Hasta La Gadget!

A team of international researchers, lead by Emanuele Farina from the University of Insubria in Como, Italy, have discovered a rare, quasar triplet about 9 billion light years away from Earth. The quasar triplet has been named QQQ J1519+0627 and is only the second triplet to ever be found. The researchers believe that the galaxies that these quasars are a part of may be merging together in order to form one, enormous galaxy.

A quasar, or a quasi-stellar radio source, is a very bright and powerful celestial object. It is at the center of a galaxy and is surrounding a supermassive black hole. The quasar is powered by the accretion disc around the black hole. The scientists have found that two of the quasars in the triplet are much closer to each other than the third. They believe that those two quasars were the first to create the triplet quasar system, and that the third quasar is part of a much larger structure that’s still undergoing formation.

Michele Fumagalli, an astrophysicist at the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution in Pasadena, said, “Honing our observational and modeling skills and finding this rare stellar phenomenon will help us understand how cosmic structures assemble in our universe and the basic processes by which massive galaxies form.” The system is difficult to observe, however, due to their distance. It’s difficult for the scientists to distinguish the quasar triplets from the other different astronomical bodies nearby.

The scientists believe that the three quasars are close enough that their halos of dark matter are touching each other. Fumagalli, Farina, and the team of scientists have published their findings in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. They are currently studying the quasars and trying to figure out how rare a triplet formation is. They are also looking around the universe to see if they can find more quasar triplets.

[via LA Times]

Scientists discover rare quasar triplet 9 billion light years away is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

A paper came out of Cardiff University today claiming to have found algae fossils in samples of a meteorite that landed in Sri Lanka this past December. At first glance, the claims are stunning: proof that life exists throughout the universe. But sadly, also deeply flawed. More »

NASA has discovered that there was a 3rd radiation belt hanging around Earth. The discovery was made by two Van Allen space probes that were made specifically to analyze Earth’s radiation belts. The Van Allen probes were named after James Van Allen, who was the the first to discover the radiation belts 55 years ago in 1958. The probes are designed identically and provide scientists with a deeper insight on how radiation belts are formed.

The 3rd belt was discovered with a stroke of luck. Scientists on the Van Allen mission asked that the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT) be turned on 3 days in advance. Right before it was turned on, an electron acceleration event was taking place causing the radiation belts around Earth to swell. New particles were trapped in the belt, and to the surprise of the scientists, the particles started their own formation and created a 3rd belt.

John Grunsfeld, NASA’s associate administrator for Science in Washington, stated, “The fantastic new capabilities and advances in technology in the Van Allen Probes have allowed scientists to see in unprecedented detail how the radiation belts are populated with charged particles and will provide insight on what causes them to change, and how these processes affect the upper reaches of Earth’s atmosphere”

The discovery of the third belt allowed scientists to study the effect of space weather on Earth. The scientists were able to study the 3rd belt for four weeks before an interplanetary shock wave from the sun destroyed it. The two Van Allen probes are helping the scientists discover more mysteries of Earth’s radiation belt in excruciating detail. They want to figure out whether or not the temporary 3rd ring is a common occurrence or if its rare. The Van Allen probes are on a new mission now to “explore aspects of the connected sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society.”

[via NASA]

NASA discovers new radiation belt around Earth is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If I were Pluto, I would be really pissed off with the astronomers that just announced the tiniest planet ever discovered. It’s a new planetary system called Kepler-37, which is centered around a star similar to our sun about 210 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Lyra. More »

If you thought stunning images of nebulous gas clouds in space couldn’t get any prettier, think again. Finnish astrophotographer J-P Metsävainio has combined art and science to make these stunning 3D-esque animated GIFs of nebulae. More »