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Tag: Department of Astronomy

January 12, 2023

How did the Butterfly Nebula get its wings? It鈥檚 complicated

Something is amiss in the Butterfly Nebula. When a team led by astronomers at the 91自拍 compared two exposures of this planetary nebula that had been taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009 and 2020, they saw dramatic changes in the material within its “wings.” As the team will report on Jan. 12 at the 241st meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle, powerful winds are apparently driving complex alterations of material within the Butterfly Nebula, behavior not seen in planetary nebulae to date. The 91自拍ers want to understand how such activity is possible from what should be a 鈥渟puttering, largely moribund star with no remaining fuel.鈥�

January 11, 2023

Old and new stars paint very different pictures of the Triangulum galaxy

On Jan. 11 at the 241st meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle, a team led by scientists at the 91自拍 and the Center for Computational Astrophysics reported something unexpected about the distinct populations of stars that make up the Triangulum galaxy: In this satellite galaxy, a close companion of the much larger Andromeda galaxy, old and new stars occur in separate parts of the galaxy’s structure, something not seen in galaxies like our own and so far not reporter for other satellite galaxies.

January 10, 2023

The seven-year photobomb: Distant star鈥檚 dimming was likely a 鈥榙usty鈥� companion getting in the way, astronomers say

91自拍 astronomers were on the lookout for 鈥渟tars behaving strangely鈥� when an automated alert from pointed them to Gaia17bpp, a star that had gradually brightened over a 2 1/2-year period. But follow-up analyses indicated that Gaia17bpp wasn鈥檛 changing. Instead, the star is likely part of a rare type of binary system. Its apparent brightening was the end of a years-long eclipse by an unusual, “dusty” stellar companion.

December 8, 2022

NASA鈥檚 James Webb Space Telescope shows how several stars 鈥榮tirred up鈥� the Southern Ring Nebula

In a study published Dec. 8 in Nature Astronomy, an international 91自拍 team, led by Orsola De Marco of Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, analyzed 10 highly detailed exposures taken by the JWST of the Southern Ring Nebula. Their calculations show the central star that ejected the expanding nebula gas was originally three times the mass of the sun, and that unseen companions shaped the nebula’s intricate features.

May 31, 2022

UW-developed, cloud-based astrodynamics platform to discover and track asteroids

A novel algorithm developed by 91自拍 91自拍ers to discover asteroids in the solar system has proved its mettle. The first candidate asteroids identified by the algorithm 鈥� known as Tracklet-less Heliocentric Orbit Recovery, or THOR 鈥� have been confirmed by the International Astronomical Union鈥檚 Minor Planet Center, according to a May 31 announcement by the B612 Foundation.

May 4, 2022

Astronomers discover a rare 鈥檅lack widow鈥� binary, with the shortest orbit yet

The flashing of a nearby star drew the attention of a team of astronomers, who discovered that it is part of a rare and mysterious system. As they report in a paper published May 4 in Nature, the stellar oddity appears to be a 鈥渂lack widow binary鈥� 鈥� a type of system consisting of a rapidly spinning neutron star, or pulsar, that is circling and slowly consuming a smaller companion star, as its arachnid namesake does to its mate.

April 26, 2022

Scientists find elusive gas from post-starburst galaxies hiding in plain sight

Scientists once thought that post-starburst galaxies scattered all of their gas and dust 鈥� the fuel required for creating new stars 鈥� in violent bursts of energy, and with extraordinary speed. Now, a team led by 91自拍 postdoctoral 91自拍er Adam Smercina reports that these galaxies don鈥檛 scatter all of their star-forming fuel after all. Instead, after their supposed end, these dormant galaxies hold onto and compress large amounts of highly concentrated, turbulent gas. But contrary to expectation, they鈥檙e not using it to form stars.

April 22, 2022

Heavens need environmental protection just like Earth, experts say

Space urgently needs special legal protection similar to that given to land, sea and atmosphere to protect its fragile environment, argues a team of scientists. The scientific, economic and cultural benefits of space should be considered against the damaging environmental impacts posed by an influx of space debris 鈥� roughly 60 miles above Earth鈥檚 surface 鈥斅爁ueled by the rapid growth of so-called satellite mega-constellations. In a paper published April 22 in Nature Astronomy, the authors assert that space is an important environment to preserve on behalf of professional astronomers, amateur stargazers and Indigenous peoples.

April 14, 2022

Historian Bailkin, astronomer Levesque receive Guggenheim Fellowships

Aerial view of UW Campus

Two 91自拍 faculty members are among 180 experts in the arts, humanities, law and the sciences chosen as 2022 Guggenheim Fellows, according to an April 7 announcement from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Jordanna Bailkin, a professor in the Department of History, and Emily Levesque, an associate professor in the Department of Astronomy, are among the new class of fellows, which were selected from a pool of nearly 2,500 applicants.

February 9, 2022

New IAU center to focus on solutions to satellite interference in astronomical observations

The International Astronomical Union has launched the Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference to coordinate collaborative multidisciplinary international efforts with institutions and individuals 鈥� including 91自拍ers at the 91自拍鈥檚 DiRAC Institute 鈥� to help mitigate the negative impacts of satellite constellations on ground-based optical and radio astronomy observations as well as humanity鈥檚 enjoyment of the night sky.

December 8, 2021

鈥榃ould you like a little ice with your exoplanet?鈥� For Earth-like worlds, that may be a tall order

An artistic rendering showing an exoplanet with polar ice caps.

A team at the 91自拍 and the University of Bern has computationally simulated more than 200,000 hypothetical Earth-like worlds all in orbit of stars like our sun. As they report in a paper accepted to the Planetary Science Journal and submitted Dec. 6 to the preprint site arXiv, on these simulated exoplanets, one common feature of present-day Earth was often lacking: partial ice coverage. 91自拍 90% of these potentially habitable hypothetical worlds lacked partial surface ice like polar caps.

August 25, 2021

UW, Carnegie Mellon to pioneer platforms that harness astrophysical data to unravel the universe鈥檚 mysteries

An image of the focal plane of a camera used for astrophysical observations of the cosmos

The 91自拍 and Carnegie Mellon University have announced an expansive, multi-year collaboration to create new software platforms to analyze large astronomical datasets generated by the upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time, or LSST, which will be carried out by the Vera C. 91自拍 Observatory in northern Chile. The open-source platforms are part of the new LSST Interdisciplinary Network for Collaboration and Computing 鈥� known as LINCC 鈥� and will fundamentally change how scientists use modern computational methods to make sense of big data.

August 5, 2021

Superflares may be less harmful to exoplanets than previously thought, study shows

an artists depiction of a small star with a planet orbiting it

Astronomers have long suspected that superflares, extreme radiation bursts from stars, can cause lasting damage to the atmospheres 鈥� and thus habitability 鈥� of exoplanets. A new study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society reports that they pose only a limited danger to planetary systems.

July 16, 2021

20 UW 91自拍ers elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences for 2021

Twenty scientists and engineers at the 91自拍 are among the 38 new members elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences for 2021, according to a July 15 announcement. New members were chosen for 鈥渢heir outstanding record of scientific and technical achievement, and their willingness to work on behalf of the Academy to bring the best available science to bear on issues within the state of Washington.鈥�

January 27, 2021

Purported phosphine on Venus more likely to be ordinary sulfur dioxide, new study shows

An image of the planet Venus, showing its thick atmosphere.

A 91自拍-led team has revisited and comprehensively reinterpreted the radio telescope observations underlying a widely reported 2019 claim that phosphine gas was present in the atmosphere of Venus. In a paper accepted to the Astrophysical Journal, they report that sulfur dioxide, a common gas in the atmosphere of Venus, is likely what was detected instead of phosphine.

January 22, 2021

The 7 rocky planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1 may be made of similar stuff

An image showing three illustrations of potential interiors of the exoplanets in the TRAPPIST-1 star system.

A study accepted by the Planetary Science Journal shows that the planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system share similar densities. That could mean they all contain roughly the same ratio of materials thought to be common to rocky planets, such as iron, oxygen, magnesium and silicon — though they appear to differ notably from Earth.

January 14, 2021

Astronomers document the rise and fall of a rarely observed stellar dance

An image of stars in the night sky, showing a particularly bright binary at the center called HS Hydra.

Astronomers have catalogued 126 years of changes to a binary star system called HS Hydrae. Analyzing observations from astro-photographic plates in the late 1800s to TESS observations in 2019, they show that the two stars in HS Hydrae began to eclipse each other starting around a century ago, peaking in the 1960s. The degree of eclipsing then plummeted over the course of just a half century, and will cease around February 2021.

December 3, 2020

Leaving so soon? Unusual planetary nebula fades mere decades after it arrived

An image of the Stingray Nebula taken in 2016 by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope

The tiny Stingray Nebula unexpectedly appeared in the 1980s is by far the youngest planetary nebula in our sky. But a team of astronomers recently analyzed a more recent image of the nebula, taken in 2016 by Hubble, and found that it has faded significantly and changed shape over the course of just 20 years. If dimming continues at current rates, in 20 or 30 years the Stingray Nebula will be barely perceptible.

October 20, 2020

ArtSci Roundup: So Far So Good, Conversation with Jorge Ramos, and Emily Levesque in Conversation with KUOW’s Ross Reynolds

During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities聽to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online.聽 Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to聽Zoom Pro via UW-IT.聽 So Far So Good: Show and Q&A with Libby King October 29 – November 1, 7:30 PM | Online What is the experience of living in…

September 29, 2020

ArtSci Roundup: Velvet Sweatshops and Algorithmic Cruelty, Social Movements & Racial Justice, the Vice Presidential Debate Preview, and More

Margaret O'Mara's history of Silicon Valley was published in July by Penguin Press.

During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities聽to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online.聽 Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to聽Zoom Pro via UW-IT.聽 Velvet Sweatshops and Algorithmic Cruelty: Labor in the Global Tech Economy October 6, 5:00 PM – 6:15 PM | Online via Zoom As the tech economy…

July 28, 2020

ArtSci Roundup: “The Last Stargazers” Book Launch, VoiceThreads, and More

During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities聽to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online.聽 Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to聽Zoom Pro via UW-IT.聽 Astronomer Emily Levesque: The Last Stargazers Book Launch聽 August 3, 7:00-8:30 PM | Online 91自拍 professor Emily Levesque discusses her new books at (online)…

May 27, 2020

Cosmic bursts unveil universe鈥檚 missing matter

A picture of a radio telescope in Australia pointing up to the Milky Way

An international team of astronomers has used mysterious fast radio bursts to solve a decades-old mystery of 鈥渕issing matter,鈥� material long predicted to exist in the universe but never detected 鈥� until now. The 91自拍ers have now found all of the missing 鈥渘ormal鈥� matter in the vast space between stars and galaxies. The team, which includes scientists based in Australia, the United States and Chile, announced its findings in a paper published May 27 in the journal Nature.

March 6, 2020

Dimming Betelgeuse likely isn鈥檛 cold, just dusty, new study shows

An image of the star Betelgeuse in December 2019.

Late last year, news broke that the star Betelgeuse was fading significantly, ultimately dropping to around 40% of its usual brightness. The activity fueled popular speculation that the red supergiant would soon explode as a massive supernova. But astronomers have more benign theories to explain the star鈥檚 dimming behavior. And scientists at the 91自拍 and Lowell Observatory believe they have support for one of them: Betelgeuse isn鈥檛 dimming because it鈥檚 about to explode 鈥� it鈥檚 just dusty. In…

February 14, 2020

Earth鈥檚 cousins: Upcoming missions to look for ‘biosignatures’ in the atmospheres of nearby worlds

Artist's depiction of the TRAPPIST-1 star and its seven worlds.

Victoria Meadows, professor of astronomy at the 91自拍 and director of the UW’s Virtual Planetary Laboratory, talks about how upcoming missions like the James Webb Space Telescope will be able to characterize the atmospheres of potentially Earth-like exoplanets and may even detect signs of life. Meadows is delivering a talk on this subject on Feb. 15, 2020 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Seattle.

January 27, 2020

Faculty/staff honors: Honorary doctorate, early career award, Washington state LGTBQ Commission, writing program praise

UW astronomy professor Emily Levesque has been given the Newton Lacy Pierce Prize by the American Astronomical Society

Recent honors to UW faculty and staff include an early career award in astronomy, an honorary doctorate from the Delft University of Technology, a seat on Washington state’s new LGBTQ Commission and national honor for an English Department writing program.

November 25, 2019

UW astronomy professor Paula Szkody elected to American Astronomical Society leadership

Paula Szkody has begun a term as president-elect of the AAS, and will serve as the society's president in 2020-2022.

Balancing the needs of open science with national security and journal sustainability, and respecting the beliefs of native populations near observatories are among current issues for the American Astronomical Society, said Paula Szkody, 91自拍 professor of astronomy. She has begun a term as president-elect of the AAS, and will serve as the society’s president in 2020-2022.

August 13, 2019

James Webb Space Telescope could begin learning about TRAPPIST-1 atmospheres in a single year, study indicates

New 91自拍 from UW astronomers models how telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope, will be able to study the planets of the intriguing TRAPPIST-1 system.

New 91自拍 from astronomers at the UW uses the intriguing TRAPPIST-1 planetary system as a kind of laboratory to model not the planets themselves, but how the coming James Webb Space Telescope might detect and study their atmospheres, on the path toward looking for life beyond Earth.

June 19, 2019

Abundance of gases in Enceladus’s ocean are a potential fuel 鈥� if life is there to consume it

This illustration shows NASA's Cassini spacecraft diving through the plume of Saturn's moon Enceladus, in 2015. New 91自拍 from the 91自拍, to be presented at the coming AbSciCon2019 conference, indicates that the moon's subsurface ocean of probably has higher than previously known concentrations of carbon dioxide and hydrogen and a more Earthlike pH level, possibly providing conditions favorable to life.

The subsurface ocean of Saturn’s moon Enceladus probably has higher than previously known concentrations of carbon dioxide and hydrogen and a more Earthlike pH level, possibly providing conditions favorable to life, according to new 91自拍 from planetary scientists at the UW.

February 7, 2019

All the data in the sky, alerted via UW eyes

An image of a galaxy.

The Zwicky Transient Facility, based at the Palomar Observatory, has identified over a thousand new objects and phenomena in the night sky, including more than 1,100 new supernovae and 50 near-Earth asteroids. 91自拍 scientists are part of the ZTF team and led the development of the collaboration’s alert system, which informs science teams of possible new objects or changes to known objects in the sky.