Space Stories: The End of Arecibo, Early Black Holes, and Habitable Red Dwarf Exoplanets

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Image (Credit): Aerial view of the damaged Arecibo Observatory after one of the main cables holding the receiver broke in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, on December 1, 2020. (Photo by Ricardo ARDUENGO / AFP)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—Scientific American : “Arecibo Observatory Shuts Down Its Science“

After weathering hurricanes, earthquakes, budget cuts and a pandemic-induced shutdown, the iconic Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico closed its doors on 14 August. After its main instrument collapsed two years ago, the site was supposed to shift from carrying out astronomy and other research to being a science education centre. But concrete plans for that have yet to materialize — and funding for current operations has run out. Scientists were disappointed that research would formally halt at the site, but they had hoped to keep some instruments running, both for the students who might use the educational centre and to continue the site’s astronomy legacy. Doubts now swirl, as equipment is taken offline and dismantled, that Arecibo will ever again study the sky.

—Quanta Magazine : “JWST Spots Giant Black Holes All Over the Early Universe“

In recent months, a torrent of observations of the cosmic smudges has delighted and confounded astronomers…The most straightforward explanation for the tornado-hearted galaxies is that large black holes weighing millions of suns are whipping the gas clouds into a frenzy. That finding is both expected and perplexing. It is expected because JWST was built, in part, to find the ancient objects. They are the ancestors of billion-sun behemoth black holes that seem to appear in the cosmic record inexplicably early. By studying these precursor black holes, such as three record-setting youngsters discovered this year, scientists hope to learn where the first humongous black holes came from and perhaps identify which of two competing theories better describes their formation: Did they grow extremely rapidly, or were they simply born big?

—Phys.org : “New Study Suggests Some Exoplanets Orbiting Red Dwarfs May be Habitable After All“

A team of astrophysicists from the University of Bordeaux and Observatoire Astronomique de l’Université de Genève is suggesting that some exoplanets may not have been too hot during their formative years to harbor life today. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group suggests that due to factors not considered in the past, some exoplanets may not have grown so hot that they lost the water in their atmospheres to evaporation into space.

A Day in Astronomy: The Beginning of Radio Astronomy

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Image (Credit): Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array in New Mexico. (NRAO)

On this day in 1933, American physicist and radio engineer Karl Guthe Jansky created the science of radio astronomy by publishing “”Radio Waves From Outside the Solar System” discussing his discovery that radio waves were emanating from the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

Unfortunately, Mr. Jansky was not a trained astronomer, so he was not in a position to develop the field of radio astronomy. He then died at the age of 44, which denied his the chance to earn a Nobel Prize for his finding, though he was nominated for the 1948 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Fortunately, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (NRAO) Very Large Array was later rededicated as the “Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array,” an appropriate gesture to remember his incredible contribution to astronomy.

You can read more about Mr Jansky on this NRAO history page.

Profile: COSMIC

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico. (Jeff Hellermann, NRAO/AUI/NSF)

COSMIC, also known as the Commensal Open-Source Multimode Interferometer Cluster, is part of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) by attempting to find technosignatures using the National Science Foundation’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico. This new project is a joint venture between the SETI Institute and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The initial plan is to search for these technosignatures among about 40 million star systems.

Technosignature are basically indicators of technology not caused by natural phenomena. Examples include radio signals, pollutants, nighttime lighting, megastructures, or even the fallout from a nuclear war (not very optimistic, I know). This is different than the biosignatures that other astronomers are looking for among exoplanets by studying the composition of an exoplanet’s atmosphere.  

The NRAO has created a page on the COSMIC project that provides plenty of details.

It is good to see federal funding going into the SETI program again after Congress walked away from the program in 1993. With all the new evidence coming to us regarding the multitude of exoplanets, it only makes sense to have a multi-pronged approach to find alien life, particularly intelligent life.

Let’s hope COSMIC is the start of a new and stronger SETI partnership.

Evening Skies: First Satellites, and Now Wind Turbines

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Grist.org

Earth-bound astronomers have another force to contend with these days – wind turbines. Yes, the efforts to reduce carbon emissions is increase light emissions around the globe. Why can’t anything be easy?

The Wall Street Journal recently noted that the lights added to wind turbines to make them visible to airplanes is causing light pollution for local residents and astronomers alike. In the article, “Lawmakers Crack Down on Wind-Turbine Lights That Flash All Night,” we learn that a simple fix may save the night sky. Lawmakers in some states are requiring that the warning lights remain off until an aircraft approaches.

Of course, this is a costly solution to the wind turbine operators or they would have done it already. The article states:

Aircraft-detection technology approved by the Federal Aviation Administration has been on the market for a half-dozen years. The systems are estimated to cost $1 million to $2 million to install with additional operating expenses each year. 

That said, it seems to be a fair compromise to allow local citizens to enjoy their evenings. I am not sure if anyone is planning to require the same from cell towers and other commercial structures, but it’s a start.

Happy Astronomy Day!

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois. (Adler Planetarium)

Today is National Astronomy Day (also called International Astronomy Day). You still have time to look to the heavens if you have yet to do so.

The Farmer’s Almanac has this to say about the day:

This “holiday” was created in 1973 by California astronomer Doug Berger. During the first observance, Berger set up telescopes in busy urban locations, such as street corners, parks, and malls, as a way to bring astronomy “to the people.” Since then, the event has grown to international proportions, with amateur astronomy clubs, planetariums, observatories, and other science organizations throughout the world hosting special events twice each year in honor of Astronomy Day.

Yes, the day is almost over, but how about turning the weekend in to an astronomy weekend? Visit a local planetarium. a local telescope, or a space museum to celebrate. Or, even better, make astronomy a more frequent activity in your life by tapping into a local astronomy club or attending astronomy lectures.

Maybe you can even host your own event for the autumn Astronomy Day currently scheduled for September 23rd. That’s right, as noted above, there are two Astronomy Days per year. How many special days give you a second chance like this?