astronomy | Common News Update

May192021 by adminNo Comments

NASA eyes moon’s dark side for astronomy, new telescopes

Science

May 19 (UPI) -- NASA scientists, as well as astronomers around the world, plan to install lunar observatories in the next few years to peer into the universe's ancient past -- just after the Big Bang. Science equipment headed to the moon already includes a spectrometer built for launch in early 2022, known as ROLSES, which will study how sunlight charges the slight lunar atmosphere. Advertisement The acronym includes the word "sheath," which refers to a field of energy created by sunlight reflecting from the bright lunar surface. And NASA scientists are formulating plans for observatories on the far side of the moon, where darkness and clear sightlines could yield new discoveries about the universe before stars existed. One bold plan to build a telescope in a lunar crater, the Lunar Crat...

‘Black neutron star’ discovery changes astronomy

Science

Scientists have discovered an astronomical object that has never been observed before.It is more massive than collapsed stars, known as "neutron stars", but has less mass than black holes.Such "black neutron stars" were not thought possible and will mean ideas for how neutron stars and black holes form will need to be rethought.The discovery was made by an international team using gravitational wave detectors in the US and Italy.Charlie Hoy, a PhD student from Cardiff University, UK, involved in the study, said the new discovery would transform our understanding."We can't rule out any possibilities," he told BBC News. "We don't know what it is and this is why it is so exciting because it really does change our field." ...

Conservationists use astronomy software to save species

Science

Researchers are using astronomical techniques used to study distant stars to survey endangered species.The team of scientists is developing a system to automatically identify animals using a camera that has been mounted on a drone.It is able to identify them from the heat they give off, even when vegetation is in the way.Details of the system were presented at the annual meeting of the European Astronomical Society in Liverpool, UK.The idea was developed by Serge Wich, a conservationist at Liverpool John Moores University, and Dr Steve Longmore, an astrophysicist at the same university. He says that the system has the potential to greatly improve the accuracy of monitoring endangered species and so help save endangered species."Conservation is not only about the numbers of animals but also...