Latest news with #ZwickyTransientFacility
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Missing link star? Why this 'teenage vampire' white dwarf has scientists so excited
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers have discovered the "missing link" connecting the death of sunlike stars to the birth of white dwarf stellar remnants, in the form of a "teenage vampire" white dwarf. This vampire isn't interested in the blood that runs through your veins, though. The white dwarf in question, designated Gaia22ayj and located around 8,150 light-years from Earth, is ravenously feeding on stellar plasma from a companion star. The team that made this discovery observed the white dwarf using the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) at the Palomar Observatory in California. The researchers scanned the night sky over the Northern Hemisphere, hunting "transients" — astronomical bodies undergoing rapid change. Gaia22ayj originally attracted the attention of astronomers with its rapidly pulsing signal, which led to it being classified as a detached double white dwarf binary — two white dwarf stars orbiting each other. However, this theory didn't quite match further observations of Gaia22ayj, which revealed it to be one of the most extreme pulsating objects ever seen, increasing in brightness by 700% over just a 2-minute span. That's because Gaia22ayj is actually a white dwarf feeding on a companion star, with this binary in a rare and short-lived phase of its life (or should that be death). Stars die after they use up the fuel needed for nuclear fusion. What kind of death, and afterlife, they experience depends on their mass. Stars with masses above eight times that of the sun die in violent supernova explosions and then become either highly dense neutron stars or black holes. Stars with masses closer to that of the sun don't "go nova," instead undergoing more muted transformations into white dwarfs. Our own sun will experience this latter transformation in around six billion years after shedding most of its mass during a swollen red giant phase, eventually sputtering out as a smoldering stellar ember. However, around half of all stars with masses similar to that of the sun have a binary companion star. And, if their companion stars get too close, white dwarfs can get a second burst of life by stripping them of stellar material. That vampiric mass transfer process is exactly what seems to be happening between the white dwarf of Gaia22ayj and its companion star. Gaia22ayj initially confused astronomers. The way that its light intensity varied over time — its light curve— made no sense for a detached double white dwarf binary. This led Tony Rodriguez, a graduate student in the California Institute of Technology's ZTF Stellar Group, to question why the light curve would take the shape it did. Gathering more data, Rodriguez and colleagues realized that Gaia22ayj is likely a white dwarf orbited by a "normal" low-mass star, not a second white dwarf. And they further determined that Gaia22ayj is highly magnetic, with its white dwarf component spinning at a rapid rate. This reminded them of a white dwarf pulsar, a highly magnetic dead star that sweeps electromagnetic radiation across the universe as it spins, like a cosmic lighthouse. However, the vampiric feeding process found in Gaia22ayj isn't something usually associated with white dwarf pulsars. The team eventually concluded that Gaia22ayj is a missing link in the life cycle of white dwarf pulsars, a rare and short-lived early phase of these objects. "We have already seen two infant systems, white dwarf stars in a binary system whose rapid spin builds up a strong magnetic field. And we had seen lots of adult star systems where the white dwarf star was spinning very slowly," Rodriguez said in a statement. "But this was the first star we've seen that is right in the middle of its 'teenage' phase, when it has already established a strong magnetic field and is just beginning to funnel matter from the companion star onto itself," he added. "We have never before caught a system in the act of spinning so rapidly but also slowing down dramatically, all while gaining mass from its companion." This discovery is even more exciting because this phase lasts for just around 40 million years. That might sound like an incredibly long period of time, but it's relatively short when considering that stars like the sun live for around 10 billion years before they even transform into white dwarfs. Thus, this "teenage phase" accounts for just 0.4% of a star's lifetime. For context, if the star were an average human, this teenage phase would last just around 107 days. Hardly enough time to paint your bedroom black. Related Stories: — Puffy white dwarfs could shed light on mysterious dark matter. Here's how. — White dwarfs are 'heavy metal' zombie stars endlessly cannibalizing their dead planetary systems — 'Daredevil' white dwarf star could be closest-known object to a weird black hole "The data taken at the W. M. Keck Observatory provided firm evidence that this system had a strong magnetic field and was funneling matter onto the white dwarf," Rodriguez said. "Additional data from the unique instruments available at Palomar Observatory showed that this system is, remarkably, slowing down." The team's research was published in February in the journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
Al Etihad
10-06-2025
- Science
- Al Etihad
European Space Agency's new asteroid hunter opens its eye to sky
10 June 2025 12:03 SICILY (ALETIHAD) The European Space Agency's (ESA) newest planetary defender has opened its 'eye' to the cosmos for the first time. The Flyeye telescope's 'first light' marks the beginning of a new chapter in how to scan the skies for new near-Earth asteroids and by an insect's compound eye, ESA and OHB Italia designed Flyeye to capture a region of the sky more than 200 times as large as the full Moon in a single exposure – much larger than a conventional will use this wide field of view to automatically survey the sky each night independent from human operation and identify new asteroids that could pose a hazard to Earth. 'In the future, a network of up to four Flyeye telescopes spread across the northern and southern hemispheres will work together to further improve the speed and completeness these automatic sky surveys and to reduce the dependence on good weather at any individual site,' said ESA's Ernesto Doelling, Flyeye Project Manager.'The earlier we spot potentially hazardous asteroids, the more time we have to assess them and, if necessary, prepare a response,' said Richard Moissl, Head of ESA's Planetary Defence Office. 'ESA's Flyeye telescopes will be an early-warning system, and their discoveries will be shared with the global planetary defence community.'ESA's Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC) will verify any potential new asteroid detections made by the Flyeye telescopes and submit the findings to the Minor Planet Centre, Earth's hub for asteroid observational data. Astronomers, including experts from the NEOCC, will then carry out follow-up observations to further assess the hazard that the object may Aceti, Managing Director at OHB Italia, explained, 'The unique optical design of the Flyeye telescope is optimised for conducting large sky surveys while maintaining high image quality throughout the wide field of view."He added that the telescope is equipped with a one-metre primary mirror, which efficiently captures incoming light. This light is then divided into 16 separate channels, each equipped with a camera capable of detecting very faint objects. This enables simultaneous high-sensitivity observations over a large region of the sky. During operations, Flyeye's observation schedule will be optimised to consider factors such as Moon brightness and the work of other survey telescopes such as the NASA-funded ATLAS telescopes, the Zwicky Transient Facility and the upcoming Vera Rubin Telescope.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronomers discover most powerful cosmic explosions since the Big Bang
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers have discovered the most powerful cosmic explosions since the Big Bang, naming them "extreme nuclear transients." These incredibly energetic explosions occur when stars with masses at least three times greater than that of the sun are torn apart by supermassive black holes. While such events have been witnessed before, astronomers say some of the ones recently discovered are powerful enough to be classified as a new phenomenon: extreme nuclear transients (ENTs). "We've observed stars getting ripped apart as tidal disruption events for over a decade, but these ENTs are different beasts, reaching brightnesses nearly ten times more than what we typically see," said Jason Hinkle, a researcher at the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy (IfA) who led a study on these events, in a statement. "When I saw these smooth, long-lived flares from the centers of distant galaxies, I knew we were looking at something unusual." Hinkle discovered the existence of these ENTs while combing through data gathered on long-lasting flares originating from galactic centers. Two flares caught Hinkle's eye, recorded by the European Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft in 2016 and 2018, respectively. A third event discovered in 2020 by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) appeared similar to the two phenomena discovered by Gaia, which gave researchers clues that these belonged to a new class of extreme cosmic explosions. That's because these events appeared to release far more energy than other known star explosions, or supernovas, and seemed to last much longer. These explosions also differed from tidal disruption events (TDEs), which are massive releases of energy that occur when extreme gravitational forces around black holes rip stars apart, flinging much of their mass outward into space. But TDEs typically last only a matter of hours; the events studied by Hinkle and other researchers appeared to last much longer. "Not only are ENTs far brighter than normal tidal disruption events, but they remain luminous for years, far surpassing the energy output of even the brightest known supernova explosions," Hinkle said in the statement. One of these ENTs, which astronomers have named Gaia18cdj, released over 25 times more energy than the most powerful supernova ever discovered, more than the amount of energy that would be released by 100 suns throughout their entire lifetime. RELATED STORIES: — The most powerful explosions in the universe could reveal where gold comes from — 'Shocking' nova explosion of dead star was 100 times brighter than the sun — Astronomers discover black hole ripping a star apart inside a galactic collision. 'It is a peculiar event' Aside from being the most powerful known explosions in the universe, ENTs can help astronomers learn more about monster black holes in faraway galaxies. That's because the incredible brightness of these events means they can be seen across vast distances, according to IfA's Benjamin Shappee, who co-authored the study. "By observing these prolonged flares, we gain insights into black hole growth when the universe was half its current age and galaxies were busy places — forming stars and feeding their supermassive black holes 10 times more vigorously than they do today," Shappee said in the statement. A study on this discovery was published June 4 in the journal Science Advances.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bug-eyed telescope ready to find Earth-smashing asteroids
It's only a matter of time before a catastrophically sized asteroid barrels towards Earth again. Until very recently in human history, there was no way of knowing if one was hurtling towards us, much less do anything to alter its path. Now, international space agencies and disaster preparedness experts have powerful tools to keep watch over the skies—and the newest aide just opened its bug-inspired compound 'eye.' According to the European Space Agency, the Flyeye-1 telescope recently completed its 'first light' test at the Italian Space Agency's Space Geodesy Center, located about 160 miles east of Naples. Soon, it and as many as three other similar installations around the world will work in tandem to provide comprehensive, automated surveys of space every night to scan for cosmic threats. 'The earlier we spot potentially hazardous asteroids, the more time we have to assess them and, if necessary, prepare a response,' explains Richard Moissl, Head of ESA's Planetary Defence Office. 'ESA's Flyeye telescopes will be an early-warning system, and their discoveries will be shared with the global planetary defence community.' Similar to an insect's vision (hence its name), Flyeye captures incoming light through its 3.3-foot-wide primary mirror. That light is divided into 16 independent channels, all equipped with their own secondary lens and detector cameras designed to flag extremely faint objects. Flyeye's automated observation schedule is designed to factor in variables such as lunar brightness along with other survey telescopes like NASA's ATLAS, the Zwicky Transient Facility, and the forthcoming Vera Rubin Telescope. So what happens if Flyeye spies a suspicious space rock out there in deep space? The plan is for experts at ESA's Near-Earth Object Coordination Center (NEOCC) to review and verify any potential concerns. If the situation warrants further investigation, the NEOCC will then forward their report to the Minor Planet Center, a global hub for asteroid data. Subsequent research will lead to international contingency planning, which could involve any number of solutions, such as smacking the asteroid off course with a targeted spacecraft launch. Before that can happen, Flyeye needed to demonstrate its up to the task. For its first light test, Flyeye focused on multiple known asteroids, including 2025 KQ. Astronomers discovered the space rock only two days earlier, offering direct proof that the telescope is already capable of rapid follow-up observations. 'These images of the sky above the ancient stone hills of Matera, Italy, are more than just a test—they are proof that Flyeye is ready to begin its mission,' ESA said in its announcement. Flyeye-1 is now on its way for installation on Monte Mulfara in Sicily. If all goes according to plan, the telescope's first sibling will be up and running sometime in 2028.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Astronomers discover black hole ripping a star apart inside a galactic collision. 'It is a peculiar event'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers have taken a detailed look at a rare and incredibly violent cosmic event resulting from an unfortunate star venturing too close to a supermassive black hole. The team behind the research hopes it could reveal more about how such events, dubbed "tidal disruption events" or "TDEs," influence the evolution of their host brutal battles between stellar bodies and the immense gravity of black holes with masses millions or even billions of times that of the sun result in stars being shredded and fed to the black holes. This cosmic cannibalism causes blasts of light that can outshine the combined light of every star in the host galaxy of the TDE, alerting scientists to a gory stellar death. This particular TDE has been designated AT 2022wtn, and occurred in a galaxy located around 700 million light-years away. This galaxy is in the early stages of merging with one of its galactic neighbors. The galaxy that hosts the TDE is known as SDSSJ232323.79+104107.7, and it is the smaller of the two colliding galaxies. The other galaxy mixed up in this merger is at least ten times larger than SDSSJ232323.79+104107.7. It is thought that the two galaxies in this merging system have already made a close pass to one other. This represents just the second time that a TDE has been detected in interacting galaxies. That's despite a prevailing theory that the early stages of mergers create the kind of conditions that favor these brutal occurrences. AT 2022wtn was first brought to the attention of astronomers at the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), with further investigation in wavelengths of light ranging from radio to infrared and even X-rays, which revealed its nature as a TDE. The astronomers were able to determine that the black hole involved in this TDE has a mass equal to around 1 million suns, while its stellar meal is a low-mass star. However, despite clearly presenting itself as an example of a supermassive black hole ripping apart a star, there are some unusual aspects of AT 2022wtn that set it apart from other TDEs. "It is a peculiar event. Its light curve is characterized by a plateau in the phase of maximum brightness, lasting about 30 days, accompanied by a sharp drop in temperature and a spectral sequence that shows the development of two emission lines corresponding to the wavelengths of helium and nitrogen," team leader and National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) Francesca Onori said in a statement. "Something that we had never observed with such clarity." Like all TDEs, AT 2022wtn would have begun when a doomed star's orbit brought it too close to the central supermassive black hole at the heart of its host galaxy. This results in the immense gravitational influence of the black hole generating immense tidal forces within the star. These forces squash the star horizontally while stretching it vertically, a process colorfully known as "spaghettification."Some of the resulting stellar wreckage winds around the destructive supermassive black hole like actual spaghetti around a fork, forming a whirling flattened cloud of plasma called an accretion disk. Not all of the material from the wrecked star falls around the black hole and eventually into its maw, however. A great deal of stellar matter is blasted out as powerful, high-speed outflows or jets. In the case of AT 2022wtn, these outflows created a short, bright radio emission from the TDE and extreme changes in the velocity of light-emitting elements around the also indicated that the star was completely destroyed as a result of this TDE and that, in addition to an accretion disk, the cosmic cannibalistic event created an expanding spherical "bubble" of expelled gas. Related Stories: — Black hole announces itself to astronomers by violently ripping apart a star — Massive star's gory 'death by black hole' is the biggest and brightest event of its kind — Star escapes ravenous supermassive black hole, leaving behind its stellar partner "We found clear traces of the dynamics of the surrounding material also in some emission lines which show characteristics compatible with a fast propagation towards the outside," Onori said. "Thanks to our monitoring campaign, we were able to propose an interpretation of the origin of the observed radiation: AT2022wtn gave rise to a rapid formation of the disk around the black hole and the subsequent expulsion of part of the stellar matter. "This result is particularly relevant, since the source of visible light and the physical conditions of the region from which it comes, in TDEs, are still under study."The team's research was published on May 23 in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
