It may be that not all black holes have formed in the usual way: massive stars collapsing under
their gravitational pressure. During the Big Bang, large enough inhomogeneities in matter density
may have led to formation of microscopical “primordial black holes”, which might have survived
until the present day. They may help to explain a ghost in the universe, the mysterious dark matter.
Dr. David Rabanus worked as array maintenance manager for the world’s largest telescope, ALMA, in the Atacama desert in Chile. ALMA observes parts of the night sky that regular telescopes can not access and since its opening astronomy has been enriched with new discoveries. Read here about how it is to work at an observatory 5000 meters above sea level.
Since the early 20th century, astronomy has been evolving far beyond the optical telescope. While powerful optical telescopes are still very much a viable tool for astronomers, astronomical scientists are relying on new technologies, such as radio interferometry, to look deeper into space. Interferometry combines the results of several radio telescopes situated around the world to create a much bigger astronomical picture as if taken by a single telescope the size of Earth. In this TSB conversation, Joni Tammi, the director of Metsähovi Radio Observatory, discusses the evolution of imaging technologies in astronomy.
Prof. Lucie Green is a solar physicist based at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UCL’s Department of Space and Climate Physics. Besides being a great scientist, Lucie Green is also an inspiring science communicator and is very active in public engagement with science. She gives public talks regularly and is a television and radio host. In 2016, she published her first book 15 Million Degrees: A journey to the centre of the Sun, which discusses the history of solar physics until the current research and the “hot topics” of the field.
Roughly a month ago, neutron stars made it to the headlines. For the first time, we were able to see two neutron stars colliding with each other. Why is that interesting?
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are spectacular eruptions coming from the Sun. They also are the major drivers of solar storms on Earth. Solar storms can cause disruptions to space- and ground-based technological systems. What are the factors that determine the ability of a CME to cause a solar storm? And what would happen if a solar superstorm (an exceptionally strong CME) would come to us? If you want to know more, check our latest TSB digest: “Can we predict solar superstorms?”