ikenbot: Monster Black Holes Are Most Massive Ever Discovered Scientists have discovered the largest black holes yet, and they’re far bigger than researchers expected based on the galaxies in which they were found. The discovery suggests we have much to learn about how monster black holes grow, scientists said. All large galaxies are thought to harbor super-massive black holes at their hearts that contain millions to billions of times the mass of our sun. Until now, the largest black hole known was a mammoth dwelling in the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87. This black hole has a mass 6.3 billion times that of the sun. Now research suggests black holes in two nearby galaxies are even bigger. The scientists used the Gemini and Keck observatories in Hawaii and the McDonald Observatory in Texas to monitor the velocities of stars orbiting around the centers of a pair of galaxies. These velocities reveal the strength of the gravitational pull on those stars, which in turn is linked with the masses of the black holes lurking there. The new findings suggest that one galaxy, known as NGC 3842, the brightest galaxy in the Leo cluster of galaxies nearly 320 million light years distant, has a central black hole 9.7 billion solar masses large. The other, named NGC 4889, the brightest galaxy in the Coma cluster more than 335 million light years away, has a black hole of comparable or larger mass. Both encompass regions or “event horizons” about five times the distance from the sun to Pluto. “For comparison, these black holes are 2,500 times as massive as the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, whose event horizon is one-fifth the orbit of Mercury,” said study lead author Nicholas McConnell at the University of California, Berkeley. Astronomers had suspected that black holes more than 10 billion solar masses large exist, based on light from quasars, cosmic objects from the early universe that are no more than a light year or two across but are thousands of times brighter than our entire galaxy. The light of quasars is thought to come from matter driven to incandescent brightness as it spirals at high speeds into supermassive black holes. This is the first time scientists have detected black holes approaching such theorized giants in size. “These two new supermassive black holes are similar in mass to young quasars, and may be the missing link between quasars and the supermassive black holes we see today,” said study co-author Chung-Pei Ma, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Berkeley.

ikenbot:

Monster Black Holes Are Most Massive Ever Discovered

Scientists have discovered the largest black holes yet, and they’re far bigger than researchers expected based on the galaxies in which they were found. The discovery suggests we have much to learn about how monster black holes grow, scientists said.

All large galaxies are thought to harbor super-massive black holes at their hearts that contain millions to billions of times the mass of our sun. Until now, the largest black hole known was a mammoth dwelling in the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87. This black hole has a mass 6.3 billion times that of the sun.

Now research suggests black holes in two nearby galaxies are even bigger. The scientists used the Gemini and Keck observatories in Hawaii and the McDonald Observatory in Texas to monitor the velocities of stars orbiting around the centers of a pair of galaxies. These velocities reveal the strength of the gravitational pull on those stars, which in turn is linked with the masses of the black holes lurking there.

The new findings suggest that one galaxy, known as NGC 3842, the brightest galaxy in the Leo cluster of galaxies nearly 320 million light years distant, has a central black hole 9.7 billion solar masses large. The other, named NGC 4889, the brightest galaxy in the Coma cluster more than 335 million light years away, has a black hole of comparable or larger mass. Both encompass regions or “event horizons” about five times the distance from the sun to Pluto.

“For comparison, these black holes are 2,500 times as massive as the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, whose event horizon is one-fifth the orbit of Mercury,” said study lead author Nicholas McConnell at the University of California, Berkeley. Astronomers had suspected that black holes more than 10 billion solar masses large exist, based on light from quasars, cosmic objects from the early universe that are no more than a light year or two across but are thousands of times brighter than our entire galaxy.

The light of quasars is thought to come from matter driven to incandescent brightness as it spirals at high speeds into supermassive black holes. This is the first time scientists have detected black holes approaching such theorized giants in size.

“These two new supermassive black holes are similar in mass to young quasars, and may be the missing link between quasars and the supermassive black holes we see today,” said study co-author Chung-Pei Ma, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Berkeley.

(via scinerds)

jumpsuitsandteleporters:

Beep Beep! Sputnik — the satellite that instigated the space race — turns 55 years old today. About the size of a beach ball yet weighing 184 pounds, Sputnik 1 circled the globe every 96 minutes and made 1,440 orbits. It traveled approximately 60 million kilometers, transmitting satellite beeps all the way until it burned up on January 4, 1958. Three months later, Sputnik 2 was launched carrying a passenger dog named Laika — the first dog in space!

Enjoy this ditty from 1959 in celebration of Sputnik.

(via bbglasses)

ikenbot: NASA Telescope Snaps Best-Ever Pictures of Sun’s Atmosphere A NASA telescope snapped the best-ever images of the sun’s million-degree outer atmosphere during a brief spaceflight this month, agency officials say. The High Resolution Coronal Imager, or Hi-C for short, captured 165 stunning pictures of the sun’s corona during a 10-minute suborbital flight on July 11. The telescope focused its gaze on a large sunspot, a temporary blemish on the sun that appears dark because it is cooler than the rest of the solar surface. Huge solar flares and blasts of plasma called coronal mass ejections (CMEs) often erupt from sunspots. Hi-C’s photos could help researchers better understand the solar atmosphere and its potential impacts on Earth, project scientists said.

ikenbot:

NASA Telescope Snaps Best-Ever Pictures of Sun’s Atmosphere

A NASA telescope snapped the best-ever images of the sun’s million-degree outer atmosphere during a brief spaceflight this month, agency officials say.

The High Resolution Coronal Imager, or Hi-C for short, captured 165 stunning pictures of the sun’s corona during a 10-minute suborbital flight on July 11. The telescope focused its gaze on a large sunspot, a temporary blemish on the sun that appears dark because it is cooler than the rest of the solar surface.

Huge solar flares and blasts of plasma called coronal mass ejections (CMEs) often erupt from sunspots. Hi-C’s photos could help researchers better understand the solar atmosphere and its potential impacts on Earth, project scientists said.

schumannistic:

Most Awesome Looking Spaceships/Spacecrafts in Movies ↴

  • USS Discovery    |   2001 A Space Odyssey (1968)
  • The Nostromo   |   Aliens (1986)
  • Event Horizon   |   Event Horizon (1997)
  • USS Odyssey   |   Stargate: the Ark of Truth (2008)
  • USS Enterprise   |   Star Trek (2009)
  • Star Destroyer  |  Star Wars (1977-1983)
  • Icarus II   |   Sunshine (2007)
  • Millennium Falcon  |  Star Wars (1977-1983)

My babies!

(via slavicinferno)

expose-the-light:

10 Moons Every Person Should Know

Pretty much everyone can rattle off the names of our solar system’s eight (formerly nine) planets, but ask the average person to list some moons and you’ll be lucky if they can tell you more than two or three.

Now, you obviously can’t expect people to remember the name of every single satellite in the solar system (after all, they outnumber the planets by around 20 to 1), but if you have even the slightest interest in astronomy, it wouldn’t kill you to be familiar with at least an even ten. So with that in mind, we’ve assembled this reference guide to ten of the solar system’s most noteworthy moons.

1. Moon: Europa
Parent Planet: Jupiter
Why You Should Know it: Despite being covered by distinctive, criss-crossing cracks and ridges, Europa’s water-ice surface is largely free of craters, making it perhaps the smoothest solid body in the entire solar system. More interesting than Europa’s frozen exterior, however, is what lies hidden beneath it.

2. Moon: Io
Parent Planet: Jupiter
Why You Should Know it: Io is very close in size to our own moon, but it couldn’t be more different. Despite having a mean surface temperature of less than -250 degrees Fahrenheit, Io is home to over 400 raging volcanos, making it the single most geologically active object in the solar system.

3. Moon: Mimas
Parent Planet: Saturn
Why you should know it: This list is an important reference for any self-respecting science geek, but Mimas is especially relevant for fans of science fiction for what should be obvious reasons. In brief: Mimas is no space station. It’s a moon. Like many of Saturn’s orbiting bodies, Mimas is small and icy, but it’s also home to “Herschel” — the name astronomers have given the massive crater situated on the moon’s leading hemisphere.

4. Moon: Enceladus
Parent Planet: Saturn
Why You Should Know it: Enceladus is one wacky little moon. Like Europa, its surface is covered in water ice, but it’s also home to some of the most impressive geysers in the solar system. Scientists had suspected for years that Enceladus was venting water vapor from its surface, but it wasn’t until 2005 that they had direct visual confirmation that the moon was doing so by spewing jets of the stuff from geysers on its surface.

5. Moon: Triton
Parent Planet: Neptune
Why You Should Know it: Of all the biggest, “major” moons in the solar system, Triton is the only one that orbits in a direction opposite that of its parent planet’s rotation. Astrophysicists call this a “retrograde orbit,” and it’s typical of moons that have been “captured” by their parent planet.

6. Moon: Iapetus
Parent Planet: Saturn
Why You Should Know it: Iapetus may be one of the most mysterious moons we’ve ever discovered. For one thing, it is two completely different colors; the moon’s trailing hemisphere is as bright and reflective as snow, but its leading hemisphere is as dark as freshly poured asphalt — a characteristic that has led many astronomers to refer to it as the “painted” or “yin-yang” moon.

7. Moon: Phobos
Parent Planet: Mars
Why You Should Know it: Mars’ moon Phobos may not be the biggest moon on this list. It may not have the most interesting geology, or the most peculiar orbit, or the most promising environment when it comes to harboring extraterrestrial life. Be that as it may, there is a very, very good chance that it will become the second moon — and the third cosmic body — to host human travelers on mankind’s journey out into the Universe.

8. Moon: Titan
Parent Planet: Saturn
Why You Should Know it: If moons could be considered for reclassification under planetary status, Titan would be the first to come under review. It is the only moon in the entire solar system with a dense atmosphere (which can be clearly seen in the form of an enveloping haze in many recent Cassini images, including the one featured here); it experiences rain and snow; and it’s even home to geological features like lakes, valleys, plains and deserts. In fact, according to NASA’s Dr. Rosaly Lopes, “Titan looks more like the Earth than any other body in the Solar System.”

9. Moon: Hyperion
Parent Planet: Saturn
Why You Should Know it: Phil Plait — astronomer extraordinair and master of ceremonies over at Bad Astronomy — once called Hyperion “the solar system’s weirdest moon” — and that’s saying something. For one thing, Saturn is home to some pretty wonky moons (just look at how many of the natural satellites on this list orbit the ringed planet); secondly, Phil Plait has written about some weird moons in his day — so what makes Hyperion the weirdest? Well, a lot of things, but for starters: the loofah-like moon happens to be weirdly foamy.

10. Moon: Moon
Parent Planet: Earth
Why You Should Know it: It’s hard to go wrong with the original. Sure, it’s the first moon humans ever observed, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that we finally managed to get a glimpse of its far side; and just last week we learned that the Moon may have been partly responsible for sinking the Titanic, demonstrating that our Moon has been — and will always be — a source of wonder and mystery. [Photo, and top photo, by Rick Baldridge via NASA]

(via scinerds)

cwnl: Could Neutrons be Swapping Through The Multiverse? Illustration: Energy // The idea that there are multiple universes present in further dimensions of space isn’t new, but a team of scientists think they may be able to lend it some credence by observing neutrons jumping from one universe to the next. Physicists Hope to Catch Neutrons in the Act of Jumping from Our Universe to Another The notion of multiple universes is one that cosmologists like to theorize about but generally don’t relish proving, mainly because doing so would be very difficult. But a team of researchers that showed a few years ago how matter might travel between our universe and others now think they ought to be able to observe this phenomenon in action using existing technology, lending credence to the multiverse theory. All they need is a neutron bottle, some neutrons, and a year. The experiments would require bottling neutrons in an ultracold state, a process that physicists have been performing for years to measure how quickly neutrons decay. These bottles—made of ordinary matter imbued with magnetic fields—are able to trap these super-cooled neutrons and keep them moving slowly enough that they can be observed. Physicists can measure the rate at which these trapped neutrons strike the walls of the bottle and how quickly this rate declines as the neutrons decay. In a perfect experiment, the neutrons would always decay precisely at a rate equal to the beta decay rate, but this is never the case because neutron bottles aren’t perfect—the rate of decay is always a bit faster, presumably because some of the neutrons escape by means other than decay. Or maybe they don’t. Michael Sarrazin at the University of Namur in Belgium and a few colleagues have postulated that maybe these neutrons simply depart for another universe. They have already shown how, theoretically, large enough magnetic potentials could provide the basis for inter-universe matter swapping. Now, in a paper available at arXiv, they’ve used decay rate data to place an upper limit on how often this might be able to happen. They found that it’s probably quite rare if it happens at all—according to their figures, the probability of a neutron making the leap to another universe is smaller than one in a million. But that doesn’t rule it out completely, especially considering how many neutrons there are out there. Moreover, Sarrazin thinks he has a way to observe this experimentally. A change in the gravitational potential should also affect the rate of matter swapping, and the gravitational potential here on Earth changes as the planet moves around the Sun. Run a neutron trapping experiment for a full year, and you could see if there is a modulation in the rate of neutron decay based on some kind of annual cycle. If so, that means the neutrons probably aren’t just decaying, but swapping universes as well.

cwnl:

Could Neutrons be Swapping Through The Multiverse?

Illustration: Energy // The idea that there are multiple universes present in further dimensions of space isn’t new, but a team of scientists think they may be able to lend it some credence by observing neutrons jumping from one universe to the next.

Physicists Hope to Catch Neutrons in the Act of Jumping from Our Universe to Another

The notion of multiple universes is one that cosmologists like to theorize about but generally don’t relish proving, mainly because doing so would be very difficult.

But a team of researchers that showed a few years ago how matter might travel between our universe and others now think they ought to be able to observe this phenomenon in action using existing technology, lending credence to the multiverse theory. All they need is a neutron bottle, some neutrons, and a year.

The experiments would require bottling neutrons in an ultracold state, a process that physicists have been performing for years to measure how quickly neutrons decay. These bottles—made of ordinary matter imbued with magnetic fields—are able to trap these super-cooled neutrons and keep them moving slowly enough that they can be observed. Physicists can measure the rate at which these trapped neutrons strike the walls of the bottle and how quickly this rate declines as the neutrons decay.

In a perfect experiment, the neutrons would always decay precisely at a rate equal to the beta decay rate, but this is never the case because neutron bottles aren’t perfect—the rate of decay is always a bit faster, presumably because some of the neutrons escape by means other than decay.

Or maybe they don’t. Michael Sarrazin at the University of Namur in Belgium and a few colleagues have postulated that maybe these neutrons simply depart for another universe. They have already shown how, theoretically, large enough magnetic potentials could provide the basis for inter-universe matter swapping.

Now, in a paper available at arXiv, they’ve used decay rate data to place an upper limit on how often this might be able to happen. They found that it’s probably quite rare if it happens at all—according to their figures, the probability of a neutron making the leap to another universe is smaller than one in a million.

But that doesn’t rule it out completely, especially considering how many neutrons there are out there. Moreover, Sarrazin thinks he has a way to observe this experimentally. A change in the gravitational potential should also affect the rate of matter swapping, and the gravitational potential here on Earth changes as the planet moves around the Sun.

Run a neutron trapping experiment for a full year, and you could see if there is a modulation in the rate of neutron decay based on some kind of annual cycle. If so, that means the neutrons probably aren’t just decaying, but swapping universes as well.

(via scinerds)

becauseofthiswoman: Name: Carolyn PorcoDate: 1953-present  Why she rocks: She’s the head of the Cassini imaging team. (Cassini is a spacecraft mission to Saturn plus its satellites). She and her teams have always been adding to our knowledge of the outer planets and their moons even back to Voyager. She’s also a great public speaker, who did some TED talks. Quote: “Get ready….Cassini flies close by Dione, and takes some pics of Enc(Enceladus) too. We’ll post the goods when they’re done on the ground”-@carolynporco     Because of this woman…we have more knowledge in planetary science and someone who is in science who is also active in the public.Submitted by neutron7.tumblr.com  I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

becauseofthiswoman:

Name: Carolyn Porco
Date: 1953-present 

Why she rocks: She’s the head of the Cassini imaging team. (Cassini is a spacecraft mission to Saturn plus its satellites). She and her teams have always been adding to our knowledge of the outer planets and their moons even back to Voyager. She’s also a great public speaker, who did some TED talks.

Quote: “Get ready….Cassini flies close by Dione, and takes some pics of Enc(Enceladus) too. We’ll post the goods when they’re done on the ground”-@carolynporco    

Because of this woman…we have more knowledge in planetary science and someone who is in science who is also active in the public.

Submitted by neutron7.tumblr.com 

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

discoverynews: Jay-Z and Beyoncé To Film Music Video in Space They’ve already brought a new child into the world and purchased it a $614,000 rocking horse made of gold, so it’s only natural that pop culture’s favorite 1 percenters now plan to ascend into suborbital space aboard Virgin Galactic and film the mother of all music videos. Or at least that’s what record executives are thinking, according to MTV News. They’re going to space to film a music video?  A music video?!???!?!?! Of all the things. Good lord.  But at least it might attract more people to study science right? Thumbs up if that happens. :)

discoverynews:

Jay-Z and Beyoncé To Film Music Video in Space

They’ve already brought a new child into the world and purchased it a $614,000 rocking horse made of gold, so it’s only natural that pop culture’s favorite 1 percenters now plan to ascend into suborbital space aboard Virgin Galactic and film the mother of all music videos. Or at least that’s what record executives are thinking, according to MTV News.

They’re going to space to film a music video?  A music video?!???!?!?! Of all the things. Good lord. 

But at least it might attract more people to study science right? Thumbs up if that happens. :)

(via scinerds)