Astronomy / Astrophysics

The 3D structure of the atmosphere of the exoplanet Tylos

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Two articles, one published in the journal “Nature” and one in the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics”, report the results of two studies of the exoplanet WASP-121b, officially named Tylos, which describe different aspects of its very turbulent atmosphere. Two teams of researchers with several members in common used the ESPRESSO instrument mounted on ESO’s VLT (Very Large Telescope) in Chile exploiting the combination of the four telescopes to examine the atmosphere of Tylos during a complete transit in front of its star. The result was a mapping of the layers of the atmosphere and the detection of traces of various chemical elements including sodium, iron, and titanium.

Rho Cassiopeiae (Image courtesy Anugu et al. 2024)

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An article published in the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics” reports the results of a study on some yellow hypergiants and in particular Rho Cassiopeiae, of which observations are available that go back to 1885. A team of researchers also examined observations of HR 8752, HR 5171A, and HD 179821 with a focus on the outbursts and the resulting variability that characterize yellow hypergiants. This study shows that the pulsations of Rho Cassiopeiae, or simply Rho Cas, become more intense when it approaches an explosive event. 138 years of observations have led to modeling Rho Cas’s behavior and predicting its future.

The RCW 38 cluster in infrared light (Image ESO/VVVX survey)

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ESO has released images of the stellar nursery cataloged as RCW 38, obtained using the VISTA InfraRed CAMera (VIRCAM) mounted on its Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) in Chile. It was obtained as part of the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) astronomical survey, which produced the most detailed infrared map of the Milky Way. The infrared observations allow to see the electromagnetic emissions generated by young stars and protostars within RCW 38, which can pass through the blanket of gas and dust that blocks almost all other electromagnetic bands.

The Einstein ring around galaxy NGC 6505 (Image ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre, G. Anselmi, T. Li / CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)

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An article published in the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics” reports the identification of a practically perfect so-called Einstein ring around the galaxy NGC 6505. A team of researchers Conor led by O’Riordan of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Munich, Germany, examined observations conducted with the Euclid space telescope to study the image of a much more distant galaxy distorted by the gravitational lens created by NGC 6505. This effect allows to study NGC 6505 as well because its mass creates that gravitational lens, so its effects allow to analyze it.

The galaxy LEDA 131342

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An article published in “The Astrophysical Journal Letters” reports a study of the galaxy LEDA 131342 that identified nine concentric rings composed of stars that make it look like a sort of cosmic bullseye. A team of researchers used the Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck Observatory in Hawaii to identify these rings that form a truly extraordinary configuration considering that so far, galaxies with only two or three rings were known. The cause of this unique conformation is a dwarf galaxy that, according to calculations, about 50 million years ago passed through LEDA 131342 drastically changing its original shape.