Evidence for Direct Collapse Black Holes

Originally shared by Pierre Markuse

Evidence for Direct Collapse Black Holes

Scientists using the Chandra, Hubble, and Spitzer Telescopes have found evidence for direct collapse black holes. The two possible direct collapse black holes are so distant that they may have formed less than one billion years after the Big Bang.

"Our discovery, if confirmed, explains how these monster black holes were born," said Fabio Pacucci of Scuola Normale Superiore (SNS) in Pisa, Italy, who led the study. "We found evidence that supermassive black hole seeds can form directly from the collapse of a giant gas cloud, skipping any intermediate steps."

Read the full story here:
http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2016/bhseeds/

Paper:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1603.08522

More on black holes:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermassive_black_hole

Image credit: This artist's illustration depicts a possible "seed" for the formation of a supermassive black hole, that is an object that contains millions or even billions of times the mass of the Sun. X-ray: NASA/CXC/Scuola Normale Superiore/Pacucci, F. et al, Optical: NASA/STScI; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss http://goo.gl/1O85Rq

#science   #astronomy   #astrophysics   #blackhole   #supermassiveblackholes   #directcollapseblackhole   #chandra   #hubble   #spitzer

First Detection of Super-Earth Atmosphere

Originally shared by Pierre Markuse

First Detection of Super-Earth Atmosphere

For the first time astronomers were able to analyse the atmosphere of an exoplanet in the class known as super-Earths (https://goo.gl/GgciDp). Using data gathered with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and new analysis techniques, the exoplanet 55 Cancri e is revealed to have a dry atmosphere without any indications of water vapour. The results, to be published in the Astrophysical Journal, indicate that the atmosphere consists mainly of hydrogen and helium. The international team, led by scientists from University College London (UCL) in the UK, took observations of the nearby exoplanet 55 Cancri e (https://goo.gl/0eGhSW), a super-Earth with a mass of eight Earth-masses. It is located in the planetary system of 55 Cancri (https://goo.gl/iSkLVq), a star about 40 light-years from Earth.

Full story here:
http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1603/

What is an exoplanet?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exoplanet

How do we detect exoplanets?

If you have seven minutes and would like an easy and interesting explanation of different techniques (Doppler Technique, Direct Imaging, Light Curves, Transit Timing Variations, Microlensing) to detect planets in other star systems take a look at this video:
https://youtu.be/zFPnOUSdMdc

Image credit: This artist’s impression shows the exoplanet 55 Cancri e as close-up. Due to its proximity to its parent star, the temperatures on the surface of the planet are thought to reach about 2000 degrees Celsius. ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser http://goo.gl/MbCm1U

#science   #astronomy   #hubble   #55Cancrie   #55Cancri  #space #exoplanet #atmosphere #superearth

Hey N7 owners, I might have something for you: Space!

Originally shared by Alexander Kettler

Hey N7 owners, I might have something for you: Space! Stars & Clouds 3D! A Live Wallpaper showing views of stars and interstellar gas clouds on your home screen. Think of pictures from #hubble #space #telescope in 3D on your #android :-)
Free Download: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.codekonditor.space
XL Version: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.codekonditor.xl.space

Looking forward to your comments, ideas, suggestions, ...

Cheers! And have a great new year 2016 :-) !!!
Alex

P.S.: If you like it and want to support my work, please feel free to share with all your friends :-)

Hubble Survey Unlocks Clues to Star Birth in Neighboring Galaxy

Originally shared by Pierre Markuse

Hubble Survey Unlocks Clues to Star Birth in Neighboring Galaxy

In a survey of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope images of 2,753 young, blue star clusters in the neighboring Andromeda galaxy (M31), astronomers have found that M31 and our own galaxy have a similar percentage of newborn stars based on mass. By nailing down what percentage of stars have a particular mass within a cluster, or the Initial Mass Function (IMF), scientists can better interpret the light from distant galaxies and understand the formation history of stars in our universe.

Full story here:
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2015/18/full/

More on star formation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_formation

More on the Andromeda galaxy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Galaxy

Image credit: M31, Andromeda Galaxy NASA, ESA, J. Dalcanton, B.F. Williams, L.C. Johnson (University of Washington), and the PHAT team http://goo.gl/cl2GLp

#science   #m31   #andromedagalaxy   #hubble   #space   #starformation   #imf   #milkywaygalaxy