2022

Infographic that shows the various subsets of data covering a total of approximately 1,800,000,000 stars observed by the Gaia space probe

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ESA has released the third 3D map of the sky including the Milky Way and nearby galaxies obtained from the Gaia space probe, the most detailed of its kind ever produced. This catalog, built thanks to what was called Data Release 3 (DR3), greatly expands the previous maps released by ESA in recent years. Some uncertainties regarding data processing, also caused by the start of the pandemic, led ESA to publish an anticipation of DR3 called EDR3 (Early Data Release 3) on December 3, 2020.

The FRB 190520B fast radio burst area (in red) as seen by the VLA radio telescope (Image Niu, et al.; Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF; CFHT)

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An article published in the journal “Nature” reports the identification of a new fast radio burst which was cataloged as FRB 190520B. A team of researchers made this discovery thanks to the FAST radio telescope in China. Recently, the number of known fast radio bursts has increased significantly but in this case, it’s a repeating phenomenon that makes it rare and particularly interesting. FRB 190520B has characteristics that are different from other fast radio bursts because it repeats, just like the one cataloged as FRB 121102. Magnetar-type neutron stars are the most likely candidates as sources of these emissions and the magnetar that generates FRB 190520B may have just formed after a supernova.

Abell 2146 seen at X-rays by the Chandra X-ray Observatory (Image NASA/CXC/Univ. of Nottingham/H. Russell et al.; Optical: NAOJ/Subaru)

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An article accepted for publication in the journal “The Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society” reports the results of the observations of Abell 2146, composed of two galaxy clusters in their merger phase. A team of researchers led by Helen Russell of the British University of Nottingham used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to study the shock wave that formed along the collision between the two clusters and is about 1.6 million light-years long. The processes in place show similarities with others that occur on a much smaller scale such as those generated by the solar wind.

Some of the galaxies observed in the 3D-DASH survey

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An article accepted for publication in “The Astrophysical Journal” reports the release of the results of the 3D-DASH survey, which aims to map star-forming regions to understand the formation of the most ancient galaxies, which from the Earth’s point of view are the most distant. A team of researchers used the Hubble Space Telescope to capture near-infrared images in the area known as the COSMOS (Cosmic Evolution Survey) field, a previous survey conducted with Hubble.

The Shenzhou 14 mission starts blasting off atop a Long March-2F rocket (Photo courtesy Xinhua/Li Gang)

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The confirmation has arrived that three Chinese taikonauts of the Shenzhou 14 mission have reached the Chinese space station’s Tianhe core module with an automated docking maneuver. They blasted off about seven hours earlier atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. They’re the third crew of the Chinese space station and will remain there for about six months, the standard duration for a mission.