9 February 2021
by: Adam D. Cohen
The authors of the winning paper were the first to pinpoint the origin of a non-repeating fast radio burst. | Neil Orman/AAAS
A team of astronomers and astrophysicists based at 21 research institutions around the world will receive the 2020 Newcomb Cleveland Prize, presented by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, for a discovery that could improve our understanding of the structure of the Universe, as well as galaxy formation and evolution.
Each year since 1923, the Newcomb Cleveland Prize has honored the most impactful research paper published in the journal
Science. In this year’s winning paper, the authors described how they became the first to pinpoint the origin of a non-repeating fast radio burst (FRB). Though they last only a few milliseconds, FRBs are some of the brightest radio sources in the sky.
December 23, 2020
Astronomers used radio waves to study conditions in the vicinity of Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to our sun. The results suggest Proxima’s 2 known planets are likely bathed in intense radiation from this star, casting doubt on the planets’ potential for life.
Artist’s concept of huge flares on Proxima Centauri, which unleash ionizing radiation. This radiation could be dangerous for any possible life on planets orbiting close to the star. Image via NASA/ ESA/ G. Bacon (STScI)/
This month, even as some astronomers are talking about a possible mystery radio signal from Proxima Centauri – a signal of interest to astronomers who search for intelligent life beyond Earth – other astronomers are talking about space weather in the vicinity of this star, which is the nearest star to our sun. Space weather in Proxima’s vicinity, they are saying, might make life on its planets difficult or even impossible.
Using the eROSITA X-ray telescope onboard the Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) space observatory and CSIRO’s Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), astronomers have spotted a 49-million-light-year-long intercluster filament in the merging galaxy cluster system Abell 3391-Abell 3395, confirming current ‘Big Bang’ ideas about the origin and evolution of the Universe.
Simulation showing the distribution of hot gas (left), compared with the eROSITA X-ray image (right) of the Abell 3391-Abell 3395 system. Image credit: Reiprich
et al., doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202039590.
“More than half of the matter in our Universe has so far remained hidden from us,” said University of Bonn’s Professor Thomas Reiprich and colleagues.
Possible Alien Life on Other Planets is Becoming Less Likely mysteriousuniverse.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mysteriousuniverse.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Australian researchers have contributed to the first weather report from a nearby earth-like planet, and it spells bad news for finding life there.
Astronomers recently detected two rocky planets orbiting Proxima Centauri, a red-dwarf star and the closest star to our sun.
One of those planets was considered to be within the potentially habitable Goldilocks zone , where any water could be in liquid form.
But new research suggests the planet may be exposed to extreme weather events, including stellar flares and plasma ejections.
Proxima B Planet, Orbiting Proxima Centauri, a Red Dwarf Star This habitable zone is very close to the star; much closer in than Mercury is to our sun, University of Sydney researcher Andrew Zic said.