There’s a new comet in the sky that has gained a lot of attention lately over its potential to become visible to the naked eye. Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) was discovered by observatories in China and South Africa in early 2023. Believed to have originated from the Oort Cloud — a giant spherical shell that … Read more
Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole, located 9 billion light-years away, amid a cosmic feast as it devours one of the largest stars ever observed in a ‘tidal disruption event’ (TDE). This rare phenomenon, designated AT2023vto, is marked by the black hole shredding a star roughly nine times the mass of our Sun and … Read more
The moon may be our constant companion, but there’s still a lot we have yet to understand about it. For example, it was only during the Apollo missions in the 1960s and ’70s that we discovered it has an atmosphere, tenuous as it is. “People do not even know that the moon has an atmosphere,” said Nicole … Read more
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have imaged a planet that is, relatively speaking, in our galactic backyard — and that fresh data has led to new details about this massive “cold” Jupiter. The gas giant exoplanet has the unceremonious name of Epsilon Ind Ab. Epsilon (or “Eps”) is the fifth letter in the Greek … Read more
An uncommon celestial occurrence is set to take place on July 25, as the Moon will move across the face of the sixth planet from the sun and the second largest in the solar system, the Saturn, temporarily hiding the planet from sight, referred to as an occultation for stargazers and astronomers to witness.According to … Read more
NEW DELHI: Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has delivered groundbreaking observations of the Crab Nebula, providing astronomers with unprecedented insights into this iconic supernova remnant‘s origins. Using its advanced NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), the telescope has captured intricate structural details that reveal new aspects of the nebula’s formation and composition.The Crab … Read more
NEW DELHI: Astronomers have discovered new details about a star system HM Sge that burst into scene 40 years ago. It had erupted 250 times brighter within a span of just five months and became known for its luminosity. Utilizing data from Nasa’s Hubble Space Telescope and the retired Sofia (Stratospheric observatory for infrared astronomy), … Read more
NEW DELHI: Indian astronomers are poised to play a pivotal role in the global effort of the 16-nation Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO), an ambitious venture set to embark on scanning the cosmos in 2027. India, which joined the consortium in January, is among the key contributors to what is hailed as the largest telescope … Read more
The citizen science program Active Asteroids is looking for volunteers from the public to sift through astronomical photographs of asteroids to look for signs of tails which may indicate the presence of water. Active asteroids are rare small bodies in our solar system with an asteroid-like orbit and comet-like tail. Spotting them is a bit … Read more
You may have heard the joke by now: “How do you organize a solar eclipse party? You planet.” But you could also let someone plan it for you. And throughout the Hamilton-Niagara region — home to some of the best areas in Canada to see the total solar eclipse on April 8 — there are plenty of options. That … Read more
