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Diamond Dust Shimmering around Distant Stars
Nanoscale gemstones source of mysterious cosmic microwave light Some of the tiniest diamonds in the universe – bits of crystalline carbon hundreds of thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand – have been detected swirling around three infant star systems in the Milky Way. These microscopic gemstones are neither rare nor precious; they…
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Astronomers solve cosmic “whodunit” with interstellar forensics
Summary: By comparing new Hubble observations with data from the Green Bank Telescope, astronomers have discovered the origin of a huge cloud of gas bridging the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud, two dwarf galaxies that orbit the Milky Way. In a cosmic version of tug-of-war, the Large Magellanic Cloud is using its…
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Pulsar Watchers Close In On Galaxy Merger History
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The Green Bank Telescope Discovering Interstellar Organic Molecules
Summary: Astronomers using the Green Bank Telescope have made the first definitive interstellar detection of benzonitrile, an intriguing organic molecule that helps to chemically link simple carbon-based molecules and truly massive ones known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This discovery is a vital clue in a 30-year-old mystery: identifying the source of a faint infrared glow…
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Swarm of Hydrogen Clouds Flying Away from Center of our Galaxy
A team of astronomers has discovered what appears to be a grand exodus of more than 100 hydrogen clouds streaming away from the center of the Milky Way and heading into intergalactic space.
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Astronomers peer into the lair of a mysterious source of cosmic radio bursts
Artist concept of fast radio burst. Image Credit: Design: Danielle Futselaar; photo usage: shutterstock.com Green Bank, January 10, 2018 – Using two of the world’s largest radio telescopes, an international team of astronomers have gained new insight into the extreme home of a mysterious source of cosmic radio bursts. The discovery suggests that the source…
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Eclipse Event at Green Bank Observatory
Image above is similar to what West Virginians will see if they observe the eclipse this August! (Image source: RedOrbit.com) Have you heard?! This summer, you have the chance to experience a spectacular stellar event! On August 21, the star that brings us spring flowers, warm days by the pool, and the northern lights, a.k.a.…
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GBT Captures Orion Blazing Bright in Radio Light
A team of astronomers has unveiled a striking new image of the Orion Molecular Cloud (OMC) – a bustling stellar nursery teeming with bright, young stars and dazzling regions of hot, glowing gas. The researchers used the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia to study a 50 light-year long filament…