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Posts by
Deborah Byrd
A distant galaxy’s black hole seen to flare unexpectedly
Astronomers now call recently-discovered flares from supermassive black holes in distant galaxies quasi-periodic eruptions. "Giant black holes regularly flicker like a candle but the rapid, repeating changes seen in GSN 069 from December onwards are something completely new," said one scientist.
September 14, 2019
Hazy light pyramid in east? False dawn
If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, you can see the zodiacal light, or false dawn, at this time of year. If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, look for it after sunset.
September 14, 2019
Yesterday evening’s Venus-Mercury conjunction
The close conjunction of Mercury with Venus in last night's evening sky was near the sun and exceedingly tough to spot, even with optical aid. Still, EarthSky friend Helio Vital managed to capture it!
September 13, 2019
Astronomers spy a 2nd interstellar visitor
Astronomers think the object they've labeled C/2019 Q4 - discovered August 30 - came from a place far, far away. If confirmed, it's only the 2nd interstellar object ever detected, after 'Oumuamua in 2017.
September 12, 2019
Latest Saturn portrait, from Hubble
The solar system’s most photogenic planet, captured by most earthlings' favorite space telescope.
September 12, 2019
Scientists detect towering balloon-like structure near Milky Way’s center
It's a huge bipolar gas structure, hundreds of light-years across, centered on our galaxy's center and near the galaxy's central supermassive black hole. Astronomers found it with the new, supersensitive MeerKAT telescope in South Africa.
September 11, 2019
Did underground explosions create Titan’s lakes?
The lakes on Saturn's moon Titan are filled with liquid methane, not water, and some are surrounded by steep rims. A new study suggests these features might have been caused by explosions of warming nitrogen, which created Titan's lake basins long ago.
September 11, 2019
New names for 5 Jupiter moons
The naming suggestions in a contest - which ran from last February to April - ranged from the scholarly to the silly, these scientists said. We think you'll like the winners.
September 10, 2019
What asteroid Ryugu told us
The Hayabusa2 mission has confirmed that - if asteroid Ryugu or a similar asteroid were to come dangerously close to Earth - we'd need to take care in trying to divert it, lest it break up into fragments that might then impact Earth.
September 9, 2019
Yellowstone’s Steamboat geyser breaks record
With 33 eruptions as of August 27, Steamboat geyser in Yellowstone National Park is having an exceptionally active year.
September 8, 2019
