Astronomers have taken a close-up image of a rare and mysterious space object, rekindling interest in learning more about it.

ORCs (odd radio circles) are massive rings of radio waves.

Only five have ever been seen, and they were never seen in such detail.&nbsp;

The first ORCs were discovered using the Australian SKA Pathfinder Telescope two years ago.

These circles are huge, spanning a million light-years in diameter.

That's 16 times the size of our own Milky Way galaxy.

According to astronomers, it takes 1 billion years for these circles to reach their maximum size.

Multiple ORCs have become so enormous that they have passed across many galaxies.

According to discoveries published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, a new image acquired by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory's MeerKAT telescope shows ORCs in more detail.&nbsp;

The ORC's huge outer circle is possibly more than a million light years across, 10 times the diameter of the Milky Way, with a succession of smaller rings inside, according to new MeerKAT radio data.

Bärbel Koribalski, a radio astronomer at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Sydney, compares it to a Fabergé egg or a soap bubble.&nbsp;

Three theories have been offered to explain the origin of ORCs.

The first is that they are formed by a shock wave from the galaxy's centre, similar to what occurs when two supermassive black holes collide.

The ORC's shape is created, according to the second theory, by the actions of an active galactic nucleus, with radio jets spewing particles.

ORCs, according to the third theory, are shells formed by starbursts at the centre of their galaxies.

(With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers have taken a close-up image of a rare and mysterious space object, rekindling interest in learning more about it. ORCs (odd radio circles) are massive rings of radio waves.

Astronomers have taken a close-up image of a rare and mysterious space object, rekindling interest in learning more about it. ORCs (odd radio circles) are massive rings of radio waves. Only five have ever been seen, and they were never seen in such detail. The first ORCs were discovered using the Australian SKA Pathfinder Telescope two years ago. These circles are huge, spanning a million light-years in diameter. That's 16 times the size of our own Milky Way galaxy. According to astronomers, it takes 1 billion years for these circles to reach their maximum size. Multiple ORCs have become so enormous that they have passed across many galaxies. According to discoveries published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, a new image acquired by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory's MeerKAT telescope shows ORCs in more detail. The ORC's huge outer circle is possibly more than a million light years across, 10 times the diameter of the Milky Way, with a succession of smaller rings inside, according to new MeerKAT radio data. Bärbel Koribalski, a radio astronomer at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Sydney, compares it to a Fabergé egg or a soap bubble. Three theories have been offered to explain the origin of ORCs. The first is that they are formed by a shock wave from the galaxy's centre, similar to what occurs when two supermassive black holes collide. The ORC's shape is created, according to the second theory, by the actions of an active galactic nucleus, with radio jets spewing particles. ORCs, according to the third theory, are shells formed by starbursts at the centre of their galaxies. (With inputs from agencies)

Bigger than milky way: Images show details of mysterious deep space radio rings

We normally associate bubbles with water (or with soap, we know you do!). But bubbles in space? That's a bit of a bouncer for most of us. How can a bubble form in space when there is no air? It seems illogical.

But scientists are trying to explain bubbles originating from our Milky Way Galaxy. These bubbles are bigger than your bathroom. Bigger than Earth for that matter and are originating due to jets of energy emanating from the centre of the galaxy

These bubbles are being formed due to powerful jets originating from a supermassive black hole that is at the centre of our galaxy.

To put things in perspective, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy is 4 million times more massive than the Sun. It literally holds the entire galaxy together with its gravity.

There are two bubbles of very hot gas emanating form the centre of our galaxy. Black holes gobble up material to the extent that even light cannot escape from it. At the same time, black holes spew out powerful jets of material nearly at the speed of light.

The study about the bubbles says that jets that caused them to formed started spewing out material 2.6 million years ago.

The bubbles are really huge in size. They are 36,000 light-years tall. Study about these bubbles has been carried out by scientists including those from University of Michigan.

Astronomer Mateusz Ruszkowski, a co-author of the study, said, “There are two competing models that explain these bubbles, called Fermi and eRosita bubbles after the telescopes that named them. The first suggests that the outflow is driven by a nuclear starburst, in which a star explodes in a supernova and expels material. The second model, which the team’s findings support, suggests that these outflows are driven by energy thrown out from a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.”

Hw was quoted by Tech Explorist. The study has been published in journal Nature Astronomy.

We normally associate bubbles with water (or with soap, we know you do!). But bubbles in space? That's a bit of a bouncer for most of us. How can a bubble form in space when there is no air?

We normally associate bubbles with water (or with soap, we know you do!). But bubbles in space? That's a bit of a bouncer for most of us. How can a bubble form in space when there is no air? It seems illogical. But scientists are trying to explain bubbles originating from our Milky Way Galaxy. These bubbles are bigger than your bathroom. Bigger than Earth for that matter and are originating due to jets of energy emanating from the centre of the galaxy These bubbles are being formed due to powerful jets originating from a supermassive black hole that is at the centre of our galaxy. To put things in perspective, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy is 4 million times more massive than the Sun. It literally holds the entire galaxy together with its gravity. There are two bubbles of very hot gas emanating form the centre of our galaxy. Black holes gobble up material to the extent that even light cannot escape from it. At the same time, black holes spew out powerful jets of material nearly at the speed of light. The study about the bubbles says that jets that caused them to formed started spewing out material 2.6 million years ago. The bubbles are really huge in size. They are 36,000 light-years tall. Study about these bubbles has been carried out by scientists including those from University of Michigan. Astronomer Mateusz Ruszkowski, a co-author of the study, said, “There are two competing models that explain these bubbles, called Fermi and eRosita bubbles after the telescopes that named them. The first suggests that the outflow is driven by a nuclear starburst, in which a star explodes in a supernova and expels material. The second model, which the team’s findings support, suggests that these outflows are driven by energy thrown out from a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.” Hw was quoted by Tech Explorist. The study has been published in journal Nature Astronomy.

Powerful jets from black hole have formed bubbles at centre of Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies are huge. Really huge. Our Milky Way galaxy is so huge that it would take light (at 300,000 kilometres per second) would take 100,000 years to travel from one end of the galaxy to the other.

If you thought that was huge, wait till you imagine galaxy clusters. These are groups of galaxies and they often collide with each other. The shockwaves such collisions would generate would be quite massive. But exactly how massive?

Sample this, a shockwave of such a collision that took place billions of years ago is measuring 6.5 million light-years across! This means that this shockwave is many many times larger than entire Milky Way Galaxy!

The shockwave is travelling through space at speed of 1,500 kilometers per second (930 miles per second). The particular galaxy cluster that caused the shockwave is called Abell 3667. At least 550 galaxies are associated with it.

This shockwave is visible in radio wavelength. It has been observed by a team of astronomers using MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa.

"These structures are full of surprises and much more complex than what we initially thought," says astronomer Francesco de Gasperin of the University of Hamburg. He was quoted by South African Radio Astronomy Observatory.

Galaxies are huge. Really huge. Our Milky Way galaxy is so huge that it would take light (at 300,000 kilometres per second) would take 100,000 years to travel from one end of the galaxy to the other.

Galaxies are huge. Really huge. Our Milky Way galaxy is so huge that it would take light (at 300,000 kilometres per second) would take 100,000 years to travel from one end of the galaxy to the other. If you thought that was huge, wait till you imagine galaxy clusters. These are groups of galaxies and they often collide with each other. The shockwaves such collisions would generate would be quite massive. But exactly how massive? Sample this, a shockwave of such a collision that took place billions of years ago is measuring 6.5 million light-years across! This means that this shockwave is many many times larger than entire Milky Way Galaxy! The shockwave is travelling through space at speed of 1,500 kilometers per second (930 miles per second). The particular galaxy cluster that caused the shockwave is called Abell 3667. At least 550 galaxies are associated with it. This shockwave is visible in radio wavelength. It has been observed by a team of astronomers using MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. "These structures are full of surprises and much more complex than what we initially thought," says astronomer Francesco de Gasperin of the University of Hamburg. He was quoted by South African Radio Astronomy Observatory.

Superhuge shockwave bigger than Milky Way galaxy is travelling through space

Astronomers have charted the Milky Way's dramatic history in a new map.

The study, published in 'The Astrophysical Journal,' was led by Khyati Malhan of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany.

The Milky Way began to form relatively soon after the Big Bang explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago.&nbsp;

The sun, located roughly 26,000 light years from the supermassive black hole residing at the centre of the galaxy, formed about 4.5 billion years ago.

"The dynamical atlas of the Milky Way mergers that we present here provides a global view of the galaxy formation in action," the researchers write in their paper.

"Thus, our study contributes to the initial steps of unraveling the full hierarchical build-up of our galaxy, and also understanding the origin of the globular clusters and stellar streams of the Milky Way halo."&nbsp;

"With such a wealth of information, we will be able to explore the 'temporal' aspect of galactic archeology by building an understanding of the 'chronological' merging history of the Milky Way."

The researchers have unveiled a three-dimensional map of the Milky Way - home to more than 100 billion stars including our sun - providing a comprehensive chart of its structure: a stellar disk comprised of four major spiral arms and a bar-shaped core region.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/why-has-space-business-has-become-the-final-profitable-frontier-452928" hreflang="en">Why has space business has become the final profitable frontier?</a>

Until now, the understanding of the galaxy’s shape had been based upon indirect measurements of celestial landmarks within the Milky Way and inferences from structures observed in other galaxies populating the universe. The new map was formulated using precise measurements of the distance from the sun to 2,400 stars called “Cepheid variables” scattered throughout the galaxy.

“Cepheids are ideal to study the Milky Way for several reasons,” added University of Warsaw astronomer and study co-author Dorota Skowron. “Cepheid variables are bright supergiant stars and they are 100 to 10,000 times more luminous than the sun, so we can detect them on the outskirts of our galaxy. They are relatively young - younger than 400 million years - so we can find them near their birthplaces.”

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/chinese-long-march-3c-rocket-to-crash-into-moon-instead-of-spacexs-falcon-9-453309" hreflang="en">It's a Chinese rocket, not one from SpaceX that will crash on Moon, says astronomer</a>

The astronomers tracked the Cepheids using the Warsaw Telescope located in the Chilean Andes. These stars pulsate at regular intervals and can be seen through the galaxy’s immense clouds of interstellar dust that can make dimmer stellar bodies hard to spot.

The map showed that the galaxy’s disk, far from flat, is significantly warped and varies in thickness from place to place, with increasing thickness measured further from the galactic center. The disk boasts a diameter of about 140,00 light years. Each light year is about 6 trillion miles (9 trillion km).

(With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers have charted the Milky Way's dramatic history in a new map. The study, published in 'The Astrophysical Journal,' was led by Khyati Malhan of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany.

Astronomers have charted the Milky Way's dramatic history in a new map. The study, published in 'The Astrophysical Journal,' was led by Khyati Malhan of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany. The Milky Way began to form relatively soon after the Big Bang explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago. The sun, located roughly 26,000 light years from the supermassive black hole residing at the centre of the galaxy, formed about 4.5 billion years ago. "The dynamical atlas of the Milky Way mergers that we present here provides a global view of the galaxy formation in action," the researchers write in their paper. "Thus, our study contributes to the initial steps of unraveling the full hierarchical build-up of our galaxy, and also understanding the origin of the globular clusters and stellar streams of the Milky Way halo." "With such a wealth of information, we will be able to explore the 'temporal' aspect of galactic archeology by building an understanding of the 'chronological' merging history of the Milky Way." The researchers have unveiled a three-dimensional map of the Milky Way - home to more than 100 billion stars including our sun - providing a comprehensive chart of its structure: a stellar disk comprised of four major spiral arms and a bar-shaped core region. Also see | Why has space business has become the final profitable frontier? Until now, the understanding of the galaxy’s shape had been based upon indirect measurements of celestial landmarks within the Milky Way and inferences from structures observed in other galaxies populating the universe. The new map was formulated using precise measurements of the distance from the sun to 2,400 stars called “Cepheid variables” scattered throughout the galaxy. “Cepheids are ideal to study the Milky Way for several reasons,” added University of Warsaw astronomer and study co-author Dorota Skowron. “Cepheid variables are bright supergiant stars and they are 100 to 10,000 times more luminous than the sun, so we can detect them on the outskirts of our galaxy. They are relatively young - younger than 400 million years - so we can find them near their birthplaces.” Also read | It's a Chinese rocket, not one from SpaceX that will crash on Moon, says astronomer The astronomers tracked the Cepheids using the Warsaw Telescope located in the Chilean Andes. These stars pulsate at regular intervals and can be seen through the galaxy’s immense clouds of interstellar dust that can make dimmer stellar bodies hard to spot. The map showed that the galaxy’s disk, far from flat, is significantly warped and varies in thickness from place to place, with increasing thickness measured further from the galactic center. The disk boasts a diameter of about 140,00 light years. Each light year is about 6 trillion miles (9 trillion km). (With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers chart Milky Way's dramatic history in new map

Scientists have found hundreds of mysterious strands at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy. They were captured by a MeerKAT telescope image by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO).

The Milky Way began to form relatively soon after the Big Bang explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-light-spotted-from-behind-a-black-hole-401585/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

“I’ve spent a lot of time looking at this image in the process of working on it, and I never get tired of it,” says Dr. Ian Heywood from the University of Oxford, Rhodes University, and SARAO, and lead author of the study.&nbsp;

“When I show this image to people who might be new to radio astronomy, or otherwise unfamiliar with it, I always try to emphasise that radio imaging hasn’t always been this way, and what a leap forward MeerKAT really is in terms of its capabilities. It’s been a true privilege to work over the years with colleagues from SARAO who built this fantastic telescope.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/astronomers-discover-milky-way-galaxys-smallest-black-hole-dubbed-unicorn-379419">Also read |&nbsp;Astronomers discover Milky Way galaxy's smallest black hole dubbed 'Unicorn'</a>

The latest image reveals new supernova remnants, the expanding shells of material left behind when massive stars end their lives explosively, including a rare almost-perfect spherical example, and provides astronomers with the best insight yet into the population of mysterious ‘radio filaments’ found nowhere else.

The highly-linear features pervading the image are radio-emitting magnetised threads. Up to 100 light-years long, these unique structures have defied a conclusive explanation for their origin since discovery over 35 years ago.&nbsp;

MeerKAT has discovered many more such filaments than were previously known, and the new data release will allow astronomers to study these objects as a population for the first time.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/planet-outside-milky-way-galaxy-this-unique-discovery-is-baffling-scientists-424136">Also read |&nbsp;Planet outside Milky Way galaxy: This unique discovery is baffling scientists</a>

“The best telescopes expand our horizons in unexpected ways,” says Dr Fernando Camilo, SARAO chief scientist.&nbsp;

“It’s a testament to the skill and dedication of our South African colleagues who built MeerKAT that it’s making such remarkable discoveries in one of the most intensively studied corners of the radio sky. The image we’re sharing today is rich with scientific potential, and we very much look forward to further surprises as the astronomical community mines these data for years to come.”

The findings by the international team of astronomers have been published in 'The Astrophysical Journal.'

The Milky Way, spiral-shaped with a central bar-like structure composed of stars, includes 100 to 400 billion stars, including the sun, which formed roughly 4.5 billion years ago.

(With inputs from agencies)

Scientists have found hundreds of mysterious strands at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy. They were captured by a MeerKAT telescope image by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO).

Scientists have found hundreds of mysterious strands at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy. They were captured by a MeerKAT telescope image by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO). The Milky Way began to form relatively soon after the Big Bang explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago. “I’ve spent a lot of time looking at this image in the process of working on it, and I never get tired of it,” says Dr. Ian Heywood from the University of Oxford, Rhodes University, and SARAO, and lead author of the study. “When I show this image to people who might be new to radio astronomy, or otherwise unfamiliar with it, I always try to emphasise that radio imaging hasn’t always been this way, and what a leap forward MeerKAT really is in terms of its capabilities. It’s been a true privilege to work over the years with colleagues from SARAO who built this fantastic telescope.” Also read | Astronomers discover Milky Way galaxy's smallest black hole dubbed 'Unicorn' The latest image reveals new supernova remnants, the expanding shells of material left behind when massive stars end their lives explosively, including a rare almost-perfect spherical example, and provides astronomers with the best insight yet into the population of mysterious ‘radio filaments’ found nowhere else. The highly-linear features pervading the image are radio-emitting magnetised threads. Up to 100 light-years long, these unique structures have defied a conclusive explanation for their origin since discovery over 35 years ago. MeerKAT has discovered many more such filaments than were previously known, and the new data release will allow astronomers to study these objects as a population for the first time. Also read | Planet outside Milky Way galaxy: This unique discovery is baffling scientists “The best telescopes expand our horizons in unexpected ways,” says Dr Fernando Camilo, SARAO chief scientist. “It’s a testament to the skill and dedication of our South African colleagues who built MeerKAT that it’s making such remarkable discoveries in one of the most intensively studied corners of the radio sky. The image we’re sharing today is rich with scientific potential, and we very much look forward to further surprises as the astronomical community mines these data for years to come.” The findings by the international team of astronomers have been published in 'The Astrophysical Journal.' The Milky Way, spiral-shaped with a central bar-like structure composed of stars, includes 100 to 400 billion stars, including the sun, which formed roughly 4.5 billion years ago. (With inputs from agencies)

Scientists find hundreds of complex, mysterious strands at the heart of the Milky Way

Astronomers have published the most detailed map to date of black holes after a fresh examination by Leiden University.

The map, published in the journal Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics, is the most detailed celestial map in the field of so-called low radio frequencies.&nbsp;

''This is the result of many years of work on incredibly difficult data. We had to invent new methods to convert the radio signals into images of the sky,'' says research leader Francesco de Gasperin.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-discover-first-ever-recoiling-black-hole-355056">Also read |Scientists discover first-ever 'recoiling' black hole</a>

The astronomers, including Leiden astronomers, used 52 stations with Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) antennas spread across nine European countries.

''It's similar to when you try to see the world while immersed in a swimming pool. When you look up, the waves on the water of the pool deflect the light rays and distort the view,'' said co-author Reinout van Weeren.

There are three categories of black holes. The smallest, like 'the Unicorn,' are so-called stellar-mass black holes formed by the gravitational collapse of a single star. There are gargantuan 'supermassive' black holes like the one at our galaxy's center, 26,000 light-years from Earth, which is four million times the sun's mass. A few intermediate-mass black holes also have been found with masses somewhere in between.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/closest-black-hole-to-earth-has-lost-its-status-as-one-336811">Also read |&nbsp;Closest 'black hole' to earth has lost its status as one</a>

Cygnus X-1 is the Milky Way’s largest-known stellar-mass black hole and among the strongest X-ray sources seen from Earth. It devours material blowing from the surface of the companion star it tightly orbits, a “blue supergiant” about 40 times our sun’s mass.

It started its existence 4 million to 5 million years ago as a star up to 75 times the sun’s mass and collapsed into a black hole a few tens of thousands of years ago.

''After many years of software development, it is so wonderful to see that this has now really worked out,'' said Scientific Director of the Leiden Observatory Huub Röttgering.

The map now covers 4 per cent of the northern half of the sky. The astronomers plan to continue until they have mapped the entire northern sky. In addition to supermassive black holes, the map also provides insight into the large-scale structure of the universe, among other things.

(With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers have published the most detailed map to date of black holes after a fresh examination by Leiden University. The map, published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, is the most detailed celestial map in the field of so-called low radio frequencies.

Astronomers have published the most detailed map to date of black holes after a fresh examination by Leiden University. The map, published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, is the most detailed celestial map in the field of so-called low radio frequencies. ''This is the result of many years of work on incredibly difficult data. We had to invent new methods to convert the radio signals into images of the sky,'' says research leader Francesco de Gasperin. Also read |Scientists discover first-ever 'recoiling' black hole The astronomers, including Leiden astronomers, used 52 stations with Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) antennas spread across nine European countries. ''It's similar to when you try to see the world while immersed in a swimming pool. When you look up, the waves on the water of the pool deflect the light rays and distort the view,'' said co-author Reinout van Weeren. There are three categories of black holes. The smallest, like 'the Unicorn,' are so-called stellar-mass black holes formed by the gravitational collapse of a single star. There are gargantuan 'supermassive' black holes like the one at our galaxy's center, 26,000 light-years from Earth, which is four million times the sun's mass. A few intermediate-mass black holes also have been found with masses somewhere in between. Also read | Closest 'black hole' to earth has lost its status as one Cygnus X-1 is the Milky Way’s largest-known stellar-mass black hole and among the strongest X-ray sources seen from Earth. It devours material blowing from the surface of the companion star it tightly orbits, a “blue supergiant” about 40 times our sun’s mass. It started its existence 4 million to 5 million years ago as a star up to 75 times the sun’s mass and collapsed into a black hole a few tens of thousands of years ago. ''After many years of software development, it is so wonderful to see that this has now really worked out,'' said Scientific Director of the Leiden Observatory Huub Röttgering. The map now covers 4 per cent of the northern half of the sky. The astronomers plan to continue until they have mapped the entire northern sky. In addition to supermassive black holes, the map also provides insight into the large-scale structure of the universe, among other things. (With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers publish most detailed map to date of black holes

A new study has revealed that satellite galaxies may have vanished from the Milky Way.

The Milky Way began to form relatively soon after the Big Bang explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago.&nbsp;

The sun, located roughly 26,000 light-years from the supermassive black hole residing at the center of the galaxy, formed about 4.5 billion years ago.

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Subsequent galactic mergers were instrumental in configuring galaxies existing now.

Gaia satellite, operated by the European Space Agency, has conducted a new analysis which shows most of the galaxies in the Milky Way are actually relatively new to the area.

The study, led by astrophysicist François Hammer of the Paris Observatory in France, has been published in The Astrophysical Journal.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/dead-star-breaks-record-for-fastest-known-spin-rate-of-white-dwarf-431704" hreflang="en">Dead star breaks record for fastest known spin rate of white dwarf</a>

''We conclude that due to their unequaled high energies and angular momenta, most dwarfs cannot be long-lived satellites, and if they could be bound to the Milky Way, they are at first passage, i.e., infalling less than 2 billion years ago,'' he said.&nbsp;

Sagittarius, a ''dwarf'' galaxy 10,000 times less massive than the Milky Way, has passed twice through our galaxy’s immense disk containing most of its roughly 100 billion stars.

Until now, the understanding of the galaxy’s shape had been based upon indirect measurements of celestial landmarks within the Milky Way and inferences from structures observed in other galaxies populating the universe.

''The Milky Way is a big galaxy, so its tidal force is simply gigantic and it's very easy to destroy a dwarf galaxy after maybe one or two passages,'' Hammer said. 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

A new study has revealed that satellite galaxies may have vanished from the Milky Way. The Milky Way began to form relatively soon after the Big Bang explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.

A new study has revealed that satellite galaxies may have vanished from the Milky Way. The Milky Way began to form relatively soon after the Big Bang explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago. The sun, located roughly 26,000 light-years from the supermassive black hole residing at the center of the galaxy, formed about 4.5 billion years ago. Also read | After winning $1 mn Virgin Galactic tickets, mother-daughter duo bound for space Subsequent galactic mergers were instrumental in configuring galaxies existing now. Gaia satellite, operated by the European Space Agency, has conducted a new analysis which shows most of the galaxies in the Milky Way are actually relatively new to the area. The study, led by astrophysicist François Hammer of the Paris Observatory in France, has been published in The Astrophysical Journal. Also read | Dead star breaks record for fastest known spin rate of white dwarf ''We conclude that due to their unequaled high energies and angular momenta, most dwarfs cannot be long-lived satellites, and if they could be bound to the Milky Way, they are at first passage, i.e., infalling less than 2 billion years ago,'' he said. Sagittarius, a ''dwarf'' galaxy 10,000 times less massive than the Milky Way, has passed twice through our galaxy’s immense disk containing most of its roughly 100 billion stars. Until now, the understanding of the galaxy’s shape had been based upon indirect measurements of celestial landmarks within the Milky Way and inferences from structures observed in other galaxies populating the universe. ''The Milky Way is a big galaxy, so its tidal force is simply gigantic and it's very easy to destroy a dwarf galaxy after maybe one or two passages,'' Hammer said. (With inputs from agencies)

Study reveals satellite galaxies may have vanished from Milky Way

'Unusual radio waves' have been detected from the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy. Scientists say these signals are unlike anything they have come across. Palki Sharma gets you a report.

Gravitas: 'Strange' radio waves detected from the heart of the Milky Way

That space is filled with breathtaking visual treats is something that is commonly known. But who knew space sounded divine? We may have grown up on tv shows and movies using the usual zip-zap-zoom to represent what they thought were sounds in space. But now NASA has put all speculations to rest by posting a video that is simply marvellous.

The video contains sound coming from centre of our milky way galaxy. The amazing and soothing sound clip posted by NASA is sure to keep you transfixed and even put you in a zen mode. The sound clip has been made using a technique called data sonification.

"...This sonification of the Milky Way's center combines data from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Spac Telescope, and @nasachandraxray...." says NASA in its Instagram post.

"...The light of objects located towards the top of the image is pitched higher, while the intensity of the light controls the volume. Stars and compact sources are converted to individual notes while extended clouds of gas and dust produce an evolving drone," the space agency explains further.

Listen to the sublime cosmic music

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Understandably, the post has more than 200,000 views. An Instagram user, clearly impressed by the music has even asked NASA to 'drop on Spotify in comments. His comment alone has got 66 likes.

That space is filled with breathtaking visual treats is something that is commonly known. But who knew space sounded divine? We may have grown up on tv shows and movies using the usual zip-zap-zoom to represent what they thought were sounds in space.

That space is filled with breathtaking visual treats is something that is commonly known. But who knew space sounded divine? We may have grown up on tv shows and movies using the usual zip-zap-zoom to represent what they thought were sounds in space. But now NASA has put all speculations to rest by posting a video that is simply marvellous. The video contains sound coming from centre of our milky way galaxy. The amazing and soothing sound clip posted by NASA is sure to keep you transfixed and even put you in a zen mode. The sound clip has been made using a technique called data sonification. "...This sonification of the Milky Way's center combines data from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Spac Telescope, and @nasachandraxray...." says NASA in its Instagram post. "...The light of objects located towards the top of the image is pitched higher, while the intensity of the light controls the volume. Stars and compact sources are converted to individual notes while extended clouds of gas and dust produce an evolving drone," the space agency explains further. Listen to the sublime cosmic music View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hubble Space Telescope (@nasahubble) × Understandably, the post has more than 200,000 views. An Instagram user, clearly impressed by the music has even asked NASA to 'drop on Spotify in comments. His comment alone has got 66 likes.

'Cosmic Music': Check out NASA post on 'heavenly' sounds from galaxy's centre

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has spotted a&nbsp;contingent of young stars and star-forming clouds&nbsp;jutting out from the Milky Way's Sagittarius Arm.

Stretching some 3,000 light-years, this is the first major structure identified with an orientation so dramatically different than the arm.

Until now, the understanding of the galaxy’s shape had been based upon indirect measurements of celestial landmarks within the Milky Way and inferences from structures observed in other galaxies populating the universe.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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The Milky Way began to form relatively soon after the Big Bang explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago.&nbsp;

Astronomers have a rough idea of the size and shape of the Milky Way’s arms, but much remains unknown: They cannot&nbsp;see the full structure of our home galaxy because Earth is inside it.

NASA used its Spitzer Space telescope to detect infrared light that can penetrate those clouds, while visible light (the kind human eyes can see) is blocked.

Young stars and nebulae are thought to align closely with the shape of the arms they reside in. To get a three-dimensional&nbsp;view of the arm segment, the scientists used the latest data release from the ESA (European Space Agency) Gaia mission to measure the precise distances to the stars.

The combined data revealed that the long, thin structure associated with the Sagittarius Arm is made of young stars moving at nearly the same velocity and in the same direction through space.

Michael Kuhn, an astrophysicist at Caltech and lead author of the new paper, said ''A key property of spiral arms is how tightly they wind around a galaxy.''

This characteristic is measured by the arm’s pitch angle. A circle has a pitch angle of 0 degrees, and as the spiral becomes more open, the pitch angle increases.

''Most models of the Milky Way suggest that the Sagittarius Arm forms a spiral that has a pitch angle of about 12 degrees, but the structure we examined really stands out at an angle of nearly 60 degrees.''

Similar structures,&nbsp;sometimes called spurs or feathers,&nbsp;are commonly found jutting off the arms of other spiral galaxies. For decades scientists have wondered whether our Milky Way’s spiral arms are also dotted with these structures or if they are relatively smooth.

The Milky Way, spiral-shaped with a central bar-like structure composed of stars, includes 100 to 400 billion stars, including the sun.

(With inputs from agencies)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has spotted a contingent of young stars and star-forming clouds jutting out from the Milky Way's Sagittarius Arm.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has spotted a contingent of young stars and star-forming clouds jutting out from the Milky Way's Sagittarius Arm. Stretching some 3,000 light-years, this is the first major structure identified with an orientation so dramatically different than the arm. Until now, the understanding of the galaxy’s shape had been based upon indirect measurements of celestial landmarks within the Milky Way and inferences from structures observed in other galaxies populating the universe. The Milky Way began to form relatively soon after the Big Bang explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago. Astronomers have a rough idea of the size and shape of the Milky Way’s arms, but much remains unknown: They cannot see the full structure of our home galaxy because Earth is inside it. NASA used its Spitzer Space telescope to detect infrared light that can penetrate those clouds, while visible light (the kind human eyes can see) is blocked. Young stars and nebulae are thought to align closely with the shape of the arms they reside in. To get a three-dimensional view of the arm segment, the scientists used the latest data release from the ESA (European Space Agency) Gaia mission to measure the precise distances to the stars. The combined data revealed that the long, thin structure associated with the Sagittarius Arm is made of young stars moving at nearly the same velocity and in the same direction through space. Michael Kuhn, an astrophysicist at Caltech and lead author of the new paper, said ''A key property of spiral arms is how tightly they wind around a galaxy.'' This characteristic is measured by the arm’s pitch angle. A circle has a pitch angle of 0 degrees, and as the spiral becomes more open, the pitch angle increases. ''Most models of the Milky Way suggest that the Sagittarius Arm forms a spiral that has a pitch angle of about 12 degrees, but the structure we examined really stands out at an angle of nearly 60 degrees.'' Similar structures, sometimes called spurs or feathers, are commonly found jutting off the arms of other spiral galaxies. For decades scientists have wondered whether our Milky Way’s spiral arms are also dotted with these structures or if they are relatively smooth. The Milky Way, spiral-shaped with a central bar-like structure composed of stars, includes 100 to 400 billion stars, including the sun. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA spots a ‘break’ in one of the Milky Way’s spiral arms

Scientists have resolved a&nbsp;13-billion-year-old mystery of the Milky Way's elements with the help of a&nbsp;stellar explosion in space.

The Milky Way began to form relatively soon after the Big Bang explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago.

Until now, it was believed that neutron star mergers were the only way heavy elements (heavier than Zinc) could be produced.

But the discovery of an ancient star SMSS J2003-1142 in the Milky Way's halo&nbsp;is providing the first evidence for another source for heavy elements, including uranium and possibly gold.

The study published in Nature&nbsp;shows the heavy elements detected in SMSS J2003-1142 were likely produced, not by a neutron star merger, but through the collapse and explosion of a rapidly spinning star with a strong magnetic field and a mass about 25 times that of the Sun.

This stellar explosion is called 'magnetorotational hypernova' by astronomers.

A star-formation binge in the Milky Way spanning the time when the solar system was born more than 4.5 billion years ago was apparently precipitated by the collision between our galaxy and a smaller one called Sagittarius, scientists said on Tuesday.

Such collisions typically do not involve stars smashing head-on, they said, but can foster conditions for star formation by, for example, amping up the amount of gas in a galaxy or having gas clouds come together.

The galaxies first crashed more than 6 billion years ago. Since then, Sagittarius - a “dwarf” galaxy 10,000 times less massive than the Milky Way - has twice passed through our galaxy’s immense disk containing most of its roughly 100 billion stars. All three galactic interactions were associated with a burst of Milky Way star formation.

Data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia space observatory revealed a prolonged star-formation episode from 6.2 billion to 4.2 billion years ago associated with the initial crash. Two other star-formation surges linked to the galactic collision peaked 1.9 billion years ago and 1 billion years ago, each lasting a few hundred million years.

“It is not really an impact like a car crash,” said astronomer Tomás Ruiz-Lara of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias in Spain, lead author of the research published in the journal Nature Astronomy. “Some parts of Sagittarius and the Milky Way intersect, but stars do not crash. A star-star collision would be really, really rare.”

The collision disrupted our galaxy’s steady pace of star formation.

“First, we have the addition of material, gas, from Sagittarius that increases the amount of gas in our galaxy to form new stars. Second, you have the collision between gas clouds from Sagittarius and the Milky Way triggering star formation,” Ruiz-Lara said.

“Third, gravitational instabilities induced by the interaction are able to trigger star formation,” Ruiz-Lara added, by causing “ripples” in the density of the gaseous interstellar medium.

(With inputs from agencies)

Scientists have resolved a 13-billion-year-old mystery of the Milky Way's elements with the help of a stellar explosion in space. The Milky Way began to form relatively soon after the Big Bang explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.

Scientists have resolved a 13-billion-year-old mystery of the Milky Way's elements with the help of a stellar explosion in space. The Milky Way began to form relatively soon after the Big Bang explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago. Until now, it was believed that neutron star mergers were the only way heavy elements (heavier than Zinc) could be produced. But the discovery of an ancient star SMSS J2003-1142 in the Milky Way's halo is providing the first evidence for another source for heavy elements, including uranium and possibly gold. The study published in Nature shows the heavy elements detected in SMSS J2003-1142 were likely produced, not by a neutron star merger, but through the collapse and explosion of a rapidly spinning star with a strong magnetic field and a mass about 25 times that of the Sun. This stellar explosion is called 'magnetorotational hypernova' by astronomers. A star-formation binge in the Milky Way spanning the time when the solar system was born more than 4.5 billion years ago was apparently precipitated by the collision between our galaxy and a smaller one called Sagittarius, scientists said on Tuesday. Such collisions typically do not involve stars smashing head-on, they said, but can foster conditions for star formation by, for example, amping up the amount of gas in a galaxy or having gas clouds come together. The galaxies first crashed more than 6 billion years ago. Since then, Sagittarius - a “dwarf” galaxy 10,000 times less massive than the Milky Way - has twice passed through our galaxy’s immense disk containing most of its roughly 100 billion stars. All three galactic interactions were associated with a burst of Milky Way star formation. Data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia space observatory revealed a prolonged star-formation episode from 6.2 billion to 4.2 billion years ago associated with the initial crash. Two other star-formation surges linked to the galactic collision peaked 1.9 billion years ago and 1 billion years ago, each lasting a few hundred million years. “It is not really an impact like a car crash,” said astronomer Tomás Ruiz-Lara of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias in Spain, lead author of the research published in the journal Nature Astronomy. “Some parts of Sagittarius and the Milky Way intersect, but stars do not crash. A star-star collision would be really, really rare.” The collision disrupted our galaxy’s steady pace of star formation. “First, we have the addition of material, gas, from Sagittarius that increases the amount of gas in our galaxy to form new stars. Second, you have the collision between gas clouds from Sagittarius and the Milky Way triggering star formation,” Ruiz-Lara said. “Third, gravitational instabilities induced by the interaction are able to trigger star formation,” Ruiz-Lara added, by causing “ripples” in the density of the gaseous interstellar medium. (With inputs from agencies)

Stellar explosion helps scientists explain 13-billion-year-old mystery of Milky Way's elements

NASA recently released a mesmerising image of our galaxy’s hub. Dubbed as Milky Way’s “downtown”, the picture is a composite of at least 370 observations made over the last 20 yeas by Chandra X-ray Observatory.

The image shows countless stars and black holes situated in the heart of Milky Way galaxy. A South African telescope was also used to add contrast to the image.

Daniel Wang from the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Friday told Associated Press that he had been working on the image for a year during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic. He referred to the image as a “violent or energetic ecosystem in our galaxy’s downtown”.

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Unravel the threads of superheated gas and magnetic fields that make up the tapestry of energy of our Milky Way galaxy. 🌌 
 
A new image from <a href="https://twitter.com/chandraxray?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChandraXray</a> brings to life the giant mosaic of data that weaves together this cosmic masterpiece. Discover more: <a href="https://t.co/UJZMMDe2Zg">https://t.co/UJZMMDe2Zg</a> <a href="https://t.co/jkNgFXk2z2">pic.twitter.com/jkNgFXk2z2</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1398059950065262593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The Milky Way’s extremely energised downtown is situated 26,000 light years away.&nbsp; According to Wang, the image represents an array of celestial objects - from remains of supernova to black holes.&nbsp;

The detailed research was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society’s June 2021 issue.

This is not the only visual marvel to depict the Milky Way this year. In March, an astrophotographer did the unthinkable by capturing the Milky Way! Finnish photographer JP Metsavainio spent 12 years putting together 234 frames of images at 125 degrees to create a mosaic of the sky.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/astrophotographer-creates-a-remarkable-mosaic-of-the-milky-way-galaxy-372060" hreflang="en">Astrophotographer creates a remarkable mosaic of the Milky Way galaxy</a>

The panorama created by the photographer shows 20 million stars and was finished on March 16. Each image part of the mosaic is an artwork in its own right and has&nbsp;been made available on his blog.&nbsp;

NASA says that the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years long.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/astronomers-discover-how-the-milky-way-galaxy-was-formed-386009" hreflang="en">Astronomers discover how the Milky Way galaxy was formed</a>

NASA recently released a mesmerising image of our galaxy’s hub. Dubbed as Milky Way’s “downtown”, the picture is a composite of at least 370 observations made over the last 20 yeas by Chandra X-ray Observatory.

NASA recently released a mesmerising image of our galaxy’s hub. Dubbed as Milky Way’s “downtown”, the picture is a composite of at least 370 observations made over the last 20 yeas by Chandra X-ray Observatory. The image shows countless stars and black holes situated in the heart of Milky Way galaxy. A South African telescope was also used to add contrast to the image. Daniel Wang from the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Friday told Associated Press that he had been working on the image for a year during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic. He referred to the image as a “violent or energetic ecosystem in our galaxy’s downtown”. Unravel the threads of superheated gas and magnetic fields that make up the tapestry of energy of our Milky Way galaxy. 🌌 A new image from @ChandraXray brings to life the giant mosaic of data that weaves together this cosmic masterpiece. Discover more: https://t.co/UJZMMDe2Zg pic.twitter.com/jkNgFXk2z2 — NASA (@NASA) May 27, 2021 × The Milky Way’s extremely energised downtown is situated 26,000 light years away. According to Wang, the image represents an array of celestial objects - from remains of supernova to black holes. The detailed research was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society’s June 2021 issue. This is not the only visual marvel to depict the Milky Way this year. In March, an astrophotographer did the unthinkable by capturing the Milky Way! Finnish photographer JP Metsavainio spent 12 years putting together 234 frames of images at 125 degrees to create a mosaic of the sky. Also read: Astrophotographer creates a remarkable mosaic of the Milky Way galaxy The panorama created by the photographer shows 20 million stars and was finished on March 16. Each image part of the mosaic is an artwork in its own right and has been made available on his blog. NASA says that the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years long. Also read: Astronomers discover how the Milky Way galaxy was formed

NASA shares glimpse of Milky Way's energy-packed 'downtown'

Dark Matter is indeed an intriguing thing in space. Like normal matter, it cannot be felt or observed directly. It does not interact with light so even that door is closed. Dark Matter must be 'observed' through the gravitational effect it has on matter in space. The true nature of Dark Matter is unknown but scientists are sure that it performs vital function for the universe.

A new map of Dark Matter made with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is showing 'bridges' made up of Dark Matter that are connecting the galaxies. Scientists and researchers from the American Astronomical Society have made this map.

The map focusses on local universe, the neighbourhood that surrounds Milky Way galaxy.

Researchers trained a machine-learning program on simulations of visible and dark matter. Sophisticated set of simulations by the name of Illustris-TNG were used for this study. After the machine learning and testing phase, the scientists applied this to real-world data.

This threw up map of Dark Matter in local universe and its interaction with visible matter.

The map showed many things that were already known but also suggested new features like filaments of Dark Matter connecting Milky Way galaxy to other galaxies in the surroundings. Such connections were also seen between other galaxies in the neighbourhood.

The research was published in Astrophysical Journal.

Dark Matter is indeed an intriguing thing in space. Like normal matter, it cannot be felt or observed directly. It does not interact with light so even that door is closed.

Dark Matter is indeed an intriguing thing in space. Like normal matter, it cannot be felt or observed directly. It does not interact with light so even that door is closed. Dark Matter must be 'observed' through the gravitational effect it has on matter in space. The true nature of Dark Matter is unknown but scientists are sure that it performs vital function for the universe. A new map of Dark Matter made with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is showing 'bridges' made up of Dark Matter that are connecting the galaxies. Scientists and researchers from the American Astronomical Society have made this map. The map focusses on local universe, the neighbourhood that surrounds Milky Way galaxy. Researchers trained a machine-learning program on simulations of visible and dark matter. Sophisticated set of simulations by the name of Illustris-TNG were used for this study. After the machine learning and testing phase, the scientists applied this to real-world data. This threw up map of Dark Matter in local universe and its interaction with visible matter. The map showed many things that were already known but also suggested new features like filaments of Dark Matter connecting Milky Way galaxy to other galaxies in the surroundings. Such connections were also seen between other galaxies in the neighbourhood. The research was published in Astrophysical Journal.

AI-generated map of Dark Matter shows 'bridges' between galaxies

Shape of galaxies has more significance than we think. At the very start of its formation, dark matter brings hot gas together. This forms stars and it further leads to formation of a mis-shapen galaxy. As the galaxy 'matures' and starts rotating about itself, it may give rise to a spiral galaxy. The spiral shape of a galaxy gives rise to more stars and some stars may even form planets that have life. Our Milky Way galaxy is one such spiral galaxy.

In other words, the spiral shape of our galaxy is directly connected with human experience.

Scientists have now clicked a picture of oldest spiral galaxy in the universe. This galaxy was formed 12.4 billion years ago. This means that it was formed just 1.4 billion years after the big bang.

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By <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ESOcast?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ESOcast</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ESO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESO</a> 
'Light: ALMA Sees MostDistant Milky Way Look-alike'✨ <a href="https://t.co/dgHhufEKcs">pic.twitter.com/dgHhufEKcs</a>
— ALMA Observatory at Home📡 (@almaobs) <a href="https://twitter.com/almaobs/status/1393933001516531713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The galaxy has been officially named BRI 1335-0417. It's image was clicked as a part of study that has now been published in journal&nbsp;Science. It was clicked by &nbsp;Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope in Chile.

The ALMA telescope also has the distinction of clicking the image of another galaxy that was formerly considered the oldest spiral galaxy in universe.

Though the newly clicked BRI 1335-0417 is the oldest spiral galaxy in the universe, it is not the oldest galaxy observed by us. That place is held by galaxy named GNz11. It was observed last December.

Shape of galaxies has more significance than we think. At the very start of its formation, dark matter brings hot gas together. This forms stars and it further leads to formation of a mis-shapen galaxy.

Shape of galaxies has more significance than we think. At the very start of its formation, dark matter brings hot gas together. This forms stars and it further leads to formation of a mis-shapen galaxy. As the galaxy 'matures' and starts rotating about itself, it may give rise to a spiral galaxy. The spiral shape of a galaxy gives rise to more stars and some stars may even form planets that have life. Our Milky Way galaxy is one such spiral galaxy. In other words, the spiral shape of our galaxy is directly connected with human experience. Scientists have now clicked a picture of oldest spiral galaxy in the universe. This galaxy was formed 12.4 billion years ago. This means that it was formed just 1.4 billion years after the big bang. By #ESOcast @ESO 'Light: ALMA Sees MostDistant Milky Way Look-alike'✨ pic.twitter.com/dgHhufEKcs — ALMA Observatory at Home📡 (@almaobs) May 16, 2021 × The galaxy has been officially named BRI 1335-0417. It's image was clicked as a part of study that has now been published in journal Science. It was clicked by Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope in Chile. The ALMA telescope also has the distinction of clicking the image of another galaxy that was formerly considered the oldest spiral galaxy in universe. Though the newly clicked BRI 1335-0417 is the oldest spiral galaxy in the universe, it is not the oldest galaxy observed by us. That place is held by galaxy named GNz11. It was observed last December.

Scientists click photo of oldest spiral galaxy in universe

Astrophysicists from the&nbsp;Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) have detected a dozen sources of ultra high-energy gamma rays from hot spots&nbsp;in our Milky Way galaxy,&nbsp;according to a study in the journal Nature.

Gamma rays with such high energy have never been detected before, and the findings suggest these rays can come not just from dying stars, but are also generated inside massive young stars.

''These results are really stunning,&nbsp;some of the most exciting I have ever seen,''&nbsp;said Alan Watson, an astrophysicist working with the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina.

Astrophysicist Cao Zhen&nbsp;team traced 530 high-energy gamma rays to 12 sources including a massive cluster of young stars called the Cygnus Cocoon and the interstellar cloud called the Crab Nebula.

Gamma rays are a type of extreme radiation generated by the hottest and brightest explosions in the universe, like when a large star implodes.

Those implosions also create the matter that make up planets&nbsp;and everything that lives on them, including us. Of all the electromagnetic waves in the universe, gamma rays have the smallest wavelengths and the most energy. They can release more energy in 10 seconds than our sun in 10 billion years.

The pool of purified water at LHAASO that Cao paddled across measures the subatomic shrapnel the air shower&nbsp;in the observatory's name&nbsp;created when gamma rays and high energy particles called cosmic rays crash into the Earth's atmosphere.

The shrapnel includes mysterious particles called muons that can be seen as faint blue flashes known as Cherenkov radiation in the observatory's dark water. The array of 3,120 beachball-sized globes contain tiny sensors that measure the radiation.

''We can trace these gamma rays back to their source in the sky,''&nbsp;said Cao, dressed in blue scrubs to keep the water clean. ''We can find something new.''

LHAASO is one of dozens of devices on Earth and in orbit suspended in ice tunnels in Antarctica or inside toaster-sized satellites,&nbsp;trying to understand how matter such as carbon, oxygen and iron came to be.

Located near the 4,400-meter-tall (14,500-foot-tall) Haizi Mountain, it houses separate instruments that can study different phenomena, including cosmic rays, high energy subatomic particles that scientists believe come from the same sources as gamma rays.

Cosmic rays are like sparks from a massive stellar crucible each contains flecks of material from the forging process. Gamma rays are more like light from a glowing hearth. By studying both, the observatory can learn more about what generated them.

''The Chinese observatory offers unprecedented sensitivity,''&nbsp;said Avi Loeb, a Harvard University astrophysicist, that may, for example, help physicists tell whether if some rays come from inside our galaxy or farther away.

It's not yet complete, however. Cao said that by the end of June the instruments will be in place, including 5,195 electromagnetic detectors, 1,188 muon detectors, and 18 Cherenkov telescopes each the size of a shipping container that will study air showers in the sky.

''The outcome really justifies the massive effort,''&nbsp;Watson said of the new findings. ''This is just the tip of the iceberg.''

Astrophysicists from the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) have detected a dozen sources of ultra high-energy gamma rays from hot spots in our Milky Way galaxy, according to a study in the journal Nature.

Astrophysicists from the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) have detected a dozen sources of ultra high-energy gamma rays from hot spots in our Milky Way galaxy, according to a study in the journal Nature. Gamma rays with such high energy have never been detected before, and the findings suggest these rays can come not just from dying stars, but are also generated inside massive young stars. ''These results are really stunning, some of the most exciting I have ever seen,'' said Alan Watson, an astrophysicist working with the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina. Astrophysicist Cao Zhen team traced 530 high-energy gamma rays to 12 sources including a massive cluster of young stars called the Cygnus Cocoon and the interstellar cloud called the Crab Nebula. Gamma rays are a type of extreme radiation generated by the hottest and brightest explosions in the universe, like when a large star implodes. Those implosions also create the matter that make up planets and everything that lives on them, including us. Of all the electromagnetic waves in the universe, gamma rays have the smallest wavelengths and the most energy. They can release more energy in 10 seconds than our sun in 10 billion years. The pool of purified water at LHAASO that Cao paddled across measures the subatomic shrapnel the air shower in the observatory's name created when gamma rays and high energy particles called cosmic rays crash into the Earth's atmosphere. The shrapnel includes mysterious particles called muons that can be seen as faint blue flashes known as Cherenkov radiation in the observatory's dark water. The array of 3,120 beachball-sized globes contain tiny sensors that measure the radiation. ''We can trace these gamma rays back to their source in the sky,'' said Cao, dressed in blue scrubs to keep the water clean. ''We can find something new.'' LHAASO is one of dozens of devices on Earth and in orbit suspended in ice tunnels in Antarctica or inside toaster-sized satellites, trying to understand how matter such as carbon, oxygen and iron came to be. Located near the 4,400-meter-tall (14,500-foot-tall) Haizi Mountain, it houses separate instruments that can study different phenomena, including cosmic rays, high energy subatomic particles that scientists believe come from the same sources as gamma rays. Cosmic rays are like sparks from a massive stellar crucible each contains flecks of material from the forging process. Gamma rays are more like light from a glowing hearth. By studying both, the observatory can learn more about what generated them. ''The Chinese observatory offers unprecedented sensitivity,'' said Avi Loeb, a Harvard University astrophysicist, that may, for example, help physicists tell whether if some rays come from inside our galaxy or farther away. It's not yet complete, however. Cao said that by the end of June the instruments will be in place, including 5,195 electromagnetic detectors, 1,188 muon detectors, and 18 Cherenkov telescopes each the size of a shipping container that will study air showers in the sky. ''The outcome really justifies the massive effort,'' Watson said of the new findings. ''This is just the tip of the iceberg.''

Astrophysicists detect gamma rays from surprising cosmic sources

A new study led by researchers at Ohio State University provides the latest evidence into&nbsp;the formation of the Milky Way galaxy,&nbsp;including the merger with a key satellite galaxy.

The study,&nbsp;published in the journal Nature Astronomy, was conducted by using&nbsp;relatively new methods in astronomy.

The researchers were able to identify the most precise ages currently possible for a sample of about a hundred red giant stars in the galaxy.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/british-astronomers-unveil-the-most-detailed-map-of-milky-way-galaxy-347255">British astronomers unveil the most detailed map of Milky Way galaxy</a>

With this and other data, the researchers were able to show what was happening when the Milky Way merged with an orbiting satellite galaxy, known as Gaia-Enceladus, about 10 billion years ago.

"Our evidence suggests that when the merger occurred, the Milky Way had already formed a large population of its own stars," said Fiorenzo Vincenzo, co-author of the study and a fellow in The Ohio State University's Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/astronomers-discover-milky-way-galaxys-smallest-black-hole-dubbed-unicorn-379419">Astronomers discover Milky Way galaxy's smallest black hole dubbed 'Unicorn'</a>

Many of those "homemade" stars ended up in the thick disc in the middle of the galaxy, while most that were captured from Gaia-Enceladus are in the outer halo of the galaxy.

"The merging event with Gaia-Enceladus is thought to be one of the most important in the Milky Way's history, shaping how we observe it today," said Josefina Montalban, with the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Birmingham in the UK, who led the project.

By calculating the age of the stars, the researchers were able to determine, for the first time, that the stars captured from Gaia-Enceladus have similar or slightly younger ages compared to the majority of stars that were born inside the Milky Way.

A violent merger between two galaxies&nbsp;shakes things up, Vincenzo said.

Results showed that the merger changed the orbits of the stars already in the galaxy, making them more eccentric.

Vincenzo compared the stars'&nbsp;movements to a dance, where the stars from the former Gaia-Enceladus move differently than those born within the Milky Way.

The stars even "dress" differently, Vincenzo said, with stars from outside showing different chemical compositions from those born inside the Milky Way.

The researchers used several different approaches and data sources to conduct their study. One way the researchers were able to get such precise ages of the stars was through the use of asteroseismology, a relatively new field that probes the internal structure of stars.

Asteroseismologists study oscillations in stars, which are sound waves that ripple through their interiors, said Mathieu Vrard, a postdoctoral research associate in Ohio State's Department of Astronomy.

"That allows us to get very precise ages for the stars, which are important in determining the chronology of when events happened in the early Milky Way," Vrard said.

The study also used a spectroscopic survey, called APOGEE, which provides the chemical composition of stars- another aid in determining their ages.

"We have shown the great potential of asteroseismology, in combination with spectroscopy, to age-date individual stars," Montalban said.

This study is just the first step, according to the researchers.

"We now intend to apply this approach to larger samples of stars and to include even more subtle features of the frequency spectra. This will eventually lead to a much sharper view of the Milky Way's assembly history and evolution, creating a timeline of how our galaxy developed," Vincenzo said.

A new study led by researchers at Ohio State University provides the latest evidence into the formation of the Milky Way galaxy, including the merger with a key satellite galaxy.

A new study led by researchers at Ohio State University provides the latest evidence into the formation of the Milky Way galaxy, including the merger with a key satellite galaxy. The study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, was conducted by using relatively new methods in astronomy. The researchers were able to identify the most precise ages currently possible for a sample of about a hundred red giant stars in the galaxy. Also read| British astronomers unveil the most detailed map of Milky Way galaxy With this and other data, the researchers were able to show what was happening when the Milky Way merged with an orbiting satellite galaxy, known as Gaia-Enceladus, about 10 billion years ago. "Our evidence suggests that when the merger occurred, the Milky Way had already formed a large population of its own stars," said Fiorenzo Vincenzo, co-author of the study and a fellow in The Ohio State University's Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. Also read| Astronomers discover Milky Way galaxy's smallest black hole dubbed 'Unicorn' Many of those "homemade" stars ended up in the thick disc in the middle of the galaxy, while most that were captured from Gaia-Enceladus are in the outer halo of the galaxy. "The merging event with Gaia-Enceladus is thought to be one of the most important in the Milky Way's history, shaping how we observe it today," said Josefina Montalban, with the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Birmingham in the UK, who led the project. By calculating the age of the stars, the researchers were able to determine, for the first time, that the stars captured from Gaia-Enceladus have similar or slightly younger ages compared to the majority of stars that were born inside the Milky Way. A violent merger between two galaxies shakes things up, Vincenzo said. Results showed that the merger changed the orbits of the stars already in the galaxy, making them more eccentric. Vincenzo compared the stars' movements to a dance, where the stars from the former Gaia-Enceladus move differently than those born within the Milky Way. The stars even "dress" differently, Vincenzo said, with stars from outside showing different chemical compositions from those born inside the Milky Way. The researchers used several different approaches and data sources to conduct their study. One way the researchers were able to get such precise ages of the stars was through the use of asteroseismology, a relatively new field that probes the internal structure of stars. Asteroseismologists study oscillations in stars, which are sound waves that ripple through their interiors, said Mathieu Vrard, a postdoctoral research associate in Ohio State's Department of Astronomy. "That allows us to get very precise ages for the stars, which are important in determining the chronology of when events happened in the early Milky Way," Vrard said. The study also used a spectroscopic survey, called APOGEE, which provides the chemical composition of stars- another aid in determining their ages. "We have shown the great potential of asteroseismology, in combination with spectroscopy, to age-date individual stars," Montalban said. This study is just the first step, according to the researchers. "We now intend to apply this approach to larger samples of stars and to include even more subtle features of the frequency spectra. This will eventually lead to a much sharper view of the Milky Way's assembly history and evolution, creating a timeline of how our galaxy developed," Vincenzo said.

Astronomers discover how the Milky Way galaxy was formed

The mysterious glow in the centre of the Milky Way galaxy&nbsp;could be due to dark matter, as per a recent study.

Astronomers have been perplexed by the&nbsp;Galactic Center GeV Excess (GCE) ever since it was discovered in 2009.

Due to the very high densities of dark matter predicted to be present in the central region of our galaxy, the inner Milky Way is expected to be the single brightest source of dark matter annihilation radiation in the sky.

This region is astrophysically rich and complex, however, making the task of separating dark matter annihilation products from backgrounds potentially challenging.

NASA's Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope observes&nbsp;and identifies gamma rays from dark matter annihilations occurring cosmologically, as well as within the Galactic Halo, dwarf galaxies, microhalos, and the inner region of the Milky Way.

With Fermi, astronomers at long last have a superior tool to study how black holes, notorious for pulling matter in, can accelerate jets of gas outward at fantastic speeds.

Physicists are able to study subatomic particles at energies far greater than those seen in ground-based particle accelerators. And cosmologists are gaining valuable information about the birth and early evolution of the Universe.

In this study, the&nbsp;region surrounding the Galactic Center, a dark&nbsp;matter particle&nbsp;is annihilating with a cross-section within a factor of a few of the value predicted for a thermal relic.

However, researchers&nbsp;exclude the possibility that these photons originate from an astrophysical source or sources with similar morphology and spectral shape to those predicted in an annihilating dark matter scenario.

The mysterious glow in the centre of the Milky Way galaxy could be due to dark matter, as per a recent study. Astronomers have been perplexed by the Galactic Center GeV Excess (GCE) ever since it was discovered in 2009.

The mysterious glow in the centre of the Milky Way galaxy could be due to dark matter, as per a recent study. Astronomers have been perplexed by the Galactic Center GeV Excess (GCE) ever since it was discovered in 2009. Due to the very high densities of dark matter predicted to be present in the central region of our galaxy, the inner Milky Way is expected to be the single brightest source of dark matter annihilation radiation in the sky. This region is astrophysically rich and complex, however, making the task of separating dark matter annihilation products from backgrounds potentially challenging. NASA's Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope observes and identifies gamma rays from dark matter annihilations occurring cosmologically, as well as within the Galactic Halo, dwarf galaxies, microhalos, and the inner region of the Milky Way. With Fermi, astronomers at long last have a superior tool to study how black holes, notorious for pulling matter in, can accelerate jets of gas outward at fantastic speeds. Physicists are able to study subatomic particles at energies far greater than those seen in ground-based particle accelerators. And cosmologists are gaining valuable information about the birth and early evolution of the Universe. In this study, the region surrounding the Galactic Center, a dark matter particle is annihilating with a cross-section within a factor of a few of the value predicted for a thermal relic. However, researchers exclude the possibility that these photons originate from an astrophysical source or sources with similar morphology and spectral shape to those predicted in an annihilating dark matter scenario.

Mysterious glow in Milky Way's centre could be due to dark matter

Dark matter is something that has best scientific minds in the world a bit confused. After all, Dark Matter is extremely hard to spot. However, it is considered that most of the matter in the universe is Dark Matter.&nbsp;

Dark Matter can only be detected through the effect it has on celestial bodies. Now Physicists think that dark matter may be warming core of the planets.

Rebecca Leane, a theoretical particle physicist at MIT, and Juri Smirnov, an astroparticle physicist at the Ohio State University (OSU) think that Dark Matter particles are absorbed by planets and due to their gravity, reach the core where they have a warming effect. The researchers have published their study in Physical Review Letters.

They propose use of such exoplanets as 'Dark Matter detectors'. The Physicists say that if we see core of a planet for example, having 14 times the mass of Jupiter, heating up from 200 K to 500 K, we can assume it to be because of Dark Matter.

Not just any planet would do for this exercise, however. The planet must have cooled off after its birth as fiery mass. This means that it should be several billion years old. In addition, the planet must be sufficiently far from heat of the star around which it revolves.

It is considered that centre of a galaxy contains more Dark Matter. The researchers say if we detect a planet getting warmer as it comes closer to the centre. We can treat it as a 'smoking gun' for the effect of Dark Matter.

Dark matter is something that has best scientific minds in the world a bit confused. After all, Dark Matter is extremely hard to spot. However, it is considered that most of the matter in the universe is Dark Matter.

Dark matter is something that has best scientific minds in the world a bit confused. After all, Dark Matter is extremely hard to spot. However, it is considered that most of the matter in the universe is Dark Matter. Dark Matter can only be detected through the effect it has on celestial bodies. Now Physicists think that dark matter may be warming core of the planets. Rebecca Leane, a theoretical particle physicist at MIT, and Juri Smirnov, an astroparticle physicist at the Ohio State University (OSU) think that Dark Matter particles are absorbed by planets and due to their gravity, reach the core where they have a warming effect. The researchers have published their study in Physical Review Letters. They propose use of such exoplanets as 'Dark Matter detectors'. The Physicists say that if we see core of a planet for example, having 14 times the mass of Jupiter, heating up from 200 K to 500 K, we can assume it to be because of Dark Matter. Not just any planet would do for this exercise, however. The planet must have cooled off after its birth as fiery mass. This means that it should be several billion years old. In addition, the planet must be sufficiently far from heat of the star around which it revolves. It is considered that centre of a galaxy contains more Dark Matter. The researchers say if we detect a planet getting warmer as it comes closer to the centre. We can treat it as a 'smoking gun' for the effect of Dark Matter.

Dark matter in space may be heating up core of planets

An astrophotographer recently did the unthinkable by capturing the Milky Way! Finnish photographer JP Metsavainio spent the last 12 years putting together 234 frames of images at 125 degrees to create a mosaic of the sky.&nbsp;

NASA says that the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years long, implying taking a picture is rather…. difficult!

The panorama created by the photographer shows 20 million stars and was finished on March 16. Each image part of the mosaic is an artwork in its own right and has&nbsp;been made available on his blog.&nbsp;

Here's the full mosaic:&nbsp;

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Milky Way, 12 years, 1250 hours of exposures and 125 x 22 degrees of sky. 
My Milky Way mosaic project gets large, the full size image in my blog is absolute must to see! (7000 x 1300 pixels), <a href="https://t.co/doh6Cso1MM">https://t.co/doh6Cso1MM</a> <a href="https://t.co/K1hzlG4jJ6">pic.twitter.com/K1hzlG4jJ6</a>
— J-P Metsavainio (@JP_Metsavainio) <a href="https://twitter.com/JP_Metsavainio/status/1371745893104427010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Metsavainio claims that an image of this scale did not exist before, and that was the rationale behind his pursuit of the photographs. He used an array of different camera tools - lenses and telescopes at his observatory in northern Finland to capture the mind-blowing images.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/astronomer-makes-navigation-system-for-interstellar-space-travel-372313">Astronomer makes navigation system for interstellar space travel</a>

In conversation with CNN, the photographer said that he first uses image processing software to adjust colour, and then puts the panels together on a photo editing software.

He also said that one of his favourite images is of&nbsp;remnants of a dead star, which happens after the supernova! Metsavainio claims to do this work to show everyone how wonderful the world is, and intends to continue photographing the miracles of universe.

An astrophotographer recently did the unthinkable by capturing the Milky Way! Finnish photographer JP Metsavainio spent the last 12 years putting together 234 frames of images at 125 degrees to create a mosaic of the sky.

An astrophotographer recently did the unthinkable by capturing the Milky Way! Finnish photographer JP Metsavainio spent the last 12 years putting together 234 frames of images at 125 degrees to create a mosaic of the sky. NASA says that the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years long, implying taking a picture is rather…. difficult! The panorama created by the photographer shows 20 million stars and was finished on March 16. Each image part of the mosaic is an artwork in its own right and has been made available on his blog. Here's the full mosaic: Milky Way, 12 years, 1250 hours of exposures and 125 x 22 degrees of sky. My Milky Way mosaic project gets large, the full size image in my blog is absolute must to see! (7000 x 1300 pixels), https://t.co/doh6Cso1MM pic.twitter.com/K1hzlG4jJ6 — J-P Metsavainio (@JP_Metsavainio) March 16, 2021 × Metsavainio claims that an image of this scale did not exist before, and that was the rationale behind his pursuit of the photographs. He used an array of different camera tools - lenses and telescopes at his observatory in northern Finland to capture the mind-blowing images. Also Read | Astronomer makes navigation system for interstellar space travel In conversation with CNN, the photographer said that he first uses image processing software to adjust colour, and then puts the panels together on a photo editing software. He also said that one of his favourite images is of remnants of a dead star, which happens after the supernova! Metsavainio claims to do this work to show everyone how wonderful the world is, and intends to continue photographing the miracles of universe.

Astrophotographer creates a remarkable mosaic of the Milky Way galaxy

Astronomers have detected the&nbsp;best place and time to live in the Milky Way, in a recent study published in&nbsp;the journal Astronomy and&nbsp;Astrophysics.

More than six&nbsp;billion years ago, the outskirts of the Milky Way were the safest places for the development of possible life forms, sheltered from the most violent explosions in the universe, that is, the&nbsp;gamma-ray bursts and supernovae.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/astronomers-discover-new-exoplanet-instrumental-in-hunt-for-traces-of-life-beyond-solar-system-368348" hreflang="en">Astronomers discover new exoplanet instrumental in hunt for traces of life beyond solar system</a>

The study&nbsp;led by researchers from INAF and the University of Insubria in Italy investigates the incidence of these events throughout the evolution of our galaxy.

The universe is ripe with powerful explosions releasing large amounts of energy into its surroundings.

Starting from 4 billion years ago until now, the central regions, embracing also the Solar system, became the safest places.

Not too safe though: this study supports the hypothesis that a gamma-ray burst may have caused the first of the five great mass extinctions on Earth, which occurred 445 million years ago.

The group of researchers led by Riccardo Spinelli, PhD student at the University of Insubria and INAF associate in Milan said “Our work shows that, until 6 billion years ago, excluding the peripheral regions of the Milky Way, which had relatively few planets, due to high star formation and low metallicity, planets were subject to many explosive events able to trigger a mass extinction.”

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-releases-beautiful-photo-of-a-galaxy-far-far-away-368896" hreflang="en">NASA releases beautiful photo of a galaxy far far away</a>

Both supernovae and GRBs are linked to the life cycle of stars, and in particular to their death. A supernova occurs when a star much more massive than the Sun reaches the end of its life and explodes, or when a white dwarf – the remnant of less massive stars, such as the Sun,&nbsp;explodes after accreting mass from a companion in a binary system.

A GRB, on the other hand, is an intense flash of high-energy radiation emitted when a very massive and rapidly rotating star dies, or when two neutron stars, or a neutron star and a black hole both remnants of massive stars&nbsp;merge.

“Supernovae are more frequent in star-forming regions, where massive stars are formed,” Giancarlo Ghirlanda, co-author and INAF researcher in Milan, explains. “GRBs, on the other hand, prefer star-forming regions that are still poorly engulfed by heavy elements. In these regions, massive stars that are formed by metal-poor gas lose less mass during their life due to stellar winds. Therefore, these stars are able to keep themselves in rapid rotation, a necessary condition to be able to launch, once a black hole has formed, a powerful jet”.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasas-perseverance-rover-hunts-for-life-on-mars-369699">NASA's Perseverance rover hunts for life on Mars</a>

“To understand how these events are distributed within our galaxy, we started from a model which describes the evolution of our galaxy”, adds Francesco Haardt, professor at the University of Insubria and INAF associate. “This model predicts that the inner regions, as opposed to the peripheral regions, formed quickly in the early stages of the history of our galaxy. As time passed, the star formation rate decreased in the centre and gradually increased in the periphery.

Consequently, the primordial gas of hydrogen and helium was enriched with heavier elements (oxygen, carbon, nitrogen) quickly in the centre of the Milky Way, while in the periphery it was enriched more gradually, without however reaching the high metallicities of the central regions”.

The energy released by GRBs and supernovae is enormous. A supernova releases, in the high energy band, as much energy as the Milky Way, which contains hundreds of billions of stars, emits in a few hours. A GRB, in 10 seconds, emits what our galaxy does in a century. “Excluding the very central regions, less than 6500 light-years from the galactic centre, where supernova explosions are more frequent, our study suggests that evolutionary pressure in each epoch is determined by GRBs mainly”, Spinelli says.

“Although they are much rarer events than supernovae, GRBs are able to cause a mass extinction from larger distances: being the most energetic events, they are the bazookas with the longest range”.

The effect on a planet like Earth would be catastrophic. Several studies suggest that the gamma radiation released by a GRB within 3300 light-years from Earth would destroy the ozone layer in the atmosphere: without this protection, the planet would be exposed to the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation which could trigger the extinction of almost all life forms on the surface.

“As a secondary effect”, Spinelli continues, “the destruction of the ozone layer would produce nitrogen compounds. These would reduce the visible sunlight thus causing global cooling”. For these reasons, several studies proposed that the first of the five mass extinctions that affected Earth, the Late Ordovician mass extinction, about 445 million years ago, was caused by a GRB. The work by Spinelli and collaborators supports this hypothesis.

Regarding the “recent” past, the study finds that, in the last 500 million years, the Milky Way became globally safer than in earlier epochs, with the peripheral regions being more sterilised by lethal GRBs and the central ones, within 6500 light-years from the galactic centre, mostly exposed to supernovae.

At the distance of the Solar system from the galactic centre, this work estimates there has been at least one lethal GRB in the last 500 million years, possibly associated with the first great extinction. The worst seems to be over. 
&nbsp;

Astronomers have detected the best place and time to live in the Milky Way, in a recent study published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. More than six billion years ago, the outskirts of the Milky Way were the safest places for the development of possible life forms, sheltered from the most violent explosions in the universe, that is, the gamma-ray bursts and supernovae.

Astronomers have detected the best place and time to live in the Milky Way, in a recent study published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. More than six billion years ago, the outskirts of the Milky Way were the safest places for the development of possible life forms, sheltered from the most violent explosions in the universe, that is, the gamma-ray bursts and supernovae. Also read: Astronomers discover new exoplanet instrumental in hunt for traces of life beyond solar system The study led by researchers from INAF and the University of Insubria in Italy investigates the incidence of these events throughout the evolution of our galaxy. The universe is ripe with powerful explosions releasing large amounts of energy into its surroundings. Starting from 4 billion years ago until now, the central regions, embracing also the Solar system, became the safest places. Not too safe though: this study supports the hypothesis that a gamma-ray burst may have caused the first of the five great mass extinctions on Earth, which occurred 445 million years ago. The group of researchers led by Riccardo Spinelli, PhD student at the University of Insubria and INAF associate in Milan said “Our work shows that, until 6 billion years ago, excluding the peripheral regions of the Milky Way, which had relatively few planets, due to high star formation and low metallicity, planets were subject to many explosive events able to trigger a mass extinction.” Also read: NASA releases beautiful photo of a galaxy far far away Both supernovae and GRBs are linked to the life cycle of stars, and in particular to their death. A supernova occurs when a star much more massive than the Sun reaches the end of its life and explodes, or when a white dwarf – the remnant of less massive stars, such as the Sun, explodes after accreting mass from a companion in a binary system. A GRB, on the other hand, is an intense flash of high-energy radiation emitted when a very massive and rapidly rotating star dies, or when two neutron stars, or a neutron star and a black hole both remnants of massive stars merge. “Supernovae are more frequent in star-forming regions, where massive stars are formed,” Giancarlo Ghirlanda, co-author and INAF researcher in Milan, explains. “GRBs, on the other hand, prefer star-forming regions that are still poorly engulfed by heavy elements. In these regions, massive stars that are formed by metal-poor gas lose less mass during their life due to stellar winds. Therefore, these stars are able to keep themselves in rapid rotation, a necessary condition to be able to launch, once a black hole has formed, a powerful jet”. Also Read | NASA's Perseverance rover hunts for life on Mars “To understand how these events are distributed within our galaxy, we started from a model which describes the evolution of our galaxy”, adds Francesco Haardt, professor at the University of Insubria and INAF associate. “This model predicts that the inner regions, as opposed to the peripheral regions, formed quickly in the early stages of the history of our galaxy. As time passed, the star formation rate decreased in the centre and gradually increased in the periphery. Consequently, the primordial gas of hydrogen and helium was enriched with heavier elements (oxygen, carbon, nitrogen) quickly in the centre of the Milky Way, while in the periphery it was enriched more gradually, without however reaching the high metallicities of the central regions”. The energy released by GRBs and supernovae is enormous. A supernova releases, in the high energy band, as much energy as the Milky Way, which contains hundreds of billions of stars, emits in a few hours. A GRB, in 10 seconds, emits what our galaxy does in a century. “Excluding the very central regions, less than 6500 light-years from the galactic centre, where supernova explosions are more frequent, our study suggests that evolutionary pressure in each epoch is determined by GRBs mainly”, Spinelli says. “Although they are much rarer events than supernovae, GRBs are able to cause a mass extinction from larger distances: being the most energetic events, they are the bazookas with the longest range”. The effect on a planet like Earth would be catastrophic. Several studies suggest that the gamma radiation released by a GRB within 3300 light-years from Earth would destroy the ozone layer in the atmosphere: without this protection, the planet would be exposed to the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation which could trigger the extinction of almost all life forms on the surface. “As a secondary effect”, Spinelli continues, “the destruction of the ozone layer would produce nitrogen compounds. These would reduce the visible sunlight thus causing global cooling”. For these reasons, several studies proposed that the first of the five mass extinctions that affected Earth, the Late Ordovician mass extinction, about 445 million years ago, was caused by a GRB. The work by Spinelli and collaborators supports this hypothesis. Regarding the “recent” past, the study finds that, in the last 500 million years, the Milky Way became globally safer than in earlier epochs, with the peripheral regions being more sterilised by lethal GRBs and the central ones, within 6500 light-years from the galactic centre, mostly exposed to supernovae. At the distance of the Solar system from the galactic centre, this work estimates there has been at least one lethal GRB in the last 500 million years, possibly associated with the first great extinction. The worst seems to be over.

Astronomers detect best place and time to live in Milky Way

Scientists have discovered that the most distant quasar ever found is hiding a supermassive black hole, as per the latest study submitted to the American Astronomical Society.

The discovery made by researchers at the University of Arizona may help in&nbsp;solving the mystery of the formation of enormous black holes.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/caught-in-the-act-astronomers-capture-precise-moment-in-which-a-black-hole-sucks-a-star-334909">Caught in the act: Astronomers capture precise moment in which a black hole sucks a star</a>

Anti-galactic nuclei quasars are among the brightest objects in the universe powered by supermassive black holes that are actively feeding on materials nearby.

&nbsp;

The infant Universe following the Big Bang is relatively well known through extensive theoretical models and observation of cosmic microwave background -- the electromagnetic radiation of the nascent cosmos.

The most distant quasar, called&nbsp;J0313-1806, dates back to 670 million years after the Big Bang and has a mass of 1.6 billion of our suns.

Co-author&nbsp;Xiaohui Fan said, "This tells you that no matter what you do, the seed of this black hole must have formed by a different mechanism. In this case, one that involves vast quantities of primordial, cold hydrogen gas directly collapsing into a seed black hole."

It has two asymmetric ''dips'' that correspond to the absorption at two different wavelengths.&nbsp;

Presenting both a crisis and a unique opportunity for astronomers, it's a mystery how a black hole can exist this early on. It is at least 20 million years old and it's twice as massive the most distant quasar.

The newly discovered quasar provides a new benchmark by ruling out two current models of how supermassive black holes form in such short timescales.

Scientists have discovered evidence that there is a wind of superheated gas flowing from around the galaxy's supermassive black hole, with this gas travelling at one-fifth the speed of light.

Lead author Feige Wang&nbsp;said, "This is the earliest evidence of how a supermassive black hole is affecting its host galaxy around it."

"From observations of less distant galaxies, we know that this has to happen, but we have never seen it happening so early in the universe," he added.

Scientists have discovered that the most distant quasar ever found is hiding a supermassive black hole, as per the latest study submitted to the American Astronomical Society.

Scientists have discovered that the most distant quasar ever found is hiding a supermassive black hole, as per the latest study submitted to the American Astronomical Society. The discovery made by researchers at the University of Arizona may help in solving the mystery of the formation of enormous black holes. Also read: Caught in the act: Astronomers capture precise moment in which a black hole sucks a star Anti-galactic nuclei quasars are among the brightest objects in the universe powered by supermassive black holes that are actively feeding on materials nearby. The infant Universe following the Big Bang is relatively well known through extensive theoretical models and observation of cosmic microwave background -- the electromagnetic radiation of the nascent cosmos. The most distant quasar, called J0313-1806, dates back to 670 million years after the Big Bang and has a mass of 1.6 billion of our suns. Co-author Xiaohui Fan said, "This tells you that no matter what you do, the seed of this black hole must have formed by a different mechanism. In this case, one that involves vast quantities of primordial, cold hydrogen gas directly collapsing into a seed black hole." It has two asymmetric ''dips'' that correspond to the absorption at two different wavelengths. Presenting both a crisis and a unique opportunity for astronomers, it's a mystery how a black hole can exist this early on. It is at least 20 million years old and it's twice as massive the most distant quasar. The newly discovered quasar provides a new benchmark by ruling out two current models of how supermassive black holes form in such short timescales. Scientists have discovered evidence that there is a wind of superheated gas flowing from around the galaxy's supermassive black hole, with this gas travelling at one-fifth the speed of light. Lead author Feige Wang said, "This is the earliest evidence of how a supermassive black hole is affecting its host galaxy around it." "From observations of less distant galaxies, we know that this has to happen, but we have never seen it happening so early in the universe," he added.

Most distant quasar ever found is hiding 'biggest' and 'youngest' black hole

An unusually hot, rocky 'super-Earth' has been found orbiting&nbsp;one of the oldest stars in the Milky Way by astronomers.

The study accepted for publication&nbsp;in the Astronomical Journal was presented to the American Astronomical Society.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-galaxy-caught-dying-astronomers-capture-distant-galaxy-losing-its-ability-to-form-stars-356205" hreflang="en">A galaxy caught dying? Astronomers capture distant galaxy losing its ability to form stars</a>

Known as TOI-561b, the exoplanet is one of the oldest and most-metal poor planetary systems discovered yet in the Milky Way. It the first rocky world around a galactic thick-disk star confirmed with thermal emissions.

The bright star hosts three transitory planets discovered by NASA's&nbsp;Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, which was launched in 2018 to&nbsp;hunt for planets around some of the closest and brightest stars".

The study's co-author and an astrophysicist at the University of California&nbsp;Stephen Kane said: “For every day you’re on Earth, this planet orbits its star twice.”

The planet has three times the mass of Earth but the same density as our planet. To confirm their findings the astronomers used&nbsp;W. M. Keck Observatory High-Resolution Echelle Spectrometer.

“This is surprising because you’d expect the density to be higher,” Kane said. “This is consistent with the notion that the planet is extremely old.”

The super-Earth's proximity to host enables an above-average surface temperature on the planet exceeding 3,140&nbsp;Fahrenheit.

As per the lead author of the study&nbsp;Lauren Weiss, "Its existence shows that the universe has been forming rocky planets almost since its inception 14 billion years ago."

"This planet formed at a time when the majority of stars in our galaxy were first beginning to shine," Weiss said at the conference on Monday.

TOI-561b's low density suggests that it has relatively few elements and is therefore 10 billion years old.

"Information about a planet's interior gives us a sense of whether the surface of the planet is habitable by life as we know it," Kane said. "Though this particular planet is unlikely to be inhabited today, it may be a harbinger of many rocky worlds yet to be discovered around our galaxy's oldest stars."

An unusually hot, rocky 'super-Earth' has been found orbiting one of the oldest stars in the Milky Way by astronomers. The study accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal was presented to the American Astronomical Society.

An unusually hot, rocky 'super-Earth' has been found orbiting one of the oldest stars in the Milky Way by astronomers. The study accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal was presented to the American Astronomical Society. Also read: A galaxy caught dying? Astronomers capture distant galaxy losing its ability to form stars Known as TOI-561b, the exoplanet is one of the oldest and most-metal poor planetary systems discovered yet in the Milky Way. It the first rocky world around a galactic thick-disk star confirmed with thermal emissions. The bright star hosts three transitory planets discovered by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, which was launched in 2018 to hunt for planets around some of the closest and brightest stars". The study's co-author and an astrophysicist at the University of California Stephen Kane said: “For every day you’re on Earth, this planet orbits its star twice.” The planet has three times the mass of Earth but the same density as our planet. To confirm their findings the astronomers used W. M. Keck Observatory High-Resolution Echelle Spectrometer. “This is surprising because you’d expect the density to be higher,” Kane said. “This is consistent with the notion that the planet is extremely old.” The super-Earth's proximity to host enables an above-average surface temperature on the planet exceeding 3,140 Fahrenheit. As per the lead author of the study Lauren Weiss, "Its existence shows that the universe has been forming rocky planets almost since its inception 14 billion years ago." "This planet formed at a time when the majority of stars in our galaxy were first beginning to shine," Weiss said at the conference on Monday. TOI-561b's low density suggests that it has relatively few elements and is therefore 10 billion years old. "Information about a planet's interior gives us a sense of whether the surface of the planet is habitable by life as we know it," Kane said. "Though this particular planet is unlikely to be inhabited today, it may be a harbinger of many rocky worlds yet to be discovered around our galaxy's oldest stars."

Unusually hot 'super-Earth' planet spotted orbiting one of the oldest stars in the Milky Way

Astronomers of European Space Agency Gaia have unveiled the most precise 3D map yet of the Milky Way, an achievement that sheds lights on the workings of the galaxy and how the universe is expanded.

Astronomers unveil most precise 3D map of the Milky Way

British astrologists have made another guide of the Milky Way comprised of almost two billion stars utilizing information assembled by the European Space Agency (ESA) Gaia space observatory.&nbsp;

College of Cambridge specialists drove the production of the infinite chartbook of two billion stars, that they accept could reveal insight into how our system appeared and what may befall it in the inaccessible future.&nbsp;

The detailed map of the Milky Way galaxy is based on the most recent data released by the ESA Gaia mission - which has two satellites 930,000 miles from Earth measuring the distance to and between stellar objects throughout the galaxy

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The guide and going with information will permit stargazers to increase a more profound comprehension of our own cosmic system, how stars are spread out, and even distinguish stars that are like our own Sun for additional, more detailed study.

The most recent delivery from the Gaia observatory is the most point by point actually inventory of the stars in the Milky Way - the last arrangement of distributed information remembered subtleties for 1.6 billion stars, this brings that up to two billion and in more detail.&nbsp;

It additionally remembers data for our satellite cosmic systems - the Large and Small Magellanic mists and the extension of stars that interface the two assortments of heavenly bodies.&nbsp;

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In picture:&nbsp;Artist's impression of Gaia mapping the stars of the Milky Way

Floor van Leeuwen, who drove the 3D guide venture at Cambridge, said this device will get one of the significant spines of current astronomy, furnishing researchers with better approaches to consider our system in detail.&nbsp;

This was one of various papers distributed utilising an early arrival of the new information, made accessible to a determination of specialists before the more extensive public delivery on December 3.&nbsp;

These specialists utilized the Gaia information to give a colossal expansion to the statistics of close by stars, infer the state of the Solar System's circle around the focal point of the world, and test structures in two close-by universes.&nbsp;

Dispatched in 2013, the Gaia satellite works at the purported Lagrange 2 (L2) point - a gravitationally steady spot in the Sun-Earth framework and measures the position and brilliance of stars, alongside their sizes and shading.&nbsp;

The essential goal of Gaia is to gauge heavenly distances utilizing the parallax strategy. For this situation cosmologists utilize the observatory to persistently filter the sky, estimating the obvious change in the places of stars over the long run, coming about because of the Earth's development around the Sun.&nbsp;

The Gaia information will likewise permit stargazers to quantify the mass of the Milky Way by examining the 'delicate' speeding up of the close planetary system as it circles around the universe, as per the European Space Agency.&nbsp;

Two past deliveries incorporated the places of 1.6 billion stars. This delivery carries the complete to just shy of 2 billion stars, whose positions are altogether more exact than in the previous information.&nbsp;

Gaia additionally tracks the changing brilliance and places of the stars after some time over the view (their alleged legitimate movement), and by parting their light into spectra, quantifies how quickly they are moving towards or away from the Sun and surveys their synthetic organization.&nbsp;

It is believed that, longer than a year, the Sun quickens towards the focal point of the cosmic system by 7mm every second, while circling at a speed of around 124 miles (200 km) a second.&nbsp;

One investigation utilizing the information watched out, away from the focal point of the Milky Way to follow the different populaces of more established and more youthful stars towards the very edge of our universe - the anticentre.&nbsp;

PC models anticipated that the plate of the Milky Way will become bigger with time as new stars are conceived.&nbsp;

'The new information permits us to see the relics of the 10 billion-year-old plate thus decide its more modest degree contrasted with the Milky Way's present circle size,' ESA composed.&nbsp;

Stargazers will likewise have the option to deconstruct the two biggest partner worlds to the Milky Way - the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds - utilizing the information from Gaia.&nbsp;

The two systems are associated with a scaffold of stars thought to be 75,000 light-years long, as indicated by analysts inspecting the new information.&nbsp;

Having estimated the development of the Large Magellanic Cloud's stars to more noteworthy exactness than previously, Gaia's most recent information plainly shows that the world has a twisting structure - simply like the Milky Way.&nbsp;

The information likewise uncovered a weak stream of stars that is being pulled out of the Small Magellanic Cloud and indicates already concealed structures in the edges of the two systems.&nbsp;

Caroline Harper, head of room science at the UK Space Agency, which gave the financing to the exploration, said Gaia has taken into account the making of the most itemized billion-star 3D map book ever amassed.&nbsp;

'For a great many years, we have been engrossed with noticing and enumerating the stars and their exact areas as they extended humankind's comprehension of our universe,' Harper said.&nbsp;

'Gaia has been gazing at the sky for as long as seven years, planning the positions and speeds of stars.'&nbsp;

The information will likewise incorporate 'outstandingly precise' estimations of the 300,000 stars that are generally near the Sun, inside a distance of 326 light years.&nbsp;

The scientists plan to utilize the data to get familiar with the destiny of the Milky Way by anticipating how the world will change in the following 1.6 million years.&nbsp;

British astrologists have made another guide of the Milky Way comprised of almost two billion stars utilizing information assembled by the European Space Agency (ESA) Gaia space observatory.

British astrologists have made another guide of the Milky Way comprised of almost two billion stars utilizing information assembled by the European Space Agency (ESA) Gaia space observatory. College of Cambridge specialists drove the production of the infinite chartbook of two billion stars, that they accept could reveal insight into how our system appeared and what may befall it in the inaccessible future. The detailed map of the Milky Way galaxy is based on the most recent data released by the ESA Gaia mission - which has two satellites 930,000 miles from Earth measuring the distance to and between stellar objects throughout the galaxy The guide and going with information will permit stargazers to increase a more profound comprehension of our own cosmic system, how stars are spread out, and even distinguish stars that are like our own Sun for additional, more detailed study. The most recent delivery from the Gaia observatory is the most point by point actually inventory of the stars in the Milky Way - the last arrangement of distributed information remembered subtleties for 1.6 billion stars, this brings that up to two billion and in more detail. It additionally remembers data for our satellite cosmic systems - the Large and Small Magellanic mists and the extension of stars that interface the two assortments of heavenly bodies. In picture: Artist's impression of Gaia mapping the stars of the Milky Way Floor van Leeuwen, who drove the 3D guide venture at Cambridge, said this device will get one of the significant spines of current astronomy, furnishing researchers with better approaches to consider our system in detail. This was one of various papers distributed utilising an early arrival of the new information, made accessible to a determination of specialists before the more extensive public delivery on December 3. These specialists utilized the Gaia information to give a colossal expansion to the statistics of close by stars, infer the state of the Solar System's circle around the focal point of the world, and test structures in two close-by universes. Dispatched in 2013, the Gaia satellite works at the purported Lagrange 2 (L2) point - a gravitationally steady spot in the Sun-Earth framework and measures the position and brilliance of stars, alongside their sizes and shading. The essential goal of Gaia is to gauge heavenly distances utilizing the parallax strategy. For this situation cosmologists utilize the observatory to persistently filter the sky, estimating the obvious change in the places of stars over the long run, coming about because of the Earth's development around the Sun. The Gaia information will likewise permit stargazers to quantify the mass of the Milky Way by examining the 'delicate' speeding up of the close planetary system as it circles around the universe, as per the European Space Agency. Two past deliveries incorporated the places of 1.6 billion stars. This delivery carries the complete to just shy of 2 billion stars, whose positions are altogether more exact than in the previous information. Gaia additionally tracks the changing brilliance and places of the stars after some time over the view (their alleged legitimate movement), and by parting their light into spectra, quantifies how quickly they are moving towards or away from the Sun and surveys their synthetic organization. It is believed that, longer than a year, the Sun quickens towards the focal point of the cosmic system by 7mm every second, while circling at a speed of around 124 miles (200 km) a second. One investigation utilizing the information watched out, away from the focal point of the Milky Way to follow the different populaces of more established and more youthful stars towards the very edge of our universe - the anticentre. PC models anticipated that the plate of the Milky Way will become bigger with time as new stars are conceived. 'The new information permits us to see the relics of the 10 billion-year-old plate thus decide its more modest degree contrasted with the Milky Way's present circle size,' ESA composed. Stargazers will likewise have the option to deconstruct the two biggest partner worlds to the Milky Way - the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds - utilizing the information from Gaia. The two systems are associated with a scaffold of stars thought to be 75,000 light-years long, as indicated by analysts inspecting the new information. Having estimated the development of the Large Magellanic Cloud's stars to more noteworthy exactness than previously, Gaia's most recent information plainly shows that the world has a twisting structure - simply like the Milky Way. The information likewise uncovered a weak stream of stars that is being pulled out of the Small Magellanic Cloud and indicates already concealed structures in the edges of the two systems. Caroline Harper, head of room science at the UK Space Agency, which gave the financing to the exploration, said Gaia has taken into account the making of the most itemized billion-star 3D map book ever amassed. 'For a great many years, we have been engrossed with noticing and enumerating the stars and their exact areas as they extended humankind's comprehension of our universe,' Harper said. 'Gaia has been gazing at the sky for as long as seven years, planning the positions and speeds of stars.' The information will likewise incorporate 'outstandingly precise' estimations of the 300,000 stars that are generally near the Sun, inside a distance of 326 light years. The scientists plan to utilize the data to get familiar with the destiny of the Milky Way by anticipating how the world will change in the following 1.6 million years.

British astronomers unveil the most detailed map of Milky Way galaxy

The experts at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia's&nbsp;national science agency, have created a&nbsp;new atlas of the universe.

Experts at the agency have&nbsp;mapped three million galaxies with more details and in a&nbsp;record time of 300 hours, in comparison to previous mappings which have taken years.

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The report claims the scientists at the agency were able to create a new atlas of the universe with almost three million galaxies in forms of pictures revealing twice the detail of the previous images. The data around this new discovery is publically available and can help fellow scientists to study "everything from star formation to how galaxies and their super-massive black hole evolve and interact," the lead author Dr David McConnell said.

"We expect to find tens of millions of new galaxies in future surveys," he added.

This has been possible due to the&nbsp;Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (Askap) which is a collection of 36 dish antennas that work in coordination to capture panoramic views of the sky.

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Spread across an area of 6km&nbsp;(3.7 miles)&nbsp;at the CSIRO's Murchison observatory about 700km north of Perth (Australia),&nbsp;this telescope combines signals from the smaller dishes and then creates&nbsp;high-resolution images for the scientists to study. The whole process is, however, costing a fraction of what a large dish usually costs, CSIRO claimed.

For the first time, Askap conducted an&nbsp;all-sky survey and covered 83 per cent of the sky. Using the technology, scientists were able to combine&nbsp;903 high-resolution and&nbsp;detailed images. The scientists hope to find answers to the structuring and evolution of the Earth.

The experts at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia's national science agency, have created a new atlas of the universe.

The experts at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia's national science agency, have created a new atlas of the universe. Experts at the agency have mapped three million galaxies with more details and in a record time of 300 hours, in comparison to previous mappings which have taken years. Also read| Indian ISRO satellite flew dangerously close to Russian sat, says Roscosmos The report claims the scientists at the agency were able to create a new atlas of the universe with almost three million galaxies in forms of pictures revealing twice the detail of the previous images. The data around this new discovery is publically available and can help fellow scientists to study "everything from star formation to how galaxies and their super-massive black hole evolve and interact," the lead author Dr David McConnell said. "We expect to find tens of millions of new galaxies in future surveys," he added. This has been possible due to the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (Askap) which is a collection of 36 dish antennas that work in coordination to capture panoramic views of the sky. Also read| Artificial intelligence solves 50-year-old science problem Spread across an area of 6km (3.7 miles) at the CSIRO's Murchison observatory about 700km north of Perth (Australia), this telescope combines signals from the smaller dishes and then creates high-resolution images for the scientists to study. The whole process is, however, costing a fraction of what a large dish usually costs, CSIRO claimed. For the first time, Askap conducted an all-sky survey and covered 83 per cent of the sky. Using the technology, scientists were able to combine 903 high-resolution and detailed images. The scientists hope to find answers to the structuring and evolution of the Earth.

Australian scientists create 'a new atlas' by mapping millions of galaxies

A decade ago, a band of astronomers set out to investigate one of the oldest questions taunting philosophers, scientists, priests, astronomers, mystics and the rest of the human race: How many more Earths are out there, if any? How many far-flung planets exist that could harbor life as we know it?

Their tool was the Kepler spacecraft, which was launched in March 2009 on a 3-1/2-year mission to monitor 150,000 stars in a patch of sky in the Milky Way. It looked for tiny dips in starlight caused by an exoplanet passing in front of its home star.

“It’s not E.T., but it’s E.T.’s home,” said William Borucki when the mission was launched in March 2009. It was Borucki, an astronomer now retired from NASA’s Ames Research Center, who dreamed up the project and spent two decades convincing NASA to do it.

Before the spacecraft finally gave out in 2018, it had discovered more than 4,000 candidate worlds among those stars. So far, none have shown any sign of life or habitation. (Granted, they are very far away and hard to study.) Extrapolated, that figure suggests that there are billions of exoplanets in the Milky Way galaxy. But how many of those are potentially habitable?

After crunching Kepler’s data for two years, a team of 44 astronomers led by Steve Bryson of NASA Ames has landed on what they say is the definitive answer, at least for now. Their paper has been accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal.

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Kepler’s formal goal was to measure a number called eta-Earth: the fraction of sunlike stars that have an Earth-size object orbiting them in the “goldilocks” or habitable zone, where it is warm enough for the surface to retain liquid water.

The team calculated that at least one-third, and perhaps as many as 90%, of stars similar in mass and brightness to our sun have rocks like Earth in their habitable zones, with the range reflecting the researchers’ confidence in their various methods and assumptions. That is no small bonanza, however you look at it.

According to NASA estimates there are at least 100 billion stars in the Milky Way, of which about 4 billion are sunlike. If only 7% of those stars have habitable planets — a seriously conservative estimate — there could be as many as 300 million potentially habitable Earths out there in the whole Milky Way alone.

“We want to be very conservative in case nature has any surprises regarding habitability,” said Ravi Kumar Kopparapu, a researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and one of the authors of the report. “So we are lowballing the estimates intentionally.”

On average, the astronomers calculated, the nearest such planet should be about 20 light-years away, and there should be four of them within 30 light-years or so of the sun.

“It took 11 years from launch to publication, but this is it,” said Natalie Batalha, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who directed the Kepler mission during most of its life and was one of the authors of the new paper, in a triumphant email. “This is the science result we’ve all been waiting for — the reason that Kepler was selected for flight in December 2001.”

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The new result means that the galaxy is at least twice as fertile as estimated in one of the first analyses of Kepler data, in 2013. That finding, by Andrew Howard, Erik Petigura and Geoffrey Marcy, who were not part of the Kepler team, concluded that about one-fifth of sunlike stars harbored planets in their habitable zones.

Batalha said that one improvement this time around was the addition of data from the European GAIA satellite, which has measured the position and brightness of 1 billion stars. That knowledge allowed the Kepler scientists to more precisely chart the habitable zones of their stars.

Another improvement was better handling of the statistics, although, as Batalha noted, “surveys are inherently incomplete. You can’t call up every citizen; you can’t observe every star.”

In the case of Kepler, that limitation was serious. The spacecraft’s orientation system failed before Kepler could complete its prime survey, which limited it to detecting planets that had orbital periods of less than about 700 days — about twice the duration of an Earth year.

In an email, David Charbonneau, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said he was slightly skeptical of the results: “The Kepler Mission didn’t detect many (arguably, any) true Earth analogues, i.e. planets with the same radius as Earth AND orbiting at the same period, and hence receiving the same amount of light, AND orbiting sun-like stars.”

As Batalha said at the time, “We don’t yet have any planet candidates that are exact analogues of the Earth in terms of size, orbit or star type.” We still don’t. As a result, the astronomers had to extrapolate data from the planets they did see.

Although these Kepler planets are Earth-size — one-half to 1 1/2 the radius of Earth — and are presumably rocky, nobody knows what they are like in any detail, nor whether anything does, or could, live on them. They are too far away for further study. So far we know of only one planet, our own, that harbors life.

But there are plenty of opportunities yet to find one. The Kepler measurement of eta-Earth only pertains to stars like the sun, but in the galaxy those stars are vastly outnumbered by smaller, dimmer stars known as red dwarfs. One-quarter to one-half of red dwarfs also harbor habitable-zone planets, according to work by Courtney Dressing, now at the University of California, Berkeley, although some astronomers worry that radiation flares from such stars would doom any life trying to get started there. Red dwarf planets were not included in the new analysis of eta-Earth.

The red dwarf planets are relevant to the search for life because Kepler has passed the torch to a spacecraft called the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, which was launched in 2018 to scour the entire sky for exoplanets within a few hundred light years of Earth — the local neighborhood. So far TESS has discovered 66 new exoplanets and has cataloged more than 2,000 candidates.

Most of those planets were expected to be found circling red dwarfs, said George Ricker, an astrophysicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and principal investigator for the mission, in an email: “Since about three-fourths of the stars in the solar neighborhood are M dwarfs, that leaves open a very large discovery space for TESS in the decade ahead!”

Batalha said that young scientists in the future might yet find a way to improve the value of eta-Earth; “until then, this will be the de facto standard.”

The value of eta-Earth is an important and hitherto unknown factor in a mathematical expression known as the Drake equation. It is used by astronomers to estimate how many technological civilizations might exist in the galaxy — and that we might be able to contact by radio or other means some cosmic day.

It’s time to move on the next factor in the Drake equation for extraterrestrial civilizations: the fraction of these worlds on which life emerges. The search for even a single slime mold on some alien rock would revolutionize biology, and it is a worthy agenda for the next half-century as humans continue the climb out of ourselves and into the universe in the endless quest to end our cosmic loneliness.

A decade ago, a band of astronomers set out to investigate one of the oldest questions taunting philosophers, scientists, priests, astronomers, mystics and the rest of the human race: How many more Earths are out there, if any?

A decade ago, a band of astronomers set out to investigate one of the oldest questions taunting philosophers, scientists, priests, astronomers, mystics and the rest of the human race: How many more Earths are out there, if any? How many far-flung planets exist that could harbor life as we know it? Their tool was the Kepler spacecraft, which was launched in March 2009 on a 3-1/2-year mission to monitor 150,000 stars in a patch of sky in the Milky Way. It looked for tiny dips in starlight caused by an exoplanet passing in front of its home star. “It’s not E.T., but it’s E.T.’s home,” said William Borucki when the mission was launched in March 2009. It was Borucki, an astronomer now retired from NASA’s Ames Research Center, who dreamed up the project and spent two decades convincing NASA to do it. Before the spacecraft finally gave out in 2018, it had discovered more than 4,000 candidate worlds among those stars. So far, none have shown any sign of life or habitation. (Granted, they are very far away and hard to study.) Extrapolated, that figure suggests that there are billions of exoplanets in the Milky Way galaxy. But how many of those are potentially habitable? After crunching Kepler’s data for two years, a team of 44 astronomers led by Steve Bryson of NASA Ames has landed on what they say is the definitive answer, at least for now. Their paper has been accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. Also Read | Scientists uncover oldest evidence of 'slingshot' tongue Kepler’s formal goal was to measure a number called eta-Earth: the fraction of sunlike stars that have an Earth-size object orbiting them in the “goldilocks” or habitable zone, where it is warm enough for the surface to retain liquid water. The team calculated that at least one-third, and perhaps as many as 90%, of stars similar in mass and brightness to our sun have rocks like Earth in their habitable zones, with the range reflecting the researchers’ confidence in their various methods and assumptions. That is no small bonanza, however you look at it. According to NASA estimates there are at least 100 billion stars in the Milky Way, of which about 4 billion are sunlike. If only 7% of those stars have habitable planets — a seriously conservative estimate — there could be as many as 300 million potentially habitable Earths out there in the whole Milky Way alone. “We want to be very conservative in case nature has any surprises regarding habitability,” said Ravi Kumar Kopparapu, a researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and one of the authors of the report. “So we are lowballing the estimates intentionally.” On average, the astronomers calculated, the nearest such planet should be about 20 light-years away, and there should be four of them within 30 light-years or so of the sun. “It took 11 years from launch to publication, but this is it,” said Natalie Batalha, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who directed the Kepler mission during most of its life and was one of the authors of the new paper, in a triumphant email. “This is the science result we’ve all been waiting for — the reason that Kepler was selected for flight in December 2001.” Also Read | Did we just discover the Moon's long-lost sibling? The new result means that the galaxy is at least twice as fertile as estimated in one of the first analyses of Kepler data, in 2013. That finding, by Andrew Howard, Erik Petigura and Geoffrey Marcy, who were not part of the Kepler team, concluded that about one-fifth of sunlike stars harbored planets in their habitable zones. Batalha said that one improvement this time around was the addition of data from the European GAIA satellite, which has measured the position and brightness of 1 billion stars. That knowledge allowed the Kepler scientists to more precisely chart the habitable zones of their stars. Another improvement was better handling of the statistics, although, as Batalha noted, “surveys are inherently incomplete. You can’t call up every citizen; you can’t observe every star.” In the case of Kepler, that limitation was serious. The spacecraft’s orientation system failed before Kepler could complete its prime survey, which limited it to detecting planets that had orbital periods of less than about 700 days — about twice the duration of an Earth year. In an email, David Charbonneau, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said he was slightly skeptical of the results: “The Kepler Mission didn’t detect many (arguably, any) true Earth analogues, i.e. planets with the same radius as Earth AND orbiting at the same period, and hence receiving the same amount of light, AND orbiting sun-like stars.” As Batalha said at the time, “We don’t yet have any planet candidates that are exact analogues of the Earth in terms of size, orbit or star type.” We still don’t. As a result, the astronomers had to extrapolate data from the planets they did see. Although these Kepler planets are Earth-size — one-half to 1 1/2 the radius of Earth — and are presumably rocky, nobody knows what they are like in any detail, nor whether anything does, or could, live on them. They are too far away for further study. So far we know of only one planet, our own, that harbors life. But there are plenty of opportunities yet to find one. The Kepler measurement of eta-Earth only pertains to stars like the sun, but in the galaxy those stars are vastly outnumbered by smaller, dimmer stars known as red dwarfs. One-quarter to one-half of red dwarfs also harbor habitable-zone planets, according to work by Courtney Dressing, now at the University of California, Berkeley, although some astronomers worry that radiation flares from such stars would doom any life trying to get started there. Red dwarf planets were not included in the new analysis of eta-Earth. The red dwarf planets are relevant to the search for life because Kepler has passed the torch to a spacecraft called the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, which was launched in 2018 to scour the entire sky for exoplanets within a few hundred light years of Earth — the local neighborhood. So far TESS has discovered 66 new exoplanets and has cataloged more than 2,000 candidates. Most of those planets were expected to be found circling red dwarfs, said George Ricker, an astrophysicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and principal investigator for the mission, in an email: “Since about three-fourths of the stars in the solar neighborhood are M dwarfs, that leaves open a very large discovery space for TESS in the decade ahead!” Batalha said that young scientists in the future might yet find a way to improve the value of eta-Earth; “until then, this will be the de facto standard.” The value of eta-Earth is an important and hitherto unknown factor in a mathematical expression known as the Drake equation. It is used by astronomers to estimate how many technological civilizations might exist in the galaxy — and that we might be able to contact by radio or other means some cosmic day. It’s time to move on the next factor in the Drake equation for extraterrestrial civilizations: the fraction of these worlds on which life emerges. The search for even a single slime mold on some alien rock would revolutionize biology, and it is a worthy agenda for the next half-century as humans continue the climb out of ourselves and into the universe in the endless quest to end our cosmic loneliness.

Looking for another Earth? Here are 300 million, maybe

Stars have an expiry date and die out like all entities in the universe. Everything in the universe, including our sun will become non-functional at one point in the future.

When they die, they go out with a large explosion which is called a “supernova”. Stars usually collapse due to the weight of gravity when they run out of fuel, which produces a strong explosion. Additionally, some stars simply morph into a black hole. These are the two ways for stars to go out.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/not-a-dormant-planet-venus-is-home-to-37-recently-active-volcanic-structures-314808" hreflang="en">Not a dormant planet: Venus is home to 37 recently active volcanic structures!</a>

Most stars, after completing their life cycle simply become white dwarfs, which refers to the core of what once used to be a star. Astronomers claim that the core material is the key ingredient in all living forms.

"INTEGRAL discovery of a burst with associated radio emission from the magnetar SGR 1935+2154”, which studied and recorded this data, by S Mereghetti et al was recently published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Dead light?

Recently, a collaboration of telescope based research across the globe found that a dead star is emitting an unusual combination of radiation in the Milky Way galaxy. This has never been witnessed before.

<h6><img alt="This NASA artist's animation obtained April 10, 2013 depicts an ultra-dense dead star, called a white dwarf, passing in front of a small red star. As the white dwarf crosses in front, its gravity is so great that it bends and magnifies the light of the red star. NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope was able to detect this effect, called gravitational lensing, not through direct imaging, but by measuring a strangely subtle dip in the star's brightness. The red dwarf star is cooler and redder than our yellow sun. Its companion is a white dwarf, the burnt-out core of a star that used to be like our sun. Though the white dwarf is about the same diameter as Earth, 40 times smaller than the red dwarf, it is slightly more massive. The two objects circle around each other, but because the red dwarf is a bit less massive, it technically orbits the white dwarf. Kepler is designed to look for planets by monitoring the brightness of stars. If planets cross in front of the stars, the starlight will periodically dip. In this case, the passing object turned out to be a white dwarf not a planet. The finding was serendipitous for astronomers because it allowed them to measure the tiny &quot;gravitational lensing&quot; effect of the white dwarf, a rarely observed phenomenon and a test of Einstein's theory of relativity. These data also helped to precisely measure the white dwarf's mass" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3edef3c1-2386-478b-8781-aa84d5f41184" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design-12.jpg" /> 
This NASA artist's animation obtained April 10, 2013 depicts an ultra-dense dead star, called a white dwarf, passing in front of a small red star. As the white dwarf crosses in front, its gravity is so great that it bends and magnifies the light of the red star. NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope was able to detect this effect, called gravitational lensing, not through direct imaging, but by measuring a strangely subtle dip in the star's brightness. The red dwarf star is cooler and redder than our yellow sun. Its companion is a white dwarf, the burnt-out core of a star that used to be like our sun. Though the white dwarf is about the same diameter as Earth, 40 times smaller than the red dwarf, it is slightly more massive. The two objects circle around each other, but because the red dwarf is a bit less massive, it technically orbits the white dwarf. Kepler is designed to look for planets by monitoring the brightness of stars. If planets cross in front of the stars, the starlight will periodically dip. In this case, the passing object turned out to be a white dwarf not a planet. The finding was serendipitous for astronomers because it allowed them to measure the tiny "gravitational lensing" effect of the white dwarf, a rarely observed phenomenon and a test of Einstein's theory of relativity. These data also helped to precisely measure the white dwarf's mass. | AFP/NASA 
&nbsp;</h6>

The radiation involves two phenomena: magnetars and Fast Radio Bursts. The former refers to remains of stars which is home to the world’s most intense magnetic fields. Once active, the magnetars emit radiation harbouring high amounts of energy, which mostly last shorter than a second but produce more light than our sun!

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/earths-magnetic-poles-may-be-flipping-by-10deg-each-year-way-more-than-previously-thought-312931" hreflang="en">Earth's magnetic poles may be flipping by 10° each year, way more than previously thought!</a>

Fast Radio Bursts refers to waves that appear and disappear. These mostly last for lesser than a few milliseconds. These were first discovered in 2007. After disappearing, these are barely spotted again.

Until now, no such burst was detected in our galaxy!

In the month of April, scientists discovered something uncanny. A magnetar which was already logged six years ago suddenly showed signs of activity again. Its official name is “SGR 1935+2154”. However, as opposed to a usual magnetar, it was emitting radio waves alongside x-rays.

In essence, this may hold answers to the unsolved mysteries of magnetars and FRBs. Until this year, radio waves never emerged from a magnetar, or at least not on record.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/we-all-come-from-star-dust-is-no-longer-just-a-saying-and-scientists-agree-311418" hreflang="en">'We all come from star dust' is no longer just a saying, and scientists agree!</a>

The finding was confirmed across different space stations on the globe. This serves as the first basis for any scientific link between magnetars and FRBs, which were earlier seen as separate entities.

Scientists had, for a long time suspected that Fast Radio Bursts emerge from magnetars, which are also likely to be responsible for explosions that emit a large amount of light.

Stars have an expiry date and die out like all entities in the universe. Everything in the universe, including our sun will become non-functional at one point in the future.

Stars have an expiry date and die out like all entities in the universe. Everything in the universe, including our sun will become non-functional at one point in the future. When they die, they go out with a large explosion which is called a “supernova”. Stars usually collapse due to the weight of gravity when they run out of fuel, which produces a strong explosion. Additionally, some stars simply morph into a black hole. These are the two ways for stars to go out. Also read: Not a dormant planet: Venus is home to 37 recently active volcanic structures! Most stars, after completing their life cycle simply become white dwarfs, which refers to the core of what once used to be a star. Astronomers claim that the core material is the key ingredient in all living forms. "INTEGRAL discovery of a burst with associated radio emission from the magnetar SGR 1935+2154”, which studied and recorded this data, by S Mereghetti et al was recently published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. Dead light? Recently, a collaboration of telescope based research across the globe found that a dead star is emitting an unusual combination of radiation in the Milky Way galaxy. This has never been witnessed before. This NASA artist's animation obtained April 10, 2013 depicts an ultra-dense dead star, called a white dwarf, passing in front of a small red star. As the white dwarf crosses in front, its gravity is so great that it bends and magnifies the light of the red star. NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope was able to detect this effect, called gravitational lensing, not through direct imaging, but by measuring a strangely subtle dip in the star's brightness. The red dwarf star is cooler and redder than our yellow sun. Its companion is a white dwarf, the burnt-out core of a star that used to be like our sun. Though the white dwarf is about the same diameter as Earth, 40 times smaller than the red dwarf, it is slightly more massive. The two objects circle around each other, but because the red dwarf is a bit less massive, it technically orbits the white dwarf. Kepler is designed to look for planets by monitoring the brightness of stars. If planets cross in front of the stars, the starlight will periodically dip. In this case, the passing object turned out to be a white dwarf not a planet. The finding was serendipitous for astronomers because it allowed them to measure the tiny "gravitational lensing" effect of the white dwarf, a rarely observed phenomenon and a test of Einstein's theory of relativity. These data also helped to precisely measure the white dwarf's mass. | AFP/NASA The radiation involves two phenomena: magnetars and Fast Radio Bursts. The former refers to remains of stars which is home to the world’s most intense magnetic fields. Once active, the magnetars emit radiation harbouring high amounts of energy, which mostly last shorter than a second but produce more light than our sun! Also read: Earth's magnetic poles may be flipping by 10° each year, way more than previously thought! Fast Radio Bursts refers to waves that appear and disappear. These mostly last for lesser than a few milliseconds. These were first discovered in 2007. After disappearing, these are barely spotted again. Until now, no such burst was detected in our galaxy! In the month of April, scientists discovered something uncanny. A magnetar which was already logged six years ago suddenly showed signs of activity again. Its official name is “SGR 1935+2154”. However, as opposed to a usual magnetar, it was emitting radio waves alongside x-rays. In essence, this may hold answers to the unsolved mysteries of magnetars and FRBs. Until this year, radio waves never emerged from a magnetar, or at least not on record. Also read: 'We all come from star dust' is no longer just a saying, and scientists agree! The finding was confirmed across different space stations on the globe. This serves as the first basis for any scientific link between magnetars and FRBs, which were earlier seen as separate entities. Scientists had, for a long time suspected that Fast Radio Bursts emerge from magnetars, which are also likely to be responsible for explosions that emit a large amount of light.

A dead star in our galaxy is emitting radiation never witnessed before!

War-torn Syria's Ariha witnesses Milky Way like specks of dust!

A study published on Monday in The Astrophysical Journal stated that there could be a minimum of 36 active, communicating intelligent civilizations in our Milky Way. But due to time and distance, we may never know if they existed ever existed.

Scientists have made calculations based on Drake equation, written by astronomer and astrophysicist Frank Drake in 1961.

"Drake developed an equation which in principle can be used to calculate how many Communicating Extra-Terrestrial Intelligent (CETI) civilizations there may be in the Galaxy," the authors wrote in their study. "However, many of its terms are unknowable and other methods must be used to calculate the likely number of communicating civilizations."

Therefore the scientists at the University of Nottingham developed their approach.

In an&nbsp;email to CNN, study co-author Christopher Conselice, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Nottingham said: "The key difference between our calculation and previous ones based on the Drake equation is that we make very simple assumptions about how life developed."

"One of them is that life forms in a scientific way — that is if the right conditions are met then life will form. This avoids impossible to answer questions such as 'what fraction of planets in a habitable zone of a star will form life?' and 'what fraction of life will evolve into intelligent life?' as these are not answerable until we actually detect life, which we have not yet done," he added.

These scientists developed the Astrobiological Copernican Principle to establish weak and strong limits on life in the galaxy. According to scientists, these equations include how the stars are formed in the galaxy and its age. It also determines the metal content of the stars and whether the celestial body could host habitable planets like Earth.

Co-author Tom Westby, an assistant professor in the University of Nottingham's faculty of engineering, released a statement which said: "The two Astrobiological Copernican limits are that intelligent life forms in less than 5 billion years, or after about 5 billion years — similar to on Earth where a communicating civilization formed after 4.5 billion years."

"It is called the Astrobiological Copernican Principle because it assumes that our existence is not special," Conselice said. "That is if the conditions in which intelligent life on Earth also developed somewhere else in the Galaxy then intelligent life would develop there in a similar way."

The estimation of at least 36 civilizations is the most conservative lower limit using the strictest set of assumptions—namely that communicating civilizations only survive for 100 years.

However, the authors note that the average distance to one of these 36 civilizations is around 17,000 light-years, so detection and communication is currently impossible.

There’s also the thorny question of how long intelligent civilizations tend to survive.

"Searches for extra-terrestrial intelligent civilizations not only reveals the existence of how life itself forms but also gives us clues about how long our civilization will last," said Christopher Conselice, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Nottingham, who led the research.

"If we find that intelligent life is common then this would reveal that our civilization could exist for much longer than a few hundred years." 
&nbsp; 
"Alternatively, if we find that there are no active civilizations in our galaxy it is a bad sign for our long-term existence."

A study published on Monday in The Astrophysical Journal stated that there could be a minimum of 36 active, communicating intelligent civilizations in our Milky Way.

A study published on Monday in The Astrophysical Journal stated that there could be a minimum of 36 active, communicating intelligent civilizations in our Milky Way. But due to time and distance, we may never know if they existed ever existed. Scientists have made calculations based on Drake equation, written by astronomer and astrophysicist Frank Drake in 1961. "Drake developed an equation which in principle can be used to calculate how many Communicating Extra-Terrestrial Intelligent (CETI) civilizations there may be in the Galaxy," the authors wrote in their study. "However, many of its terms are unknowable and other methods must be used to calculate the likely number of communicating civilizations." Therefore the scientists at the University of Nottingham developed their approach. In an email to CNN, study co-author Christopher Conselice, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Nottingham said: "The key difference between our calculation and previous ones based on the Drake equation is that we make very simple assumptions about how life developed." "One of them is that life forms in a scientific way — that is if the right conditions are met then life will form. This avoids impossible to answer questions such as 'what fraction of planets in a habitable zone of a star will form life?' and 'what fraction of life will evolve into intelligent life?' as these are not answerable until we actually detect life, which we have not yet done," he added. These scientists developed the Astrobiological Copernican Principle to establish weak and strong limits on life in the galaxy. According to scientists, these equations include how the stars are formed in the galaxy and its age. It also determines the metal content of the stars and whether the celestial body could host habitable planets like Earth. Co-author Tom Westby, an assistant professor in the University of Nottingham's faculty of engineering, released a statement which said: "The two Astrobiological Copernican limits are that intelligent life forms in less than 5 billion years, or after about 5 billion years — similar to on Earth where a communicating civilization formed after 4.5 billion years." "It is called the Astrobiological Copernican Principle because it assumes that our existence is not special," Conselice said. "That is if the conditions in which intelligent life on Earth also developed somewhere else in the Galaxy then intelligent life would develop there in a similar way." The estimation of at least 36 civilizations is the most conservative lower limit using the strictest set of assumptions—namely that communicating civilizations only survive for 100 years. However, the authors note that the average distance to one of these 36 civilizations is around 17,000 light-years, so detection and communication is currently impossible. There’s also the thorny question of how long intelligent civilizations tend to survive. "Searches for extra-terrestrial intelligent civilizations not only reveals the existence of how life itself forms but also gives us clues about how long our civilization will last," said Christopher Conselice, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Nottingham, who led the research. "If we find that intelligent life is common then this would reveal that our civilization could exist for much longer than a few hundred years." "Alternatively, if we find that there are no active civilizations in our galaxy it is a bad sign for our long-term existence."

There are minimum of 36 active, communicating intelligent civilizations in Milky Way: Study

Astronomers have spotted a massive disk galaxy, that formed 12.5 billion years ago when our 13.8 billion-year-old universe was only a tenth of its current age.

According to the information provided by the astronomers, the galaxy’s disk has a mass of 70 billion times that of our sun. It’s also rotating at 170 miles per second, which is similar to our Milky Way galaxy.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ALMA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ALMA</a> discovers massive, rotating disk in the early Universe challenging established models of galaxy formation🌌 
 
Known in certain circles as J081740.86+135138.2 (after its sky coordinates), <a href="https://twitter.com/almaobs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@almaobs</a> saw this galaxy spinning at 272 kilometers per second.<a href="https://t.co/KcDc1HufXd">https://t.co/KcDc1HufXd</a> <a href="https://t.co/FXAQMEOfu2">pic.twitter.com/FXAQMEOfu2</a>
— NRAO (@TheNRAO) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNRAO/status/1263157381606912006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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This newly found galaxy is named “Wolfe Galaxy” after astronomer Arthur M Wolfe, the report said, and it’s the most distant, rotating disk galaxy we’ve ever observed.

The report said researchers believe the galaxy “formed and grew” via a method astronomers call “cold-mode accretion.”&nbsp;

That means that gas, much cooler than normal, was drawn into the galaxy and allowed for quicker formation of the disk.

It said the star formation in the Wolf Disk is “at least 10 times higher than in our own galaxy,” making it “one of the most productive galaxies in the early universe.”

This discovery is challenging how astronomers think about galaxy formation in the early universe. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers have spotted a massive disk galaxy, that formed 12.5 billion years ago when our 13.8 billion-year-old universe was only a tenth of its current age. According to the information provided by the astronomers, the galaxy’s disk has a mass of 70 billion times that of our sun.

Astronomers have spotted a massive disk galaxy, that formed 12.5 billion years ago when our 13.8 billion-year-old universe was only a tenth of its current age. According to the information provided by the astronomers, the galaxy’s disk has a mass of 70 billion times that of our sun. It’s also rotating at 170 miles per second, which is similar to our Milky Way galaxy. #ALMA discovers massive, rotating disk in the early Universe challenging established models of galaxy formation🌌 Known in certain circles as J081740.86+135138.2 (after its sky coordinates), @almaobs saw this galaxy spinning at 272 kilometers per second.https://t.co/KcDc1HufXd pic.twitter.com/FXAQMEOfu2 — NRAO (@TheNRAO) May 20, 2020 × This newly found galaxy is named “Wolfe Galaxy” after astronomer Arthur M Wolfe, the report said, and it’s the most distant, rotating disk galaxy we’ve ever observed. The report said researchers believe the galaxy “formed and grew” via a method astronomers call “cold-mode accretion.” That means that gas, much cooler than normal, was drawn into the galaxy and allowed for quicker formation of the disk. It said the star formation in the Wolf Disk is “at least 10 times higher than in our own galaxy,” making it “one of the most productive galaxies in the early universe.” This discovery is challenging how astronomers think about galaxy formation in the early universe. (With inputs from agencies)

'Wolfe disk': Astronomers discover ancient galaxy similar to the Milky Way

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Gravitas: Is a new planet on its way?

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