Latest news with #NatureAstronomy
Gizmodo
3 hours ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
Astronomers Discover Potential Dwarf Planet Lurking Way Beyond Pluto
Astronomers in Japan have spotted a distant object orbiting the Sun far beyond Neptune, pointing to an extraordinary event that took place during the earliest years of the solar system. Astronomers used the Subaru Telescope, perched atop a dormant volcano in Hawaii, to make the discovery. They observed a small object orbiting at a farthest distance of 252 AU from the Sun, in which one astronomical unit equals the average distance between the Sun and Earth. Scientists gave it the formal designation 2023 KQ14 and nicknamed it Ammonite, after an extinct group of marine animals—a nod to its status as an extreme relic of the early solar system. For reference, Pluto's average distance from the Sun is about 40 AU, so 2023 KQ14 is quite distant. At 23.4 billion miles (37.7 billion kilometers) away, light reflecting off Ammonite takes approximately 34 hours to reach Earth. The discovery, published in Nature Astronomy on Tuesday, marks the fourth detection of a 'Sednoid.' This group of distant, trans-Neptunian objects have extremely elongated orbits that stretch past the Kuiper Belt. Unlike other objects that orbit the Sun past Neptune, Sednoids are detached from the giant planet, meaning they are not influenced by its gravitational field. Astronomers discovered the first Sednoid, named Sedna, in 2003. Astronomers first discovered Ammonite in 2023 through Subaru's survey project, FOSSIL (Formation of the Outer Solar System: An Icy Legacy). Follow-up observations in July 2024 using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope confirmed the discovery, revealing the object's orbit. It was also spotted in archive images taken in 2021 and 2014, allowing astronomers to simulate its orbit with greater accuracy. Using computer simulations, the researchers behind the discovery suggest that Ammonite has maintained a stable orbit for at least 4.5 billion years. At its closest approach to the Sun, it comes within 66 AUs from the star. Unlike its Sednoid counterparts, Ammonite currently follows a different orbit. The simulations, however, indicated that the orbits of all four known Sednoids were once very similar around 4.2 billion years ago. This puts into question the existence of the theorized Planet Nine. Sednoids are one of the key pieces of evidence behind the long-held theory that a massive ninth planet orbits the Sun beyond Neptune. The group of small objects follows an oddly aligned, elongated orbit that can't be explained based on the gravitational influence of the known planets of the solar system, suggesting that a ninth, undiscovered planet may be tugging at the Sednoids. 'The fact that Ammonite's current orbit does not align with those of the other three sednoids lowers the likelihood of the Planet Nine hypothesis,' Yukun Huang, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan who carried out the simulations of Ammonite's orbit, said in a statement. 'It is possible that a planet once existed in the Solar System but was later ejected, causing the unusual orbits we see today.' Ammonite is estimated to be between 136 and 236 miles wide (220 and 380 kilometers). Although tiny, its presence is indicative of something much larger at play. 'Ammonite was found in a region far away where Neptune's gravity has little influence. The presence of objects with elongated orbits and large perihelion distances in this area implies that something extraordinary occurred during the ancient era when Ammonite formed,' Fumi Yoshida, a planetary scientist and co-author of the new study, said in a statement. 'Understanding the orbital evolution and physical properties of these unique, distant objects is crucial for comprehending the full history of the solar system.'
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
A Mysterious World Has Been Discovered Lurking in Our Solar System—Meet 'Ammonite'
Researchers just got a step closer to understanding the origins of our solar system, with the discovery of an object orbiting the sun—dubbed "Ammonite." The findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Astronomy. Ammonite, or its scientific name 2023 KQ14, is known as a sednoid, which is a type of cosmic body circling the sun beyond Neptune with a highly eccentric orbit. It's only the fourth sednoid ever discovered. It comes as close as 66 astronomical units (AU) from the sun and as far away as 252 AU. One astronomical unit is equal to the average distance between Earth and the sun, or about 93 million miles. Ammonite was discovered by the survey project "FOSSIL" (Formation of the Outer Solar System: An Icy Legacy), which is led by researchers from Japan and Taiwan who explore the outer solar system to learn about its past. The research team used the powerful Subaru Telescope, located at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. The telescope has wide-field imaging capabilities that are uniquely suited for scanning large patches of the sky for faint, slow-moving objects like Ammonite. Computer simulations show that Ammonite's orbit has remained stable for billions of years, unaffected by gravitational interactions with other solar system objects. This long-term stability makes Ammonite one of the best-preserved "fossils" of our solar system's distant past, suggesting that it originates from the solar system's early formation and retains a fossil record of the orbital configuration. Ying-Tung Chen, one of the authors of the study and a support scientist at the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica (ASIAA), in Taiwan, said in a statement that while previously known sednoid objects all share roughly similar orbital orientations, Ammonite's orbit is oriented in the opposite direction, suggesting that the outer solar system is more diverse and complex than previously thought. What caused this clustering of objects is still unclear, with scientists hypothesizing about the possibility of a passing star or an ejected planet. "The significance of discovering Ammonite goes far beyond adding one more distant object," Shiang-Yu Wang, one of the study's authors and a research fellow at ASIAA, said in a statement. "Ammonite's orbit tells us that something sculpted the outer solar system very early on. Whether it was a passing star or a hidden planet, this discovery brings us closer to the truth." Read the original article on Martha Stewart Solve the daily Crossword
Forbes
2 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
Meet ‘Ammonite' — A New World Just Found In The Solar System
Artist rendering of a ninth planet in the solar system beyond Pluto. (Illustration by Tobias ... More Roetsch/Future Publishing via Getty Images) An object has been discovered orbiting the sun far beyond Pluto, calling into question theories about a possible Planet Nine in the solar system. The object, for now, designated 2023 KQ14 and nicknamed "Ammonite," was found by astronomers in Japan using its Subaru Telescope in Hawaii. Announced in a paper published today in Nature Astronomy, the object is not a planet but a sednoid. It's only the fourth sednoid ever discovered. Ammonite 2023 KQ14: What is A Sednoid? A sednoid is an object beyond the orbit of Neptune that has a highly eccentric orbit, similar to that of the dwarf planet Sedna, one of the most distant objects in the solar system known to astronomers. Astronomers use the distance between the Earth and the sun — one astronomical unit or au — to measure distance in the solar system. Sedna gets as close to the sun as about 76 au but as far away as 900 au on its elliptical orbit. 2023 KQ14 gets as close as 66 au from the sun and as far away as 252 au. The orbit of 2023 KQ14 (in red) compared to the orbits of the other three sednoids (in white). 2023 ... More KQ14was discovered near its perihelion at a distance of 71 astronomical units (71 times the average distance between the Sun and Earth). The yellow point indicates its current position. 2023 KQ14 And The 'Planet Nine' Hypothesis There has been a lot of attention among astronomers on Planet Nine in recent months. In May, scientists in Taiwan looking for a ninth planet in the solar system found hints in archive images. In June, a study by Rice University and the Planetary Science Institute put a number on the chances that a ninth planet exists — 40%. The reason a ninth planet may exist is an unusual clustering of minor bodies in the Kuiper Belt — the outer solar system. Six objects — Sedna, 2012 VP113, 2004 VN112, 2010 GB174, 2013 RF98 and 2007 TG422 — all have highly elongated yet similarly oriented orbits. They appear to have been "herded" by the gravitational influence of a planet. At a distance of over 8 billion miles (13 billion kilometres), Sedna is so far away it is reduced to ... More one picture element (pixel) in this image taken in high-resolution mode with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. Why 2023 KQ14 Might 'Kill' Planet Nine The discovery of 2023 KQ14 may dent that theory because it follows an orbit different from the other sednoids. 'The fact that 2023 KQ14's current orbit does not align with those of the other three sednoids lowers the likelihood of the Planet Nine hypothesis," said Dr. Yukun Huang of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, who conducted simulations of the orbit in a press release. "It is possible that a planet once existed in the Solar System but was later ejected, causing the unusual orbits we see today.' If a "Planet Nine" does exist, it likely orbits even farther from the sun than supposed. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronomers caught a star that blew up not once, but twice when it died
Astronomers have finally caught a dying star in space going out with a bang — and then another bang. The new photographic evidence, captured using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile, shows the first proof of a rare kind of stellar death called a double-detonation supernova. This double-blast event, spotted in the supernova remnant known as SNR 0509-67.5, confirms a theory that has divided astrophysicists for decades. The star's remains, about 300 years old, show a distinctive pattern: two separate shells of calcium, one nested inside the other like Russian matryoshka dolls. This could only form if a white dwarf exploded twice. The breakthrough, published in Nature Astronomy, rewrites part of the story behind one of the most important tools in astronomy, the Type Ia supernova. Sometimes dubbed a "cosmic yardstick" by NASA, this special supernova shines brightly for a short time and gives off a predictable, known amount of light. That makes it perfect for measuring distance in space: The farther the supernova, the fainter it appears to us. By collecting light from these blasts, scientists also can figure out how fast the universe has been expanding. "Our results required a large resource commitment with a very advanced instrument on a large telescope," Ivo Seitenzahl, one of the researchers, told Mashable. "Basically, the observations are near the limit of what's currently technically feasible." Understanding how exactly these events work isn't just academic, it's essential for making sense of the universe. These explosions forge the majority of iron in our galaxy — the same stuff found in our blood, buildings, and planet. A white dwarf star — the dense stellar core left behind after a sun-like star runs out of fuel — gradually steals material from a neighboring star. Once it grows massive enough, it ignites in a thermonuclear explosion. But some researchers have suspected there is another way: A thin outer layer of helium could explode first, sending a shockwave inward that then blows up the white dwarf's core. The second blast is the ultimate supernova that tears the star apart. Until now, this two-step concept lived mostly on whiteboards and in computer simulations. Now, astronomers have receipts proving it really happens. The explosions would have occurred in quick succession, Seitenzahl said. The second blast likely followed just two seconds later, "essentially the time it takes the helium detonation to travel from one side of the white dwarf star to the other." Scientists turned the telescope's Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer instrument toward the glowing wreckage in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy neighboring the Milky Way. The calcium detections were the giveaway. Sandwiched in between the blown-off shells was sulfur, with each layer consisting of different densities from the two explosions. "Revealing the inner workings of such a spectacular cosmic explosion is incredibly rewarding," said Priyam Das, lead author of the paper, in a statement, describing the remnant as a "beautifully layered structure." Astronomers can't normally see what happens deep inside a star during its final moments. The explosion itself is too bright, fast, and distant. But hundreds of years later, the drifting shrapnel betrays the secret. Though this discovery doesn't close the case on how all Type Ia supernovas work, it does show at least some stars don't need to hit a critical mass of matter before going boom. It seems a smaller star with the right kind of helium wrapper can self-destruct just fine. For this particular system, there won't be any more explosions, but the hunt continues for variations on this exotic breed. Some models for double detonations indicate the primary star can actually trigger yet another double detonation in the lighter companion star. "This would be a double double detonation," Seitenzahl said. UPDATE: Jul. 2, 2025, 12:50 PM EDT This story has been updated to include additional reporting, including new quotes, from the researchers.
Irish Independent
07-07-2025
- Science
- Irish Independent
‘It's very exciting' – first images of double supernova captured by team including Trinity College astronomer
The first visual evidence of a dying star having been ripped apart by a double explosion has been reported by Nature Astronomy. The astronomers viewed what's left of supernova SNR 0509-67.5 – which exploded centuries ago – using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile's Atacama Desert. They saw two shells – or layers – of calcium still remained and appear blue in the captured images. The double explosion was predicted, theoretically, by Christine Collins – a Marie Sklodowska-Curie research fellow in the School of Physics at TCD – before it was observed. 'I was involved with the work that made this prediction,' said Dr Collins. 'It's very exciting to be part of this discovery. 'The prediction that these explosions leave behind the distinct calcium shell signature came directly out of the simulations, although we didn't realise at the time that it would be a feature that could be observed in a supernova remnant.' An international team of astronomers from Australia, Germany, Switzerland, the US, Canada and Ireland set out to test the theory that a double detonation was possible in a white dwarf star. This theory proposed that the white dwarf – the core of a dying star left behind after it's used up its nuclear fuel – would gather helium from a companion star, become unstable, then explode. Very strong evidence that this supernova was triggered by a double detonation The shockwaves from that first explosion would then trigger a second detonation of the white dwarf, which would produce a supernova with two circular shells of calcium left as stellar imprints and visual evidence of each explosion. 'This is very strong evidence that this supernova was triggered by a double detonation,' Dr Collins said. Dr Collins had predicted that the existence of at least some type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) could be best explained by a double detonation. 'It is a very nice case where we had a theoretical prediction and then the signature was identified in observations,' Dr Collins added. The observed confirmation that a white dwarf suffered two explosive blasts is a discovery that sheds new light on stellar explosions. The SNe Ia is a subclass of supernova that results from white dwarfs exploding. They are considered important for a general understanding of the universe because they are predictably bright, no matter how far away they are from us. They help astronomers to measure distances in space. This was how astronomers discovered that the expansion of the universe was accelerating – a finding that was the basis for the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2011. Type Ia supernovae are also viewed as important by astronomers because they are the primary source of iron in the universe – even in human blood. Yet, despite their importance, the puzzle of what exactly caused them remained unsolved, until now.
