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Posts by
Deborah Byrd
Found: 3 black holes due to collide
Take one minute to watch a video of a system of 3 galaxies - called SDSS J0849+1114 - all orbiting each other a billion light years from Earth. Each galaxy contains a supermassive black hole, which are circling each other, about to collide.
September 27, 2019
IAU names the 2nd interstellar visitor
The first known interstellar visitor received the official name 'Oumuamua, meaning 'scout.' This one has a less romantic name and one that sets a standard for future discoveries: 2I/Borisov.
September 26, 2019
Was Venus ever habitable?
Today, Venus is hot, dry ... hellish. But maybe not always. Scientists created 5 new computer simulations of Venus, all with some water coverage. All 5 models showed Venus as stable, temperate and with some water for 3 billion years.
September 25, 2019
Scientists use drones to probe earthly dust devils, with an eye toward Mars
Dust devils are common are common on Earth, but ubiquitous on Mars, a desert world. Scientists are using drones carrying cameras and other instruments to gain new insights.
September 24, 2019
The 2nd-fastest pulsar, now with gamma rays
Pulsars are the compact remnants of supernovae. They have strong magnetic fields and rotate rapidly. This one is spinning 707 times a second! Astronomers just discovered this pulsar is emitting high-energy gamma rays.
September 22, 2019
No, asteroid 2007 FT3 won’t hit Earth in October
Why is the internet so chock-full of stories about asteroids on a collision course with Earth? At this rate, we should have been obliterated many times over already. Here comes the newest scare story: asteroid 2007 FT3. No, it won't hit us, either.
September 18, 2019
Will a huge volcano on Jupiter’s moon Io erupt this month?
Loki, the largest volcano on Jupiter's moon Io, erupts on a more or less regular schedule. Planetary scientists are predicting an eruption this month. Here's what we know.
September 17, 2019
Are Saturn’s rings young or old?
Cassini data suggested that Saturn's rings were only 10 to 100 million years old. A new study suggests that a "ring rain" onto Saturn makes the rings look younger than they really are, and that in fact Saturn's rings date back billions of years.
September 17, 2019
Sub-auroral arc over Peyto Lake, Alberta
STEVE, and the northern lights. Does it get any better than this?
September 15, 2019
Milky Way’s black hole appears to be getting hungrier
"We have never seen anything like this in the 24 years we have studied the supermassive black hole. It’s usually a pretty quiet, wimpy black hole on a diet. We don’t know what is driving this big feast."
September 15, 2019
