Astronomers found a new black hole that is much more massive than it should be in comparison to the mass of its galaxy. The mass of the black hole is 350 million times the mass of the sun, and the mass of the galaxy is 25 billion solar masses. This makes the black hole 30 times larger than it should be for its galaxy.
Source: http://scitechdaily.com/astronomers-discover-an-oversized-black-hole-that-is-350-million-times-the-mass-of-our-sun/
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Magnetic Fields of Planets
Planets have a magnetic field that radiates from its core. These magnetic fields protect planets from the charged particles in the stellar wind and can also protect life on the surfaces of planets by blocking radiation.
A magnetic field is produced by a planet's inner and outer core. The varying pressures and temperatures in the inner and outer core produce convection currents, causing cool matter to sink and warm matter to rise. This whole process results in the production of electric currents, resulting in a magnetic field.
Planets that are close to stars are considered to be "tidally locked" because they are at the mercy of the gravitational pulls of the stars. Tidal locking is where the gravitational force exerted by an astronomical body on another is differential, which causes one side of the body to constantly face the other body. Tidally locked planets can have tidal heating produced by the gravitational pulls of stars, which can have an effect on the magnetic fields of these planets.
Scientists conducted research to determine if tidally locked planets do not have protective magnetic fields. What they found was that tidal heating can make a planet more efficient at dissipating heat, which cools the core of the planet and produces a magnetic field.
Source: http://scitechdaily.com/protective-magnetic-fields-increase-the-chance-for-life-on-earth-like-planets/
Ripples from a Star
Scientists were attempting to find planets forming around a star when they noticed waves moving at 35,000 km/h and sometimes up to 40,000 km/h. They found the the outermost ones are moving faster than the rest, and some are moving fast enough to escape from the gravitational pull from the star. One possible cause of these waves is the star's flaring activity.
Wave movement over the course of four years
Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/astronomers-spy-unexplained-ripples-racing-through-an-infant-solar-system/
High Powered Telescope
Recently, scientists from John Hopkins University shipped a two-story-tall microwave telescope to a base in Chile. It is designed to notice patterns in the cosmic microwave background. The base of the telescope has four cylinders, which have detectors that receive signals. Within the next two years, three additional cylinders will be mounted to increase the quality of the observations. It is supposed to be the best telescope for observing the cosmic microwave background.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150930150123.htm
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150930150123.htm
New Mid-sized Black Hole
Two types of black holes make up the majority of all black holes: supermassive black holes and stellar mass black holes. Mid-sized black holes exist as well, but they are harder to come by (only about half a dozen of them have been discovered).
Astronomers recently found evidence for the existence of another mid-sized black hole that is about 5000 times the mass of our sun. It is an ultraluminous X-ray source, which makes it one of the brightest X-ray sources in the universe. These astronomers also noticed flares in the vicinity of the black hole. One flashed at 27.6 times per minute, and the other one flashed at 17.4 times per minute, yielding a ratio of 3:2, which seems to be a common feature of both mid-sized black holes and stellar mass black holes.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150921095148.htm
Astronomers recently found evidence for the existence of another mid-sized black hole that is about 5000 times the mass of our sun. It is an ultraluminous X-ray source, which makes it one of the brightest X-ray sources in the universe. These astronomers also noticed flares in the vicinity of the black hole. One flashed at 27.6 times per minute, and the other one flashed at 17.4 times per minute, yielding a ratio of 3:2, which seems to be a common feature of both mid-sized black holes and stellar mass black holes.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150921095148.htm
Pairs of Supermassive Black Holes
A pair of supermassive black holes is produced when two galaxies collide. This occurrence produces a source of gravitational waves, which scientists have been attempting to detect using various methods. Some astronomers have even begun to observe fast-rotating pulsers to try and detect these gravitational waves.
Recently, scientists examined "X-shaped radio galaxies" to acquire data for galaxy mergers and supermassive black hole pairs. They found that less than about 1.3% of galaxies with extended radio emission have produced mergers, which is five times less than previously thought. They concluded that there are fewer pairs of supermassive black holes than previous estimates.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150921141439.htm
Recently, scientists examined "X-shaped radio galaxies" to acquire data for galaxy mergers and supermassive black hole pairs. They found that less than about 1.3% of galaxies with extended radio emission have produced mergers, which is five times less than previously thought. They concluded that there are fewer pairs of supermassive black holes than previous estimates.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150921141439.htm
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