them to where icebergs and seals were found during the pupping season in June and molting season in August.

They found that during the pupping season, seals were more likely to be on slow-moving icebergs, with speeds slower than 7 to 8 inches (about 0.2 meters) per second. In contrast, during the molting season, seals were increasingly likely to be on faster-moving icebergs, in or near the plume.

Lynn Kaluzienski led the new study showing that seals ride icebergs to get around the seas. Image via Inspiringgirls.org.

How does climate change affect seals?

The study focused on harbor seals and icebergs in Johns Hopkins Inlet and Glacier, located in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. Johns Hopkins is one of the few glaciers on Earth that is getting thicker and flowing into the fjord instead of retreating due to global warming.

This is due, in part, to its terminal moraine. A terminal moraine consists of crushed rock and other sediments blocking the front of the glacier from warmer ocean water, which would increase the rate of melt.

But that wall of sediment reduces the number of icebergs the glacier dumps into the fjord. Fewer icebergs means less habitat for seals, so it’s crucial for researchers to understand how seals use the icebergs they have at their disposal.

New research shows that as glaciers change with the climate, the resulting changes in size, speed and number of icebergs affect the seals’ icy habitat.

Fewer icebergs means less habitat for seals, so it’s crucial for researchers to understand how seals use the icebergs. Image via Jamie Womble/ NPS/ AGU.

Why is this study important?

Kaluzienski, university colleagues, and collaborators from the U.S. National Park Service spent the past few years documenting variations in iceberg and seal distribution in the fjord. They used time-lapse cameras and aerial photographic surveys.

According to Kaluzienski:

Our work provides a direct link between a glacier’s advance and seals’ distribution and behavior. Interdisciplinary studies like this one coupled with long-term monitoring campaigns will be important to understand how climate change will influence tidewater glacier fjord ecosystems in the future.

Kaluzienski added:

Icebergs are found throughout the fjord in regions of fast flow, within eddies, and close to the glacier. We wanted to understand which of these areas seals were using and how this habitat is changing in response to advances at the glacier front and reduction in iceberg numbers.

Climate change affects the glaciers and, consequently, the icebergs and seal habitat. This new study will help better understand seals’ distribution and behavior. Image via Robert Thiemann/ Unsplash.

Bottom line: Surfers love to ride waves, and seals prefer to ride icebergs … but not any iceberg. Depending on the time of year, they prefer steady, slow icebergs and other times fast ones.

Via AGU

Read more: Carnivorous wolves have a sweet tooth: Lifeform of the week

The post Seals ride icebergs strategically to scoot around seas first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/OhUwgA3

The 2025 EarthSky lunar calendar makes a great gift. Get yours today!

Scientists have learned that seals ride icebergs strategically to scoot around Earth’s seas. They’ve learned that seal moms in icy parts of Earth’s globe use icebergs shed by glaciers as safe platforms to give birth and care for their young. The moms prefer stable, slower-moving bergs when caring for their newborn seal pups. Then, in the molting season, the moms and the rest of the seal population appear to move to speedier ice near the best foraging grounds. So, seals opt for different types of icebergs, depending on the time of year and their purposes. That’s according to a new study presented at this week’s American Geophysical Union meeting in Washington, D.C.

Lynn Kaluzienski, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alaska Southeast, shared her findings about seals and icebergs on December 10, 2024.

She explained how climate change affects glaciers and, consequently, the icebergs and seals that depend on these large blocks of ice in their daily lives.

Mom seals prefer slow, stable icebergs, where they care for their pups. However, seals prefer faster-moving icebergs for feeding. Image via Héloïse Delbos/ Unsplash.

Seals ride icebergs, but which ones?

When an iceberg breaks off from a glacier, its speed and trajectory are affected by many factors, including wind, ocean currents and freshwater runoff flowing from a glacier’s base. For example, a jet of fresh water, called a plume, is more buoyant than salty ocean water in a fjord, which is a inlet to the sea with steep sides or cliffs, often created by glaciers. The freshwater plume brings plankton and fish to the water’s surface, creating a moving buffet that seals can eat while riding aboard the icebergs.

The researchers used remote sensing data to find these plumes and compared them to where icebergs and seals were found during the pupping season in June and molting season in August.

They found that during the pupping season, seals were more likely to be on slow-moving icebergs, with speeds slower than 7 to 8 inches (about 0.2 meters) per second. In contrast, during the molting season, seals were increasingly likely to be on faster-moving icebergs, in or near the plume.

Lynn Kaluzienski led the new study showing that seals ride icebergs to get around the seas. Image via Inspiringgirls.org.

How does climate change affect seals?

The study focused on harbor seals and icebergs in Johns Hopkins Inlet and Glacier, located in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. Johns Hopkins is one of the few glaciers on Earth that is getting thicker and flowing into the fjord instead of retreating due to global warming.

This is due, in part, to its terminal moraine. A terminal moraine consists of crushed rock and other sediments blocking the front of the glacier from warmer ocean water, which would increase the rate of melt.

But that wall of sediment reduces the number of icebergs the glacier dumps into the fjord. Fewer icebergs means less habitat for seals, so it’s crucial for researchers to understand how seals use the icebergs they have at their disposal.

New research shows that as glaciers change with the climate, the resulting changes in size, speed and number of icebergs affect the seals’ icy habitat.

Fewer icebergs means less habitat for seals, so it’s crucial for researchers to understand how seals use the icebergs. Image via Jamie Womble/ NPS/ AGU.

Why is this study important?

Kaluzienski, university colleagues, and collaborators from the U.S. National Park Service spent the past few years documenting variations in iceberg and seal distribution in the fjord. They used time-lapse cameras and aerial photographic surveys.

According to Kaluzienski:

Our work provides a direct link between a glacier’s advance and seals’ distribution and behavior. Interdisciplinary studies like this one coupled with long-term monitoring campaigns will be important to understand how climate change will influence tidewater glacier fjord ecosystems in the future.

Kaluzienski added:

Icebergs are found throughout the fjord in regions of fast flow, within eddies, and close to the glacier. We wanted to understand which of these areas seals were using and how this habitat is changing in response to advances at the glacier front and reduction in iceberg numbers.

Climate change affects the glaciers and, consequently, the icebergs and seal habitat. This new study will help better understand seals’ distribution and behavior. Image via Robert Thiemann/ Unsplash.

Bottom line: Surfers love to ride waves, and seals prefer to ride icebergs … but not any iceberg. Depending on the time of year, they prefer steady, slow icebergs and other times fast ones.

Via AGU

Read more: Carnivorous wolves have a sweet tooth: Lifeform of the week

The post Seals ride icebergs strategically to scoot around seas first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/OhUwgA3

The Orion Nebula (M42) is a starry nursery

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Randy Strauss in Papillion, Nebraska, captured this telescopic view of the Orion Nebula on March 4, 2024. Thank you, Randy! The Orion Nebula is one of the most familiar celestial objects, easily visible to the unaided eye below the 3 stars of Orion’s Belt. But it’s a vast stellar nursery, a place where new stars are forming.

The 2025 EarthSky Lunar Calendar is now available! A unique and beautiful poster-sized calendar. Makes a great gift. Get yours today!

Orion the Hunter is the most noticeable of all constellations. The three stars of Orion’s Belt jump out at you as a short, straight row of medium-bright stars, midway between Orion’s two brightest stars, Betelgeuse and Rigel. Once you find the Belt stars, you can also locate the Orion Nebula, otherwise known as M42. When you look at it, you’re gazing toward a stellar nursery, a place where new stars are born.

How to locate the Orion Nebula

If you want to find this famous nebula, first you have to locate the constellation Orion. Fortunately, that’s easy, if you’re looking at the right time of year. The Northern Hemisphere winter months (Southern Hemisphere summer months) are the perfect time to come to know Orion.

First, look for the three medium-bright stars in a short, straight row. These stars represent Orion’s Belt.

Next, if you look closely, you’ll notice a curved line of stars “hanging” from the three Belt stars. These stars represent Orion’s Sword. Look for the Orion Nebula about midway down in the Sword of Orion.

As a general rule, the higher the constellation Orion is in the sky, the easier it is to see the Orion Nebula. From Northern Hemisphere locations, Orion is due south and highest in the sky around midnight in the middle of December. The stars return to the same place in the sky some four minutes earlier each night, or two hours earlier each month. So look for Orion to be highest up around 10 p.m. in mid-January and 8 p.m. in mid-February.

Another time people notice Orion is around the months of August and September, when this constellation appears in the east before dawn.

Orion the Hunter – visible to both hemispheres – rises in the east on December evenings. Chart via Chelynne Campion/ EarthSky.

A globe of luminescent fog

Most nebulae – clouds of interstellar gas and dust – are difficult if not impossible to see with the unaided eye or even binoculars. But the Orion Nebula is in a class nearly all by itself. It’s visible to the unaided eye on a dark, moonless night. To me, it looks like a star encased in a globe of luminescent fog. The star-gazing aficionado Stephen James O’Meara described it as:

… angel’s breath against a frosted sky.

In a dark-sky location, observe the Orion Nebula for yourself to see what it looks like. A backyard telescope, or even binoculars, will do wonders to showcase one of the greatest celestial treasures in the winter sky.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Miguel Ventura in Fafe, Portugal, captured this image on August 28, 2022, and wrote: “Every now and then the night sky offers us moments like this. We can see the Pleiades and the constellation Taurus with the planet Mars between these 2 … below near the horizon the imposing constellation Orion appears.” Thank you, Miguel! Can you see the expanded glow around one of the Sword stars? That’s M42, the Orion Nebula.

Science and the Orion Nebula

According to modern astronomers, the Orion Nebula is an enormous cloud of gas and dust, one of many in our Milky Way galaxy. It lies roughly 1,300 light-years from Earth.

At some 30 light-years in diameter, this great nebulous cocoon is giving birth to perhaps a thousand stars. A young open star cluster, whose stars were born together in the gas cloud and are still loosely bound by gravity, appears within the nebula. Some people refer to it as the Orion Nebula Star Cluster. In 2012, an international team of astronomers suggested this cluster in the Orion Nebula might have a black hole at its heart.

Through small telescopes you can see the four brightest stars in the Orion Nebula, known as the Trapezium. The light of the young, hot Trapezium stars illuminate the Orion Nebula. These stars are only a million or so years old, babies on the scale of star lifetimes.

But most of the stars in this emerging cluster are veiled behind the Orion Nebula itself, the great stellar nursery in Orion’s Sword.

The Orion Nebula’s position is Right Ascension: 5h 35m; Declination: 5 degrees 23′ south.

Bottom line: The Orion Nebula appears to the eye as a tiny, hazy spot. But it’s a vast stellar nursery, a place where new stars are forming.

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The post The Orion Nebula (M42) is a starry nursery first appeared on EarthSky.

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View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Randy Strauss in Papillion, Nebraska, captured this telescopic view of the Orion Nebula on March 4, 2024. Thank you, Randy! The Orion Nebula is one of the most familiar celestial objects, easily visible to the unaided eye below the 3 stars of Orion’s Belt. But it’s a vast stellar nursery, a place where new stars are forming.

The 2025 EarthSky Lunar Calendar is now available! A unique and beautiful poster-sized calendar. Makes a great gift. Get yours today!

Orion the Hunter is the most noticeable of all constellations. The three stars of Orion’s Belt jump out at you as a short, straight row of medium-bright stars, midway between Orion’s two brightest stars, Betelgeuse and Rigel. Once you find the Belt stars, you can also locate the Orion Nebula, otherwise known as M42. When you look at it, you’re gazing toward a stellar nursery, a place where new stars are born.

How to locate the Orion Nebula

If you want to find this famous nebula, first you have to locate the constellation Orion. Fortunately, that’s easy, if you’re looking at the right time of year. The Northern Hemisphere winter months (Southern Hemisphere summer months) are the perfect time to come to know Orion.

First, look for the three medium-bright stars in a short, straight row. These stars represent Orion’s Belt.

Next, if you look closely, you’ll notice a curved line of stars “hanging” from the three Belt stars. These stars represent Orion’s Sword. Look for the Orion Nebula about midway down in the Sword of Orion.

As a general rule, the higher the constellation Orion is in the sky, the easier it is to see the Orion Nebula. From Northern Hemisphere locations, Orion is due south and highest in the sky around midnight in the middle of December. The stars return to the same place in the sky some four minutes earlier each night, or two hours earlier each month. So look for Orion to be highest up around 10 p.m. in mid-January and 8 p.m. in mid-February.

Another time people notice Orion is around the months of August and September, when this constellation appears in the east before dawn.

Orion the Hunter – visible to both hemispheres – rises in the east on December evenings. Chart via Chelynne Campion/ EarthSky.

A globe of luminescent fog

Most nebulae – clouds of interstellar gas and dust – are difficult if not impossible to see with the unaided eye or even binoculars. But the Orion Nebula is in a class nearly all by itself. It’s visible to the unaided eye on a dark, moonless night. To me, it looks like a star encased in a globe of luminescent fog. The star-gazing aficionado Stephen James O’Meara described it as:

… angel’s breath against a frosted sky.

In a dark-sky location, observe the Orion Nebula for yourself to see what it looks like. A backyard telescope, or even binoculars, will do wonders to showcase one of the greatest celestial treasures in the winter sky.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Miguel Ventura in Fafe, Portugal, captured this image on August 28, 2022, and wrote: “Every now and then the night sky offers us moments like this. We can see the Pleiades and the constellation Taurus with the planet Mars between these 2 … below near the horizon the imposing constellation Orion appears.” Thank you, Miguel! Can you see the expanded glow around one of the Sword stars? That’s M42, the Orion Nebula.

Science and the Orion Nebula

According to modern astronomers, the Orion Nebula is an enormous cloud of gas and dust, one of many in our Milky Way galaxy. It lies roughly 1,300 light-years from Earth.

At some 30 light-years in diameter, this great nebulous cocoon is giving birth to perhaps a thousand stars. A young open star cluster, whose stars were born together in the gas cloud and are still loosely bound by gravity, appears within the nebula. Some people refer to it as the Orion Nebula Star Cluster. In 2012, an international team of astronomers suggested this cluster in the Orion Nebula might have a black hole at its heart.

Through small telescopes you can see the four brightest stars in the Orion Nebula, known as the Trapezium. The light of the young, hot Trapezium stars illuminate the Orion Nebula. These stars are only a million or so years old, babies on the scale of star lifetimes.

But most of the stars in this emerging cluster are veiled behind the Orion Nebula itself, the great stellar nursery in Orion’s Sword.

The Orion Nebula’s position is Right Ascension: 5h 35m; Declination: 5 degrees 23′ south.

Bottom line: The Orion Nebula appears to the eye as a tiny, hazy spot. But it’s a vast stellar nursery, a place where new stars are forming.

Enjoying EarthSky? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

The post The Orion Nebula (M42) is a starry nursery first appeared on EarthSky.

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Webb finds smallest asteroids yet in the asteroid belt

Artist’s depiction of the Webb Space Telescope scanning the asteroid belt in infrared, looking for the smallest asteroids. Now, Webb has found 138 of them. The MIT team used a new method of shifting and stacking images to find them. In fact, it’s the same method used to observe the 7 Earth-sized TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets. Image via Ella Maru/ Julien de Wit/ MIT (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

• The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter contains millions of asteroids. The largest are a few hundred miles across. How big are the smallest ones?
• Astronomers have discovered 138 of the smallest asteroids found so far in the asteroid belt. They range from bus to stadium size, with the smallest about 10 meters (33 feet) across.
• The astronomers, led by MIT, used a new imaging technique and data from the Webb space telescope to find the little asteroids.

The millions of asteroids in the main asteroid belt between the 4th planet Mars and and 5th planet Jupiter are known to range in size. The largest, like asteroid Vesta, are a few hundred miles across. But how small are the smallest ones? On December 9, 2024, researchers led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), using NASA’s Webb Space Telescope, said they’ve discovered the smallest asteroids found so far in the main belt, 138 of them. They range from bus to stadium size, with the smallest about 10 meters (33 feet) across. In addition, the researchers said that the new detection method can also help astronomers track small asteroids that could potentially hit Earth.

Looking for a Christmas gift for someone who loves astronomy? The 2025 EarthSky lunar calendar is unique, beautiful, and poster-sized. Makes a great gift!

New method to look for the smallest asteroids

How did the researchers find these little asteroids so far away? They devised a new method to look for small asteroids in the main asteroid belt. Interestingly, it uses a technique also used for finding exoplanets, or worlds orbiting distant stars. It’s the shifting and stacking imaging technique, first developed in the 1990s. Basically, multiple images of the same field of view are shifted and stacked to see whether an otherwise faint object can be discerned among the background noise. Finding small asteroids with this method isn’t easy.

Using this technique to search for asteroids, the researchers said, requires significant computer resources. That’s because astronomers need to test a large number of possible scenarios for where small asteroids are predicted to be. Altogether, they’d need to shift through thousands of images.

The first attempts used data from the SPECULOOS (Search for habitable Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars) survey. They used state-of-the-art graphics processing units that could process an enormous amount of imaging data at high speeds. For the second attempt, the team used data from a telescope in Antarctica. The results were promising, showing that many new asteroids could be discovered in this way.

New near-Earth asteroids

At first, the technique was used successfully in detecting new small asteroids closer to Earth. Now, the researchers have used the new method to search for small asteroids in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Lead author Artem Burdanov in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences said:

We have been able to detect near-Earth objects down to 10 meters in size when they are really close to Earth. We now have a way of spotting these small asteroids when they are much farther away, so we can do more precise orbital tracking, which is key for planetary defense [that is, in finding, tracking, and better understanding asteroids that could pose an impact hazard to Earth].

Astronomers have found the smallest asteroids ever detected in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. The team’s detection method, which identified 138 space rocks ranging from bus- to stadium-sized, could aid in tracking potential impacts. https://t.co/hX4bWspvqT pic.twitter.com/WH9RK8sWJ3

— Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (@MIT) December 10, 2024

Smallest asteroids found so far in the asteroid belt

For the new study, the researchers used data from the Webb Space Telescope. Webb is ideal, since it acquires images of space objects in infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye. And as it happens, asteroids in the main belt are easier to see in infrared. Additionally, the researchers used the same approach as for Webb’s observations of TRAPPIST-1, the now-famous system of seven Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting a red dwarf star some 39 light-years away. Astronomers also use the technique to search for evidence of atmospheres on those planets.

The team originally proved their method’s efficacy by finding eight known asteroids with the technique. Afterwards, they then discovered the 138 new small asteroids. All of them were within tens of meters in diameter. Co-author Julien de Wit at MIT said:

We thought we would just detect a few new objects, but we detected so many more than expected, especially small ones. It is a sign that we are probing a new population regime, where many more small objects are formed through cascades of collisions that are very efficient at breaking down asteroids below roughly 100 meters (330 feet).

Co-author Miroslav Broz at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, added:

Statistics of these decameter main belt asteroids are critical for modeling. In fact, this is the debris ejected during collisions of bigger, kilometers-sized asteroids, which are observable and often exhibit similar orbits about the sun, so that we group them into ‘families’ of asteroids.

Animated depiction of the Webb Space Telescope looking for new small asteroids. Image via Ella Maru/ Julien de Wit/ MIT (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

A new, unexplored space

The findings are a good example of how data can be used in different ways to make new discoveries. Indeed, it’s a “new, unexplored space,” as the researchers termed it. As Burdanov noted:

This is a totally new, unexplored space we are entering, thanks to modern technologies. It’s a good example of what we can do as a field when we look at the data differently. Sometimes there’s a big payoff, and this is one of them.

With this in mind, astronomers are also getting better at tracking asteroids that might pose a risk to Earth. They’ve now spotted nine asteroids before impact with Earth’s atmosphere. The most recent space rock spotted before it struck burned in the atmosphere up above the Philippines on September 5, 2024.

Bottom line: Astronomers have discovered 138 of the smallest asteroids to date in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. All of them are within tens of meters in size.

Source: JWST sighting of decameter main-belt asteroids and view on meteorite sources

Via MIT

Read more: We’re getting better at seeing asteroids that may hit Earth

Read more: Gaia spots over 350 asteroids with possible moons

The post Webb finds smallest asteroids yet in the asteroid belt first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/y4XMa2l

Artist’s depiction of the Webb Space Telescope scanning the asteroid belt in infrared, looking for the smallest asteroids. Now, Webb has found 138 of them. The MIT team used a new method of shifting and stacking images to find them. In fact, it’s the same method used to observe the 7 Earth-sized TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets. Image via Ella Maru/ Julien de Wit/ MIT (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

• The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter contains millions of asteroids. The largest are a few hundred miles across. How big are the smallest ones?
• Astronomers have discovered 138 of the smallest asteroids found so far in the asteroid belt. They range from bus to stadium size, with the smallest about 10 meters (33 feet) across.
• The astronomers, led by MIT, used a new imaging technique and data from the Webb space telescope to find the little asteroids.

The millions of asteroids in the main asteroid belt between the 4th planet Mars and and 5th planet Jupiter are known to range in size. The largest, like asteroid Vesta, are a few hundred miles across. But how small are the smallest ones? On December 9, 2024, researchers led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), using NASA’s Webb Space Telescope, said they’ve discovered the smallest asteroids found so far in the main belt, 138 of them. They range from bus to stadium size, with the smallest about 10 meters (33 feet) across. In addition, the researchers said that the new detection method can also help astronomers track small asteroids that could potentially hit Earth.

Looking for a Christmas gift for someone who loves astronomy? The 2025 EarthSky lunar calendar is unique, beautiful, and poster-sized. Makes a great gift!

New method to look for the smallest asteroids

How did the researchers find these little asteroids so far away? They devised a new method to look for small asteroids in the main asteroid belt. Interestingly, it uses a technique also used for finding exoplanets, or worlds orbiting distant stars. It’s the shifting and stacking imaging technique, first developed in the 1990s. Basically, multiple images of the same field of view are shifted and stacked to see whether an otherwise faint object can be discerned among the background noise. Finding small asteroids with this method isn’t easy.

Using this technique to search for asteroids, the researchers said, requires significant computer resources. That’s because astronomers need to test a large number of possible scenarios for where small asteroids are predicted to be. Altogether, they’d need to shift through thousands of images.

The first attempts used data from the SPECULOOS (Search for habitable Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars) survey. They used state-of-the-art graphics processing units that could process an enormous amount of imaging data at high speeds. For the second attempt, the team used data from a telescope in Antarctica. The results were promising, showing that many new asteroids could be discovered in this way.

New near-Earth asteroids

At first, the technique was used successfully in detecting new small asteroids closer to Earth. Now, the researchers have used the new method to search for small asteroids in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Lead author Artem Burdanov in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences said:

We have been able to detect near-Earth objects down to 10 meters in size when they are really close to Earth. We now have a way of spotting these small asteroids when they are much farther away, so we can do more precise orbital tracking, which is key for planetary defense [that is, in finding, tracking, and better understanding asteroids that could pose an impact hazard to Earth].

Astronomers have found the smallest asteroids ever detected in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. The team’s detection method, which identified 138 space rocks ranging from bus- to stadium-sized, could aid in tracking potential impacts. https://t.co/hX4bWspvqT pic.twitter.com/WH9RK8sWJ3

— Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (@MIT) December 10, 2024

Smallest asteroids found so far in the asteroid belt

For the new study, the researchers used data from the Webb Space Telescope. Webb is ideal, since it acquires images of space objects in infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye. And as it happens, asteroids in the main belt are easier to see in infrared. Additionally, the researchers used the same approach as for Webb’s observations of TRAPPIST-1, the now-famous system of seven Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting a red dwarf star some 39 light-years away. Astronomers also use the technique to search for evidence of atmospheres on those planets.

The team originally proved their method’s efficacy by finding eight known asteroids with the technique. Afterwards, they then discovered the 138 new small asteroids. All of them were within tens of meters in diameter. Co-author Julien de Wit at MIT said:

We thought we would just detect a few new objects, but we detected so many more than expected, especially small ones. It is a sign that we are probing a new population regime, where many more small objects are formed through cascades of collisions that are very efficient at breaking down asteroids below roughly 100 meters (330 feet).

Co-author Miroslav Broz at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, added:

Statistics of these decameter main belt asteroids are critical for modeling. In fact, this is the debris ejected during collisions of bigger, kilometers-sized asteroids, which are observable and often exhibit similar orbits about the sun, so that we group them into ‘families’ of asteroids.

Animated depiction of the Webb Space Telescope looking for new small asteroids. Image via Ella Maru/ Julien de Wit/ MIT (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

A new, unexplored space

The findings are a good example of how data can be used in different ways to make new discoveries. Indeed, it’s a “new, unexplored space,” as the researchers termed it. As Burdanov noted:

This is a totally new, unexplored space we are entering, thanks to modern technologies. It’s a good example of what we can do as a field when we look at the data differently. Sometimes there’s a big payoff, and this is one of them.

With this in mind, astronomers are also getting better at tracking asteroids that might pose a risk to Earth. They’ve now spotted nine asteroids before impact with Earth’s atmosphere. The most recent space rock spotted before it struck burned in the atmosphere up above the Philippines on September 5, 2024.

Bottom line: Astronomers have discovered 138 of the smallest asteroids to date in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. All of them are within tens of meters in size.

Source: JWST sighting of decameter main-belt asteroids and view on meteorite sources

Via MIT

Read more: We’re getting better at seeing asteroids that may hit Earth

Read more: Gaia spots over 350 asteroids with possible moons

The post Webb finds smallest asteroids yet in the asteroid belt first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/y4XMa2l

2024 December full moon is near Jupiter!

The December full moon – called the Cold Moon – will light up the night sky on December 14 and 15, 2024. Since the full moon will crest at 9:02 UTC on December 15, the moon will look full on two evenings – December 14 and 15 – for the Americas and western Europe. This full moon will lie close to blazingly bright Jupiter on these nights. Earth just passed between Jupiter and the sun on December 7 … so Jupiter is now generally opposite the sun … and so is the full moon. The twin stars Castor and Pollux will twinkle nearby. Chart via EarthSky.

The 2025 EarthSky lunar calendar makes a great gift. Get yours today!

When and where to look in 2024: For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the bright, round full moon will rise in the east around sunset for two successive nights: December 14 and 15.
The crest of the full moon will fall at 9:02 UTC on December 15. That’s 3:02 a.m. CST on December 15. And that’s also the moment when this month’s moon is most directly opposite the sun as seen from Earth. The moon is roundest on the day when it is full, but the day before and after, it appears almost, but not quite full.
Look for bright Jupiter near this full moon on both December 14 and December 15.

The full moon always lies opposite the sun. At full moon, the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned in space, with Earth in the middle. The moon’s day side – its fully lighted hemisphere – directly faces us. Chart via EarthSky.

December full moon mimics the June sun

Every full moon is more or less opposite the sun. And a full moon’s path through the night is opposite the sun’s path. So, this December full moon’s path roughly follows the sun’s daytime path from six months ago, or six months hence. No matter where you are on Earth, notice the moon’s path on either December 14 or 15. The Northern Hemisphere will see the December full moon rise to nearly the top of the sky, just as the sun does near the June solstice. The Southern Hemisphere will see a low moon, mimicking a low winter sun.

Arc of the December full moon. The high arc across the sky of the late December full moon closely matches that of the June sun. The low arc of the December sun closely matches that of the June full moon. Chart via EarthSky.

Here’s another way to look at it. In the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice has the least amount of daylight of the year. Since there’s still about 24 hours in a day no matter how much daylight there is, the shortest day means it must also be the longest night. So, for the moon to stay up all night and remain roughly opposite the sun, it needs to take a longer path across the sky. The higher an object crosses the sky, the longer its path and the longer it stays above the horizon.

Tracing the high path of the December full moon

To see for yourself, try this: Trace a line with your finger from east to west to emulate the sun’s path in December. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll be tracing a low arc above the southern horizon. If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, you’ll be tracing a high arc above the northern horizon. Then, with your finger, trace another path high overhead. Now you’re emulating the moon’s December path, and you’ll see it’s a longer path than the lower one.

And likewise, if you are in the Southern Hemisphere, trace a low arc to emulate the moon’s December path. Little by little, we can watch the two paths come back into balance. Each month, the full moon will cross the sky at a slightly lower arc than the previous month. Each successive full moon will take less time than the previous one to cross the sky.

What about an equinox moon?

At March’s full moon, which is near the Northern Hemisphere’s spring equinox, the two paths – of the moon and of the sun – will be nearly the same. Then, near the June solstice, those of us in the Northern Hemisphere will see the sun cross high overhead during the year’s longest days. And, during the short northern summer nights, we’ll see the moon cross a lower path on the sky dome and spend less time in the sky.

And on the cycle goes.

Names for the December full moon

Of course, now we see why sometimes the December’s full moon is called the Long Night Moon. But – like all full moons – the full moon of December has many nicknames: Long Night Moon, Full Cold Moon, and in Decembers when it falls before Christmas, Moon Before Yule. But no matter which name appeals to you, be sure to notice the moon’s high path!

Read more: A guide to traditional full moon names and their meanings

Last full moon of 2024

This full moon is the last full moon of 2024. It is also the last full moon of the Northern Hemisphere’s autumn and the Southern Hemisphere’s spring. Plus it is the closest full moon this year to the December solstice, occurring just one week before. This solstice marks the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. It lands at 9:21 UTC on December 21, 2024. That’s 3:21 a.m. CST on December 21, 2024.

December full moon in Gemini

The December full moon can lie in front of one of two constellations of the zodiac and occasionally two additional constellations. This year it lands at the foot of Gemini the Twins but in most years it falls in Taurus the Bull. And on December 20, 2029, it will occur in the constellation Orion. When it rises at 5:15 p.m. CST, the full moon will be in the middle of a total lunar eclipse!

The December 2024 full moon will occur in the early morning hours of December 15, and will lie in the constellation Gemini the Twins. Chart via EarthSky.

Enjoy December’s full moon!

Bottom line: The 2024 December full moon will occur in the early morning hours of December 15 near the bright planet Jupiter. The moon closely follows the path of the June sun. It will lie in the constellation Gemini the Twins near the twin stars Castor and Pollux.

The post 2024 December full moon is near Jupiter! first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/FNP4DsW

The December full moon – called the Cold Moon – will light up the night sky on December 14 and 15, 2024. Since the full moon will crest at 9:02 UTC on December 15, the moon will look full on two evenings – December 14 and 15 – for the Americas and western Europe. This full moon will lie close to blazingly bright Jupiter on these nights. Earth just passed between Jupiter and the sun on December 7 … so Jupiter is now generally opposite the sun … and so is the full moon. The twin stars Castor and Pollux will twinkle nearby. Chart via EarthSky.

The 2025 EarthSky lunar calendar makes a great gift. Get yours today!

When and where to look in 2024: For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the bright, round full moon will rise in the east around sunset for two successive nights: December 14 and 15.
The crest of the full moon will fall at 9:02 UTC on December 15. That’s 3:02 a.m. CST on December 15. And that’s also the moment when this month’s moon is most directly opposite the sun as seen from Earth. The moon is roundest on the day when it is full, but the day before and after, it appears almost, but not quite full.
Look for bright Jupiter near this full moon on both December 14 and December 15.

The full moon always lies opposite the sun. At full moon, the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned in space, with Earth in the middle. The moon’s day side – its fully lighted hemisphere – directly faces us. Chart via EarthSky.

December full moon mimics the June sun

Every full moon is more or less opposite the sun. And a full moon’s path through the night is opposite the sun’s path. So, this December full moon’s path roughly follows the sun’s daytime path from six months ago, or six months hence. No matter where you are on Earth, notice the moon’s path on either December 14 or 15. The Northern Hemisphere will see the December full moon rise to nearly the top of the sky, just as the sun does near the June solstice. The Southern Hemisphere will see a low moon, mimicking a low winter sun.

Arc of the December full moon. The high arc across the sky of the late December full moon closely matches that of the June sun. The low arc of the December sun closely matches that of the June full moon. Chart via EarthSky.

Here’s another way to look at it. In the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice has the least amount of daylight of the year. Since there’s still about 24 hours in a day no matter how much daylight there is, the shortest day means it must also be the longest night. So, for the moon to stay up all night and remain roughly opposite the sun, it needs to take a longer path across the sky. The higher an object crosses the sky, the longer its path and the longer it stays above the horizon.

Tracing the high path of the December full moon

To see for yourself, try this: Trace a line with your finger from east to west to emulate the sun’s path in December. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll be tracing a low arc above the southern horizon. If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, you’ll be tracing a high arc above the northern horizon. Then, with your finger, trace another path high overhead. Now you’re emulating the moon’s December path, and you’ll see it’s a longer path than the lower one.

And likewise, if you are in the Southern Hemisphere, trace a low arc to emulate the moon’s December path. Little by little, we can watch the two paths come back into balance. Each month, the full moon will cross the sky at a slightly lower arc than the previous month. Each successive full moon will take less time than the previous one to cross the sky.

What about an equinox moon?

At March’s full moon, which is near the Northern Hemisphere’s spring equinox, the two paths – of the moon and of the sun – will be nearly the same. Then, near the June solstice, those of us in the Northern Hemisphere will see the sun cross high overhead during the year’s longest days. And, during the short northern summer nights, we’ll see the moon cross a lower path on the sky dome and spend less time in the sky.

And on the cycle goes.

Names for the December full moon

Of course, now we see why sometimes the December’s full moon is called the Long Night Moon. But – like all full moons – the full moon of December has many nicknames: Long Night Moon, Full Cold Moon, and in Decembers when it falls before Christmas, Moon Before Yule. But no matter which name appeals to you, be sure to notice the moon’s high path!

Read more: A guide to traditional full moon names and their meanings

Last full moon of 2024

This full moon is the last full moon of 2024. It is also the last full moon of the Northern Hemisphere’s autumn and the Southern Hemisphere’s spring. Plus it is the closest full moon this year to the December solstice, occurring just one week before. This solstice marks the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. It lands at 9:21 UTC on December 21, 2024. That’s 3:21 a.m. CST on December 21, 2024.

December full moon in Gemini

The December full moon can lie in front of one of two constellations of the zodiac and occasionally two additional constellations. This year it lands at the foot of Gemini the Twins but in most years it falls in Taurus the Bull. And on December 20, 2029, it will occur in the constellation Orion. When it rises at 5:15 p.m. CST, the full moon will be in the middle of a total lunar eclipse!

The December 2024 full moon will occur in the early morning hours of December 15, and will lie in the constellation Gemini the Twins. Chart via EarthSky.

Enjoy December’s full moon!

Bottom line: The 2024 December full moon will occur in the early morning hours of December 15 near the bright planet Jupiter. The moon closely follows the path of the June sun. It will lie in the constellation Gemini the Twins near the twin stars Castor and Pollux.

The post 2024 December full moon is near Jupiter! first appeared on EarthSky.

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Sunlike stars hurl superflares about once per 100 years

Artist’s concept of a superflare. According to a new study, sunlike stars should launch superflares about once per century. Image via Alexey Chizhik/ MPS.

Sunlike stars hurl superflares about once a century

Our sun is a fairly peaceful star, only occasionally releasing flares powerful enough to spark auroras on Earth. But on December 12, 2024, researchers from the Max Planck Institute said that stars like the sun hurl superflares – flares with about 10,000 times the energy of a typical flare – approximately every 100 years. The scientists studied 56,000 sunlike stars and found this rate of about one superflare per star per century. What does that mean for our sun? According to the press release:

The sun, too, is likely capable of similarly violent eruptions.

The scientists published their peer-reviewed study in the journal Science on December 12, 2024.

What exactly is a superflare?

The sun produces flares all the time. If you read our daily sun news post, you’ll see the sun often produces mild C and M flares. And occasionally it fires off stronger X flares, especially around solar maximum, which is happening now. Solar maximum is the peak of the sun’s 11-year solar cycle. Sometimes strong flares can have an effect on Earth, like causing radio blackouts or triggering auroras.

One of the more powerful X flares the sun released in modern history was in 1859. Scientists estimate an X45 flare from the sun hit Earth and caused what’s now known as the Carrington Event. During that event, compasses failed to work, telegraph lines caught fire, and people saw auroras at far southern latitudes. But the new press release said about the Carrington Event:

According to estimates, the associated flare released only a hundredth of the energy of a superflare.

So superflares are more massive than anything we have experienced. They can contain energies of about 10³⁴ ergs, which is equal to around a trillion hydrogen bombs.

More frequent superflares surprised scientists

We have limited data on how our star has behaved in the past. As co-author Sami Solanki of Max Planck Institute said:

We cannot observe the sun over thousands of years. Instead, however, we can monitor the behavior of thousands of stars very similar to the sun over short periods of time. This helps us to estimate how frequently superflares occur.

So by looking at 56,450 sunlike stars with the Kepler space telescope from 2009 to 2013, it was like looking at evidence of 220,000 years of stellar activity. The scientists found 2,889 superflares on 2,527 of the stars they studied.

The new study suggests that previous studies significantly underestimated the eruptive potential of sunlike stars. Previous studies estimated these flares would occur less frequently, on intervals of 1,000 to even 10,000 years. Lead author Valeriy Vasilyev of the Max Planck Institute said:

We were very surprised that sunlike stars are prone to such frequent superflares.

They were surprised because scientists have looked for but not found evidence of superflares affecting Earth. They’ve studied tree rings and ice cores, and while indeed they have found past signs of extreme solar events, they’ve fallen short of a superflare. One of the biggest events they’ve found yet occurred 14,300 years ago, according to the radiocarbon found in ancient tree rings. That one was about 10 times as strong as the Carrington Event. But superflares could still be about 100 times stronger than a Carrington Event.

That still doesn’t mean our sun hasn’t had a superflare in the more recent past. It just might not have expelled a blast of sun-stuff – a coronal mass ejection – at Earth to cause the imprint scientists look for.

When will our sun have a superflare?

The study does not predict when our sun might experience a superflare. But if these sunlike stars are truly representative of our sun, then it’s important we keep an eye on its activity. As the paper said:

If the sun behaves like the stars in this sample, then it could produce superflares at a similar rate.

Monitoring the sun and forecasting potential incoming storms is more important than ever. Today’s technology relies heavily on satellites that would be vulnerable in a strong geomagnetic storm. Satellite operators could take precautions to keep the harmful effects to a minimum. ESA’s upcoming space probe, Vigil – planned for 2031 – will watch the sun from the side to provide more of an advanced warning of incoming sun-stuff.

Co-author Natalie Krivova of the Max Planck Institute said:

The new data are a stark reminder that even the most extreme solar events are part of the sun’s natural repertoire.

Bottom line: Scientists studied thousands of sunlike stars and determined that they hurl superflares – massive solar flares – about once every 100 years.

Source: Sun-like stars produce superflares roughly once per century

Via Max Planck Institute

The post Sunlike stars hurl superflares about once per 100 years first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/75lGeai

Artist’s concept of a superflare. According to a new study, sunlike stars should launch superflares about once per century. Image via Alexey Chizhik/ MPS.

Sunlike stars hurl superflares about once a century

Our sun is a fairly peaceful star, only occasionally releasing flares powerful enough to spark auroras on Earth. But on December 12, 2024, researchers from the Max Planck Institute said that stars like the sun hurl superflares – flares with about 10,000 times the energy of a typical flare – approximately every 100 years. The scientists studied 56,000 sunlike stars and found this rate of about one superflare per star per century. What does that mean for our sun? According to the press release:

The sun, too, is likely capable of similarly violent eruptions.

The scientists published their peer-reviewed study in the journal Science on December 12, 2024.

What exactly is a superflare?

The sun produces flares all the time. If you read our daily sun news post, you’ll see the sun often produces mild C and M flares. And occasionally it fires off stronger X flares, especially around solar maximum, which is happening now. Solar maximum is the peak of the sun’s 11-year solar cycle. Sometimes strong flares can have an effect on Earth, like causing radio blackouts or triggering auroras.

One of the more powerful X flares the sun released in modern history was in 1859. Scientists estimate an X45 flare from the sun hit Earth and caused what’s now known as the Carrington Event. During that event, compasses failed to work, telegraph lines caught fire, and people saw auroras at far southern latitudes. But the new press release said about the Carrington Event:

According to estimates, the associated flare released only a hundredth of the energy of a superflare.

So superflares are more massive than anything we have experienced. They can contain energies of about 10³⁴ ergs, which is equal to around a trillion hydrogen bombs.

More frequent superflares surprised scientists

We have limited data on how our star has behaved in the past. As co-author Sami Solanki of Max Planck Institute said:

We cannot observe the sun over thousands of years. Instead, however, we can monitor the behavior of thousands of stars very similar to the sun over short periods of time. This helps us to estimate how frequently superflares occur.

So by looking at 56,450 sunlike stars with the Kepler space telescope from 2009 to 2013, it was like looking at evidence of 220,000 years of stellar activity. The scientists found 2,889 superflares on 2,527 of the stars they studied.

The new study suggests that previous studies significantly underestimated the eruptive potential of sunlike stars. Previous studies estimated these flares would occur less frequently, on intervals of 1,000 to even 10,000 years. Lead author Valeriy Vasilyev of the Max Planck Institute said:

We were very surprised that sunlike stars are prone to such frequent superflares.

They were surprised because scientists have looked for but not found evidence of superflares affecting Earth. They’ve studied tree rings and ice cores, and while indeed they have found past signs of extreme solar events, they’ve fallen short of a superflare. One of the biggest events they’ve found yet occurred 14,300 years ago, according to the radiocarbon found in ancient tree rings. That one was about 10 times as strong as the Carrington Event. But superflares could still be about 100 times stronger than a Carrington Event.

That still doesn’t mean our sun hasn’t had a superflare in the more recent past. It just might not have expelled a blast of sun-stuff – a coronal mass ejection – at Earth to cause the imprint scientists look for.

When will our sun have a superflare?

The study does not predict when our sun might experience a superflare. But if these sunlike stars are truly representative of our sun, then it’s important we keep an eye on its activity. As the paper said:

If the sun behaves like the stars in this sample, then it could produce superflares at a similar rate.

Monitoring the sun and forecasting potential incoming storms is more important than ever. Today’s technology relies heavily on satellites that would be vulnerable in a strong geomagnetic storm. Satellite operators could take precautions to keep the harmful effects to a minimum. ESA’s upcoming space probe, Vigil – planned for 2031 – will watch the sun from the side to provide more of an advanced warning of incoming sun-stuff.

Co-author Natalie Krivova of the Max Planck Institute said:

The new data are a stark reminder that even the most extreme solar events are part of the sun’s natural repertoire.

Bottom line: Scientists studied thousands of sunlike stars and determined that they hurl superflares – massive solar flares – about once every 100 years.

Source: Sun-like stars produce superflares roughly once per century

Via Max Planck Institute

The post Sunlike stars hurl superflares about once per 100 years first appeared on EarthSky.

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Severe heatwave in Australia expected this weekend

A severe heatwave in Australia is forecast for the weekend. Image via Australia Bureau of Meteorology.

Even though summer in Australia doesn’t start until next week (with the solstice), millions of Australians are expecting a severe heatwave starting this weekend and into the coming week. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology defines a heatwave as:

… When the maximum and minimum temperatures are unusually hot over 3 days.

In this case, winds from the north have produced a dry, hot air mass, expected to move from the interior to the eastern and southeastern parts of Australia in the coming days. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology says the heatwave is expected to develop from Canberra (Australia’s capital, inland from the country’s southeast coast) up toward Darwin (in Australia’s Northern Territory) as early as Saturday, December 14.

Heatwave warnings are in effect for the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. See the map above.

Heat waves and hot weather have caused more deaths in Australia than any other disaster, according to the Australian Red Cross. When the Australian Bureau of Meteorology uses the term severe heatwave, like what’s expected this weekend into next week, it’s talking about an event that isn’t common at this time of year. Heatwaves pose the most risk to the elderly, children, and those with medical issues. Heatwave tips from the Red Cross here.

Severe heatwave in Australia: Temps

As an example of what to expect, in Australia’s capital of Canberra, the forecast highs are:

Saturday, December 14:  33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit)

Sunday, December 15: 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit)

Monday, December 16:  39 Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit)

See weather forecasts for Canberra here and here.

Heat preparedness

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology as well as the Australian Red Cross encourage residents to prepare for a heatwave before it happens. They suggest speaking to doctors and caregivers to see how heat will impact you, or any medications you may be taking.

The Bureau also stresses to do what you can to stay cool, including purchasing fans, making sure air conditioning is working properly. Here are some tips for seniors (and others) on what to do if your power goes out during a heatwave. Many cities now have established “cooling centers.” Look for one if your power goes out when temperatures are high. The Australian Red Cross also has a number of suggestions on heatwaves and hot weather.

Forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology suggest the temperature will cool off and become more seasonal by the end of the coming week.

Sydney. Image via Openverse.

Nighttime temps are important, too

An important factor in heatwave definitions is that unusually hot minimum temperatures are typically included as well.

The body recovers from the heat of the day by cooling off overnight, but if nighttime temperatures stay warm, the body can’t recover as easily. That not only stresses the body out when it should be recovering, but means it isn’t properly prepared for the next day’s heat.

The Bureau of Meteorology uses a metric called the Excess Heat Factor, or EHF, to help organize heatwaves into different levels. The EHF uses not just the average temperatures for the period of the heatwave (at least three days) but also the actual temperatures from the past 30 days. This allows the meteorologists to determine how much stress a person’s body will deal with when the heat sets in.

Bottom line: Heatwave warnings are in effect for the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria.

Via Australia Bureau of Meteorology

Australian Red Cross

The post Severe heatwave in Australia expected this weekend first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/ZhxQKwz

A severe heatwave in Australia is forecast for the weekend. Image via Australia Bureau of Meteorology.

Even though summer in Australia doesn’t start until next week (with the solstice), millions of Australians are expecting a severe heatwave starting this weekend and into the coming week. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology defines a heatwave as:

… When the maximum and minimum temperatures are unusually hot over 3 days.

In this case, winds from the north have produced a dry, hot air mass, expected to move from the interior to the eastern and southeastern parts of Australia in the coming days. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology says the heatwave is expected to develop from Canberra (Australia’s capital, inland from the country’s southeast coast) up toward Darwin (in Australia’s Northern Territory) as early as Saturday, December 14.

Heatwave warnings are in effect for the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. See the map above.

Heat waves and hot weather have caused more deaths in Australia than any other disaster, according to the Australian Red Cross. When the Australian Bureau of Meteorology uses the term severe heatwave, like what’s expected this weekend into next week, it’s talking about an event that isn’t common at this time of year. Heatwaves pose the most risk to the elderly, children, and those with medical issues. Heatwave tips from the Red Cross here.

Severe heatwave in Australia: Temps

As an example of what to expect, in Australia’s capital of Canberra, the forecast highs are:

Saturday, December 14:  33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit)

Sunday, December 15: 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit)

Monday, December 16:  39 Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit)

See weather forecasts for Canberra here and here.

Heat preparedness

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology as well as the Australian Red Cross encourage residents to prepare for a heatwave before it happens. They suggest speaking to doctors and caregivers to see how heat will impact you, or any medications you may be taking.

The Bureau also stresses to do what you can to stay cool, including purchasing fans, making sure air conditioning is working properly. Here are some tips for seniors (and others) on what to do if your power goes out during a heatwave. Many cities now have established “cooling centers.” Look for one if your power goes out when temperatures are high. The Australian Red Cross also has a number of suggestions on heatwaves and hot weather.

Forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology suggest the temperature will cool off and become more seasonal by the end of the coming week.

Sydney. Image via Openverse.

Nighttime temps are important, too

An important factor in heatwave definitions is that unusually hot minimum temperatures are typically included as well.

The body recovers from the heat of the day by cooling off overnight, but if nighttime temperatures stay warm, the body can’t recover as easily. That not only stresses the body out when it should be recovering, but means it isn’t properly prepared for the next day’s heat.

The Bureau of Meteorology uses a metric called the Excess Heat Factor, or EHF, to help organize heatwaves into different levels. The EHF uses not just the average temperatures for the period of the heatwave (at least three days) but also the actual temperatures from the past 30 days. This allows the meteorologists to determine how much stress a person’s body will deal with when the heat sets in.

Bottom line: Heatwave warnings are in effect for the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria.

Via Australia Bureau of Meteorology

Australian Red Cross

The post Severe heatwave in Australia expected this weekend first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/ZhxQKwz