ON AUGUST 14TH, just after 9pm Universal Time, a ripple of gravitational waves reached Earth. Until a few years ago no one would have noticed such an event. But 2015 saw the reopening, after an upgrade, of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), a pair of detectors in Washington state and Louisiana. These were joined in 2017 by Virgo, an upgraded instrument in Italy. Together, the three instruments not only recorded the wave’s passage, they also worked out where in the sky it had come from and then texted that information to the world’s astronomers. This stimulated the deployment of a host of other devices, to look at the wave’s point of origin near the border between the constellations of Cetus and Sculptor. Telescopes capable of examining all parts of the spectrum, from gamma rays to radio waves, were brought into play. And, courtesy of IceCube, an instrument at the South Pole, the sky was also scanned for tiny particles known as neutrinos … [Read more...] about Gravitational astronomy proves its maturity
Astronomy
Turkish research center to host astronomy fest
ANKARA-Anadolu Agency The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) will host its annual astronomy festival from Aug. 1-4 in the Mediterranean city of Antalya. The National Sky Observation Festival will be held at TÜBİTAK's National Observatory campus located at the SaklIkent ski resort at an altitude of 2,000 meters (6,560 feet). Amateurs as well as professional astronomers will attend the festival. “This sky fest, which has been organized for 20 years and is growing every year, has been successfully an important event in the sense of meeting science and society in our country,” TÜBİTAK said in a statement. “In astronomy, which is the only field of science that can also be done as amateurs, an important part of the discoveries is made by amateur astronomers who constantly scan the sky with various observation instruments.” Among various seminars on astronomy, the festival will include observations with … [Read more...] about Turkish research center to host astronomy fest
How La Palma became an astronomy hotspot
I’m staring up at the sky at a blanket of stars and planets. Mars has just disappeared out of focus. Above, I can begin to make out Orion Nebula, a cloud of gas and dust where stars are born. Admittedly, I’m quite the novice stargazer. The only constellations I tend to have any luck identifying in the UK — if I can get away from the light pollution and clouds — are Orion’s belt and the Plough. But here the sky sparkles. With this view I could easily be on the other side of the world in star-gazing hotspots such as Hawaii or Chile but I’m closer to home than that. La Palma, the north-westernmost Canary Island, just happens to be one of the best places in the world for stargazing — and it’s only a short flight from London. La Palma is fertile and lush. Here waves thrash against black volcanic sand beaches, verdant ravines filled with banana plantations dot the landscape and laurel rainforests sit alongside sub-tropical, … [Read more...] about How La Palma became an astronomy hotspot
Elusive molecule, first in Universe, detected in space
In the beginning, more than 13 billion years ago, the Universe was an undifferentiated soup of three simple, single-atom elements. Stars would not form for another 100 million years. But within 100,000 years of the Big Bang, the very first molecule emerged, an improbable marriage of helium and hydrogen known as a helium hydride ion, or HeH+. "It was the beginning of chemistry," said David Neufeld, a professor at John Hopkins University and co-author of a study published Wednesday detailing how -- after a multi-decade search -- scientists finally detected the elusive molecule in space. "The formation of HeH+ was the first step on a path of increasing complexity in the Universe," as momentous a shift as the one from single-cell to multicellular life on Earth, he told AFP. Theoretical models had long since convinced astrophysicists that HeH+ came first, followed -- in a precise order -- by a parade of other increasingly complex and heavy molecules. HeH+ had also been studied in the … [Read more...] about Elusive molecule, first in Universe, detected in space
Pepsi scraps plans to advertise in space
Pepsi has canned plans to advertise its new energy drink in space, but orbital billboards could be lighting up the sky within two years if Russian company StartRocket has its way. Over the weekend it was reported that Pepsi had teamed up with StartRocket to promote a campaign against unfair stereotypes of gamers, on behalf of an energy drink called Adrenaline Rush. The idea was reportedly to use a cluster of miniature low-Earth orbit satellites to project enormous advertisements into the night sky like artificial constellations. The satellites work by reflecting light from the Sun back towards Earth's surface. As such, they only work at dawn and dusk, when ambient light is low enough for the light reflected by the satellites to stand out against the sky. Pepsi even went as far as testing the technology with a helium balloon that launched one of StartRocket's reflectors into the stratosphere, where it was visible from the ground. "We believe in StartRocket potential. Orbital … [Read more...] about Pepsi scraps plans to advertise in space