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☆ Cosmic dance of the Penguin and Egg galaxies glows in new Webb image
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning new view of two galaxies, nicknamed the Penguin and the Egg, locked in a cosmic dance to mark the observatory’s second anniversary. Launched on December 25, 2021, the Webb telescope shared its first science observations of the universe on July 12, 2022. Astronomers estimate that the Penguin and the Egg galaxies first interacted 25 million to 75 million years ago. NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI Arp 142 Hubble Webb NASA, ESA, CSA, STScIInitially, the Penguin looked like a spiral, but over time, its appearance has been reshaped through interactions with the Egg galaxy. Meanwhile, the oval-shaped Egg galaxy remains much the same.

Persons: James Webb, Webb, Bill Nelson, Arp, ”, Mark Clampin, “ Webb Organizations: CNN, Telescope, Penguin, NASA, Hubble, ESA, CSA, Hubble Webb NASA, NASA’s Astrophysics

☆ Astronomers say we may live at the center of a cosmic void 2 billion light-years wide that defies the laws of cosmology
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jessica Orwig | Ellyn Lapointe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But the kicker is that this giant void shouldn't exist in the first place. For example, some people have correctly argued that such a void shouldn't exist in the standard model, which is true. Cosmologists have a value, called the Hubble constant, which they use to help describe how fast the universe's expansion is accelerating. The Hubble constant should be the same value wherever you look, whether it's close by or very far away. NASA/JPL-CaltechAstronomers can't agree on what's causing this discrepancy in the Hubble constant, and the contention has become known as the Hubble tension.

Persons: —, we're, Claire Lamman, Indranil, Andrews, Hubble, Brian Keating, Keating, Banik Organizations: Service, Business, Harvard, Smithsonian Center, Astrophysics, Indranil Banik, University of St, Banik, Royal Astronomical Society, KBC, Hubble, NASA, JPL, Caltech, ESA, Palomar, Sky, UC San Diego, Sky Survey

☆ A 7-year journey to deliver an asteroid sample to Earth will soon end in Utah
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The cargo van-size spacecraft arrived in orbit around the asteroid Bennu in December 2018, providing detailed views of the spinning top-shaped space rock. Other worldsA training model of the OSIRIS-REx mission's sample return capsule was released from an aircraft in August, simulating the upcoming recovery operations. Keegan Barber/NASAThe OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will fly by Earth this weekend and drop off its precious sample from Bennu. Watch as the sample capsule is set to plunge through Earth’s atmosphere and land in the Utah desert, with NASA’s live coverage beginning at 10 a.m. As the capsule parachutes down, OSIRIS-REx will keep going, embarking on a new adventure to explore the asteroid Apophis.

Persons: CNN —, REx, NASA’s, Keegan Barber, ”, Deutsches, Monopoly, you’re, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Rice University in Texas, Mechanical, Zimbabwe, Bochum, Iron, Swedish Museum of, Publishing, Andromeda Galaxy, CNN Space, Science Locations: Utah, Dürrnberg, Austria, Austrian, Zambia, Tasmania, Stockholm, Western Australia

☆ Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023: Stunning shot of giant plasma arc scoops top prize
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A photograph of a huge plasma arc next to the Andromeda Galaxy, the closest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way, has won the 2023 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition for a team of amateur astronomers. A team of amateur astronomers, led by Marcel Drechsler from Germany and Xavier Strottner from France, discovered a previously unknown galactic nebula. Marcel DrechslerScientists are now investigating the large object, which is in the immediate vicinity of the Andromeda Galaxy, in a transnational collaboration, according to the observatory. The nebula is located in the Centaurus constellation, about 6,000 lights year away from Earth, according to the release. Two 14-year-old boys from China won Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year for their image of The Running Chicken Nebula.

Persons: Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner, Yann Sainty, ”, astrophotographer, —, Runwei Xu, Binyu Wang, Yuri Beletsky, Monika Deviat, Ethan Chappel, Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau, John White, Chandra, Katherine Gazzard Organizations: CNN, Andromeda, Observatory Greenwich, Young, China, Young Astronomy, Sun, Perseus, Art, Royal Museums Greenwich, Maritime Museum Locations: Germany, France, China

☆ Webb telescope spots cosmic question mark in space
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Kristen Rogers | Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A cosmic object in the shape of a glowing question mark has photobombed one of the latest images captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope — and scientists think they know what it might be. The two have been observed and studied by space and ground-based telescopes since the 1950s, but the highly sensitive Webb telescope allowed for the highest-resolution and most detailed image yet. NASA/ESA/CSA/Joseph DePasquale (STScI)The Webb telescope illuminates information about the origins of our universe, but the appearance of this mysterious object in the background of this image leaves more questions than answers. The cosmic question mark hasn’t been closely observed or studied, so scientists aren’t exactly sure about the object’s origins and makeup. The question mark shape could also be “indicative of a merger where these two galaxies are interacting gravitationally,” Britt said.

Persons: NASA’s James Webb, Joseph DePasquale, ”, Matt Caplan, Caplan, it’s, Christopher Britt, Webb, ” Britt, Britt, ” Caplan, —, “ Nobody’s, George Washington, ’ ” Caplan Organizations: CNN, NASA, ESA, CSA, Illinois State University, “, Telescope Science Institute

☆ Solving the mystery of the most powerful objects in the universe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Astronomers first discovered quasars, considered to be the brightest and most powerful objects in the universe, 60 years ago — but they didn’t understand their origin. Now, scientists think they have unlocked the mystery behind what ignites these celestial objects. Astronomers observed 48 different galaxies that contain quasars and compared them to more than 100 galaxies without them. When two galaxies merge, massive amounts of gas are pushed toward the supermassive black holes located at their centers. “Quasars play a key role in our understanding of the history of the Universe, and possibly also the future of the Milky Way.”

☆ This graphic shows how many more stars you can see under truly dark skies vs. city, suburban, and rural areas
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Astronomers classify night skies from dark to bright using the Bortle Scale, ranked from one to nine. Light pollution is when artificial light washes out the night sky and makes it hard to see stars. While it might not be as potentially harmful as other kinds of pollution, light pollution can affect human health. Level four classifies the transition from suburban to rural areas, where you can see the Milky Way. The night sky is brimming with stars, making it harder to parse out faint constellations.

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