For the first time, astronomers have observed bursts of visible light being released by a black hole as it swallows matter from nearby stars.
These flashes of light, which lasted between several minutes to a few hours, were seen coming from a black hole in the Cygnus constellation, located about 7,800 light-years away from Earth. Incredibly, some of the flashes were so bright, the team says amateur astronomers could see them with a modest 20-cm telescope.
“We find that activity in the vicinity of a black hole can be observed in optical light at low luminosity for the first time,” astronomer and lead researcher, Mariko Kimura from Kyoto University in Japan, told Charles Q. Choi at Space.com.
“These findings suggest that we can study physical phenomena that occur in the vicinity of the black hole using moderate optical telescopes without high-spec X-ray or gamma-ray telescopes.”
Continue Reading.
Thankful for views like this one —————————————– Camera Info •Canon 5D Mk3 •Canon 16-35mm F2.8 •16mm •F2.8 Aperture •30" Exposure •6400 ISO •WB3785 —————————————–#justinhartney #nature #pnwwonderland #nightphotography #ThatPNWLife #Ourlonelyplanet #traveloregon #eugene #universityoforegon #uoregon #feedbacknation #thatNWadventure #wildernessculture #modernoutdoors #watchthisinstagood #folkmagazine #theearthoutdoors #thevisualcollective #oregonexplored #beautifuldestinations #nwc10k #vsco #wishyouwerenorthwest #visitbend #1859Oregon #canon_photos #llbeanmoment #bendmag #optoutside #columbia1938 (at Bend, Oregon)
Planets: Life
Mercury: What’s your full name?
Venus: What’s your first language?
Earth: Where’s your home?
Mars: What’s your sexuality?
Jupiter: Do you have any siblings?
Saturn: Any pets?
Uranus: What’s your hobby?
Neptune: When’s your birthday?
Pluto: What time is it right now where you are?
Moon: What are you currently studying/hope to study?
Stars: Experiences
Sun: Have you ever had alcohol?
Sirius: Have you ever failed a class?
Rigel: Have you ever gone on a rollercoaster?
Deneb: Have you ever been out of your home country?
Arcturus: Have you cried out of something other than sadness?
Betelgeuse: What’s something you can never forget about?
Aldebaran: What’s something you care desperately about?
Canopus: Have you ever broken a bone?
Bellatrix: Have you ever been forced to lie/keep a secret?
Alphard: Have you ever lost a friend?
Vega: What’s something you’ve done that you wish you hadn’t?
Constellations: Favourites
Centaurus: Favourite holiday?
Orion: Favourite month?
Cassiopeia: Favourite book?
Delphinus: Favourite study?
Hercules: Favourite instrument?
Gemini: Favourite song?
Pegasus: Favourite place to be?
Libra: Favourite colour?
Phoenix: Favourite thing to wear?
Aries: Favourite movie?
Cygnus: Favourite weather?
Hydra: Favourite sound?
Galaxies: Love/Friends
Milky Way: Who’s your oldest friend?
Andromeda: Do you consider yourself social?
Black Eye Galaxy: Do you believe in love at first sight?
Cartwheel Galaxy: When was your first kiss?
Cigar Galaxy: How’s your flirting skills?
Comet Galaxy: Have you ever had to leave a relationship because someone changed too much?
Pinwheel Galaxy: Would you date the last person you talked to?
Sombrero Galaxy: Do you have a crush right now?
Bode’s Galaxy: Have you ever had a secret admirer?
Sunflower Galaxy: Would you date/make friends with someone out of pity?
Tadpole Galaxy: Would you deny a relationship/friendship?
Whirlpool Galaxy: Have you ever cried over a breakup?
Other stuff: Wishes
Comet: What’s your big dream?
Asteroid: What does your dream life look like?
Meteor: What’s something you wish you could tell, but can’t?
Nebula: If you could undo one thing in your life, what would it be?
Shooting Star: If you could bring back one thing, what would it be?
Pulsar: What do you hope to do in the next 10 years?
Supernova: What’s one thing you want to do before you die?
Quasar: If you could spend the rest of your life with only one person, who would it be?
Wormhole: What’s something you wish would happen, but know won’t?
Black Hole: What’s the last thing you want to see?
Saturn and its largest moon reflect their true colors http://ift.tt/1lnhm8l
I’m on day 321 of my #YearInSpace, and today I surpassed 500 days in space total. Let’s chat! Sat., Feb. 13 at 1:45 p.m. ET.
What music do you listen to most?
A wide variety. I created this Spotify playlist of the songs I’ve listened to most during my Year in Space.
This high-resolution image captured by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft shows the bright expanse of the western lobe of Pluto’s “heart,” or Sputnik Planitia, which is rich in nitrogen, carbon monoxide and methane ices.
Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI
A Message from Earth (AMFE) is a high-powered digital radio signal that was sent on 9 October 2008 towards Gliese 581 c, a large terrestrial extrasolar planet orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 581. The signal is a digital time capsule containing messages that were selected through a competition. The message was sent using the RT-70 radar telescope of Ukraine’s National Space Agency. The signal will reach the planet Gliese 581 c in early 2029. Many people including celebrities and politicians participated in the AMFE project, which was the world’s first digital time capsule where the content was selected by the public.
More info HERE
More info on Gliese 581 c HERE
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M45, The Pleiades Star Cluster
"Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another." - Plato
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