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Alison Klesman@Astronomy Magazine - 44d
The winter solstice occurred on December 21st, 2024 at 09:21 UTC, marking the shortest day and longest night of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. This astronomical event happens when the Earth's Northern Hemisphere is at its maximum tilt away from the sun. A NOAA satellite, GOES-16, captured an image of the Earth at the precise moment of this tilt. This event marks the official start of astronomical winter, and signifies a turning point where daylight hours will gradually increase until the summer solstice. The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky on this day, and after the solstice, the noontime sun's elevation appears to remain the same for a few days before rising.
In other astronomical news, scientists have made a surprising discovery in the center of the Milky Way galaxy. For the first time, binary stars were observed orbiting the supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*. This discovery, made using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, challenges previously held beliefs about star formation in extreme environments. The binary system, named D9, is estimated to be only 2.7 million years old, and is surrounded by gas and dust, indicating that the galactic center might be a surprisingly good environment for star formation, despite the intense gravitational forces from the black hole. The findings suggest that stable stellar and potentially planetary systems may form closer to black holes than scientists once thought.
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@mars.nasa.gov - 67d
NASA Goddard has released a stunning visualization of two black holes, millions of times the mass of our sun, orbiting each other and bending the light around them. This breathtaking animation provides a glimpse into the complex dynamics of these celestial giants. Meanwhile, new research suggests that a previously unknown type of dark matter may be key to understanding how supermassive black holes merge, a process that has long puzzled astrophysicists. These merging events, the source of gravitational waves detected by pulsar timing arrays, are believed to involve black holes overcoming a significant hurdle in the final stages of their approach.
The discovery of more black holes in the early universe than previously reported offers crucial insights into the formation of supermassive black holes. Scientists are still piecing together how the first black holes formed soon after the Big Bang, but these findings help to illuminate the process. A separate study highlights an unusually voracious black hole, LID-568, consuming material at a rate 40 times the theoretical limit, further contributing to our understanding of supermassive black hole growth. This black hole, observed by the James Webb Space Telescope, existed a mere 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. On a different front, NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars continues its exploration. Recent discoveries include a flat rock in the Pico Turquino region deemed worthy of in-depth analysis. The rover's abrasion tool has already prepared the rock for detailed examination using UV and X-ray spectroscopy, which will shed light on its mineral composition. These findings add to the growing body of knowledge about the geological history of Mars, offering more pieces to the puzzle of its past.
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