,KBC Void,Universe Mysteries,fCZDPiHvOHg,UCK-0srt5hdY5m6Zos_NlJZg, Knowledge, channel_UCK-0srt5hdY5m6Zos_NlJZg, video_fCZDPiHvOHg,Try Opera browser FOR FREE here https://opr.as/Opera-browser-thesecretsoftheuniverse
Our galaxy is positioned near the center of a massive cosmic void known as the KBC void or the Local Hole. This void, which stretches an incredible 2 billion light-years across, challenges some of the most basic ideas in cosmology. The existence of such a vast empty space raises big questions about the Big Bang, how galaxies are spread out, and the very nature of the universe’s expansion. However, the most intriguing part is that this void could help explain two of astronomy’s biggest puzzles: the Hubble Tension and the Fermi Paradox.
REFERENCE:
A simultaneous solution to the Hubble tension and observed bulk flow within 250 h−1 Mpc – Mazurenko et al. (Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)– https://sou42.co/3AHnvt2
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,1,The James Webb Space Telescope has made a record-breaking observation in deep space. The infrared observatory has given astronomers their first detailed glimpse of supernovae from when our universe was just a small fraction of its current age.
Within a patch of sky about the size of a rice grain held at arm's length, Webb has discovered at least 80 supernovae, increasing the number of known supernovae in the early universe by tenfold. Some of these newly found supernovae are the farthest we've ever seen, including ones that help us measure how fast the universe is expanding.
To discover supernovae, the team compared several images taken up to a year apart, searching for sources that either appeared or vanished. These objects, which change in brightness over time, are known as transients. Supernovae are a specific type of transient. The team spent over 100 hours of Webb's observing time on each image, and the results have opened a new window into the early universe.
📝 REFERENCES:
The JADES Transient Survey: Discovery and Classification of Supernovae in the JADES Deep Field, DeCoursey et al - https://bit.ly/3KXP96x
NASA Press Release - https://bit.ly/3z1ekm5
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💻 Created, Written, and Produced by: Rishabh Nakra
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,1,Astronomers have found the strongest statistical evidence of Planet 9, the hidden planet of our solar system believed to be lurking in the outskirts of the solar system. The possibility of the existence of Planet 9 has long intrigued scientists. Some researchers believe it might have been a rogue planet captured by our Sun's gravity, while others think it could have formed from the same disk of gas and dust as the other planets. If Planet 9 exists, it is believed to be ten times more massive than Earth and orbit the Sun at a distance of 400 to 800 Astronomical Units, which is 400 to 800 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
Astronomers have been eagerly hunting for clues, using powerful telescopes and advanced computer models to track its influence. After years of watching the sky, solving mathematical equations, and running complex computer simulations, they now have the strongest evidence yet that Planet 9 really exists. This discovery introduces an exciting plot twist in the story of the hidden planet.
📝 REFERENCES:
Generation of Low-Inclination, Neptune-Crossing TNOs by Planet Nine, Batygin et al (2024), The Astrophysical Journal - https://bit.ly/4c0A0gG
Evidence for a Distant Giant Planet in the Solar System, Batygin and Brown (2016), The Astrophysical Journal - https://bit.ly/4efIxOx
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,1,Astronomy Calendar 2024: In this video, you will find all the important astronomical events taking place in 2024: meteor showers, eclipses, comets, and planetary conjunctions. As it turns out, 2024 is going to be a great year for astronomy enthusiasts. It has four eclipses, two supermoons, and several planetary conjunctions.
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The James Webb Space Telescope has made history by discovering the earliest black hole known in the Universe. This infrared observatory found a massive black hole that existed when the Universe was only 470 million years old, roughly 3% of its current age. The discovery became even more intriguing when scientists measured the black hole's mass, which turned out to be 40 million times that of our Sun. This is ten times the mass of Sagittarius A* (A star), the supermassive black hole located at the center of our galaxy. This finding appears to have resolved one of the most significant mysteries in astronomy: the origin of the first black holes in the Universe.
But how did such a massive black hole form so quickly in the baby universe? What's so puzzling about the mass of this supermassive black hole lying at the edge of time? Finally, and most importantly, how does this discovery shed light on the birth of the first black holes in the cosmos?
The 79th episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers all these questions.
RESEARCH PAPER:
Evidence for heavy seed origin of early supermassive black holes from a z~10 X-ray quasar, Bogdan et al.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.15458
Created By: Rishabh Nakra
Written By: Shreejaya Karantha
Narrated By: Jeffrey Smith
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Interstellar Meteor 1: Declassified files have revealed that in 2014, nearly three years before Oumuamua made headlines, an unusual object struck our planet on January 8th. It penetrated Earth's atmosphere, leaving fiery trails across the skies of Papua New Guinea, and ultimately crashed into the coast of Manus Island in a dramatic explosion. Although data recorded by the sensors of certain spy satellites suggested that the object likely originated from interstellar sources, this information remained classified, shrouding the meteor's origin in mystery for years.
However, recent ongoing research has finally confirmed that the mysterious meteor did indeed originate from another star system. This object has been named "Interstellar Meteor 1" or IM1. Chronologically speaking, this discovery establishes IM1 as the first known interstellar visitor, preceding two subsequent objects: the asteroid 'Oumuamua and the rogue comet Borisov.
But how did scientists confirm that IM1 originated outside of our solar system? Moreover, why did it take almost a decade to confirm the origins of this celestial object?
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Created by: Rishabh Nakra and Simran Buttar
Written by: Shreejaya Karantha
Narrated by: Jeffrey Smith
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On 23 August 2023, India scripted history. With its Chandrayaan 3 mission, it became the fourth nation to land on the Moon and the first on the lunar south pole. Within a short period of just a couple of weeks, the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover made ground-breaking discoveries in the region of the Moon that no nation had ever visited. However, the most intriguing event was recorded three days after Chandrayaan 3 landed on the Moon: The mission's Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity or ILSA (ill-sa) recorded a potential moonquake. Moonquakes, as the name suggests, are seismic tremors that occur on the Moon. These lunar quakes are a fascinating phenomenon that has captured the interest of scientists and researchers for decades.
The first moonquakes were detected during the Apollo missions in the early 1970s, and the tremors recorded by the Chandrayaan-3 mission could be the first moonquake recorded in over half a century. But why is the detection of these tremors so important for scientists? What other discoveries did the Chandrayaan-3 mission make on the South Pole of the Moon? Finally, and most importantly, what is that one significant thing that Chandrayaan-3, just like previous missions, has failed to find on the lunar surface?
The 76th episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers all these questions in detail.
Created By: Rishabh Nakra
Written By: Simran Buttar
Narrated By: Brian Pederson
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The first full-color images captured by the brand-new Euclid Space Telescope have been made public, and they did not disappoint. Never before has a telescope been able to create such razor-sharp astronomical images across such a large patch of the sky and look so far into the distant Universe. These inaugural images showcase Euclid's extraordinary capability to create the most comprehensive 3D map of the universe yet. But what’s so special about the Euclid Space Telescope? How is it different from the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope? And what’s so special about these five images captured by Euclid from the edge of darkness? Let’s have a look at them one by one in this video.
Created by: Rishabh Nakra and Shreejaya Karantha
Narrated by: Jeffrey Smith
,1,NASA has discovered a remarkable system of seven planets orbiting a star slightly bigger and hotter than the Sun. The star, called Kepler 385, lies around 5,000 light years away in the constellation Cygnus. It’s slightly hotter and bigger than the Sun. All the seven planets are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, and are bathed in more radiant heat from their host star, than any planet in our solar system. The reason why this discovery is so important is that Kepler-385 system is one of only a few known planetary systems to contain more than six verified planets. It is also one of the very few systems in which all of the planets are larger than Earth. It suggests that such systems may be more common than previously thought. Further study could help us to better understand the formation and evolution of planets.
To get regular space updates, follow The Secrets of the Universe.
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The James Webb Space Telescope focused on Jupiter's moon Europa and found something truly remarkable. It discovered carbon dioxide in a very specific place on the surface of the moon, hinting that something intriguing is happening inside it.
Decades of exploration of the solar system have shown that Jupiter's moon, Europa, is one of the most promising places where we can find life beyond Earth. That's because of the vast ocean the moon hides beneath its icy crust. The first evidence of the subsurface ocean came when NASA's Voyager spacecraft flew past Jupiter about half a century ago. The data from the spacecraft revealed that Europa was not just icy but had a young, frequently rejuvenated outer surface.
Further missions to study Jupiter and its moons suggested that Europa's underground ocean of liquid water contains twice the volume of all of Earth's oceans combined. However, what truly piques our interest in this moon is the possibility that it may have hosted life within its mysterious, dark waters, where organic molecules and potential energy sources might exist.
And now, the most powerful space telescope ever built has delivered its first significant results concerning the Jovian moon. So, how did Webb discover carbon dioxide on the surface of Europa? How are astronomers so sure that it came from beneath the surface of the moon? Finally, and most importantly, why is the discovery of carbon dioxide on the surface of Europa so important?
The 75th episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers all these questions in detail.
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Created By: Rishabh Nakra
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,1,NASA finally opened the space capsule containing the largest asteroid sample ever collected by a space mission. The sample came from Bennu, a potentially hazardous asteroid that's like a time capsule from the early solar system. On 26 September 2023, scientists at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston opened the lid on the sample return canister from the OSIRIS-REx mission, which had returned to Earth two days earlier with a sample from the asteroid. As the lid was lifted, scientists gasped at what they saw: a layer of black dust and debris on the avionics deck of the canister. Also, the sample weighed 100 grams more than what was collected at Bennu. This was unexpected, as the sample was safely stored in a sealed container all along the way.
So, how did this happen in the first place? What's the source of the unexpected black dust on the avionics deck of the canister? Finally, and most importantly, what do scientists expect to find in the detailed analysis of the largest asteroid sample that has ever returned to Earth?
The 74th episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers all these questions in detail.
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Created By: Rishabh Nakra
Narrated By: Brian Pederson
,1,Scientists have made an exciting discovery in space. They have found that the entire universe is vibrating and humming with a frequency of a billionth of a hertz. This is the first direct evidence of a gravitational wave background, something that astrophysicists have been hunting for decades. The signal is about 100 times weaker than the faintest known radio waves. This remarkable discovery was made using Pulsar Timing Arrays, a brilliant technique in which 67 millisecond pulsars were used to create a galaxy-sized detector. The gravitational wave background is thought to be caused by the mergers of supermassive black holes. These mergers release a tremendous amount of energy in the form of gravitational waves, which travel through the universe at the speed of light. The finding also provides a solution to the long-standing astrophysics mystery, the final parsec problem.
,1,October 2023 Solar Eclipse: An annular solar eclipse is coming to the United States on 14 October 2023 after more than 11 years. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon covers the center of the Sun, leaving a radiant ring, often referred to as the "ring of fire." The eclipse will sweep all of North America, Central America, and most of South America. Viewers in parts of America will have a chance to see two incredibly rare phenomena: the Ring of Fire and Baily's Beads.
In the US, the Ring of Fire will be visible from Southern Oregon, Northeastern California, Northern Nevada, Southern Utah, Southwest Colorado, Northeastern Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
Two weeks later, a partial lunar eclipse will occur on Saturday, 28 October 2023. It will be visible in Asia, Russia, Africa, Europe, Antarctica, and Oceania. The eclipse will begin at 7:36 p.m. GMT and end at 8:53 p.m. on 28 October. In India, the eclipse will start at 1:06 a.m. on 29 October and end at 2:23 a.m. It will be a short eclipse lasting for about 75 minutes. The maximum eclipse will occur at 01:45 IST, when 12% of the Moon's disk will lie in shadow.
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,1,If the Earth suddenly stopped spinning, here’s what would happen next. First, everything around the equator would be flung eastward at speeds up to 1670 km/h, equivalent to the Earth's rotational velocity there. This inertia would unleash winds and giant tidal waves, sweeping away everything in their path. Next, Earth's oblate shape, resulting from its rotation, would shift dramatically, triggering intense earthquakes as gravity reshaped it into a spherical form. Ocean tides, governed by the Moon's pull, would become unpredictable, upending marine ecosystems. Most astonishingly, a halt in Earth's rotation would mean a day would stretch on as long as a year since the Earth would still be revolving around the Sun. One side of the planet would be subjected to continuous, blistering heat for about six months, while the other half would be plunged into a frozen, eternal night for the same period. It's a hypothetical scenario but a reminder of the delicate balance that makes life on Earth possible.
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When NASA's New Horizons spacecraft finally reached Pluto and sent back the first images of the far-flung world, we saw something that absolutely blew our minds. For decades, Pluto had been a planet of paradoxes. Once considered the ninth planet in our solar system, it had been reclassified, debated, and wondered about. The object had remained a blurry dot even in our most powerful telescopes. But now, after more than 80 years of its discovery, we had the first close-up pictures of Pluto. The spacecraft showed us a Pluto filled with geological features that indicated not just a history of activity but the possibility of ongoing dynamism. Towering Mountains, deep valleys, and vast plains suggested a world in the process of changing, not a fossilized relic from the past.
But the most surprising discovery was the strong evidence of a subsurface ocean concealed beneath layers of ice. This finding didn't just make us reconsider Pluto; it threw open new doors of possibility for the existence of life beyond Earth. If a so-called 'dead' planet, at the far reaches of our solar system, could harbor an ocean, what else might we find as we venture deeper into the cosmos?
,1,Scientists have found evidence of a hidden state of matter that exists between solid and liquid. This new state, called "glassy liquid,” is found in amorphous solids, which are materials that lack the regular atomic structure of crystals. In a glassy liquid, the atoms are still arranged randomly, like in a liquid, but they are also less mobile, like in a solid. This gives the material some of the properties of both liquids and solids. The researchers found that, in the glassy liquid state, the atoms are able to move around more easily than in a solid, but they are still more restricted than in a liquid. This is an important discovery as it could also lead to the development of new materials with unique properties, such as materials that are more resistant to deformation or that have better thermal conductivity.
To get science and technology updates, follow The Secrets of the Universe.
,1,A new study shows that the universe could be twice the known age. The study, based on the early galaxy data from the James Webb Space Telescope, proposes that the universe is actually 26.7 billion years old and that the light from these distant galaxies has been "tired" by its long journey through space. This would explain why the galaxies appear to be more massive than they should be. The study combines the century-old tired light hypothesis with the covarying coupling constant model to explain the nature of the galaxies discovered by Webb in the early universe. It is controversial, and other astronomers are not yet convinced that the universe is twice as old as we thought. However, if more evidence is found in favour of this new model, it could replace the currently accepted cosmology model and solve several astronomical problems. To watch the full episode on this study, check out the linked video.
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,1,Astronomers have discovered something weird happening on Neptune. Nearly all the clouds that decorate its apparent blue atmosphere have disappeared, leaving the far-flung world almost devoid of clouds. Unlike the calm blue sky on Earth, Neptune's sky is constantly changing and full of action. It has some of the fastest winds in our solar system, reaching up to 2000 km/hr or 1200 mi/hr.
These turbulent conditions whip clouds of methane and other gases into a never-ending show, like a dance we can barely see from Earth. But here's the surprising part: lately, all the clouds have seemingly disappeared on Neptune, dramatically changing the appearance of the distant planet. Things took an interesting turn when scientists discovered the reason behind this change: the 11-year solar cycle, whose origin remains a mystery to date.
So, how did astronomers discover the reason behind the disappearance of the Neptunian clouds? How does the Sun, lying 4.4 billion km away, affect the atmosphere of Neptune to such a great extent? Finally, and most importantly, what evidence do we have to support this idea?
The 73rd episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers all these questions in detail.
RESEARCH PAPER:
Evolution of Neptune at Near-Infrared Wavelengths from 1994 through 2022, E. Chavez at al. - https://bit.ly/3RrBh9m
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Venus has long remained an enigmatic sister planet to Earth— seemingly similar in size, yet covered in clouds of sulfuric acid that betray the volatile world lurking beneath. While Mars, Jupiter, and even far-flung Pluto have opened their secrets to robotic spacecraft from Earth, Venus remains the least explored of our planetary neighbors. Often termed Earth's "evil twin,” Venus hosts crushing atmospheric pressures, scorching temperatures that could melt lead, and skies filled perpetually with dense clouds that don’t even let a ray of sunlight touch the surface. This combination creates a planet so hostile that it has destroyed every probe sent to explore its surface; some lasted mere minutes before surrendering to the planet’s wrath.
So, what views did we see beneath the thick cloud cover shrouding the planet? What do they tell us about the past of the Earth’s evil twin? Finally, and most importantly, what secrets will the upcoming Indian, American, and European missions to Venus reveal?
Created By: Rishabh Nakra
Written By: Simran Buttar
Narrated By: Brian Pederson
,1,Webb has made a bone-chilling discovery at the edge of time. The infrared telescope has found signs of supermassive stars that could be up to 100,000 times more massive than the Sun. To put that into perspective, the most massive star we have ever found in the universe is 250 times the Sun’s mass. The colossal stars discovered by Webb belong to the first generation of stars that existed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. These stars lived very short lives, consuming their nuclear fuel in just a few million years. When they died, they exploded in supernovae, scattering their heavy elements throughout the universe. These heavy elements eventually formed the planets, stars, and galaxies that we see today. The discovery of supermassive stars at the edge of time is a major breakthrough in our understanding of the early universe. To watch the full episode on the exciting discovery, check out this linked video.
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,1,There’s an exciting update on the supernova of Betelgeuse. A recent study shows that we may have significantly underestimated the size of the red supergiant and its evolution timeline. Betelgeuse could have almost depleted all its carbon and be on the verge of undergoing a supernova. Researchers say that Betelgeuse may seem to explode in a few tens of years rather than hundreds of thousands of years. This is a big deal because the star is located about 650 light years away from us, which means that what we see now is actually how it appeared 650 years ago. If the study, based on the analysis of the star’s fundamental mode and overtones, is correct, it means that Betelgeuse may have already gone supernova in real-time, and we might be fortunate enough to witness this incredible event in our lifetime.
,1,Comet P1 Nishimura will fly past Earth in September 2023, and it is expected to be visible to the naked eye. The September 2023 comet was discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura. At the time of discovery, the comet had an apparent magnitude of 10.4, or about 40 times fainter than a star on the threshold of naked-eye visibility. The comet is brightening as it approaches the Earth and the Sun. As of August 26, its magnitude had skyrocketed to 7.9, a ten-fold increase in brightness as compared to the night it was discovered.
In this video, you will find every detail on how to see Comet Nishimura in the coming days.
Space Apps to locate the comet: https://bit.ly/space_apps_2023
,1,You’re looking at the coldest place ever found in the universe. It’s the Boomerang Nebula, a young planetary nebula located 5,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus. The temperature here is -272.15°C or -457.87°F. That’s just one kelvin above absolute zero, the temperature at which all atomic motion stops. Furthermore, this region is even colder than the cosmic microwave background radiation, which is the leftover heat from the Big Bang. The Boomerang Nebula gets its name from its distinctive shape, which resembles a boomerang. The nebula, spanning 10 light years, is formed by the outflow of gas from a dying star. As the gas expands, it cools down. The nebula is so cold because it is expanding very rapidly at a rate of around 160,000 km/hr. Astronomers believe it will continue to cool down for the next few thousand years.
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,1,The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed the secrets of Earendel, the farthest star ever discovered in the universe, lying at the edge of time. Earendel is so far away that its light has taken 13 billion years to reach us through a cosmic coincidence of line of sight. But this doesn't mean that it's 13 billion light-years away. The proper distance of this star, which also considers the universe's expansion, is about 28 billion light years. Also, if the Big Bang theory is correct, this means that we are actually looking at a star that existed within the first billion years of the universe. Hence, it could belong to the elusive first generation of stars that astronomers have been hunting for decades.
But Earendel is so far away that it's impossible to study its properties in detail with Earth-based telescopes or even the Hubble Space Telescope. And this is where the James Webb Space Telescope comes into the picture.
So, how did astronomers discover Earendel, a lone star so far away in the cosmos? How is it different from the stars we observe in the local universe? Finally, and most importantly, why were astronomers surprised by the James Webb Space Telescope observations of Earendel?
The 72nd episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers all these questions in detail.
REFERENCES:
August 2023 NASA Press Release: https://bit.ly/3OBpaDD
JWST Research Paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2208.09007.pdf
Hubble Research Paper: https://go.nature.com/3PoOk7O
Created, Written, and Researched by: Rishabh Nakra
Narrated by: Jeffrey Smith
,1,India's Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully landed on the Moon on August 23, becoming the first nation to make a soft landing on the South Pole of the Moon. The lunar South Pole is home to one of the toughest landscapes and incredibly frigid temperatures. However, it's also the most interesting geological place on the Moon. Scientists believe the South Pole is a place where we could find reservoirs of water, ice, minerals, and volatiles such as ammonia and methane. All these things would help us in the future exploration of the Moon and other planets in the Solar System.
The duration of the mission will be one lunar day (here, day refers to the time there will be sunlight) or about 14 Earth days.
The success of India's Chandrayaan-3 mission is important as the country's space agency, ISRO, has successfully demonstrated its ability to carry out lunar landings in a cost-effective way.
,1,India has become the first nation in the world to land on the South Pole of the Moon, as the country’s Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully touched down on the lunar surface. With this, India has also become the fourth nation worldwide to demonstrate a soft landing on the Moon. The South Pole of the Moon has the toughest terrains and incredibly low temperatures. However, it’s one of the most interesting places on the Moon. There is strong evidence that water ice is present in the permanently shadowed craters of the lunar south pole. This could be a valuable resource for future human exploration of the Moon. Additionally, the lunar south pole is also an excellent place for radio astronomy. The Vikram lander will now measure the mineral composition of the surface of the Moon. The successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 is a major milestone in the history of lunar exploration.
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,1,Astronomers have found evidence of a rare missing-link black hole in our cosmic neighborhood. It’s an intermediate-mass black hole located around 6000 light-years away in the Messier 4 star cluster. So far, we have only observed two distinct black hole classes: the gargantuan supermassive black holes, lurking in the centers of galaxies and weighing millions to billions of times the mass of our Sun, and their smaller counterparts, the stellar mass black holes, born from the violent deaths of massive stars and weighing just a few times the Sun’s mass.
However, a groundbreaking discovery in a nearby star cluster is challenging this dual classification and offering a tantalizing glimpse into a previously elusive category of black holes. Astronomers have unveiled evidence of a rare intermediate-mass black hole, filling the mass gap between the supermassive and stellar black holes.
But what makes an intermediate-mass black hole or an IMBH so special? Why is it so difficult to find a black hole in this category? Finally, and most importantly, how did astronomers make this exciting discovery?
The 71st episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers these questions.
RESEARCH PAPER:
An elusive dark central mass in the globular cluster M4, E. Vitral et al. - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society - https://bit.ly/3E3L3GF
Created By: Rishabh Nakra
Written & Researched By: Simran Buttar
Narrated By: Jeffrey Smith
,1,The surface of Mercury may be covered with 16 quadrillion tonnes of diamond. That’s 16, followed by 15 zeroes. Mercury's surface is mostly made of graphite, a form of carbon. When graphite is subjected to high pressure and heat, it can turn into a diamond. The pressure and heat needed to turn graphite into diamond is created by the impacts of asteroids and comets. Mercury is constantly bombarded by these objects. To estimate the amount of diamond dust on the surface of Mercury, researchers ran a simulation. If Mercury were coated in graphite 300 meters or 984 feet thick, modeling 4.5 billion years of impacts on a graphite crust shows that there could be 16 quadrillion tonnes of diamond on its surface. That’s 16 times the stockpile of our planet. If confirmed, this would make Mercury the most diamond-rich planet in the solar system.
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,1,The farthest galaxy ever confirmed in the universe is called HD1. It’s so far away that even its light took 13.5 billion years to reach us. HD1 is extremely faint and small, but its light has been stretched by the expansion of the universe to make it visible to us today. Remarkably, HD1 births about 100 stars yearly, three times the Milky Way's pace.. It’s unclear what is causing this distant galaxy to form stars at such a high rate. It’s also possible that the galaxy houses a supermassive black hole, but to produce such a luminosity, it needs to be around 100 million times the Sun’s mass. Astronomers hope to solve the enigma of this galaxy using the Webb Telescope.
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,1,If you land on the surface of Venus, you would notice something very strange. The Sun won’t be visible at all. That’s because the atmosphere of Venus is so thick and dense that it blocks out all visible light. Instead, sunlight gets scattered, creating a dim, diffused illumination at ground level. But that doesn't make Venus a cold world. Quite the opposite, it is the hottest planet in our solar system, with surface temperatures averaging around 475°C. Also, the thick atmosphere ensures that heat is evenly distributed. Hence, there's almost no temperature variation between the day and night sides. The planet’s slow rotation, with a day longer than a year, blends day and night into perpetual twilight, with no clear distinction between day and night in terms of sunlight. It's a world that defies comparison within our solar system.
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,1,Our Moon is slowly receding away from us at a rate of 3.8 centimeters per year. This is because of the tidal forces between the Moon and Earth, and the process has been going on for billions of years. The Moon's recession is causing the tides to get smaller, the Earth's rotation to slow down, and the length of a day to get longer. In the far future, it could even lead to the disappearance of the tides altogether. This will have an impact on marine ecosystems, especially those organisms which depend on the tidal rhythms. Furthermore, a point will come when the Moon has distanced itself to such an extent that a total solar eclipse will no longer be possible for the Sun-Earth-Moon system. Though gradual over millions of years, these changes underscore our dynamic planetary system's constant evolution.
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,1,In a ground-breaking discovery, scientists have detected ghost particles called neutrinos from the center of our galaxy. Neutrinos are so weakly interacting that they are often called "ghosts". They are also incredibly abundant, with trillions of them passing through your body every second. The discovery was made after analyzing ten years of data using the IceCube neutrino observatory in Antarctica. The discovery is a game-changer as it is the first time we have mapped the center of the Milky Way using a method other than electromagnetic waves. We had images of the galactic center in wavelengths all the way from gamma rays to radio waves, but now, we have added another panel of neutrino light to it. With improved methods, scientists now aim to pinpoint the exact source of these neutrinos at the center of our galaxy. We're about to perceive reality differently, with nearly invisible particles unveiling unimaginable wonders.
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,1,A giant cosmic question mark has been spotted in space by the James Webb Space Telescope. This spooky object was hiding in an image of the two actively forming young stars located 1,470 light-years from Earth. It's unclear exactly what the question mark-shaped object might be, but its color and shape give us some idea. Astronomers believe it’s a distant galaxy or potentially interacting galaxies distorted by tidal disruption. Also, its red color in the image hints that the object, whatever it may be, is quite distant. Even more exciting, this might be the first time astronomers have seen the cosmic question mark. Astronomers now aim to make detailed observations of this object using JWST. The telescope is opening up a whole new window into the early universe, and we can expect to see many more amazing discoveries in the years to come.
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,1,A powerful solar flare erupted from the Sun, causing radio blackouts across North America and the Pacific Ocean. The flare was classified as an X1.5 on the solar flare scale. An X1.5 flare can emit energy equivalent to billions of hydrogen bombs. The flare caused radio communications to be disrupted in the western United States and the Pacific Ocean. The radio blackouts affected amateur radio operators, air traffic controllers, and GPS users across the US. The blackouts lasted for several hours, but they have since subsided. Space weather forecasters are warning that there could be more solar flares on the way. The sun is currently escalating towards the peak of its 11-year activity cycle, predicted to take place in July 2025. Hence, the Sun is expected to produce more powerful flares in the coming months.
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,1,NASA has reestablished contact with the Voyager 2 spacecraft after weeks of silence. The historic probe launched in 1977, had been out of contact since July 21, when a software glitch caused its antenna to shift slightly. This meant that the spacecraft was no longer pointing at Earth, and NASA was unable to communicate with it. To restore contact, NASA sent a "shout" across interstellar space to Voyager 2, more than 20 billion km or 12.3 billion miles away, instructing it to turn its antenna back to Earth. With a one-way light time of 18.5 hours for the command to reach Voyager, it took 37 hours for mission controllers to learn whether the command worked. Finally, on August 4, NASA received a signal from Voyager 2, indicating that the spacecraft is operating normally and that it remains on its expected trajectory.
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,1,There is some very exciting space news for you. On the night of August 26-27, the Earth will pass between the Sun and Saturn, which means the planet will be at its closest to Earth around these dates. This cosmic event is known as the opposition of Saturn. It’s the best time of the year to see the ringed planet with the naked eye as it also reaches its peak brightness. On this occasion, Saturn will be around 65 million km closer to us than average. The planet will be visible with the naked eye throughout the night. As it lies opposite the Sun, it will rise in the east around sunset, reach its highest point in the sky around midnight, and set in the west at dawn. So, as evening falls on August 26, watch for bright golden Saturn just above the southeastern horizon.
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,1,China is planning to build a spacecraft that would be kilometres long, according to a proposal from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The spacecraft would be assembled and placed in low-Earth orbit and would be used for long-duration missions, such as exploring Mars or the Moon. However, not everyone is convinced with the feasibility of the mission. Since the spaceship parts will be developed on Earth, it will take a ridiculous number of launches to transport them to space. It took 232 extra-vehicular activities to assemble the parts of the International Space Station, the largest spacecraft to be assembled in space and it was just 109 meters end to end. The proposed Chinese platform calls for a structure 20 times that size. This would cost the nation nearly 3 trillion dollars to build the spacecraft. What do you think about it?
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,1,The biggest unsolved problem in science is finding the theory of everything or TOE. It would be a single equation that could describe everything in the universe, from the smallest subatomic particles to the largest galaxies. It would also explain how the universe began and how it will end. The TOE would unify the four known fundamental forces in nature: gravitation, electromagnetism, the strong force, and the weak force. String theory and M-theory have been proposed as candidates for the theory of everything. They are extremely complex mathematical frameworks, with some versions requiring the existence of as many as 26 dimensions, far more than what we can perceive. At present, there’s no experimental evidence in favor of these candidate theories. But physicists believe that it is only a matter of time before quantum mechanics and general relativity are reconciled in a TOE that explains everything.
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,1,On the night of August 12 and 13, you’ll be able to see up to 100 shooting stars per hour, as the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak activity. Perseids are an annual meteor shower that begin in late July and peak around August 13. The best thing is that this year, the Moon will only be 10% illuminated, presenting minimal interference. Perseids put up a spectacular show in the northern hemisphere, down to the mid- southern latitudes. To best see the shower, go to the darkest possible location and lean back and relax. There’s no need for any telescope or binoculars. Just give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the dark. The perfect time to look for the meteors is in the pre-dawn hours.
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,1,Scientists have detected ghost particles known as neutrinos emanating from the center of our galaxy. Neutrinos, which are among the lightest elementary particles in the Standard Model of physics, have long been elusive due to their weak interactions with matter. This remarkable finding marks the first time astronomers have been able to create a new map of our galaxy, not through traditional light observations but by capturing these elusive matter particles.
As we expand our understanding of the Milky Way's portrait, from gamma rays to radio waves, this new row depicting our galaxy in neutrino light has added a previously unseen dimension to our cosmic view.
So, how did astronomers find out that these particles are really coming from the center of our galaxy? Why are neutrinos referred to as the ghost particles of nature? Finally, and most importantly, what significance does the discovery of neutrinos from the galactic center hold for astronomers?
The 69th episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers all these questions in detail.
All Episodes Of The Series: https://bit.ly/369kG4p
Basics of Astrophysics series: https://bit.ly/3xII54M
RESEARCH PAPER:
Observation of high-energy neutrinos from the Galactic plane, IceCube Collaboration - https://bit.ly/44KnX3r
Created By: Rishabh Nakra
Written and Researched By: Simran Buttar
Narrated By: Jeffrey Smith
The Secrets of the Universe on the Internet:
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,1,Google’s quantum computer Sycamore did something that’s going to break your brain. Once again, it achieved quantum supremacy by performing a calculation within a few seconds that Frontier, the most powerful supercomputer in the world, would take 47 years to complete. This is something similar to what Google did in 2019 with 53 qubits. But this time, Sycamore performed the task with 70 qubits. Qubits are the quantum equivalents of classical bits that can represent 1, or 0, or both at the same time, potentially allowing for certain calculations to be performed at astonishing speeds. Quantum computers are still in their early stages of development, but the progress that Google has made with Sycamore is a major step forward for quantum computing. It shows that these machines are becoming more powerful and capable, and it suggests that they could soon be used to solve real-world problems.
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,1,Einstein regarded this as the greatest mistake of his life. When Albert Einstein developed his equation of general relativity, he found that the equations predicted an expanding universe, something that was not known to astronomers back then. Einstein also believed that the universe was static, and he didn't want his equations to predict an expanding universe. So, he added a small number, the cosmological constant, which acted like a repulsive force that balanced out the attractive force of gravity. However, in 1929, Edwin Hubble discovered that the universe is actually expanding. This meant that Einstein's cosmological constant was unnecessary, and he later called it his "biggest blunder.” But in recent years, scientists have revived the cosmological constant to explain a mysterious force called dark energy, that astronomers think is responsible for the accelerated expansion of the universe.
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,1,NASA has made a stunning discovery on the icy moon of Saturn, Enceladus. From the Cassini data, they have discovered that the moon is spewing out phosphorus, one of the key chemical elements required for the existence of life. And possibly, the phosphorus concentration in the subsurface oceans of Enceladus is hundreds of times higher than in Earth’s oceans. With this, all the major chemical elements required for claiming habitability have now been found on the moon. This discovery has made Enceladus the most promising place where life could exist in the solar system beyond Earth.
So, how did NASA make this exciting discovery? Why is phosphorus considered to be a key ingredient of life? Finally, and most importantly, how will this discovery impact our course of future missions to Saturn?
The 67th episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers all these questions in detail.
All Episodes Of The Series: https://bit.ly/369kG4p
Basics of Astrophysics series: https://bit.ly/3xII54M
REFERENCES:
NASA Press Release: https://bit.ly/3Nh5c0h
Research Paper: https://bit.ly/3XT8Hi5
Created By: Rishabh Nakra
Written & Researched By: Simran Buttar
Narrated By: Brian Pederson
Video Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:13 Spotlight
3:43 A Promise of Chemistry
6:35 Enceladus is Alive!
,1,A Type 5 civilization is the highest level on the Kardashev scale, a method of measuring a civilization's level of technological advancement based on the amount of energy it is able to use. This hypothetical civilization is not merely galactic or universal but multiversal, meaning it has the ability to harness and manipulate the energy, matter, and even laws of multiple universes or dimensions. Its technology would be indistinguishable from magic to lesser-developed civilizations. Type 5 civilizations might be capable of creating or destroying universes at will, altering fundamental constants of physics, and even manipulating reality in ways we can't currently comprehend. However, since our understanding of multiverse theory and higher dimensions is still in its early stages, these ideas remain highly speculative and the subject of science fiction rather than fact.
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,1,The Higgs boson is considered to be the cornerstone of the Standard Model of particle physics. Its discovery in 2012 created ripples in the scientific community as it was the last missing piece of the Standard Model. However, the model is not the final word or the theory of everything. There are many things that it cannot explain, and for that, researchers at CERN are hunting for signs of new physics - and they might have got one!
Scientists have observed a puzzling event related to the Higgs boson which shows our understanding of the particle may not be correct. They have observed an unexpected decay of the exotic particle that’s far beyond the accepted realms of the Standard Model of Physics. These unexpected findings challenge the predictions of the Standard Model and indicate the possibility of new physics at play.
CERN Press Release: https://bit.ly/3O9V373
,1,Something weird is happening to the Earth’s magnetic field and NASA is worried. There’s a large magnetic dent over South America and South-west Africa that’s splitting and growing. The intensity of our planet’s magnetic field is significantly weaker than in other parts of the globe. This is known as the South Atlantic Anomaly. The reason NASA is worried and actively tracking it is because many spacecraft and satellites, including the International Space Station, pass over this region. This exposes them to several minutes of strong ionizing (aɪ.ə.naɪˈzeɪ - ing) radiation, caused by the trapped protons in the inner Van Allen belt. Scientists are still not sure what causes the anomaly, or how it will continue to evolve in the future. However, they are working to better understand it, so that they can mitigate its effects on future space missions.
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,1,The surface of Venus is so hot that the longest a lander survived on it is just 128 minutes. It was Soviet Union’s Venera 13 mission. However, in those little over two hours, the lander unveiled the reality of Venus that shocked astronomers. It captured and transmitted images of Venus' rugged and unforgiving landscape while gathering crucial data on the atmosphere's temperature, pressure, and composition. Notably, Venera 13 made history by recording and transmitting the actual sounds of another planet, including the eerie sounds of Venus' wind. The lander also revealed that Venus has a surface temperature of 460°C or 860°F, hot enough to melt lead. Additionally, the lander recorded a surface air pressure approximately 90 times higher than that of Earth. Venera 13 remains the longest-surviving lander on Venus, and its data continues to be studied by scientists today.
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,1,Astronomers have finally discovered the gravitational-wave background, the faint hum of the cosmos. This discovery shows that the universe is constantly vibrating with a frequency in the range of nanohertz, believed to be a result of the merging of supermassive black holes across the universe. This is important because astronomers previously thought that supermassive black holes cannot merge owing to the final parsec problem.
So, what exactly is the gravitational-wave background? Why did astronomers think that supermassive black holes could not merge to produce this hum? Finally, and most importantly, how is it going to revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos?
The 66th episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers all these questions in detail.
All Episodes Of The Series: https://bit.ly/369kG4p
Basics of Astrophysics series: https://bit.ly/3xII54M
RESEARCH PAPERS:
NanoGrav research papers - https://nanograv.org/news/15yrRelease
NANOGrav 15-year data set: https://bit.ly/3NI3g0T
EPTA & InPTA research papers - https://bit.ly/3rmSbeg
Parkes PTA research papers - https://bit.ly/43kdYAt
Chinese PTA research papers - https://bit.ly/3XYhq2R
Created By: Rishabh Nakra
Written & Researched By: Shreejaya Karantha
Narrated By: Jeffrey Smith
,1,When NASA saw the first close-up images of Pluto, they were shocked to see a heart-shaped feature on the dwarf planet. It was something that had never been seen in the solar system before. The unusual feature was spotted by New Horizons in 2015 and named Tombaugh Regio. Due to its apparent shape, it gained the popular nickname “heart”. The left “ventricle” of the heart resembling an ice cream cone is called Sputnik Planitia and it is of great interest to astronomers. It’s a 3-km deep icy basin filled with nitrogen ice, methane and carbon monoxide. It plays a crucial role in the atmospheric circulation of nitrogen winds. The warmth of the Sun causes evaporation of nitrogen ice and the gases which later condense and settle back as ice during the night. This rhythmic cycle is likened to a poetic heartbeat of Pluto.
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