By NewsBlogger A space explosion in the T Coronae Borealis system is set to occur, resulting in an outburst visible to the naked eye for several days, while astronomers have released an image showcasing strong magnetic fields spiraling at the edge of the Milky Way’s central black hole.
At a glance
- A space explosion in the T Coronae Borealis system will be visible to the naked eye for several days.
- The system is a binary system with a white dwarf approximately the size of Earth’s moon.
- T Coronae Borealis will become the brightest star in the constellation of Corona Borealis following the outburst.
- The best time of the year to observe the constellation is approaching, and it can be spotted by following the Plough’s handle in a curve down towards the star Arcturus.
- Astronomers have released an image showcasing strong magnetic fields spiraling at the edge of the Milky Way’s central black hole, Sagittarius A*.
The details
A space explosion in the T Coronae Borealis system is set to occur, resulting in an outburst that will be visible to the naked eye for several days.
This celestial event, known as a nova, will cause a rapid increase in the star’s brightness, giving the system the appearance of a new star shining brightly in the night sky.
The T Coronae Borealis system is a binary system with two stars orbiting each other, with the more massive star being a white dwarf approximately the size of Earth’s moon.
The white dwarf in the system gathers enough material every 80 years to ignite in a thermonuclear explosion, significantly boosting its brightness.
Following the outburst, T Coronae Borealis will become the brightest star in the constellation of Corona Borealis before gradually dimming.
The constellation can be observed in the UK. It rises just after sunset in the Northeast and reaches its highest altitude in the South at 65 degrees above the horizon around 3 a.m.
The best time of the year to observe the constellation is approaching, and it can be spotted by following the Plough’s handle in a curve down towards the star Arcturus in the constellation of Bootes.
T Coronae Borealis can be tracked using binoculars to compare its brightness against other regional stars.
In a separate development, astronomers have released an image showcasing strong magnetic fields spiraling at the edge of the Milky Way’s central black hole.
The image, captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration, reveals organized magnetic fields around the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). Researchers speculate that these strong magnetic fields may be a common feature of all black holes.
The image displays a structure similar to the black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy, generating excitement among researchers.
The first polarised images of Sgr A* demonstrate similarities in polarisation structure with the M87 black hole.
The image depicts orange swirls around the black hole, reminiscent of the Eye of Sauron from Lord Of The Rings.
Polarised light, which is light in which the electric and magnetic fields vibrate in a single plane, plays a crucial role in understanding the dynamics around black holes.
The polarization pattern emitted by particles whirling around magnetic field lines around black holes allows astronomers to gain detailed insights into these regions.
The EHT collaboration, comprising over 300 researchers from various continents, linked eight telescopes worldwide to create a virtual Earth-sized telescope for observing Sgr A*. The Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) and the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) were instrumental in making the observations in 2017. The findings have been published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, shedding new light on the magnetic fields surrounding black holes.
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| independent.co.uk |
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| – A space explosion in the T Coronae Borealis system will result in an outburst visible to the naked eye for several days – The celestial event is called a nova, where a star’s brightness increases rapidly – The explosion will give the system the appearance of a new star shining brightly in the night sky – The T Coronae Borealis system is actually a binary system with two stars orbiting each other – The more massive star in the pair is a white dwarf, roughly the size of Earth’s moon – The white dwarf gathers enough material every 80 years to ignite in a thermonuclear explosion, boosting its brightness immensely – Following the outburst, T Coronae Borealis will be the brightest star in the constellation of Corona Borealis before gradually dimming – The constellation can be seen in the UK, rising just after sunset in the North East – The constellation can be observed at its highest altitude in the South at 65 degrees above the horizon just after 3am – The best time of the year to observe the constellation is approaching – The constellation can be spotted by following the Plough’s handle in a curve down towards the star Arcturus in the constellation of Bootes – T Coronae Borealis can be followed using binoculars to compare its brightness against other stars in the region |
| independent.co.uk |
|---|
| – Astronomers released an image of strong magnetic fields spiralling at the edge of the Milky Way’s central black hole – The image is from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration and shows organised magnetic fields at the edge of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) – Researchers suggest that strong magnetic fields may be common to all black holes – The image reveals a structure similar to the black hole at the middle of the M87 galaxy – The first polarised images of the black hole in the heart of the galaxy were very exciting for researchers – The polarisation structure of Sgr A* is similar to that of the M87 black hole – The image shows orange swirls around the black hole, resembling the Eye of Sauron from Lord Of The Rings – Light is an oscillating electromagnetic wave, and polarised light is light in which the electric and magnetic fields vibrate in a single plane – Human eyes cannot distinguish polarised light from normal light – Particles whirling around magnetic field lines around black holes give off a polarisation pattern, allowing astronomers to see what is happening in black hole regions in more detail – The EHT collaboration involves over 300 researchers from various continents – The collaboration linked eight telescopes around the world to create a virtual Earth-sized telescope to observe Sgr A* – The Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) and the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) were part of the network that made the observations in 2017 – The findings are published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
