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Monster planet is 'dancing with the stars'

Astronomers have discovered a planetary system with an enormous planet sandwiched between a Sun-like star and a dwarf star. The planet's massive eccentric orbit indicates gravitational influence from the dwarf star, leading to Kozai oscillations that cause it to 'dance' between the two stars.

SourceCarnegie Institution for Science·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·DateDec 16, 2015

Probing the innards of stars

Researchers have developed a new method to probe the internal magnetic fields of red giant stars using asteroseismology. This technique involves analyzing variations in light emitted from a star as due to sound waves from its interior, revealing strong internal magnetic fields in these stars.

SourceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)·JournalScience·DateOct 22, 2015
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Garmin GPSMAP 67i with inReach provides rugged GNSS navigation, satellite messaging, and SOS for backcountry geology and climate field teams.

Astronomers peer inside stars, finding giant magnets

Researchers used asteroseismology to probe magnetic fields in the cores of red giants, finding them strongly magnetized. The strong fields disrupt gravity waves, causing energy loss and affecting star evolution.

SourceCalifornia Institute of Technology·JournalScience·DateOct 22, 2015

Magnetic hide and seek

Researchers use asteroseismology to track waves through stars and determine internal properties, finding nearly a million times stronger magnetic fields than typical refrigerator magnets. This technique allows probing of previously hidden regions of stars.

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Barbara·JournalScience·DateOct 22, 2015

Precise ages of largest number of stars hosting planets ever measured

A new study has precisely measured the ages of 33 Kepler stars with solar-like oscillations, revealing that even stars older than 11 billion years have Earth-like planets. The research uses asteroseismology to analyze tiny variations in starlight and provides a large sample for studying galactic archeology.

SourceAarhus University·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateJun 29, 2015

Circular orbits identified for small exoplanets

A team of astronomers found that 74 Earth-sized exoplanets orbit their stars in circular patterns, contrary to expectations. This discovery suggests that small planets may maintain stable climates year-round, making them more hospitable to life.

SourceMassachusetts Institute of Technology·DateJun 1, 2015
Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas, 2nd Edition

Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas, 2nd Edition is a durable star atlas for planning sessions, identifying targets, and teaching celestial navigation.

Finding hints of gravitational waves in the stars

Researchers have found that stars that oscillate at the same frequency as gravitational waves can absorb energy from those waves and brighten temporarily. This effect could provide scientists with another method to indirectly detect gravitational waves.

SourceAmerican Museum of Natural History·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateSep 22, 2014

New satellite data like an ultrasound for baby stars

A team of 20 scientists monitored the 'heartbeats' of young stars using data from two space telescopes. They found that emerging stars pulsate slowly at first, then faster as they near ignition, revealing insights into their internal structures and ages.

SourceUniversity of British Columbia·JournalScience·DateJul 3, 2014

A brighter method for measuring the surface gravity of distant stars

Astronomers have developed a new technique to measure the surface gravity of distant stars, which is crucial for calculating their physical properties and evolutionary state. The technique has been shown to be more accurate than existing methods and can significantly improve estimates of exoplanet sizes.

SourceVanderbilt University·JournalNature·DateAug 21, 2013
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Pulsating star sheds light on exoplanet

A team of researchers has developed a new method to measure the internal properties of stars, enabling more accurate assessments of their orbiting planets. By using asteroseismology, they were able to determine the mass and rotation rate of a pulsating star, confirming the existence of an exoplanet in its orbit.

SourceNew York University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJul 29, 2013

Peering into the heart of a supernova

Researchers at Caltech found a correlation between the neutrino signal and the gravitational-wave signal that occurs when the proto-neutron star reaches high rotational velocities. This discovery provides new insights into understanding the explosion process in massive stars.

SourceCalifornia Institute of Technology·JournalPhysical Review D·DateJul 12, 2012

Astronomers with NASA's Kepler Mission find 'puzzling pair of planets'

Astronomers have found two planets with diverse densities and compositions locked in close orbits, defying the planetary pattern of our solar system. The discovery, made possible by NASA's Kepler Mission, reveals a 'puzzling pair' that challenges theories on planet migration and orbital rearrangement.

SourceIowa State University·JournalScience·DateJun 21, 2012
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Planetrise

The newly discovered two-planet system of Kepler-36 features a rocky planet Kepler-36b and a gas giant Kepler-36c that experience close encounters every 97 days. Researchers are struggling to understand how these worlds ended up in such tight orbits, but the discovery has significant implications for the search for exoplanets.

SourceCenter for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian·JournalScience·DateJun 21, 2012

Astronomers discover deep-fried planets

Researchers have discovered two planets that survived being engulfed by their parent star, shedding new light on stellar and planetary systems. The discovery may also offer insights into the possible future of our own solar system.

SourceUniversity of Arizona·JournalNature·DateDec 21, 2011

The turbulent lives of stars

Researchers have detected stellar oscillations in a hotter star, revealing insights into its internal structure and composition. The discovery was made possible by the Kepler space telescope and provides new information on the processes that govern stellar behavior.

SourceUniversity of Vienna·JournalNature·DateSep 15, 2011
GQ GMC-500Plus Geiger Counter

GQ GMC-500Plus Geiger Counter logs beta, gamma, and X-ray levels for environmental monitoring, training labs, and safety demonstrations.

World's observatories watching 'cool' star

Scientists are synchronizing lenses of the Whole Earth Telescope network to monitor a white dwarf, shedding light on its composition and applying knowledge to Earth's weather. The star, WDJ1524-0030, is losing brightness as it cools, with astronomers studying its pulses to understand internal movements.

SourceUniversity of Delaware·DateMay 15, 2009

The good vibrations of nearby stars

Researchers analyzed data from the CoRoT space telescope mission, finding that three nearby stars have larger vibrations and finer surface texture than our Sun. The study provides valuable information about the physical properties of nearby stars and sheds new light on the Sun's interior.

SourceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)·JournalScience·DateOct 23, 2008

Has SOHO ended a 30-year quest for solar ripples?

Astronomers using the Global Oscillation at Low Frequency (GOLF) instrument on SOHO have detected possible long-sought oscillations on the Sun's surface. This finding provides insight into the Sun's core and its role in the formation of our solar system.

SourceEuropean Space Agency·JournalScience·DateMay 3, 2007
SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB transfers large imagery and model outputs quickly between field laptops, lab workstations, and secure archives.

MIT: Spinning black hole leaves dent in space-time

Researchers have discovered a remarkably stable indentation in the fabric of space and time, created by the spin of a black hole. The finding is based on identical patterns observed in X-ray light emitted near the black hole nine years apart, using NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer.

SourceMassachusetts Institute of Technology·DateJan 10, 2006
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro)

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro) powers local ML workloads, large datasets, and multi-display analysis for field and lab teams.

Canada's first space telescope finds stellar 'Flat Liner'

The MOST team discovered that star Procyon shows no pulsations, overturning 20 years of previous research and forcing future space missions to revise their strategies. The tiny satellite measured brightness variations more precisely than any other instrument, revealing a new perspective on the stars in our Galactic backyard.

SourceUniversity of British Columbia·JournalNature·DateJun 30, 2004

Gamma-Ray Bursts: Spindown Of Cosmic Flywheels

A rapidly spinning neutron star can naturally produce a Gamma-ray burst by oscillating and radiating its rotation energy. The spin-down process is triggered by the gravitational wave instability, which grows explosively in hours or minutes, strengthening the magnetic field and eventually radiating away all remaining rotation energy.

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·DateDec 3, 1998