The Guardian - December 5, 2011
Astronomers have located the two biggest black holes ever found, each one billions of times more massive than our sun. Observations of these supermassive cosmic objects will give scientists clues on how black holes and galaxies formed and evolved, especially in the earliest stages of the universe's existence.
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These two newly discovered supermassive black holes were found by analysing data from the Hubble Space Telescope and two of the biggest ground-based telescopes in the world, the Gemini North and Keck 2 facilities in Hawaii. The work, led by Douglas O Richstone of the department of astronomy at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is published this week in Nature.
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Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Two Record-Breaking Black Hole Behemoths Spotted
Discovery News - December 6, 2011
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A team of astronomers, headed by Nicholas McConnell of the University of California, Berkeley, used data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope, the Keck and Gemini observatories in Hawaii, and the McDonald Observatory in Texas to observe the stars orbiting around the central nuclei of both galaxies and calculated the mass of the black holes hidden in their cores.
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A team of astronomers, headed by Nicholas McConnell of the University of California, Berkeley, used data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope, the Keck and Gemini observatories in Hawaii, and the McDonald Observatory in Texas to observe the stars orbiting around the central nuclei of both galaxies and calculated the mass of the black holes hidden in their cores.
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Two Behemoth Black Holes, the Largest Ever Discovered, Could Swallow Billions of Suns
Popular Science - December 5, 2011
Astronomers have measured the two most enormous supermassive black holes found so far, vast realms of titanic gravity large enough to swallow 10 of our solar systems. The black holes are much bigger than predicted, suggesting extra-large galaxies and their black holes grow and evolve differently than smaller ones.
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To weigh the black holes, Nicholas McConnell and Chung-Pei Ma at the University of California-Berkeley used the Keck and Gemini observatories to measure the speed of stars moving around the black holes. The faster the stars were moving, the more gravity was needed to keep them in check, so the researchers used these velocities to calculate the black holes’ masses.
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Astronomers have measured the two most enormous supermassive black holes found so far, vast realms of titanic gravity large enough to swallow 10 of our solar systems. The black holes are much bigger than predicted, suggesting extra-large galaxies and their black holes grow and evolve differently than smaller ones.
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To weigh the black holes, Nicholas McConnell and Chung-Pei Ma at the University of California-Berkeley used the Keck and Gemini observatories to measure the speed of stars moving around the black holes. The faster the stars were moving, the more gravity was needed to keep them in check, so the researchers used these velocities to calculate the black holes’ masses.
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Monster black holes are most massive ever discovered
MSNBC - December 5, 2011
Scientists have discovered the largest black holes yet, and they're far bigger than researchers expected based on the galaxies in which they were found.
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The scientists used the Gemini and Keck observatories in Hawaii and the McDonald Observatory in Texas to monitor the velocities of stars orbiting around the centers of a pair of galaxies. These velocities reveal the strength of the gravitational pull on those stars, which in turn is linked with the masses of the black holes lurking there.
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Scientists have discovered the largest black holes yet, and they're far bigger than researchers expected based on the galaxies in which they were found.
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The scientists used the Gemini and Keck observatories in Hawaii and the McDonald Observatory in Texas to monitor the velocities of stars orbiting around the centers of a pair of galaxies. These velocities reveal the strength of the gravitational pull on those stars, which in turn is linked with the masses of the black holes lurking there.
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Researchers Discover Monstrous Supermassive Black Holes
PBS Newshour - December 5, 2011
Researchers have discovered a monster black hole that appears to be the most massive found to date, as massive as 21 billion suns. This is one of two black holes found in elliptical galaxies some 300 million light years away -- both believed to be the biggest yet.
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Scientists calculate the mass of black holes by studying the matter swirling around them. In this case, researchers used state-of-the-art spectrographs on Hawaii's Gemini North and Keck 2 telescopes to determine the speed and motion of stars orbiting around the black holes. The more massive the black hole, the faster objects will orbit around it.
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Researchers have discovered a monster black hole that appears to be the most massive found to date, as massive as 21 billion suns. This is one of two black holes found in elliptical galaxies some 300 million light years away -- both believed to be the biggest yet.
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Scientists calculate the mass of black holes by studying the matter swirling around them. In this case, researchers used state-of-the-art spectrographs on Hawaii's Gemini North and Keck 2 telescopes to determine the speed and motion of stars orbiting around the black holes. The more massive the black hole, the faster objects will orbit around it.
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Most massive black holes ever discovered
CBS News - December 5, 2011
Scientists have discovered the largest black holes yet, and they're far bigger than researchers expected based on the galaxies in which they were found. The discovery suggests we have much to learn about how monster black holes grow, scientists said.
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The scientists used the Gemini and Keck observatories in Hawaii and the McDonald Observatory in Texas to monitor the velocities of stars orbiting around the centers of a pair of galaxies. These velocities reveal the strength of the gravitational pull on those stars, which in turn is linked with the masses of the black holes lurking there.
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Scientists have discovered the largest black holes yet, and they're far bigger than researchers expected based on the galaxies in which they were found. The discovery suggests we have much to learn about how monster black holes grow, scientists said.
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The scientists used the Gemini and Keck observatories in Hawaii and the McDonald Observatory in Texas to monitor the velocities of stars orbiting around the centers of a pair of galaxies. These velocities reveal the strength of the gravitational pull on those stars, which in turn is linked with the masses of the black holes lurking there.
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Astrophysicists find biggest black holes yet
Los Angeles Times - December 6, 2011
Astrophysicists scanning the heavens have clocked a new cosmological record: the two biggest black holes ever detected — one about 10 billion times the mass of our sun and the second as much as twice the size of the first.
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Using the Gemini North and Keck II telescopes in Hawaii, the McDonald Observatory in Texas and the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope, the scientists did more than luck out — they found that the stars and gas near the centers of the two far-off galaxies were moving much faster than they had anticipated.
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Astrophysicists scanning the heavens have clocked a new cosmological record: the two biggest black holes ever detected — one about 10 billion times the mass of our sun and the second as much as twice the size of the first.
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Using the Gemini North and Keck II telescopes in Hawaii, the McDonald Observatory in Texas and the Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope, the scientists did more than luck out — they found that the stars and gas near the centers of the two far-off galaxies were moving much faster than they had anticipated.
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Scientists find giant black holes
Sydney Morning Herald - December 7, 2011
Astrophysicists scanning the heavens have clocked a new cosmological record: the two biggest black holes ever detected — one about 10 billion times the mass of our sun and the second as much as twice that mass.
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Astrophysicists scanning the heavens have clocked a new cosmological record: the two biggest black holes ever detected — one about 10 billion times the mass of our sun and the second as much as twice that mass.
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Using the Gemini North and Keck 2 telescopes in Hawaii, the McDonald Observatory in Texas and the Earth-orbiting Hubble space telescope, the scientists did more than luck out — they found the stars and gas near the centres of the two far-off galaxies were moving much faster than they had anticipated.
That meant the black holes were larger than they should be, even taking into account the large size of the galaxies they sat within.
Record-breaking black holes fill a cosmic gap
Nature.com - December 5, 2011
Astronomers have discovered the two most massive black holes known in the Universe. Tipping the scale with masses on the order of 10 billion times that of the Sun, these gravitational monsters could represent a missing link: the first known remnants of the brightest quasars that lit the cosmos only a billion or so years after the Big Bang.
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Using instruments on the Keck II and Gemini North telescopes atop Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, the astronomers found that a cluster galaxy called NGC 3842 houses a black hole with a mass equivalent to 9.7 billion Suns. Another galaxy, NGC 4889, which lies at the centre of another cluster, has a black hole with an estimated mass of about 20 billion Suns, although it could be as large as 37 billion. (The previous record holder, a black hole at the centre of the nearby galaxy M87, has a mass of 6.7 billion Suns, some members of Ma’s team reported at arXiv.org on 11 January and in the Astrophysical Journal on 10 March.
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Astronomers have discovered the two most massive black holes known in the Universe. Tipping the scale with masses on the order of 10 billion times that of the Sun, these gravitational monsters could represent a missing link: the first known remnants of the brightest quasars that lit the cosmos only a billion or so years after the Big Bang.
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Using instruments on the Keck II and Gemini North telescopes atop Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, the astronomers found that a cluster galaxy called NGC 3842 houses a black hole with a mass equivalent to 9.7 billion Suns. Another galaxy, NGC 4889, which lies at the centre of another cluster, has a black hole with an estimated mass of about 20 billion Suns, although it could be as large as 37 billion. (The previous record holder, a black hole at the centre of the nearby galaxy M87, has a mass of 6.7 billion Suns, some members of Ma’s team reported at arXiv.org on 11 January and in the Astrophysical Journal on 10 March.
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Scientists find monster black holes, biggest yet
The Associated Press - December 5, 2011
A team led by astronomers at the University of California, Berkeley, discovered the two gigantic black holes in clusters of elliptical galaxies more than 300 million light years away. That's relatively close on the galactic scale.
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Two record-breaking black holes found nearby
Astronomy.com - December 6, 2011
Observations with the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii reveal evidence for what astronomers are calling the largest black holes ever measured in our nearby cosmological neighborhood. This result is crucial in explaining the long-standing mystery of where the largest black holes are hiding in our present-day universe.
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Observations with the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii reveal evidence for what astronomers are calling the largest black holes ever measured in our nearby cosmological neighborhood. This result is crucial in explaining the long-standing mystery of where the largest black holes are hiding in our present-day universe.
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Friday, August 5, 2011
Perseids Meteor Shower: Expert answers your questions about shooting stars
August 8, 2011 - Washington Post
Ever wonder what makes meteor showers splash across the sky? Or what makes them so consistent? Or why they were dubbed "shooting stars"?
Join professional astronomer Scott Fisher as he discusses the latest phenomenon, the Persieds Meteor Shower - an annual summer phenomenon that is expected to producer 20 to 25 meteors (shooting stars) per hour. He will be online Monday, Aug. 8, at 1 p.m. ET, to chat about the meteor shower, when the best time to view the shooting stars are and more.
Ever wonder what makes meteor showers splash across the sky? Or what makes them so consistent? Or why they were dubbed "shooting stars"?
Join professional astronomer Scott Fisher as he discusses the latest phenomenon, the Persieds Meteor Shower - an annual summer phenomenon that is expected to producer 20 to 25 meteors (shooting stars) per hour. He will be online Monday, Aug. 8, at 1 p.m. ET, to chat about the meteor shower, when the best time to view the shooting stars are and more.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Cosmic Pyrotechnics from a Celestial Belch
July 29, 2011 - Time
The universe is capable of some pretty spectacular displays, but few things approach the cosmic grandeur of a planetary nebula. The "planetary" part has to do with the formation's shape, which is roughly spherical, like a planet. But these objects are a lot bigger than any planet or even any star. They're enormous clouds of gas — like smoke rings, but bubble-shaped — puffed out by sun-like stars undergoing their death throes. In 5 billion years or so, our own sun may well emit a gorgeous belch of its own, perhaps to be noted by alien astronomers somewhere out in the Milky Way.
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The universe is capable of some pretty spectacular displays, but few things approach the cosmic grandeur of a planetary nebula. The "planetary" part has to do with the formation's shape, which is roughly spherical, like a planet. But these objects are a lot bigger than any planet or even any star. They're enormous clouds of gas — like smoke rings, but bubble-shaped — puffed out by sun-like stars undergoing their death throes. In 5 billion years or so, our own sun may well emit a gorgeous belch of its own, perhaps to be noted by alien astronomers somewhere out in the Milky Way.
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Wednesday, July 27, 2011
A glowing bubbly bauble in space
July 25, 2011 - Discover (Bad Astronomy Blog)
Look, I’ve been around the block a few times. I’ve spent my whole life as an astronomer, so I’ve seen pretty much every big, bright object there is in the sky.
However, "pretty much" != "all". It’s still possible to surprise me, and folks, let me tell you: the Gemini telescope’s observation of the nebula Kronberger 61 did just that!
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Look, I’ve been around the block a few times. I’ve spent my whole life as an astronomer, so I’ve seen pretty much every big, bright object there is in the sky.
However, "pretty much" != "all". It’s still possible to surprise me, and folks, let me tell you: the Gemini telescope’s observation of the nebula Kronberger 61 did just that!
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"Soccer Ball" Nebula Discovered by Amateur Astronomer
July 25, 2011 - National Geographic
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Amateur astronomer Matthias Kronberger discovered the soccer-ball nebula, called Kronberger 61, in January 2011 after poring over digitized photos of sky surveys from the 1980s. After he alerted professional astronomers, the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii zoomed in on the region to create the new, color-composite image.
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Amateur astronomer Matthias Kronberger discovered the soccer-ball nebula, called Kronberger 61, in January 2011 after poring over digitized photos of sky surveys from the 1980s. After he alerted professional astronomers, the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii zoomed in on the region to create the new, color-composite image.
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What happens when a star dies?
July 25, 2011 - West Hawaii Today
This nebula could clear up some questions astronomers have about what happens when a star dies.
Astronomers at the Gemini Observatory, working with an amateur astronomer, have made a discovery that could help the astronomical community learn about planetary nebulae, the large gas clouds scientists say are likely formed at the end of stars' lives, similar to the sun. Scientists believe the nebulae form when the aging stars become unstable and discharge gas from their outer layers.
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This nebula could clear up some questions astronomers have about what happens when a star dies.
Astronomers at the Gemini Observatory, working with an amateur astronomer, have made a discovery that could help the astronomical community learn about planetary nebulae, the large gas clouds scientists say are likely formed at the end of stars' lives, similar to the sun. Scientists believe the nebulae form when the aging stars become unstable and discharge gas from their outer layers.
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Amateur Astronomer Discovers Blue-Raspberry-Shaped Planetary Nebula
July 26, 2011 - Popular Science
Combing through the night sky and looking for possible planetary nebulae is tough, tedious work. NASA actually works with several amateur astronomy groups to examine the findings from its Kepler space observatory, so sometimes, the big discoveries are made by amateurs--including this one, the newest known planetary nebula, named Kronberger 61.
This image, provided by the Gemini Observatory, shows the "ionized shell of expelled gas," colored blue due to the double-ionization of the oxygen. If you look closely, you can see the star at the center of the system--it's the bright bluish dot near the center of the blue-raspberry-like shell.
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Combing through the night sky and looking for possible planetary nebulae is tough, tedious work. NASA actually works with several amateur astronomy groups to examine the findings from its Kepler space observatory, so sometimes, the big discoveries are made by amateurs--including this one, the newest known planetary nebula, named Kronberger 61.
This image, provided by the Gemini Observatory, shows the "ionized shell of expelled gas," colored blue due to the double-ionization of the oxygen. If you look closely, you can see the star at the center of the system--it's the bright bluish dot near the center of the blue-raspberry-like shell.
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In a partnership between amateur and professional astronomers, the recent discovery of a dying star’s last gasps could help resolve a decades-old deba
July 25, 2011 - Honolulu Star Advertiser
A striking image of a planetary nebula taken by the Gemini Observatory on Mauna Kea is adding fuel to a fiery debate about the last gasps of dying stars.
Nebulae form after nuclear fusion in a late-life star can no longer counter the pressure of gravity and the star becomes unstable, pulsates and throws off a shell of gas. The expanding gas is ionized and glows due to the radiation still emitted by the central star.
Some scientists say our sun will share this fate.
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A striking image of a planetary nebula taken by the Gemini Observatory on Mauna Kea is adding fuel to a fiery debate about the last gasps of dying stars.
Nebulae form after nuclear fusion in a late-life star can no longer counter the pressure of gravity and the star becomes unstable, pulsates and throws off a shell of gas. The expanding gas is ionized and glows due to the radiation still emitted by the central star.
Some scientists say our sun will share this fate.
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Gemini captures beauty of planetary nebula discovered by amateur astronomer
July 25, 2011 - Astronomy Magazine
In a partnership between amateur and professional astronomers, the recent discovery of a dying star’s last gasps could help resolve a decades-old debate among astronomers. That is, are stellar companions key to the formation and structure of planetary nebulae?
The discovery, by Austrian amateur astronomer Matthias Kronberger, is featured at an International Astronomical Union symposium on planetary nebulae this week in Spain’s Canary Islands. The research team’s work features a striking image of the new nebula obtained with the Gemini Observatory.
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In a partnership between amateur and professional astronomers, the recent discovery of a dying star’s last gasps could help resolve a decades-old debate among astronomers. That is, are stellar companions key to the formation and structure of planetary nebulae?
The discovery, by Austrian amateur astronomer Matthias Kronberger, is featured at an International Astronomical Union symposium on planetary nebulae this week in Spain’s Canary Islands. The research team’s work features a striking image of the new nebula obtained with the Gemini Observatory.
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Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Dying star’s last gasps provides new Kepler target
July 25, 2011 - Astronomy Now
A new planetary nebula, recently discovered thanks to the combined efforts of amateur and professional astronomers and within sight of the Kepler spacecraft, could hold the key to understanding how our own Sun's life will end.
The detection of the nebula, Kronberger 61 (Kn 61), along with a striking new image of it from the Gemini Observatory, was presented this week at the International Astronomical Union symposium in Tenerife. It's named after its discoverer, Matthias Kronberger, a member of a group of amateur astronomers called the Deep Sky Hunters, who devote their spare time to hunting through existing datasets to find objects like this. Such a search is difficult because they are "extremely rare and each, a valuable gem," according to George Jacoby of the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization and the Carnegie Observatories.
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A new planetary nebula, recently discovered thanks to the combined efforts of amateur and professional astronomers and within sight of the Kepler spacecraft, could hold the key to understanding how our own Sun's life will end.
The detection of the nebula, Kronberger 61 (Kn 61), along with a striking new image of it from the Gemini Observatory, was presented this week at the International Astronomical Union symposium in Tenerife. It's named after its discoverer, Matthias Kronberger, a member of a group of amateur astronomers called the Deep Sky Hunters, who devote their spare time to hunting through existing datasets to find objects like this. Such a search is difficult because they are "extremely rare and each, a valuable gem," according to George Jacoby of the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization and the Carnegie Observatories.
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Team aims to score cosmic goal
July 25, 2011 - MSNBC
Professional and amateur astronomers are teaming up to study a cosmic "soccer ball" with a tricky goal in mind: understanding how the death throes of a star are affected by the company it keeps.
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Kronberger 61 is worth noting for aesthetic reasons alone: The image above, captured by the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, highlights the nebula's emissions from twice-ionized oxygen. The dying star can be seen as a point of bluish light close to the center of the ball-shaped nebula.
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Professional and amateur astronomers are teaming up to study a cosmic "soccer ball" with a tricky goal in mind: understanding how the death throes of a star are affected by the company it keeps.
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Kronberger 61 is worth noting for aesthetic reasons alone: The image above, captured by the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, highlights the nebula's emissions from twice-ionized oxygen. The dying star can be seen as a point of bluish light close to the center of the ball-shaped nebula.
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Stunning New Planetary Nebula Unveiled
July 26, 2011 - Wired News
This image of an exquisite puff of interstellar gas, resembling a union of soccer ball and jellyfish, was released July 25 by the Gemini Observatory.
Exhaled by a dying star, the newly-discovered planetary nebula, Kronberger 61, is named for its finder: Austrian Matthias Kronberger, member of the amateur astronomy group Deep Sky Hunters.
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Wednesday, July 13, 2011
July 4: Scientists Discover Oldest Black Hole Using Telescopes on Mauna Kea ShareThis Scientists have discovered one of the oldest objects in the un
July 4, 2011 - Hawaii Public Radio
Scientists have discovered one of the oldest objects in the universe.
It’s what they call a black hole. They found it using two telescopes on Mauna Kea.
The light detected in Hawaii left the black hole 13 billion years ago, says Gemini Observatory scientist Paul Hirst.
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Scientists have discovered one of the oldest objects in the universe.
It’s what they call a black hole. They found it using two telescopes on Mauna Kea.
The light detected in Hawaii left the black hole 13 billion years ago, says Gemini Observatory scientist Paul Hirst.
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Exclusive: Scientist Talks About Mauna Kea Discovery
June 30, 2011 - KITV
This is a rendering, of what scientists call the most distant, and earliest quasar ever discovered. It's a major discovery made by using a telescope high atop Mauna Kea. KITV interview of Paul Hirst, Gemini Observatory. [video/3min.]
This is a rendering, of what scientists call the most distant, and earliest quasar ever discovered. It's a major discovery made by using a telescope high atop Mauna Kea. KITV interview of Paul Hirst, Gemini Observatory. [video/3min.]
Brown dwarfs: the success of failed stars
June 2011 - American Museum of Natural History
The search for the intermediate objects between stars and planets. [video/8min.]
The search for the intermediate objects between stars and planets. [video/8min.]
Friday, July 1, 2011
ULAS J1120+0641 Is The Most Distant Quasar Yet
June 29, 2011 - Science 2.0
A quasar named ULAS J1120+0641, powered by a black hole with a mass two billion times that of the Sun, is by far the brightest object yet discovered in the early Universe - yet.
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The distance to the quasar was determined from observations made with the FORS2 instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and instruments on the Gemini North Telescope [3]. Because the object is comparatively bright it is possible to take a spectrum of it (which involves splitting the light from the object into its component colours). This technique allowed the astronomers to find out quite a lot about the quasar.
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A quasar named ULAS J1120+0641, powered by a black hole with a mass two billion times that of the Sun, is by far the brightest object yet discovered in the early Universe - yet.
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The distance to the quasar was determined from observations made with the FORS2 instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and instruments on the Gemini North Telescope [3]. Because the object is comparatively bright it is possible to take a spectrum of it (which involves splitting the light from the object into its component colours). This technique allowed the astronomers to find out quite a lot about the quasar.
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Thursday, June 30, 2011
'Monster' driving cosmic beacon
June 30, 2011 - BBC News
Astronomers have spied a monster black hole - the brightest object yet seen in the early Universe.
Detected by a UK telescope in Hawaii, the hole is seen as it was a mere 770 million years after the Big Bang.
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Mauna Kea telescopes find earliest-known quasar
June 29, 2011 - Star Advertiser
An international team of astronomers using telescopes on Mauna Kea have discovered the most distant and earliest-known quasar, a bright, starlike object believed to have formed just after the universe was created.
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The infrared sky survey was conducted at the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope and confirmed by observations with the Gemini North telescope, both on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The results are in the June 30 issue of the Journal Nature.
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An international team of astronomers using telescopes on Mauna Kea have discovered the most distant and earliest-known quasar, a bright, starlike object believed to have formed just after the universe was created.
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The infrared sky survey was conducted at the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope and confirmed by observations with the Gemini North telescope, both on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The results are in the June 30 issue of the Journal Nature.
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Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Mauna Kea Telescope Discovers Earliest Quasar
June 29, 2011 - KITV, Honolulu
A team of European astronomers said it has discovered the most distant and earliest quasar yet.
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The quasar was identified in images from a sky survey taken by the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope perched near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. It was then confirmed by other telescopes, including the Gemini North telescope, also on Mauna Kea.
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A team of European astronomers said it has discovered the most distant and earliest quasar yet.
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The quasar was identified in images from a sky survey taken by the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope perched near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. It was then confirmed by other telescopes, including the Gemini North telescope, also on Mauna Kea.
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It's the brightest object yet of our early universe
June 29, 2011 - MSNBC
Scientists have discovered the most brilliant object yet from the infancy of the cosmos, a super-bright galaxy that challenges notions of how extraordinarily massive black holes evolved.
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The distance to the quasar was then determined from observations made with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and the Gemini North Telescope. Based on how greatly the light from the quasar was stretched during its journey by the expansion of the universe, the scientists estimate the quasar existed only 770 million years after the Big Bang.
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Scientists have discovered the most brilliant object yet from the infancy of the cosmos, a super-bright galaxy that challenges notions of how extraordinarily massive black holes evolved.
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The distance to the quasar was then determined from observations made with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and the Gemini North Telescope. Based on how greatly the light from the quasar was stretched during its journey by the expansion of the universe, the scientists estimate the quasar existed only 770 million years after the Big Bang.
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Early universe's brightest object detected
June 29, 2011 - CBS News
(Space.com) Scientists have discovered the most brilliant object yet from the infancy of the cosmos, a super-bright galaxy that challenges notions of how extraordinarily massive black holes evolved.
The brilliant enigma is a quasar, a stage that some galaxies go through when lots of material falls into the supermassive black holes at their cores, giving off light as it does so.
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The distance to the quasar was then determined from observations made with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and the Gemini North Telescope. Based on how greatly the light from the quasar was stretched during its journey by the expansion of the universe, the scientists estimate the quasar existed only 770 million years after the Big Bang.
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(Space.com) Scientists have discovered the most brilliant object yet from the infancy of the cosmos, a super-bright galaxy that challenges notions of how extraordinarily massive black holes evolved.
The brilliant enigma is a quasar, a stage that some galaxies go through when lots of material falls into the supermassive black holes at their cores, giving off light as it does so.
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The distance to the quasar was then determined from observations made with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and the Gemini North Telescope. Based on how greatly the light from the quasar was stretched during its journey by the expansion of the universe, the scientists estimate the quasar existed only 770 million years after the Big Bang.
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Most distant quasar found
June 29, 2011 - Astronomy.com
A team of European astronomers has used the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) and a host of other telescopes to discover and study the most distant quasar found to date. This brilliant beacon, powered by a black hole with a mass two billion times that of the Sun, is by far the brightest object yet discovered in the early universe.
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The distance to the quasar was determined from observations made with the FORS2 instrument on ESO’s VLT and instruments on the Gemini North Telescope. Because the object is comparatively bright, it is possible to take a spectrum of it, which involves splitting the light from the object into its component colors. This technique allowed the astronomers to find out quite a lot about the quasar.
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A team of European astronomers has used the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) and a host of other telescopes to discover and study the most distant quasar found to date. This brilliant beacon, powered by a black hole with a mass two billion times that of the Sun, is by far the brightest object yet discovered in the early universe.
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The distance to the quasar was determined from observations made with the FORS2 instrument on ESO’s VLT and instruments on the Gemini North Telescope. Because the object is comparatively bright, it is possible to take a spectrum of it, which involves splitting the light from the object into its component colors. This technique allowed the astronomers to find out quite a lot about the quasar.
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Most distant quasar raises questions
June 29, 2011 - Science News
Astronomers peering at the early universe have glimpsed the most distant quasar yet. Powered by a black hole of 2 billion solar masses, the quasar appears as it did 12.9 billion years ago, when the universe as we know it today was just beginning to emerge from the Big Bang.
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Astronomers peering at the early universe have glimpsed the most distant quasar yet. Powered by a black hole of 2 billion solar masses, the quasar appears as it did 12.9 billion years ago, when the universe as we know it today was just beginning to emerge from the Big Bang.
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Far-Flung Known Quasar Offers Glimpse into Early Universe
June 29, 2011 - Scientific American
Peering far across space and time, astronomers have located a luminous beacon aglow when the universe was still in its infancy. That beacon, a bright astrophysical object known as a quasar, shines with the luminosity of 63 trillion suns as gas falling into a supermassive black holes compresses, heats up and radiates brightly. It is farther from Earth than any other known quasar—so distant that its light, emitted 13 billion years ago, is only now reaching Earth. Because of its extreme luminosity and record-setting distance, the quasar offers a unique opportunity to study the conditions of the universe as it underwent an important transition early in cosmic history.
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Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Powerful cosmic blast as black hole shreds star
June 16, 2011 - BBC News
Astronomers have spied a star's swan song as it is shredded by a black hole.
Researchers suspect that the star wandered too close to the black hole and got sucked in by the huge gravitational forces.
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The researchers used some of most powerful ground-based and space-based observatories - the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Gemini and Keck Telescopes.
Astronomers have spied a star's swan song as it is shredded by a black hole.
Researchers suspect that the star wandered too close to the black hole and got sucked in by the huge gravitational forces.
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The researchers used some of most powerful ground-based and space-based observatories - the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Gemini and Keck Telescopes.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Astronomers witness star being consumed
June 16, 2011 - West Hawaii Today
Astronomers were able to watch a black hole consume a star, thanks to Mauna Kea's Gemini North telescope.
NASA's Swift telescope first detected light from the incident, as a beam of light crossed 3.8 billion light years of space. A team of astronomers using Gemini North then rushed to make more observations.
"It is rare for stars to get very close to the black holes in the centers of galaxies, but when they do, they will always come off second best," University of Leicester Professor Nial Tanvir said.
The scientists' research was published in Thursday's edition of the journal Science.
Black holes consuming stars is probably fairly common, Gemini spokesman Peter Michaud said.
"What's interesting is we're actually watching a star being consumed," he said. "(Scientists) can see brightness concentrations where whole clumps of materials are being consumed."
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Astronomers were able to watch a black hole consume a star, thanks to Mauna Kea's Gemini North telescope.
NASA's Swift telescope first detected light from the incident, as a beam of light crossed 3.8 billion light years of space. A team of astronomers using Gemini North then rushed to make more observations.
"It is rare for stars to get very close to the black holes in the centers of galaxies, but when they do, they will always come off second best," University of Leicester Professor Nial Tanvir said.
The scientists' research was published in Thursday's edition of the journal Science.
Black holes consuming stars is probably fairly common, Gemini spokesman Peter Michaud said.
"What's interesting is we're actually watching a star being consumed," he said. "(Scientists) can see brightness concentrations where whole clumps of materials are being consumed."
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Star eaten by black hole
June 16, 2011 - AstronomyNow
The moment a star strayed too close to a hungry black hole was captured by the Swift satellite, which was blasted in the high energy death cry of the star as it was ripped apart.
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The gamma-ray flare likely began a few days before the Swift satellite picked it up, and may take up to a year to fade away. Once Swift had made the detection, further observations were made with the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Gemini and Keck telescopes in Hawaii, and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope.
The moment a star strayed too close to a hungry black hole was captured by the Swift satellite, which was blasted in the high energy death cry of the star as it was ripped apart.
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The gamma-ray flare likely began a few days before the Swift satellite picked it up, and may take up to a year to fade away. Once Swift had made the detection, further observations were made with the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Gemini and Keck telescopes in Hawaii, and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope.
Going out with a bang not a whimper
June 17, 2011 - BBC News
Ever wondered what it might be like to get sucked into a black hole?
Working with images from the Hubble Space Telescope, Nasa's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Swift satellite and the Gemini and Keck ground-based telescopes, scientists at Warwick University have enjoyed a ringside seat as the black hole at the centre of a distant galaxy has ripped apart and swallowed a star that strayed too close.
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Ever wondered what it might be like to get sucked into a black hole?
Working with images from the Hubble Space Telescope, Nasa's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Swift satellite and the Gemini and Keck ground-based telescopes, scientists at Warwick University have enjoyed a ringside seat as the black hole at the centre of a distant galaxy has ripped apart and swallowed a star that strayed too close.
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Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Cosmic explosion is new candidate for most distant object in the universe
May 25, 2011 - Astronomy.com
A gamma-ray burst detected by NASA's Swift satellite in April 2009 has been newly unveiled as a candidate for the most distant object in the universe. At an estimated distance of 13.14 billion light-years, the burst lies far beyond any known quasar and could be more distant than any previously known galaxy or gamma-ray burst (GRB). ...
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Less than a week after the record-setting GRB 090423 made headlines around the world, this new burst, GRB 090429B, appeared in the sky with suspiciously similar properties. As with the previous burst, GRB 090429B was a short-lived event, lasting less than 10 seconds, and automated Swift observations showed it to have a relatively faint X-ray afterglow. Cucchiara, then a graduate student at Penn State, woke up in the early morning hours to direct observations at the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, that he hoped would pin down the nature of this burst. ...
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A gamma-ray burst detected by NASA's Swift satellite in April 2009 has been newly unveiled as a candidate for the most distant object in the universe. At an estimated distance of 13.14 billion light-years, the burst lies far beyond any known quasar and could be more distant than any previously known galaxy or gamma-ray burst (GRB). ...
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Less than a week after the record-setting GRB 090423 made headlines around the world, this new burst, GRB 090429B, appeared in the sky with suspiciously similar properties. As with the previous burst, GRB 090429B was a short-lived event, lasting less than 10 seconds, and automated Swift observations showed it to have a relatively faint X-ray afterglow. Cucchiara, then a graduate student at Penn State, woke up in the early morning hours to direct observations at the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, that he hoped would pin down the nature of this burst. ...
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Betting on the Most Distant Gamma Ray Burst Ever Seen
May 27, 2011 - SpaceRef.com
In a game of cosmological one-upmanship, what is likely the most distant gamma ray burst (GRB) ever detected could be presenting humanity with a glimpse back to within about half a billion years of the Big Bang. "Like any finding of this sort there are uncertainties," said the study's principal investigator Antonino Cucchiara. "However, if I were in Vegas, I would never bet against the odds that this is the most distant GRB ever seen and we estimate that there is even a 23% chance that it is the most distant object ever observed in the universe."
A unique set of images from the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii clearly reveals the infrared afterglow of this powerful burst. More importantly, the data allowed the researchers to estimate its distance with a relatively high degree of certainty, placing it near the edge of the observable universe.
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In a game of cosmological one-upmanship, what is likely the most distant gamma ray burst (GRB) ever detected could be presenting humanity with a glimpse back to within about half a billion years of the Big Bang. "Like any finding of this sort there are uncertainties," said the study's principal investigator Antonino Cucchiara. "However, if I were in Vegas, I would never bet against the odds that this is the most distant GRB ever seen and we estimate that there is even a 23% chance that it is the most distant object ever observed in the universe."
A unique set of images from the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii clearly reveals the infrared afterglow of this powerful burst. More importantly, the data allowed the researchers to estimate its distance with a relatively high degree of certainty, placing it near the edge of the observable universe.
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NASA's Swift finds most distant gamma-ray burst yet
May 27, 2011 - PhysOrg.com
On April 29, 2009, a five-second-long burst of gamma rays from the constellation Canes Venatici triggered the Burst Alert Telescope on NASA's Swift satellite. As with most gamma-ray bursts, this one -- now designated GRB 090429B -- heralded the death of a star some 30 times the sun's mass and the likely birth of a new black hole.
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The Gemini-North Telescope in Hawaii captured optical and infrared images of GRB 090429B's quickly fading afterglow within about three hours of Swift's detection. "Gemini was the right telescope, in the right place, at the right time," said lead researcher Antonino Cucchiara at the University of California, Berkeley. "The data from Gemini was instrumental in allowing us to reach the conclusion that the object is likely the most distant GRB ever seen."
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On April 29, 2009, a five-second-long burst of gamma rays from the constellation Canes Venatici triggered the Burst Alert Telescope on NASA's Swift satellite. As with most gamma-ray bursts, this one -- now designated GRB 090429B -- heralded the death of a star some 30 times the sun's mass and the likely birth of a new black hole.
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The Gemini-North Telescope in Hawaii captured optical and infrared images of GRB 090429B's quickly fading afterglow within about three hours of Swift's detection. "Gemini was the right telescope, in the right place, at the right time," said lead researcher Antonino Cucchiara at the University of California, Berkeley. "The data from Gemini was instrumental in allowing us to reach the conclusion that the object is likely the most distant GRB ever seen."
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Extending the edge of the observable Universe
May 26, 2011 - Astronomy Now
After two years of analysing images and data from gamma-ray burst (GRB) 090429B, astronomers estimate that its light began travelling on its journey just 520 million years after the Universe began.
GRBs are the brief burst of high-energy radiation that mark the death of massive stars. Over time this emissions fades to an afterglow of light at other wavelengths. Initially discovered by the Swift satellite, the subsequent afterglow was detected by the Gemini North telescope at infrared wavelengths.
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After two years of analysing images and data from gamma-ray burst (GRB) 090429B, astronomers estimate that its light began travelling on its journey just 520 million years after the Universe began.
GRBs are the brief burst of high-energy radiation that mark the death of massive stars. Over time this emissions fades to an afterglow of light at other wavelengths. Initially discovered by the Swift satellite, the subsequent afterglow was detected by the Gemini North telescope at infrared wavelengths.
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Cosmic distance record 'broken'
May 25, 2011 - BBC News
A cataclysmic explosion of a huge star near the edge of the observable Universe may be the most distant single object yet spied by a telescope.
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A cataclysmic explosion of a huge star near the edge of the observable Universe may be the most distant single object yet spied by a telescope.
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Cosmic explosion may be most distant object in Universe
May 25, 2011 - USA Today
Astronomers may have spotted the most distant object in the universe -- 13.14 billion light years away. Going by the prosaic name GRB 090429B, the object came to their attention because of a 10-second gamma-ray burst originally detected by NASA's Swift satellite in April 2009.
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Astronomers may have spotted the most distant object in the universe -- 13.14 billion light years away. Going by the prosaic name GRB 090429B, the object came to their attention because of a 10-second gamma-ray burst originally detected by NASA's Swift satellite in April 2009.
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Huge explosion most distant ever seen
May 26, 2011 - ABC Online
Scientists have set a new record for the most distant object ever observed - 13.14 billion light years way.
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Cucchiara who was at Penn State University at the time, says he tried to determine how far away the object was by obtaining a spectral analysis using the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii.
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Scientists have set a new record for the most distant object ever observed - 13.14 billion light years way.
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Cucchiara who was at Penn State University at the time, says he tried to determine how far away the object was by obtaining a spectral analysis using the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii.
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Huge space blast: The farthest thing ever seen?
May 26, 2011 - MSNBC.com
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The explosion was observed by NASA’s Swift satellite in April 2009, and it was named GRB 090429B. Though the initial blast lasted only about 10 seconds, the event left a fainter afterglow that was visible in the sky for days. Researchers observed this afterglow with the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
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The explosion was observed by NASA’s Swift satellite in April 2009, and it was named GRB 090429B. Though the initial blast lasted only about 10 seconds, the event left a fainter afterglow that was visible in the sky for days. Researchers observed this afterglow with the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
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Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Gamma-ray burst is most distant yet seen - May 25, 2011
May 25, 2011 - Nature NewsBlog (subscription)
A record has been set for the most distant gamma-ray burst, astronomers announced at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Boston today. The result pushes back the time by which stars and galaxies must have formed to just 500 million years after the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago.
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... The GRB discussed today at the meeting, GRB090329B, was first picked up in 2009 by NASA’s Swift satellite, and then imaged by the 8.1 meter Gemini North telescope in Mauna Kea, Hawaii. But due to bad weather in Hawaii, the research team was not able to study the afterglow long enough to obtain a detailed spectrum that would have pinpointed how faraway it was.
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A record has been set for the most distant gamma-ray burst, astronomers announced at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Boston today. The result pushes back the time by which stars and galaxies must have formed to just 500 million years after the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago.
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... The GRB discussed today at the meeting, GRB090329B, was first picked up in 2009 by NASA’s Swift satellite, and then imaged by the 8.1 meter Gemini North telescope in Mauna Kea, Hawaii. But due to bad weather in Hawaii, the research team was not able to study the afterglow long enough to obtain a detailed spectrum that would have pinpointed how faraway it was.
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Most distant object ever seen… maybe
May 25, 2011 - Discover Blog
That is GRB 090429B, a gamma-ray burst (or just GRB to those who want to sound nerdcool), the catastrophic and extremely violent detonation of a massive star. Think of it as a super-supernova, the death throes of a star that lived a short, hot, turbulent life. I wrote about them extensively in my book "Death from the Skies!", or you can get the details about how they form and why they’re so awesome in an earlier post.
Its distance is estimated to be a whopping 13.14 billion light years. If this holds up, it may be the single most distant object ever seen by humans.
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That is GRB 090429B, a gamma-ray burst (or just GRB to those who want to sound nerdcool), the catastrophic and extremely violent detonation of a massive star. Think of it as a super-supernova, the death throes of a star that lived a short, hot, turbulent life. I wrote about them extensively in my book "Death from the Skies!", or you can get the details about how they form and why they’re so awesome in an earlier post.
Its distance is estimated to be a whopping 13.14 billion light years. If this holds up, it may be the single most distant object ever seen by humans.
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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Gemini images a psychedelic stellar nursery
May 5, 2011 - Astronomy.com
An all-time favorite of sky watchers on both hemispheres, the Lagoon Nebula (M8) is among the most striking examples of a stellar nursery in our neighborhood of the Milky Way Galaxy. Visible in small telescopes and binoculars, its fuzzy glow reveals the type of chaotic environment where new stars are born.
Argentinean astronomers Julia Arias from the Universidad de La Serena and Rodolfo Barbá from the Universidad de La Serena and ICATE-CONICET have used the Gemini South telescope in Chile to obtain a dramatic new image of the nursery that could be described as psychedelic...
An all-time favorite of sky watchers on both hemispheres, the Lagoon Nebula (M8) is among the most striking examples of a stellar nursery in our neighborhood of the Milky Way Galaxy. Visible in small telescopes and binoculars, its fuzzy glow reveals the type of chaotic environment where new stars are born.
Argentinean astronomers Julia Arias from the Universidad de La Serena and Rodolfo Barbá from the Universidad de La Serena and ICATE-CONICET have used the Gemini South telescope in Chile to obtain a dramatic new image of the nursery that could be described as psychedelic...
Now that IS cosmic: The psychedelic majesty of the Lagoon Nebula displayed in all its multi-coloured glory
May 6, 2011 - Daily Mail
Things have come a long way since the late '60s re-release of 2001: A Space Odyssey promised a hippy audience 'the ultimate trip'. Quite what they would have made of an image as psychedelic and, more importantly, as real as this is anyone's guess. The Lagoon Nebula - aka Messier 8 - is among the most striking examples of a stellar nursery in Earth's region of the Milky Way. Its fuzzy glow reveals the type of chaotic environment where new stars are born.
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Things have come a long way since the late '60s re-release of 2001: A Space Odyssey promised a hippy audience 'the ultimate trip'. Quite what they would have made of an image as psychedelic and, more importantly, as real as this is anyone's guess. The Lagoon Nebula - aka Messier 8 - is among the most striking examples of a stellar nursery in Earth's region of the Milky Way. Its fuzzy glow reveals the type of chaotic environment where new stars are born.
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Swirling Lagoon
May 6, 2011 - National Geographic
Seen through binoculars or small telescopes, the Lagoon nebula is a ghostly blur tinged with pink tucked inside the constellation Sagittarius. But with the powerful gaze of the Gemini South telescope in Chile, astronomers have created a dramatic new view of this stellar nursery.
Released this week, the false-color picture shows the nebula in vibrant hues thanks to a combination of data from several light filters. The dense cloud of dust and gas is a birthplace for medium- and low-mass stars, most of which are embedded in thick cocoons of material. The bluish points of light in the frame are young stars in the background.
Seen through binoculars or small telescopes, the Lagoon nebula is a ghostly blur tinged with pink tucked inside the constellation Sagittarius. But with the powerful gaze of the Gemini South telescope in Chile, astronomers have created a dramatic new view of this stellar nursery.
Released this week, the false-color picture shows the nebula in vibrant hues thanks to a combination of data from several light filters. The dense cloud of dust and gas is a birthplace for medium- and low-mass stars, most of which are embedded in thick cocoons of material. The bluish points of light in the frame are young stars in the background.
‘Psychedelic’ photo of a stellar nursery
May 6, 2011 - Yahoo News
Ever wonder what a star "nursery" looks like?
Two Argentine astronomers using a powerful Gemini South telescope in Chile produced this dramatic and colorful image that shows newly born stars in the beautiful Lagoon nebula, located in the Sagittarius constellation in the southern Milky Way.
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Gemini: Image of a Psychedelic Stellar Nursery
May 5, 2011 - Space Ref
An all-time favorite of skywatchers on both hemispheres, the Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8 or M8) is among the most striking examples of a stellar nursery in our neighborhood of the Milky Way galaxy. Visible in small telescopes and binoculars its fuzzy glow reveals the type of chaotic environment where new stars are born.
Argentinean astronomers Julia Arias (Universidad de La Serena) and Rodolfo Barba (Universidad de La Serena and ICATE-CONICET) have used the Gemini South telescope in Chile to obtain a dramatic new image of the nursery that could be described as psychedelic. ...
An all-time favorite of skywatchers on both hemispheres, the Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8 or M8) is among the most striking examples of a stellar nursery in our neighborhood of the Milky Way galaxy. Visible in small telescopes and binoculars its fuzzy glow reveals the type of chaotic environment where new stars are born.
Argentinean astronomers Julia Arias (Universidad de La Serena) and Rodolfo Barba (Universidad de La Serena and ICATE-CONICET) have used the Gemini South telescope in Chile to obtain a dramatic new image of the nursery that could be described as psychedelic. ...
Stunning, Colorful New Look at the Lagoon Nebula
May 5, 2011 - Universe Today
Wow, is this gorgeous or what?! Argentinean astronomers Julia Arias and Rodolfo Barbá used the Gemini South telescope in Chile to obtain this stunning new image, allowing us to dive right into part of the Lagoon Nebula (M8). This region of the Lagoon is sometimes called the “Southern Cliff” because it resembles a sharp drop-off. Beyond the cliff, light from a spattering of young background stars in the upper left of the image shines through the cloudscape.
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Lose yourself in a celestial lagoon
May 5, 2011 - MSNBC.com
Most folks think of outer space as a vast emptiness, but if you look at the right place in the right light, you'll find beautiful clouds of glory. The Lagoon Nebula in the constellation Sagittarius, also known as M8, is such a place. This region of the nebula, 5,000 light-years from Earth, is known as the "Southern Cliff" because of the sharp dropoff that can be seen in the clouds of glowing gas and dust.
The view captured by the Gemini South telescope in Chile does not reflect what the human eye would see. If you looked at the Lagoon through a good-sized amateur telescope, you'd see a pale ghostly glow with a touch of pink. But this picture was created using filters that are sensitive to emissions from hydrogen (red) and ionized sulfur (green), plus far-infrared light (shown here in blue). That explains the psychedelic color scheme.
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Monday, May 2, 2011
Low-energy astrophysics: How scientists are trying to save the Earth
April 29, 2011 - Boingboing.com
Listen to the scientists. That's what we say. When lots of different scientists, working separately, are turning up evidence that the Earth is getting warmer and human activities are to blame, then we should heed their warnings.
Scientists, from many different disciplines, say that their research shows we should be concerned about climate change. If we want to reduce our risk, we'll have to start using less fossil fuels. That's a big shift in the way the world thinks about energy. It's bound to change our lives—and we may not necessarily like all the changes. And that fact begs a question: Do the scientists who sound the alarm on climate change have a responsibility to take the lead on energy change?
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In 2008, Rodgers was part of a group led by Peter McEvoy, Gemini facilities manager, which launched a campaign to make the Gemini Observatory—actually two facilities, one in Chile and the other in Hawaii—more energy efficient. Pooling ideas from Gemini staff, they started making changes, both to the buildings and equipment, and to the way people worked.
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Listen to the scientists. That's what we say. When lots of different scientists, working separately, are turning up evidence that the Earth is getting warmer and human activities are to blame, then we should heed their warnings.
Scientists, from many different disciplines, say that their research shows we should be concerned about climate change. If we want to reduce our risk, we'll have to start using less fossil fuels. That's a big shift in the way the world thinks about energy. It's bound to change our lives—and we may not necessarily like all the changes. And that fact begs a question: Do the scientists who sound the alarm on climate change have a responsibility to take the lead on energy change?
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In 2008, Rodgers was part of a group led by Peter McEvoy, Gemini facilities manager, which launched a campaign to make the Gemini Observatory—actually two facilities, one in Chile and the other in Hawaii—more energy efficient. Pooling ideas from Gemini staff, they started making changes, both to the buildings and equipment, and to the way people worked.
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Planets around white dwarfs?
April 18, 2011 - Astronomy Now Online
Astronomers are finding tantalising hints of planets around dead stars, it was revealed today at the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting in Llandudno, Wales.
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Burleigh, along with Fraser Clarke of Oxford University and Emma Hogan of the Gemini South Observatory, named the search for planets around white dwarfs the Degenerate Objects around Degenerate Objects Project, or DODO. Their strategy is to sample around 40 young white dwarfs within 65 light years. Deep, wide-field images in the near-infrared using Gemini and the Very Large Telescope in Chile were obtained where the common proper motion of companions is being analysed over one to three years in order to confirm if they are indeed orbiting the white dwarfs. DODO is sensitive to a few Jupiter masses.
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Astronomers are finding tantalising hints of planets around dead stars, it was revealed today at the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting in Llandudno, Wales.
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Burleigh, along with Fraser Clarke of Oxford University and Emma Hogan of the Gemini South Observatory, named the search for planets around white dwarfs the Degenerate Objects around Degenerate Objects Project, or DODO. Their strategy is to sample around 40 young white dwarfs within 65 light years. Deep, wide-field images in the near-infrared using Gemini and the Very Large Telescope in Chile were obtained where the common proper motion of companions is being analysed over one to three years in order to confirm if they are indeed orbiting the white dwarfs. DODO is sensitive to a few Jupiter masses.
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Giant Galaxy NGC 6872
April 3, 2011 - Astronomy Picture of the Day
... The idea to image this titanic galaxy collision comes from a winning contest essay submitted last year to the Gemini Observatory by the Sydney Girls High School Astronomy Club...
Friday, April 15, 2011
When beauty and science collide
March 31, 2011 - Discovery Blog (Bad Astronomy)
That spiral galaxy is NGC 6872, and as you can see in this image from the Gemini South telescope it’s getting its clock cleaned by the littler spiral — IC 4970 — just to the right. The two are undergoing a galactic collision, a colossal event playing out over hundreds of millions of years. NGC 6872 is currently the victim here; its spiral arms are clearly distorted and being flung wide by the gravitational interaction. However, the smaller IC 4970 will be the ultimate loser in this battle: it will fall into the bigger galaxy, be torn apart, and eventually consumed in its entirety, becoming a part of NGC 6872. Bigger galaxies do this to smaller ones all the time; the Milky Way is in the process of eating several small galaxies even as you read this (I have details in articles linked below; see Related Posts).
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That spiral galaxy is NGC 6872, and as you can see in this image from the Gemini South telescope it’s getting its clock cleaned by the littler spiral — IC 4970 — just to the right. The two are undergoing a galactic collision, a colossal event playing out over hundreds of millions of years. NGC 6872 is currently the victim here; its spiral arms are clearly distorted and being flung wide by the gravitational interaction. However, the smaller IC 4970 will be the ultimate loser in this battle: it will fall into the bigger galaxy, be torn apart, and eventually consumed in its entirety, becoming a part of NGC 6872. Bigger galaxies do this to smaller ones all the time; the Milky Way is in the process of eating several small galaxies even as you read this (I have details in articles linked below; see Related Posts).
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Galactic Collision Wins Telescope Contest
March 31, 2011 - Wired Science
This new image from the Gemini South telescope in Chile captures a pair of galaxies locked in a graceful waltz that will eventually bring the two crashing together.
The telescope was aimed at these galaxies at the suggestion of a group of Australian students at the Sydney Girls High School Astronomy Club, who won a Gemini-sponsored contest searching for beautiful and scientifically useful images of the cosmos.
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Galaxy Tango
March 31, 2011 - National Geographic Daily News (Space pictures this week)
Two interacting galaxies seem to strike a pose during their gravitational dance in a new picture from the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii.
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Australian Students Capture Dancing Galaxies
April 7, 2011 - SpaceRef
For the second consecutive year, high school students from across Australia joined in a competition to obtain scientifically useful (and aesthetically pleasing) images using the Gemini Observatory. The 2010 winning student team suggested that Gemini focus on an interacting galaxy pair which, they assured, "would be more than just a pretty picture."
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For the second consecutive year, high school students from across Australia joined in a competition to obtain scientifically useful (and aesthetically pleasing) images using the Gemini Observatory. The 2010 winning student team suggested that Gemini focus on an interacting galaxy pair which, they assured, "would be more than just a pretty picture."
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Monday, February 28, 2011
Quasar's belch solves longstanding mystery
February 23, 2011 - Astronomy.com
When two galaxies merge to form a giant, the central supermassive black hole in the new galaxy develops an insatiable appetite. However, this ferocious appetite is unsustainable.
For the first time, observations with the Gemini Observatory clearly reveal an extreme, large-scale galactic outflow that brings the cosmic dinner to a halt. The outflow is effectively blowing the galaxy apart in a negative feedback loop, depriving the galaxy's monstrous black hole of the gas and dust it needs to sustain its frenetic growth. It also limits the material available for the galaxy to make new generations of stars.
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When two galaxies merge to form a giant, the central supermassive black hole in the new galaxy develops an insatiable appetite. However, this ferocious appetite is unsustainable.
For the first time, observations with the Gemini Observatory clearly reveal an extreme, large-scale galactic outflow that brings the cosmic dinner to a halt. The outflow is effectively blowing the galaxy apart in a negative feedback loop, depriving the galaxy's monstrous black hole of the gas and dust it needs to sustain its frenetic growth. It also limits the material available for the galaxy to make new generations of stars.
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Imaging extra-solar planets with adaptive optics and a MEMS mirror
February 22, 2011 - SPIE.org
The Gemini Planet Imager will measure exoplanets that are a million times fainter than their host star.
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The Gemini Planet Imager will measure exoplanets that are a million times fainter than their host star.
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Quasar's belch solves longstanding mystery (w/ Video)
February 24, 2011 - PhysOrg.com
For the first time, observations with the Gemini Observatory clearly reveal an extreme, large-scale galactic outflow that brings the cosmic dinner to a halt. The outflow is effectively blowing the galaxy apart in a negative feedback loop, depriving the galaxy's monstrous black hole of the gas and dust it needs to sustain its frenetic growth. It also limits the material available for the galaxy to make new generations of stars.
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For the first time, observations with the Gemini Observatory clearly reveal an extreme, large-scale galactic outflow that brings the cosmic dinner to a halt. The outflow is effectively blowing the galaxy apart in a negative feedback loop, depriving the galaxy's monstrous black hole of the gas and dust it needs to sustain its frenetic growth. It also limits the material available for the galaxy to make new generations of stars.
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Halt, Black Hole! Gemini Captures Explosions That Deprive Black Holes of Mass
February 23, 2011 - Universe Today
Astronomers have long suspected that something must stymie actively growing black holes, because most galaxies in the local universe don’t have them. Now, the Gemini Observatory has captured a galactic check-and-balance — a large-scale quasar outflow in the galaxy Markarian 231 that appears to be depriving a supermassive black hole its diet of gas and dust.
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Thursday, February 10, 2011
Sodium guide stars completed at Gemini
February 2, 2011 - optics.org
A laser system built by Lockheed Martin Coherent Technologies has added five new “stars” to the night sky above Chile, as part of an advanced optical system that will enable astronomers to capture ultra-sharp, wide-field images.
The so-called laser guide stars – actually sodium atoms high in the atmosphere glowing after being elevated into excited states by the 50 W laser – are the key part of a cutting-edge adaptive optics system that will significantly reduce the “blurring” effect caused by turbulence in the Earth’s atmosphere.
In the early morning of January 22, astronomers witnessed the first propagation of the Gemini South telescope laser system, with the five guide stars captured on camera through a small telescope.
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Jupiter sinks titanic asteroid
February 10, 2011 - Astronomy Now
Jupiter's impressive 2009 scar, which was first spotted by amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley, was likely created by an asteroid the size of the Titanic cruise liner, say scientists who studied the aftermath of the collision.
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A dark black marking was observed visually on the giant planet on 19 July 2009 by Anthony Wesley, who alerted professional astronomers around the world. Follow-up observations from NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility in Mauna Kea, the Gemini North and South telescopes, ESO's Very Large Telescope and even the Hubble Space Telescope in the week after, enabled astronomers to observe the warm temperatures and chemical reactions caused by the impact.
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Jupiter's impressive 2009 scar, which was first spotted by amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley, was likely created by an asteroid the size of the Titanic cruise liner, say scientists who studied the aftermath of the collision.
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A dark black marking was observed visually on the giant planet on 19 July 2009 by Anthony Wesley, who alerted professional astronomers around the world. Follow-up observations from NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility in Mauna Kea, the Gemini North and South telescopes, ESO's Very Large Telescope and even the Hubble Space Telescope in the week after, enabled astronomers to observe the warm temperatures and chemical reactions caused by the impact.
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Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Five-star image
January 27, 2011 - West Hawaii Today
Astronomers at Gemini South created a five-star sodium laser guide star constellation this weekend, the first such guidance constellation, telescope officials said.
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Gemini Telescope's "Bad-Seeing Blaster"
February 1, 2011 - Sky & Telescope
Anyone who's been to a group observing session recently knows how valuable green lasers have become to our enjoyment of stargazing. Those pencil-thin beams of light allow us to point out objects in the sky and even to aim our telescopes effortlessly. (Of course, some idiots insist on pointing them at aircraft, a dangerous practice that's a huge disservice to those of us who use them responsibly.)
At the professional level, the stakes are higher and the toys bigger. Many major observatories already have — or are developing — systems that use powerful lasers to project pinpoints of light high in the atmosphere. These serve as artificial guide stars for adaptive-optics systems that correct for less-than-ideal "seeing" (atmospheric turbulence). When everything works, celestial targets can be recorded with astonishing clarity.
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Friday, January 28, 2011
Five-Beamed Mega-Laser to Help Capture Better Space Photos
January 28, 2011 - Space.com
To help take extra sharp images of space, a telescope in South America is firing a mega-laser – one made up of five beams – into the night sky.
The sodium laser "constellation" – as scientists call it – is part of a telescope at the Gemini South Observatory in Chile and is the cornerstone for a next-generation adaptive optics system. Photos of the laser in action reveal it as a thick, bright yellow beam of light cutting through the night sky.
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To help take extra sharp images of space, a telescope in South America is firing a mega-laser – one made up of five beams – into the night sky.
The sodium laser "constellation" – as scientists call it – is part of a telescope at the Gemini South Observatory in Chile and is the cornerstone for a next-generation adaptive optics system. Photos of the laser in action reveal it as a thick, bright yellow beam of light cutting through the night sky.
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Gemini South shines first sodium laser "constellation"
January 27, 2011 - Astronomy.com
GeMS, the next-generation adaptive optics system, allows relatively wide-field imaging at extremely high resolution over an exceptionally large portion of the sky.
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GeMS, the next-generation adaptive optics system, allows relatively wide-field imaging at extremely high resolution over an exceptionally large portion of the sky.
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Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Neighboring black hole puts on weight
January 12, 2011 - ScienceNews
Astronomers have determined with high precision that the black hole at the heart of the nearby galaxy M87 weighs the equivalent of 6.6 billion suns. The finding makes the monster the most massive known in Earth’s cosmic neighborhood and the heaviest black hole measured so far using the orbits of stars.
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To weigh M87’s black hole, Gebhardt’s team used precision optics on the Gemini North telescope atop Hawaii’s Mauna Kea to measure the speeds of groups of stars orbiting the galaxy’s core at different distances. The speedup of stars closest to the center gives a precise measure of the black hole’s pull, allowing researchers to calculate its mass. The researchers also used data gathered by a telescope at the McDonald Observatory in west Texas.
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Astronomers have determined with high precision that the black hole at the heart of the nearby galaxy M87 weighs the equivalent of 6.6 billion suns. The finding makes the monster the most massive known in Earth’s cosmic neighborhood and the heaviest black hole measured so far using the orbits of stars.
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To weigh M87’s black hole, Gebhardt’s team used precision optics on the Gemini North telescope atop Hawaii’s Mauna Kea to measure the speeds of groups of stars orbiting the galaxy’s core at different distances. The speedup of stars closest to the center gives a precise measure of the black hole’s pull, allowing researchers to calculate its mass. The researchers also used data gathered by a telescope at the McDonald Observatory in west Texas.
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Friday, January 14, 2011
At 6.6 Billion Suns, The Largest Black Hole Ever Measured Could Swallow Our Solar System
January 13, 2011 - Popular Science
A universal heavyweight champion was crowned this morning at the 217th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle: A giant black hole weighing a staggering 6.6 billion suns accepted the title of the most massive black hole for which a precise mass has been determined.
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Previous estimates of M87’s black hole mass registered at some 3 billion suns, still 1,000 times the size of the Milky Way’s welterweight black hole. The new measurements were acquired using the adaptive optics capabilities on the 26.6-foot Frederick C. Gillett Gemini Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, which can compensate for the distorting effects of Earth’s atmosphere. This allowed astronomers to gauge just how fast the stars in M87 are orbiting the black hole, and from that they could determine the mass.
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A universal heavyweight champion was crowned this morning at the 217th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle: A giant black hole weighing a staggering 6.6 billion suns accepted the title of the most massive black hole for which a precise mass has been determined.
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Previous estimates of M87’s black hole mass registered at some 3 billion suns, still 1,000 times the size of the Milky Way’s welterweight black hole. The new measurements were acquired using the adaptive optics capabilities on the 26.6-foot Frederick C. Gillett Gemini Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, which can compensate for the distorting effects of Earth’s atmosphere. This allowed astronomers to gauge just how fast the stars in M87 are orbiting the black hole, and from that they could determine the mass.
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Picture of the Day: The Heaviest Black Hole Ever Recorded
January 14, 2011 - The Atlantic
At more than six trillion times the mass of the sun, nearby galaxy M87 is the most massive galaxy in the local universe. Using the Gemini North telescope, which sits on top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, astronomer Karl Gebhardt and his team measured the speed of stars moving past the galactic center to estimate the mass of the black hole situated in the middle of M87.
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At more than six trillion times the mass of the sun, nearby galaxy M87 is the most massive galaxy in the local universe. Using the Gemini North telescope, which sits on top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, astronomer Karl Gebhardt and his team measured the speed of stars moving past the galactic center to estimate the mass of the black hole situated in the middle of M87.
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The Solar System Swallower
January 13, 2011 - Science Now
Even among cosmic heavyweights, the black hole in the core of galaxy M87 stands out. New observations reveal that the object weighs in at a whopping 6.6 billion suns, making it the most massive black hole for which a precise mass has ever been measured. "It could swallow our solar system whole," says astronomer Karl Gebhardt of the University of Texas, Austin, who presented the new results here Wednesday afternoon at the 217th meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
Previous estimates put the mass of the black hole at some 3 billion times the mass of our sun, still nearly 1000 times as massive as the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. To compensate for the blurring effects of Earth's atmosphere and obtain a more accurate measurement, Gebhardt and colleagues utilized the adaptive optics capability of the 8.1-meter Frederick C. Gillett Gemini Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. That enabled the astronomers to measure how fast stars orbit the black hole, which lies some 50 million light-years away, in the direction of the constellation Virgo. From the observed speeds—up to almost 500 kilometers per second—they could then calculate the hole's mass. "It's the most accurate mass estimate ever obtained" for a supermassive black hole, says Gebhardt.
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Even among cosmic heavyweights, the black hole in the core of galaxy M87 stands out. New observations reveal that the object weighs in at a whopping 6.6 billion suns, making it the most massive black hole for which a precise mass has ever been measured. "It could swallow our solar system whole," says astronomer Karl Gebhardt of the University of Texas, Austin, who presented the new results here Wednesday afternoon at the 217th meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
Previous estimates put the mass of the black hole at some 3 billion times the mass of our sun, still nearly 1000 times as massive as the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. To compensate for the blurring effects of Earth's atmosphere and obtain a more accurate measurement, Gebhardt and colleagues utilized the adaptive optics capability of the 8.1-meter Frederick C. Gillett Gemini Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. That enabled the astronomers to measure how fast stars orbit the black hole, which lies some 50 million light-years away, in the direction of the constellation Virgo. From the observed speeds—up to almost 500 kilometers per second—they could then calculate the hole's mass. "It's the most accurate mass estimate ever obtained" for a supermassive black hole, says Gebhardt.
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Thursday, January 13, 2011
Astronomers "weigh" heaviest known black hole in our cosmic neighborhood
January 13, 2011 - Astronomy.com
Astronomers led by Karl Gebhardt from The University of Texas at Austin have measured the most massive known black hole in our cosmic neighborhood by combining data from a giant telescope in Hawaii and a smaller telescope in Texas. The result is a mass of 6.6 billion Suns for the black hole in the giant elliptical galaxy M87. This enormous mass is the largest ever measured for a black hole using a direct technique. Given its massive size, M87 is the best candidate for future studies to actually "see" a black hole for the first time, rather than relying on indirect evidence of their existence as astronomers have for decades.
Gebhardt led a team of researchers using the 8-meter Gemini North telescope in Hawaii to probe the motions of stars around the black hole in the center of the massive galaxy M87.
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Astronomers led by Karl Gebhardt from The University of Texas at Austin have measured the most massive known black hole in our cosmic neighborhood by combining data from a giant telescope in Hawaii and a smaller telescope in Texas. The result is a mass of 6.6 billion Suns for the black hole in the giant elliptical galaxy M87. This enormous mass is the largest ever measured for a black hole using a direct technique. Given its massive size, M87 is the best candidate for future studies to actually "see" a black hole for the first time, rather than relying on indirect evidence of their existence as astronomers have for decades.
Gebhardt led a team of researchers using the 8-meter Gemini North telescope in Hawaii to probe the motions of stars around the black hole in the center of the massive galaxy M87.
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Obese Black Hole Lurks in Our Backyard
January 12, 2011 - Discovery
The black hole inside a neighboring galaxy, known as M87, is obese and filled with the equivalent of 6.6 billion of our suns, according to new measurements.
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Gebhardt and colleagues used a light-splitting spectrograph on the eight-meter (26-foot) Gemini North telescope in Hawaii to measure the speeds of stars orbiting M87's black hole. The motions are directly related to the gravitational pull of the black hole. The data was then used to calculate the black hole's mass.
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The black hole inside a neighboring galaxy, known as M87, is obese and filled with the equivalent of 6.6 billion of our suns, according to new measurements.
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Gebhardt and colleagues used a light-splitting spectrograph on the eight-meter (26-foot) Gemini North telescope in Hawaii to measure the speeds of stars orbiting M87's black hole. The motions are directly related to the gravitational pull of the black hole. The data was then used to calculate the black hole's mass.
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Astronomers weigh heavy black hole neighbour
January 13, 2011 - Astronomy Now
By making detailed measurements of the black hole that lies in nearby galaxy M87, astronomers have found that its mass is equivalent to 6.6 billion Suns.
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The Near-Infrared Field Spectrograph (NIFS) on the 8-metre Gemini North telescope was used by Karl Gebhardt and Joshua Adams of The University of Texas to track the motions of stars careening around the black hole with ten times greater resolution than previous studies have allowed. Meanwhile, University of Texas graduate student Jeremy Murphy used the VIRUS-P instrument on the Harlan J. Smith Telescope at the university's McDonald Observatory to probe the outer reaches of the galaxy known as the dark halo due to the presence of dark matter.
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By making detailed measurements of the black hole that lies in nearby galaxy M87, astronomers have found that its mass is equivalent to 6.6 billion Suns.
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The Near-Infrared Field Spectrograph (NIFS) on the 8-metre Gemini North telescope was used by Karl Gebhardt and Joshua Adams of The University of Texas to track the motions of stars careening around the black hole with ten times greater resolution than previous studies have allowed. Meanwhile, University of Texas graduate student Jeremy Murphy used the VIRUS-P instrument on the Harlan J. Smith Telescope at the university's McDonald Observatory to probe the outer reaches of the galaxy known as the dark halo due to the presence of dark matter.
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Scientists size up monster black hole
January 12, 2011 - MSNBC
Astronomers say they've come up with the definitive estimate for the mass and size of the biggest black hole in our celestial neighborhood, using a method that can now be applied to even bigger monsters beyond.
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"That had a large uncertainty," Gebhardt told me. Today, Gebhardt and his colleagues announced a new estimate that's based on high-accuracy observations from the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii as well as the McDonald Observatory. The bottom line: M87's black hole is equal to 6.6 billion solar masses, plus or minus 400 million solar masses.
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Astronomers say they've come up with the definitive estimate for the mass and size of the biggest black hole in our celestial neighborhood, using a method that can now be applied to even bigger monsters beyond.
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"That had a large uncertainty," Gebhardt told me. Today, Gebhardt and his colleagues announced a new estimate that's based on high-accuracy observations from the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii as well as the McDonald Observatory. The bottom line: M87's black hole is equal to 6.6 billion solar masses, plus or minus 400 million solar masses.
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Astronomers Weigh Heaviest Black Hole Yet
January 12, 2011 - Wired
The black hole in the nearby galaxy M87 weighs in at 6.6 billion suns, making it the local universe’s heavyweight champ.
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To pin down the monstrous black hole’s mass, Gebhardt and his colleagues used the Gemini North telescope atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii to measure the speeds of stars zipping past the galactic center.
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The black hole in the nearby galaxy M87 weighs in at 6.6 billion suns, making it the local universe’s heavyweight champ.
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To pin down the monstrous black hole’s mass, Gebhardt and his colleagues used the Gemini North telescope atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii to measure the speeds of stars zipping past the galactic center.
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Neighboring black hole puts on weight
January 12, 2011 - Science News
Astronomers have determined with high precision that the black hole at the heart of the nearby galaxy M87 weighs the equivalent of 6.6 billion suns. The finding makes the monster the most massive known in Earth’s cosmic neighborhood and the heaviest black hole measured so far using the orbits of stars.
...
To weigh M87’s black hole, Gebhardt’s team used precision optics on the Gemini North telescope atop Hawaii’s Mauna Kea to measure the speeds of groups of stars orbiting the galaxy’s core at different distances. The speedup of stars closest to the center gives a precise measure of the black hole’s pull, allowing researchers to calculate its mass. The researchers also used data gathered by a telescope at the McDonald Observatory in west Texas.
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Monday, January 10, 2011
In Distant Galaxies, New Clues to Century-Old Molecule Mystery
January 10, 2011 - ScienceDaily
In a study that pushes the limits of observations currently possible from Earth, a team of NASA and European scientists recorded the "fingerprints" of mystery molecules in two distant galaxies, Andromeda and the Triangulum. Astronomers can count on one hand the number of galaxies examined so far for such fingerprints, which are thought to belong to large organic molecules, says the team's leader, Martin Cordiner of the Goddard Center for Astrobiology at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Figuring out exactly which molecules are leaving these clues, known as "diffuse interstellar bands" (DIBs), is a puzzle that initially seemed straightforward but has gone unsolved for nearly a hundred years. The answer is expected to help explain how stars, planets and life form, so settling the matter is as important to astronomers who specialize in chemistry and biology as determining the nature of dark matter is to the specialists in physics.
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But to study DIBs, researchers need to do much more than see that the galaxy is there. They have to pick out individual stars within the galaxy, and only a few telescopes worldwide are powerful enough to gather sufficient light for that. (The team used the Gemini Observatory's telescope in Hawaii.) This is why most DIBs found so far have been in the Milky Way.
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In a study that pushes the limits of observations currently possible from Earth, a team of NASA and European scientists recorded the "fingerprints" of mystery molecules in two distant galaxies, Andromeda and the Triangulum. Astronomers can count on one hand the number of galaxies examined so far for such fingerprints, which are thought to belong to large organic molecules, says the team's leader, Martin Cordiner of the Goddard Center for Astrobiology at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Figuring out exactly which molecules are leaving these clues, known as "diffuse interstellar bands" (DIBs), is a puzzle that initially seemed straightforward but has gone unsolved for nearly a hundred years. The answer is expected to help explain how stars, planets and life form, so settling the matter is as important to astronomers who specialize in chemistry and biology as determining the nature of dark matter is to the specialists in physics.
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But to study DIBs, researchers need to do much more than see that the galaxy is there. They have to pick out individual stars within the galaxy, and only a few telescopes worldwide are powerful enough to gather sufficient light for that. (The team used the Gemini Observatory's telescope in Hawaii.) This is why most DIBs found so far have been in the Milky Way.
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