Next week’s night sky:
Monday marks the beaver moon, the last full moon of November. This beaver moon will be particularly special, as the moon will also undergo a penumbral eclipse! Although the difference may not be apparent at first, careful study of the moon will reveal that part of the moon is darker than the other. This is because the moon will actually be passing through Earth’s shadow! If you get up early in the morning of Friday (around 3 hours before sunrise), you can find one of the most spectacular sights of the night sky: M13. With some binoculars, you will be able to see the 100,00 members of the cluster. To find it, go to https://stellarium-web.org/, and type M13 in the search bar. This will give you an easy to read map of the sky, accurate to your location and timezone!
Sun-like star could be the possible origin of the WOW signal!
In 1977, a telescope searching for signals from extraterrestrial life actually found one. It was a strong 72-second pulse that stood out from the constant background noise. Researchers continued to observe the same part of the sky but the Wow! signal never returned.
This is why the discovery this week of a probable source is significant news. The finding is the result of some clever sleuthing by an amateur astronomer and the creation of a fabulous new 3D map of the galaxy.
Researchers looked for Sun-like stars among the thousands that have been identified by Gaia in this region of the sky.
The search returned just one candidate. The only potential Sun-like star in all the WOW! the signal region appears to be 2MASS 19281982-2640123 This star sits in the constellation of Sagittarius at a distance of 1800 light-years. It is an identical twin to our Sun, with the same temperature, radius, and luminosity.
Of course, this research does not mean that 2MASS 19281982-2640123 must have been the source. There are many stars in that region of the sky that are too dim to be included in the catalog. One of these could be the source.
But for the moment, 2MASS 19281982-2640123 is our best bet and a good candidate for future study. Researchers say an obvious goal would be to look for signs of exoplanets orbiting this star. It could also be prioritized for study in the radio part of the spectrum.
To learn more, go here: [2011.06090] An approximation to determine the source of the WOW! Signal
A cosmic cinnamon bun
By using a little bit of imagination, our universe can resemble almost anything. There’s the Skull Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula, and even the Nebula. So it should come as no surprise that scientists named the galaxy UGC 12588 the cinnamon bun, as a holiday surprise
Megafloods on Mars
Raging megafloods roared across Gale Crater near the equator of Mars some 4 billion years ago. These floods created gigantic sedimentary ripples visible today that are similar to features formed by melting ice on Earth 2 million years ago.
Giant wave-shaped features seen in sedimentary layers deposited in Gale Crater, known as antidunes or “megaripples,” tower 30 feet high and are spaced about 450 feet apart. They most likely were formed by flooding in the wake of a large impact that released carbon dioxide and methane from frozen reservoirs.
Condensation led to clouds of water vapor, creating possibly planet-wide rainfall. Water entering Gale Crater joined water flowing down Mount Sharp in the center of the crater, producing gigantic flash floods that deposited the observed ridges.
Data from the Curiosity rover earlier confirmed that Gale Crater once harbored longer-lived lakes and streams, raising the possibility of microbial life.
This means that early mars was almost as habitable as earth, leave the question of: Was it inhabited?
Luckily, the new Mars rover Perseverance should begin to answer our questions starting in late February. To learn more, go here: Deposits from giant floods in Gale crater and their implications for the climate of early Mars.
Do you have any cool astronomy research news from this week? Share it in the comments below!