James Webb Space Telescope (1 Viewer)

Anyone remember this happening in 1987? I don’t, this is my first time reading about it
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It was a young, hot, bright blue star, what they call a blue supergiant, twinkling in the dwarf galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud. But there are many such stars, and there was nothing terribly unusual about it. No reason to give it a second look.


Until it blew.


Supernova 1987A was the brightest exploding star seen in the past 400 years. It was literally a blast from the past: The light from the supernova “blazed with the power of 100 million suns,” as NASA put it, and traveled for 160,000 years before reaching Earth and thrilling astronomers on Feb. 23, 1987.

The new “star” in the night sky could be seen with the naked eye for months before fading.
In the decades since, scientists have wondered what, exactly, was left behind in that violent explosion.

Theorists advanced two possibilities: a black hole or an ultradense object known as a neutron star.


A new paper published Thursday in the journal Science, based on observations by the James Webb Space Telescope, claims to have resolved the debate, saying there are compelling signs of a neutron star hiding in the explosion’s debris field.


Neutron stars have been identified before, but, if the latest report holds up to further scrutiny, this is by far the youngest, freshest such object even seen. It is still cooling down. For astrophysicists, it’s like being present at the creation of something rare and exotic.


“Neutron stars are common, but we haven’t seen any one being born from a star,” said Claes Fransson, an astronomer at Stockholm University and lead author of the new report……

 
Somewhat related. And lovely.

Voyager 1 is probably one of our (I will say humanity's) greatest achievements ever... The idea of it dying all alone by itself all the way out there after such a heroic mission makes me think a bit of a combo of Wall-E/V.I.N.CENT hurtling into the void in a similar way. A scrappy fighter that punched light years above its weight to go above and beyond what it was designed for. Fare thee well Voyager 1...
 
Astronomers have observed a distant planet that could be entirely covered in a deep water ocean, in findings that advance the search for habitable conditions beyond Earth.

The observations, by Nasa’s James Webb space telescope (JWST), revealed water vapour and chemical signatures of methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the exoplanet, which is twice Earth’s radius and about 70 light years away. This chemical mix is consistent with a water world where the ocean would span the entire surface, and a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, according to researchers from the University of Cambridge, although they do not envisage a balmy, inviting seascape.

“The ocean could be upwards of 100 degrees [Celsius] or more,” said Prof Nikku Madhusudhan, who led the analysis. At high atmospheric pressure, an ocean this hot could still be liquid, “but it’s not clear if it would be habitable,” he added.……

 
Astronomers have observed a distant planet that could be entirely covered in a deep water ocean, in findings that advance the search for habitable conditions beyond Earth.

The observations, by Nasa’s James Webb space telescope (JWST), revealed water vapour and chemical signatures of methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the exoplanet, which is twice Earth’s radius and about 70 light years away. This chemical mix is consistent with a water world where the ocean would span the entire surface, and a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, according to researchers from the University of Cambridge, although they do not envisage a balmy, inviting seascape.

“The ocean could be upwards of 100 degrees [Celsius] or more,” said Prof Nikku Madhusudhan, who led the analysis. At high atmospheric pressure, an ocean this hot could still be liquid, “but it’s not clear if it would be habitable,” he added.……

 
DALLAS (AP) — NASA’s Webb Space Telescope has revealed the sharpest images yet of a portion of a horse-shaped nebula, showing the “mane” in finer detail.

The Horsehead Nebula, in the constellation Orion, is 1,300 light-years away. A light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles (9.7 trillion kilometers).

Discovered over a century ago, its nickname derives from its striking appearance — a wispy pillar of gas and dust that resembles a horse rearing its head.

Webb’s latest infrared images released Monday captured the top of Horsehead in greater detail, illuminating clouds of chilly hydrogen molecules and soot-like chemicals. These glamour shots can help refine astronomers’ understanding of the nebula, which acts as a nursery for big stars to brew.…..


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DALLAS (AP) — NASA’s Webb Space Telescope has revealed the sharpest images yet of a portion of a horse-shaped nebula, showing the “mane” in finer detail.

The Horsehead Nebula, in the constellation Orion, is 1,300 light-years away. A light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles (9.7 trillion kilometers).

Discovered over a century ago, its nickname derives from its striking appearance — a wispy pillar of gas and dust that resembles a horse rearing its head.

Webb’s latest infrared images released Monday captured the top of Horsehead in greater detail, illuminating clouds of chilly hydrogen molecules and soot-like chemicals. These glamour shots can help refine astronomers’ understanding of the nebula, which acts as a nursery for big stars to brew.…..


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With the increased clarity and colour, it now more resembles a Jim Hensen muppet creation than the head of a horse.

We may have to rename it...
 

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