September 9, 2008 - ScienceDaily
An international team of scientists that includes University of British Columbia astronomer Brett Gladman has found an unusual object whose backward and tilted orbit around the Sun may clarify the origins of certain comets.
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The international team has been carrying out a targeted search for objects with highly tilted orbits. Their discovery was made using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii, with follow-up observations provided by the MMT telescope in Arizona, the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) four-metre telescope in Chile, and the Gemini South telescope, also in Chile, in which Canada is a partner.
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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
'Supernova impostor' begins to dim unexpectedly
August 7, 2008 - NewScientist
Astronomers have detected signs of a clockwork-like dimming of the bright star Eta Carinae months earlier than expected, although they can't yet explain why. They suspect the dimming is caused by a hidden stellar companion that disrupts Eta Carinae whenever it comes near.
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The next event is set to occur at the beginning of January 2009, but astronomers report they have already caught the first glimpse of new activity using the Gemini Observatory in Chile.
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Astronomers have detected signs of a clockwork-like dimming of the bright star Eta Carinae months earlier than expected, although they can't yet explain why. They suspect the dimming is caused by a hidden stellar companion that disrupts Eta Carinae whenever it comes near.
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The next event is set to occur at the beginning of January 2009, but astronomers report they have already caught the first glimpse of new activity using the Gemini Observatory in Chile.
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The Colliding Spiral Galaxies of Arp 271
July 21, 2008 - APoD
Explanation: What will become of these galaxies? Spiral galaxies NGC 5426 and NGC 5427 are passing dangerously close to each other, but each is likely to survive this collision. Most frequently when galaxies collide, a large galaxy eats a much smaller galaxy. In this case, however, the two galaxies are quite similar, each being a sprawling spiral with expansive arms and a compact core. As the galaxies advance over the next tens of millions of years, their component stars are unlikely to collide, although new stars will form in the bunching of gas caused by gravitational tides. Close inspection of the above image taken by the 8-meter Gemini-South Telescope in Chile shows a bridge of material momentarily connecting the two giants. Known collectively as Arp 271, the interacting pair spans about 130,000 light years and lies about 90 million light-years away toward the constellation of Virgo. Quite possibly, our Milky Way Galaxy will undergo a similar collision with the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy in about five billion years.
eGZeLENS — The extensive Galaxy Zoo LENsing Survey
July 12, 2008 - Aprajita's Blog
... Some of you may have had some interaction with me on the GalaxyZoo Forum on the topic of Gravitational Lenses. My name is Aprajita Verma and I am a researcher at the University of Oxford. I primarily work on galaxies at high redshift trying to understand their nature as we see them, how they began their lives and postulating about their fate.
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As an initial attempt, we applied for observing time for IFS observations with the 8m Gemini Telescope in Chile (see www.gemini.edu). This is one of the world’s largest telescope with a twin telescope (hence the name Gemini) in the northern hemisphere on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
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... Some of you may have had some interaction with me on the GalaxyZoo Forum on the topic of Gravitational Lenses. My name is Aprajita Verma and I am a researcher at the University of Oxford. I primarily work on galaxies at high redshift trying to understand their nature as we see them, how they began their lives and postulating about their fate.
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As an initial attempt, we applied for observing time for IFS observations with the 8m Gemini Telescope in Chile (see www.gemini.edu). This is one of the world’s largest telescope with a twin telescope (hence the name Gemini) in the northern hemisphere on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
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Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Siamese Galaxies and Toothy Fish
June 27, 2008 - New York Times
Siamese twin galaxies. Ninety million light-years away from us, these two, almost identical spiral galaxies, NGC5427, left, and NGC 5426, look like they're doing a do-si-do in the Virgo constellation. The image was taken by the Gemini South telescope in Chile. Although they look like they're just passing by each other, the gravitational tugging has already begun to reshape the two galaxies and set off a wave of star formation. In about 100 million years, the two will merge into one elliptical galaxy.
(Editor's Note: A previous version of this slide show referred incorrectly to the position of the galaxies. They are 90 million light-years away from us, not 90 million light-years apart.)
Siamese twin galaxies. Ninety million light-years away from us, these two, almost identical spiral galaxies, NGC5427, left, and NGC 5426, look like they're doing a do-si-do in the Virgo constellation. The image was taken by the Gemini South telescope in Chile. Although they look like they're just passing by each other, the gravitational tugging has already begun to reshape the two galaxies and set off a wave of star formation. In about 100 million years, the two will merge into one elliptical galaxy.
(Editor's Note: A previous version of this slide show referred incorrectly to the position of the galaxies. They are 90 million light-years away from us, not 90 million light-years apart.)
June 22, 2008
June 27, 2008 - MSNBC
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For a different kind of celestial crack-up, check out the Gemini Observatory's picture of a collision between two nearly identical spiral galaxies in the constellation Virgo, 90 million light-years from Earth. Astronomers have charted the gravitational interaction between NGC 5426 and NGC 5427, and say the galactic dance may serve as a preview of our own Milky Way galaxy's encounter with the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy billions of years from now.
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For a different kind of celestial crack-up, check out the Gemini Observatory's picture of a collision between two nearly identical spiral galaxies in the constellation Virgo, 90 million light-years from Earth. Astronomers have charted the gravitational interaction between NGC 5426 and NGC 5427, and say the galactic dance may serve as a preview of our own Milky Way galaxy's encounter with the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy billions of years from now.
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Siamese Twin Galaxies In A Gravitational Embrace
June 22, 2008 - ScienceDaily
In what appears to be a masterful illusion, astronomers at Gemini Observatory have imaged two nearly identical spiral galaxies in Virgo, 90 million light years distant, in the early stages of a gentle gravitational embrace.
The new image was obtained at the Gemini South telescope in Chile using GMOS, the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph.
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