The galaxy AGC 203001 is the most visible thanks to the huge red ring

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An article published in the journal “Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society” reports the discovery of a giant neutral hydrogen ring surrounding a “quenched galaxy” cataloged as AGC 203001. A team of astronomers from the National Center for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) in Pune, India, used the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) to observe that ring, much larger than the galaxy itself with a diameter of about 380,000 light years, four tiems the Milky Way’s. The collaboration of French astronomers allowed a further study with the Canada-France-Hawaii-Telescope (CFHT) in Hawaii, USA, which found no signs of stars associated with the ring, an oddity considering that such a structure seems perfect as a nursery for new stars.

Artist's concept of a blazar (Image courtesy M. Weiss/CfA)

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An article published in the journal “Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society” reports a study on the blazar CTA 102. A team of researchers used data that cross the electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma rays detected by a series of space and ground-based telescopes. They allowed to monitor the variability of CTA 102 between 2013 and 2017 and events such as the significant activity of gamma ray emissions between November 2016 and February 2017, with outbursts on four occasions with a peak reached on December 28, 2016.

Boeing's CST-100 Starliner Calypso spacecraft during recovery (Photo courtesy Boeing. All rights reserved)

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Boeing has announced that its engineers and technicians are conducting an in-depth examination of its CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, which landed on December 22 after the premature end of its Boe-OFT (Boeing Orbital Flight Test) mission. The exam includes the recovery of all the data recorded by the on-board systems to obtain final answers on the problem that caused an off-nominal orbit insertion about half an hour after launch. After landing at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, the name Calypso was proposed by astronaut Sunita Williams and quickly approved, therefore it will be the official name used in the next missions, as the spacecraft is reusable.

An analysis of wide binary stars shows that they're twins

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An article accepted for publication in the journal “The Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society” reports a study on wide binary stars. A team of researchers led by Keith Hawkins of the University of Texas, Austin, studied 25 pairs of wide binary stars identified using data collected by ESA’s Gaia space probe. Using the Harlan J. Smith telescope at the McDonald Observatory, the researchers examined in depth the chemical composition of the 50 stars, concluding that stars born together show a practically identical chemical composition, much closer than randomly chosen stars of the same type.

A whole galaxy cluster influenced by the activity of a supermassive black hole

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An article published in “The Astrophysical Journal” reports a study on a supermassive black hole in the galaxy cluster SPT-CLJ0528-5300 or simply SPT-0528 that had a really extraordinary outburst. A team of researchers used in particular NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to study that activity finding that the materials pushed away created two huge cavities 180° from each other. By measuring the volume and pressure of the displaced gas and calculating the age of the cavities, it was possible to estimate the energy of that activity in over 1054 joules, the highest discovered so far in a distant cluster. It could be the cause of a limited star formation in clusters like this one.