STARS

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust: The Fate of Stars Like the Sun Greg Sloan of the Space Telescope Science Institute Our Sun, though seemingly eternal, is about halfway through its roughly 10-billion-year lifespan. What will happen when the Sun dies? Not only will the answer be important to whoever inhabits Earth in a few billion years, it is important to astronomers today. Quiet stars like the Sun are many times more numerous than large stars and play a major role in how galaxies develop. Importantly, how these stars die determines when life can first form in the galaxy. Host: Dr. Frank Summers Recorded live on Tuesday, August 7 at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. More information: http://hubble.stsci.edu/about_us/public_talks/

Przybylski’s Star has been puzzling astronomers for decades, and it might contain elements or isotopes that scientists have never seen before! Hosted by: Reid Reimers For special, curated artifacts of this universe, check out https://scishowfinds.com/ ---------- Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scishow ---------- Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters: Lazarus G, Sam Lutfi, Nicholas Smith, D.A. Noe, سلطان الخليفي, Piya Shedden, KatieMarie Magnone, Scott Satovsky Jr, Charles Southerland, Patrick D. Ashmore, Tim Curwick, charles george, Kevin Bealer, Chris Peters ---------- Like SciShow? Want to help support us, and also get things to put on your walls, cover your torso and hold your liquids? Check out our awesome products over at DFTBA Records: http://dftba.com/scishow ---------- Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet? Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/scishow Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scishow Tumblr: http://scishow.tumblr.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/thescishow ---------- Sources: https://www.nature.com/articles/189739a0 https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article-abstract/477/3/3791/4964763?redirectedFrom=fulltext https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/317/2/299/1005394 http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1986QJRAS..27..697G https://www.bgs.ac.uk/downloads/start.cfm?id=1638 [PDF] http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/outthere/2017/06/30/wright/ http://sites.psu.edu/astrowright/2017/03/15/przybylskis-star-i-whats-that/ https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/A-type_main-Fauence_star.html https://link.springer.com/article/10.3103%2FS0884591308020049 https://www.britannica.com/science/actinoid-element https://arxiv.org/abs/1411.7549 http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/114/flerovium http://www.ma.man.ac.uk/~moss/papers/moss_poprad.pdf http://loke.as.arizona.edu/~ckulesa/camp/spectroscopy_intro.html https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0610611 https://arxiv.org/abs/1703.04250 http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007MNRAS.380..771F https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2007/44/aa7429-07/aa7429-07.html Images: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11428 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sirius_A_and_B_artwork.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Holmium2.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Europium.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Island_of_Stability.svg https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/317/2/299/1005394

Since 1937, astronomers have puzzled over the curious variability of a young star named RW Aur A, which is located about 450 light years from Earth. Every few decades, the star's optical light has faded briefly before brightening again. In recent years, astronomers have observed the star dimming more frequently, and for longer periods. Using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, a team of scientists may have uncovered what caused the star's most recent dimming event: a collision of two infant planetary bodies. Once the planets were destroyed, the debris would have fallen onto the star, generating a thick veil of dust and gas. This would have temporarily obscured the star's light, explaining the dimming astronomers have seen. Computer simulations have long predicted that planets can fall into a young star, but scientists have never before observed that before now. If this most recent study is correct, it would be the first time that astronomers have directly observed a young star devouring a planet. Because the X-rays come from the hot outer atmosphere of the star, changes in the X-ray spectrum — the intensity of X-rays measured at different wavelengths — over these three observations were used to probe the density and composition of the absorbing material around the star. The team found that the dips in both optical and X-ray light are caused by dense gas obscuring the star's light. The observation in 2017 showed strong emission from iron atoms, indicating that the disk contained at least 10 times more iron than in the 2013 observation during a bright period. The researchers think the excess iron was created when two planetesimals, or infant planetary bodies, collided. If one or both planetary bodies are made partly of iron, their smash-up could release a large amount of iron into the star's disk and temporarily obscure its light as the material falls into the star. This discovery gives insight into the processes affecting the development of infant planets. Undoubtedly, astronomers will continue to study this fascinating object with Chandra and other telescopes.

For decades, astronomers have watched as the star RW Aur A has faded and brightened in optical light. RW Aur A is a few million years old and relatively close to Earth at a distance of 450 light years. Recently, they watched as the star dimmed more frequently and for longer periods of time. To investigate this mystery, a team of scientists used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to study it using a different kind of light: X-rays. The X-rays provided evidence that the most recent dimming was caused by the destruction of a young planet that was then devoured by a star. This would be the first time that anyone has seen such an event and would help astronomers better understand how infant planets develop.

This sequence starts with a wide view of the Milky Way and zooms in on the globular star cluster NGC 6388 in the constellation of Scorpius (The Scorpion). The final images are first from MUSE on ESO's Very Large Telescope in Wide Field Mode and then the last, very sharp, image shows part of the cluster using the MUSE Narrow Field Mode with adaptive optics turned on. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1824b/ Credit: ESO/S. Kammann (LJMU)/ N. Risinger (skysurvey.org). Music: Astral Electronic

The European Southern Observatory shared a particularly colorful image of the RCW 38 cluster, which contains a wealth of young and still-forming stars.

Some of the highest-energy cosmic rays that reach Earth may originate in a star system 7,500 light-years away, according to a study published July 2 in Nature Astronomy.

Scientists understand gravity pretty well when it comes to two objects, but add a third, and you’ve got chaos—a system that’s impossible to explain with our simplest equations. But you also have a way to test the limits of Einstein’s theory of gravity. You’re probably aware of the fact that there are a lot of outstanding questions about our universe—like what is dark energy, what is dark matter, and why can’t one unified physics theory explain both the biggest and smallest objects in the universe? https://gizmodo.com/einsteins-theory-of-gravity-holds-up-on-test-of-a-three-1827319579 http://www.wochit.com This video was produced by YT Wochit Tech using http://wochit.com

These three stars can easily be seen with the naked eye, but it took some fancy telescopes for us to realize how weird they really are! Hosted by: Reid Reimers For special, curated artifacts of this universe, check out https://scishowfinds.com/ ---------- Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scishow ---------- Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters: Lazarus G, Sam Lutfi, Nicholas Smith, D.A. Noe, alexander wadsworth, سلطا الخليفي, Piya Shedden, KatieMarie Magnone, Scott Satovsky Jr, Charles Southerland, Bader AlGhamdi, James Harshaw, Patrick D. Ashmore, Candy, Tim Curwick, charles george, Saul, Mark Terrio-Cameron, Viraansh Bhanushali, Kevin Bealer, Philippe von Bergen, Chris Peters, Justin Lentz ---------- Like SciShow? Want to help support us, and also get things to put on your walls, cover your torso and hold your liquids? Check out our awesome products over at DFTBA Records: http://dftba.com/scishow ---------- Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet? Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/scishow Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scishow Tumblr: http://scishow.tumblr.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/thescishow ---------- Sources: http://www.stsci.edu/instruments/observatory/PDF/scs8.rev.pdf http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/708/1/71/pdf http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1988JRASC..82..336G&data_type=PDF_HIGH&whole_paper=YES&type=PRINTER&filetype=.pdf http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/ast122/lectures/lec09.html http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/observe-mira-the-amazing-star/ https://www.aavso.org/mira-variables-period-changes http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/431740/pdf http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?2007IAUS..239..343W&data_type=PDF_HIGH&whole_paper=YES&type=PRINTER&filetype=.pdf https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0275106213000027 https://www.space.com/3250-stars-pronunciation-guide.html https://www.universetoday.com/20094/cetus-constellation/ https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2007/15aug_mira https://www.space.com/7653-star-big-dipper.html http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/mizar-and-alcor-the-horse-and-rider http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/mizar-a-fresh-look-at-an-old-friend03252015/ Images: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Big_dipper_from_the_kalalau_lookout_at_the_kokee_state_park_in_hawaii.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dipper.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wide-field_view_of_the_Summer_Triangle_modifi%C3%A9.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wide-field_view_of_the_Summer_Triangle.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vega_(star).jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mira_in_UV_and_Visible_Light.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mira_the_star.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CetusCC.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mira-uv-bow-shock-tail-vertical.jpg https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11541

Text in 'How far away is it - Supernovae and Star Clusters' document http://howfarawayisit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Star-Clusters-and-Supernova-v2-1.pdf In this segment of our “How far away is it” video book, we cover Supernovae and star clusters. As we start Supernovae, we compare the magnitude of the exploding star that created the Helix Planetary Nebula with the explosion that created the Crab Nebula. We take the opportunity to describe the size and densities of White Dwarfs as compared to Neutron Stars. We also take a look at what the daytime sky might look like if Betelgeuse were to supernova. We then cover the Neutron Star that that a star supernova leaves behind. We take a deep look at the Crab Nebula’ Neutron star. We then take a look at the beautiful Veil Nebula and the Cygnus Loop. We then explain what a Type 1a Supernova is and how it works as a critically important standard candle. We show a binary star system with matter flowing through the L1 Lagrange point, and mention Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar’s solution to Einstein’s equations. We then take a look at the amazing remnants of past supernova explosions scattered across our galaxy including: SN 1006, RCW 86, Tycho Supernova SN 1572, Cassiopeia A with its Light Echoes, RCW 103 with its Magnetar, Kepler's supernova SN 1604, N 63A, and Supernova 1987A. For RCW 103, we illustrate the impact on the Earth if it were Capella that went supernova. We conclude this section on SN with a look at how we find them with transient facilities like the Zwicky Transient Facility at the Palomar Observatory. We continue on to Star Clusters by pointing out that there are two primary kinds of star clusters: open cluster and globular cluster. We visit some very beautiful open clusters including: the Pleiades, the Jewel Box (NGC 4755), Pismis 24 in NGC 6357, Terzan 5, NGC 6791, and the Quintuplet and Arches clusters. And then we visit some spectacular globular clusters including: 47 Tucanae, Omega Centauri, Terzan 5, M30 and M53. We conclude by adding brightest globular clusters and Type 1a Supernova as key standard candle rungs on our distance ladder. Music @00:00 Bach, Johann Sebastian: Air ‘on the G string’; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields – Sir Neville Marriner, 1974; from the album “The most relaxing classical album in the world…ever!” @06:39 Puccini, Giacomo: Preludio Sinfonico; Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Riccardo Chailly; from the album “Puccini Without Words”, 2006 @13:00 Bach, Johann Sebastian: Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, Canta-ta BWV 147 - Arr. Guillermo Figueroa - 10. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Or-pheus Chamber Orchestra, from the album “Baroque – The Essentials, 2018 @16:08 Bizet, Georges: Entracte to Act III from “Carman”; Orchestre Na-tional de France / Seiji Ozawa, 1984; from the album “The most relaxing clas-sical album in the world…ever!” @21:12 Rachmaninov, Sergei: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini – Variation 18; Cecile Ousset (Piano), City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Sir Si-mon Rattle, 1984; from the album “The most relaxing classical album in the world…ever!”

Join +Fraser Cain and +Pamela Gay for a live episode of Astronomy Cast. We'll record our 30-minute show, and then stay tuned for them to answer questions! Another update show, this time on the various generations of stars, let's get into it.

The wake of gas from its brown dwarf companion has magnified this tiny pulsar for closer scrutiny. You can get the whole story and more at Astronomy.com http://www.astronomy.com/news/2018/05/astronomers-get-a-close-look-at-a-distant-pulsar Astronomy magazine is the world’s best-selling astronomy magazine, offering you the most exciting visually stunning thorough, and timely coverage of the heavens above. Each monthly issue includes expert science reporting, vivid color photography, complete sky-event coverage, spot-on observing tips, informative telescope reviews, and more. Astronomy.com features daily news and weekly observing tips, as well as our Picture of the Day. We also invite you to check out our blogs, podcasts, and more. All of this comes in an easy-to-understand user-friendly style that's perfect for astronomers at any level. Like Astronomy magazine on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/AstronomyMagazine Follow Astronomy magazine on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AstronomyMag View Astronomy magazine's Picture of the Day on PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/astronomymag/astronomy-picture-of-the-day/

This sequence takes the viewer from a broad view of the spectacular central regions of the Milky Way and in towards the rich constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer). Here we find an unremarkable-looking star, HD 163296, which has about twice the mass of the Sun, but is only four million years old. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1818b/ Credit: ESO. Music: Astral Electronic.

30 Doradus (the Tarantula Nebula) is a very bright and active star-forming region outside of the Milky Way galaxy, at 160,000 light-years away. “30 Dor” is home to the central star cluster NGC 2070, including the most active region, R136, which appears in the central-right area of the image. R136 is a few million years old and contains many thousands of young stars, including several of the largest known. The bright blue stars shine out of the cleared cavity that is excavated by stellar winds. The redder stars are still partially embedded in the cloud material, seen in shadow except where illuminated by the cavity stars. In the infrared view the embedded stars shine more clearly through the intervening cloud material. Video Credit: NASA, ESA, G.Bacon (STScI) Image Credit: NASA, ESA, F. Paresce (INAF-IASF, Bologna, Italy), R. O'Connell (University of Virginia, Charlottesville), and the Wide Field Camera 3 Science Oversight Committee

Astronomers using ALMA and the VLT have discovered that starburst galaxies in both the early and the nearby Universe contain a much higher proportion of massive stars than is found in more peaceful galaxies. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1817a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO. Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Stephen Molyneux and Richard Hook. Music: written and performed by Stan Dart (www.stan-dart.com). Footage and photos: ESO, M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

Astronomers have used observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) to determine that star formation in the very distant galaxy MACS1149-JD1 started at an unexpectedly early stage, only 250 million years after the Big Bang. This discovery also represents the most distant oxygen ever detected in the Universe and the most distant galaxy ever observed by ALMA or the VLT. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1815a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Stephen Molyneux and Richard Hook. Music: Tim Turusov (www.turusov.com). Footage and photos: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, W. Zheng (JHU), M. Postman (STScI), the CLASH Team, Hashimoto et al and R. Colombari. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

The weirdest space story is about a star named, Tabby, whose bizarre blinking can't be explained. Stream Full Episodes Now: https://www.sciencechannel.com/ Download the Science Channel GO app! Subscribe to Science Channel: http://bit.ly/SubscribeScience Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScienceChannel Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScienceChannel

Most supernovae occur at the end of a massive star’s life, whose dramatic and catastrophic destruction is marked by one final explosion. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/esocast159a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO. Directed by: Richard Hasbia and Nico Bartmann. Editing: Richard Hasbia and Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Richard Hasbia and Richard Hook. Music: Stan Dart — Supernova. Footage and photos: ESO, M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada, ESA/Hubble, Digitized Sky Survey, Nick Risinger (skysurvey.org), S. Lowery, P. Horálek and L. L. Christensen. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

Join +Fraser Cain and +Pamela Gay for a live episode of Astronomy Cast. We'll record our 30-minute show, and then stay tuned for them to answer questions! Time for another update, this time we're going to look at what's new with supernovae. And once again, we've got good news, lots of new stuff to report.

If we, or any conscious being is around to witness the very distant future our galaxy, what will they see? How long will life persist as the stars begin to die? Subscribe to Hot Mess: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsaEBhRsI6tmmz12fkSEYdw You can further support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime Get your own Space Time t­-shirt at http://bit.ly/1QlzoBi Tweet at us! @pbsspacetime Facebook: facebook.com/pbsspacetime Email us! pbsspacetime [at] gmail [dot] com Comment on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/pbsspacetime Help translate our videos! https://www.youtube.com/timedtext_cs_panel?tab=2&c=UC7_gcs09iThXybpVgjHZ_7g Previous Episode: Black Hole Swarms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVhtKAnp3G4 For the sake of argument, let’s say that humanity survives the several ends of the world that await us. We somehow persist the gradual heating of our Sun and the evaporation of our oceans. Our descendants cling to existence through countless generations we watch the Andromeda galaxy merge with the Milky Way, forming a vast elliptical galaxy. We seek refuge in the outer solar system as the Sun finally expands into a red giant – twice! And finally our heirs or successors find new homes among the stars after the Sun’s final death and transformation into a dim white dwarf. Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Drew Rosen and Matt O'Dowd Graphics by Grayson Blackmon Assistant Editing and Sound Design by Mike Petrow and Linda Huang Made by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com) Special thanks to our Patreon Big Bang, Quasar and Hypernova Supporters: Big Bang CoolAsCats David Nicklas Anton Lifshits Joey Redner Fabrice Eap Quasar Tambe Barsbay Mayank M. Mehrota Mars Yentur Mark Rosenthal Dean Fuqua Roman Pinchuk ColeslawPurdie Hypernova Edmund Fokschaner Matthew O’Connor Eugene Lawson Barry Hatfield Martha Hunt Joseph Salomone Chuck Zegar Craig Peterson Jordan Young Ratfeast John Hofmann Thanks to our Patreon Gamma Ray Burst Supporters: James Hughes Fabian Olesen Kris Fernet Jane Meyers James Flowers Greg Allen Denys Ivanov Nick Virtue Alexey Eromenko Nicholas Rose Scott Gossett Mark Vasile Patrick Murray Sultan Alkhulaifi Alex Seto Michal-Peanut Karmi Erik Stein Daniel Lyons Kevin Warne JJ Bagnell Avi Goldfinger John Pettit Florian Stinglmayr Benoit Pagé-Guitard Nathan Leniz Brandon Labonte David Crane Greg Weiss Shannan Catalano Brandon Cook

In some ways, star clusters are like giant families with thousands of stellar siblings. These stars come from the same origins — a common cloud of gas and dust — and are bound to one another by gravity. Astronomers think that our Sun was born in a star cluster about 4.6 billion years ago that quickly dispersed. By studying young star clusters, astronomers hope to learn more about how stars — including our Sun — are born. NGC 6231, located about 5,200 light years from Earth, is an ideal testbed for studying a stellar cluster at a critical stage of its evolution: not long after star formation has stopped. The discovery of NGC 6231 is attributed to Giovanni Battista Hodierna, an Italian mathematician and priest who published observations of the cluster in 1654. Sky watchers today can find the star cluster to the southwest of the tail of the constellation Scorpius. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has been used to identify the young Sun-like stars in NGC 6231, which have, until recently, been hiding in plain sight. Young star clusters like NGC 6231 are found in the band of the Milky Way on the sky. As a result, interloping stars lying in front of or behind NGC 6231 greatly outnumber the stars in the cluster. These stars will generally be much older than those in NGC 6231, so members of the cluster can be identified by selecting signs of stellar youth. The Chandra data, combined with infrared data from the VISTA telescope, have provided the best census of young stars in NGC 6231 available. By studying this cluster and others like it, astronomers hope to better understand our Sun's origins and our shared cosmic ancestry with stars across the Galaxy.

Outer space is home to some incredibly weird objects and strange mysteries that we're uncovering today. Here are the strangest things found in outer space! Subscribe for more! ► https://goo.gl/pgcoq1 ◄ Stay updated ► https://goo.gl/JyGcTt https://goo.gl/5c8dzr ◄ For copyright queries or general inquiries please get in touch: [email protected] Be Amazed at these strangest things found in outer space! The taste of Raspberries and Rum - Yes, we're starting as we mean to go on with this list! Scientists have sifted through reams and reams of signals sent back to us from near the centre of our galaxy. Hypervelocity stars - Everyone's heard of shooting stars. If you're lucky, you may have even seen one! They streak across the sky on a clear night and are incredibly breathtaking! Art - The Voyager spacecraft was launched in the 1970’s and it continues its journey through space. CFBDSIR_2149-0403 - We often think of planets as acting like the ones we know well in our solar system. UFO’s - Yes I had to put some in this list! There are some sightings of UFO’s in outer space that are too engaging to just be passed off as space debris. Galactic Cannibalism - Now Cannibalism is a concept that is strange enough when it’s based on earth! It refers to a species eating and consuming one of its own kind. Large Quasar Group - A quasar group is a collection of astronomical structures formed around super massive black holes. They're thought to be the largest objects in our known Universe. The Eye of Sauron - It Turns out that the dark lord's symbol isn't much of a fantasy! There's a start in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus that looks just like it! The Face on Mars - This incredibly famous picture was taken in 1976 by the Viking 1 spacecraft. As it was picturing what is known as the Cydonian Mesa on Mars, it captured a picture of what looked to be a humanoid face. 55 Cancri - 55 Cancri is a sun that is located 41 lightyears away from our solar system in the constellation of Cancer.

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We’ve seen a distant star from another galaxy far, far away, and the Milky Way is growing, thanks to baby stars born in the outer edge of our galaxy’s disk. Hosted by: Hank Green For special, curated artifacts of this universe, check out https://scishowfinds.com/ ---------- Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scishow ---------- Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters: Jerry Perez, Lazarus G, Kelly Landrum Jones, Sam Lutfi, Kevin Knupp, Nicholas Smith, D.A. Noe, alexander wadsworth, سلطان الخليفي, Piya Shedden, KatieMarie Magnone, Scott Satovsky Jr, Charles Southerland, Bader AlGhamdi, James Harshaw, Patrick D. Ashmore, Candy, Tim Curwick, charles george, Saul, Mark Terrio-Cameron, Viraansh Bhanushali, Kevin Bealer, Philippe von Bergen, Chris Peters, Justin Lentz ---------- Like SciShow? Want to help support us, and also get things to put on your walls, cover your torso and hold your liquids? Check out our awesome products over at DFTBA Records: http://dftba.com/scishow ---------- Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet? Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/scishow Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scishow Tumblr: http://scishow.tumblr.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/thescishow ---------- Sources: https://www.eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2018-04/uoc--clh032818.php https://press.nature.com/?post_type=press_release&p=109045 https://press.nature.com/wp-content/uploads/files/2018/03/41550_2018_416_OnlinePDF.pdf https://press.nature.com/wp-content/uploads/files/2018/03/41550_2018_405_OnlinePDF_2.pdf https://press.nature.com/wp-content/uploads/files/2018/03/41550_2018_430_OnlinePDF.pdf https://astrobites.org/2017/07/04/the-farthest-star-ever-seen/ https://www.eso.org/public/usa/news/eso0425/ https://www.ewass.ras.ac.uk/7-is-the-milky-way-getting-bigger http://ewass.kuoni-congress.info/programme/pdf/paperToPdf.php?id=982 Images: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20267 https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20242 https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/hubble-uncovers-the-farthest-star-ever-seen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Treasures3.jpg https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12077 https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11894 https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/x-marks-the-spot-for-milky-way-formation https://www.nasa.gov/jpl/charting-the-milky-way-from-the-inside-out https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Needle_Galaxy_4565.jpeg https://nasaviz.gsfc.nasa.gov/11011 https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11437

Watch as white dwarf and gigantic stars go BOOM in a variety of scenarios. -- In Rare Supernova, Cocooned Star Dies Super-Rapid Death: https://www.space.com/40086-rare-supernova-star-explosion-seen-by-kepler.html Credit: Space.com / animations courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech / produced and edited by Steve Spaleta

Take a tour of some of the strangest stellar phenomena in the universe during this talk featuring Emily Levesque. From the biggest, brightest, and most volatile stars to the explosive fireworks of core-collapse supernovae and the fascinating physics of gravitational waves, “weird” stars serve as a common thread for exploring our universe’s history, evolution, and extremes. Levesque will discuss the history of stellar astronomy, present-day observing techniques and exciting new discoveries, and explore some of the most puzzling and bizarre objects being studied by astronomers today.

Enceladus’ environment could totally be habitable for at least one real-world microbe and we just found the oldest supernova. Host: Caitlin Hofmeister ---------- Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scishow ---------- Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters: Kelly Landrum Jones, Sam Lutfi, Kevin Knupp, Nicholas Smith, D.A. Noe, alexander wadsworth, سلط الخليفي, Piya Shedden, KatieMarie Magnone, Scott Satovsky Jr, Charles Southerland, Bader AlGhamdi, James Harshaw, Patrick Merrithew, Patrick D. Ashmore, Candy, Tim Curwick, charles george, Saul, Mark Terrio-Cameron, Viraansh Bhanushali, Kevin Bealer, Philippe von Bergen, Chris Peters, Justin Lentz ---------- Like SciShow? Want to help support us, and also get things to put on your walls, cover your torso and hold your liquids? Check out our awesome products over at DFTBA Records: http://dftba.com/scishow ---------- Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet? Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/scishow Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scishow Tumblr: http://scishow.tumblr.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/thescishow ---------- Sources: https://press.nature.com/?post_type=press_release&p=106051 http://nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/s41467-018-02876-y https://press.nature.com/wp-content/uploads/files/2018/02/41467_2018_Article_2876.pdf https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/uos-ars021918.php https://authors.library.caltech.edu/84741/1/Smith_2018_ApJ_854_37.pdf ----------- Images: https://www.nasa.gov/content/satellite-view-of-the-americas-on-earth-day http://www.thinkstockphotos.com/image/stock-illustration-fun-hippo-vector-illustration/540857252 https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jpl/pia20013/enceladus https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia14658.html https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1510.html https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1243.html https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/163333.php?from=385309 https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/supernova-ejected-from-the-pages-of-history.html https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/magnetar-near-supermassive-black-hole-delivers-surprises.html https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/young-magnetar-likely-the-slowest-pulsar-ever-detected.html

When did the first stars light up the universe? After 12 years of experimental effort, a team of scientists has detected the fingerprints of the earliest stars in the universe. Find out how they did it! __For more on the discovery, see NSF press release: https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=244599

An exploration of the Kardashev scale and Dyson spheres. It’s possible that in a few centuries Humans may be able to capture all the energy on Earth, in a few thousand years we might be able to capture all the energy from the Sun, and we might be able to harvest all the energy from every star in our galaxy in 100,000 to one million years. In this video, we discuss the Kardashev scale and look in detail on each civilization type, as well as discussing Dyson spheres. ►Click here to subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB0fFWQLZ2oj-FaoDUG_wow?sub_confirmation=1 ►Written, Produced & Narrated by: David ►Share this video: https://youtu.be/D2GGI3u_RRg Music: “So Many Stars” by Miguel Johnson “A Memory of Earth” by Markus Junnikkala “Staring Through” by AJ Prasad

ESA's XMM-Newton has spotted surprising changes in the powerful streams of gas from two massive stars in the binary star system HD 5980. One of the two stars had a major outburst reminiscent of the 19th-century eruption of Eta Carinae, and astronomers expected that its X-ray emission would fade gently over the years. Instead, they found the pair was two and a half times brighter than a decade earlier, and its X-ray emission was even more energetic, suggesting that colliding stellar winds don’t behave as expected. Full story: Stellar winds behaving unexpectedly - http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Stellar_winds_behaving_unexpectedly Music: David Hilowitz – CC BY-NC 4.0

In the star-forming region Lupus 3, in the constellation of Scorpius (The Scorpion), dazzlingly hot stars are born from collapsing masses of gas and dust. This short video showcases a new picture of this dramatic object, created from images taken using the VLT Survey Telescope and the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. It is the most detailed image taken so far of this region. The video is available in 4K UHD. Credit: ESO Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Nicole Shearer and Richard Hook. Music: Music written and performed by: John Stanford (johnstanfordmusic.com). Footage and photos: ESO, R. Colombari, Digitized Sky Survey 2, N. Risinger (skysurvey.org), M. Kornmesser, NASA, SDO, L.Calcada, B. Tafreshi (twanight.org), G. Lombardi (glphoto.it). Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Learn more about Stars at: https://www.spacetv.net/stars/ Follow SPACETV on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SPACETVnet Like SPACETV on Facebook: https://facebook.com/spacetv.net

What happens when a star eats its planets? Find out on today’s Space Time Journal Club. You can further support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime Get your own Space Time t­shirt at http://bit.ly/1QlzoBi Tweet at us! @pbsspacetime Facebook: facebook.com/pbsspacetime Email us! pbsspacetime [at] gmail [dot] com Comment on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/pbsspacetime Help translate our videos! https://www.youtube.com/timedtext_cs_panel?tab=2&c=UC7_gcs09iThXybpVgjHZ_7g Previous Episode: The End of Habitable Zone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwGeCfWc100 RESOURCES Starlifting https://youtu.be/pzuHxL5FD5U Kronos & Krios: Evidence for Accretion of a Massive, Rocky Planetary System in a Comoving Pair of Solar-Type Stars https://arxiv.org/pdf/1709.05344.pdf https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.05344 Korycansky, Laughlin & Adams 2000 https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/41972/10509_2004_Article_282187.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Our story begins where every story begins. In the heart of a vast cloud of gas and dust drifting through interstellar space. It is here that stars are born. We’ve talked about this process before, so in short: essentially all stars form in these stellar nurseries, and they form in the many thousands before being ejected from their birth clusters to wander the galaxy. Our Sun wanders alone, and we have no idea where its sibling stars might be. Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Drew Rosen and Matt O'Dowd Produced by Rusty Ward Graphics by Kurt Ross Assistant Editing and Sound Design by Mike Petrow and Meah Denee Barrington Made by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com) Special thanks to our Patreon Big Bang, Quasar and Hypernova Supporters: Big Bang CoolAsCats David Nicklas Faisal Saud Anton Lifshits Joey Redner Quasar Tambe Barsbay Mayank M. Mehrota Mars Yentur Mark Rosenthal Dean Fuqua Justin Lloyd Roman Pinchuk Hypernova Shaun Williams Edmund Fokschaner Max Levine Matthew O’Connor Eugene Lawson Martha Hunt Joseph Salomone Chuck Zegar Jordan Young Ratfeast John Hofmann Barry Hatfield Craig Peterson Thanks to our Patreon Gamma Ray Burst Supporters: Jane Myers Brandon Cook James Flowers Greg Allen Denys Ivanov Nick Virtue Alexey Eromenko Nicholas Rose Scott Gossett Mark Dykstra Mark Vasile Patrick Murray Sultan Alkhulaifi Alex Seto Michal-Peanut Karmi Erik Stein Daniel Lyons Kevin Warne JJ Bagnell J Rejc Avi Goldfinger John Pettit Florian Stiglmayr Benoit Pagé-Guitard Nathan Leniz Jessica Fraley Loro Lukic Brandon Labonte David Crane Greg Weiss

This zoom sequence starts with a view of the central parts of the Milky Way. We close in on a region in the constellation of Scorpius (The Scorpion). The final view is a combined image from data from both the VLT Survey Telescope and the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. It shows a dark cloud where new stars are forming along with a cluster of brilliant stars that have already burst out of their dusty stellar nursery. This cloud is known as Lupus 3 and it lies about 600 light-years from Earth. It is likely that the Sun formed in a similar star formation region more than four billion years ago. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1804b/ Credit: ESO/R. Colombari/Digitized Sky Survey 2/N. Risinger (skysurvey.org). Music: Astral electronic.

M41 - an open cluster in the constellation Canis Major - may be the faintest object recorded in ancient times. Discussed by Professor Mike Merrifield from the University of Nottingham --- https://twitter.com/ProfMike_M More Messier objects: http://bit.ly/MessierObjects Professor Merrifield on Objectivity: https://youtu.be/PccGklgNlHs Discuss this video on Brady's subreddit: https://redd.it/7s51np Deep Sky Videos website: http://www.deepskyvideos.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeepSkyVideos Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeepSkyVideos More about the astronomers in our videos: http://www.deepskyvideos.com/pages/contributors.html Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/deepskyvideos Video by Brady Haran

An exploration into the types of stars where life is not likely. https://www.patreon.com/johnmichaelgodier Music: Cylinder Eight by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/cylinders/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

What types of stars are most likely to have planets that harbor complex life? Astronomers (and everyone else for that matter) are very interested in finding out if there is life in the universe besides our own. One area of inquiry has been about the stars themselves: what types of stars might be most likely to have life in orbit around them. This hangout delves into this topic with Drs. Manfred Cuntz and Ed Quinan whose paper makes the case for the best type of star being a k dwarf star. Please join Tony Darnell, Dr. Jeffrey Kuhn and Dr. Svetlana Berdughina to discuss this and much more on the question of life in the universe. Here is a link to the paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/1606.09580

We can now map the interiors of stars by “listening” to their harmonies as they vibrate with seismic waves. Learn through active problem-solving at Brilliant: https://brilliant.org/SpaceTime/ You can further support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime Get your own Space Time t­shirt at http://bit.ly/1QlzoBi Tweet at us! @pbsspacetime Facebook: facebook.com/pbsspacetime Email us! pbsspacetime [at] gmail [dot] com Comment on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/pbsspacetime Help translate our videos! https://www.youtube.com/timedtext_cs_panel?tab=2&c=UC7_gcs09iThXybpVgjHZ_7g Previous Episode: Extinction by Gamma Ray Bursts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HvwNOSnveE These equations of hydrostatic equilibrium allow us to calculate things like the density and temperature of the core, the way energy flows to the surface, and even the lifespan of stars. These models are largely built around what little we can learn from the light we receive directly from the surface of stars. But how do we test these models if we can never see beneath those surfaces? We may not see light from beneath the stellar surface, but another type of wave travels freely throughout stars. I’m talking about seismic waves. Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Drew Rosen and Matt O'Dowd Produced by Rusty Ward Graphics by Kurt Ross Assistant Editing and Sound Design by Mike Petrow and Meah Denee Barrington Made by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com) Sounds of stars by Manuel Perez de Lema Lopez https://youtu.be/0ogyKgV4KN4 Special thanks to our Patreon Big Bang, Quasar and Hypernova Supporters: Big Bang Anton Lifshits CoolAsCats Faisal Saud David Nicklas Quasar Tambe Barsbay Mayank M. Mehrota Mars Yentur Mark Rosenthal Dean Fuqua Hypernova Edmund Fokschaner Matthew O’Connor Eugene Lawson Barry Hatfield Martha Hunt Joseph Salomone Chuck Zegar Craig Peterson Jordan Young Ratfeast John Hofmann Thanks to our Patreon Gamma Ray Burst Supporters: Greg Allen Ryan Griggs TJMadison Denys Ivanov Nick Virtue Alexey Eromenko Nicholas Rose Scott Gossett Mark Dykstra Mark Vasile Patrick Murray Sultan Alkhulaifi Alex Seto Michal-Peanut Karmi Erik Stein Daniel Lyons Kevin Warne JJ Bagnell J Rejc Amy Jie Avi Goldfinger John Pettit Shannan Catalano Florian Stinglmayr Benoit Pagé-Guitard Nathan Leniz Jessica Fraley Loro Lukic Brandon Labonte David Crane Greg Weiss

An exploration of supernovas as a precursor to alien contact transmissions. https://www.patreon.com/johnmichaelgodier Papers: "Supernovae as time markers in interstellar communication", T.B. Tang, 1976 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234326464_Supernovae_as_time_markers_in_interstellar_communication "Long-Term Prospects: Mitigation of Supernova and Gamma-Ray Burst Threat to Intelligent Beings" Cirkovik and Vukotic https://arxiv.org/pdf/1611.06096v1.pdf Music: Cylinder Five by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/cylinders/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

In this 1961 edition of the Sky at Night Patrick Moore talks about star clusters

A star some 550 million light-years from Earth might be destroying its exoplanets, creating clouds of gas and dust that cause the star to dim erratically.

A new project using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes allows people to navigate through real data of the remains of an exploded star for the first time. This three-dimensional virtual reality (VR) project with augmented reality (AR) allows users to explore inside the debris from actual observations of the supernova remnant called Cassiopeia A. Cassiopeia A (Cas A, for short) is the debris field of a massive star that blew itself apart over 340 years ago. The new 3D VR/AR project of Cas A is a collaboration between the Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, Mass., and Brown University's Center for Computation and Visualization in Providence, RI, and will provide new opportunities for public communications, informal education, and research. "The stars are much too far away to touch, but this project will let experts and non-experts — at least virtually — walk among one of the most famous supernova remnants in our sky," said Kimberly Arcand, Visualization Lead at the Chandra X-ray Center. VR is computer technology that simulates a user's physical presence in a virtual environment. AR adds elements, such as text, overlays and audio, to enhance that experience with sensory input. Chandra has repeatedly observed Cas A since the telescope was launched into space in 1999. Each exposure has added new and important data to the growing bank of information that astronomers use to study this object. This deep reservoir of data has allowed astronomers and visualization specialists to take the Cas A far beyond the two-dimensional imagery that exists for most astronomical objects. In 2009, a team of scientists, including astrophysicist Tracy Delaney (then of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and visualization experts used data from Chandra, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and ground-based optical facilities to generate a three-dimensional (3D) digital model of Cas A, the first ever of a supernova remnant. In 2013, a team of data specialists translated that into the first 3D print of a supernova remnant. "As technology has advanced in the VR and AR realms in recent years, we realized that we could go further with the 3D Cas A model," said Arcand. "Instead of us telling people where to look in Cas A, this project lets them decide for themselves." "The visualization of the Cas A supernova remnant took years to put together, and it deserves a magnificent way to experience it," said Tom Sgouros of Brown's Virtual Reality Lab. "Short of creating a building-size replica of the data, we think virtual reality is the best way to do that." The 3D visualization and VR/AR may also pay scientific dividends as well. It shows that there are two main components to this supernova remnant: a spherical component in the outer parts of the remnant and a flattened (disk-like) component in the inner region. The insight into the structure of Cas A gained from the 3D visualization is important for astronomers who build models of supernova explosions. The VR project is being made available in an open access format suitable for VR caves or "Yurts," as well as on the Oculus Rift platform. Please contact Kimberly Kowal Arcand (kkowal "at" cfa.harvard.edu) for more information on accessing those files. The project coordinators plan for a Google Cardboard version in future iterations. Additional data-driven 3D astronomical objects are also in the works for the Chandra VR/AR experience. More information on Cas A in VR is available at http://chandra.si.edu/vr. For access to non-VR versions, the Smithsonian Learning Lab has created an interactive 3D application for the 3D Cas A with related resources and activities. Visit http://s.si.edu/cas-a

Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope have for the first time directly observed granulation patterns on the surface of a star outside the Solar System — the ageing red giant π1 Gruis. A remarkable image from the PIONIER instrument reveals the convective cells that make up the surface of this huge star, which is 350 times larger than the Sun. Each cell covers more than a quarter of the star’s diameter and measures about 120 million kilometres across. The video is available in 4K UHD. The ESOcast Light is a series of short videos bringing you the wonders of the Universe in bite-sized pieces. The ESOcast Light episodes will not be replacing the standard, longer ESOcasts, but complement them with current astronomy news and images in ESO press releases. More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1741a/ Subscribe to ESOcast in iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/esocast-hd/id295471183?mt=2 Receive future episodes on YouTube by pressing the Subscribe button above or follow us on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/esoastronomy Watch more ESOcast episodes: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/archive/category/esocast/ Find out how to view and contribute subtitles for the ESOcast in multiple languages, or translate this video on YouTube: http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/translators/ Credit: ESO. Directed by: Nico Bartmann. Editing: Nico Bartmann. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Rosa Jesse and Richard Hook. Music written and performed by: John Stanford (johnstanfordmusic.com). Footage and photos: ESO, B. Lazareff (LAOG), Digitized Sky Survey 2, N. Risinger (skysurvey.org), NASA, SDO, M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada, H. Boffin, ESA. Executive producer: Lars Lindberg Christensen.

This sequence takes the viewer towards the southern constellation of Grus (The Crane). We zoom in on the pair of stars π1 Gruis (red) and π2 Gruis (bluish-white), and the bright spiral galaxy IC 5201 is also visible. The final shot shows a very detailed view of the surface of the red giant star π1 Gruis from the PIONIER instrument on the VLT Interferometer. Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2/N. Risinger (skysurvey.org) Music: Astral Electronic Download this video on https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1741b/

Dark matter is the mysterious and pervasive substance that constitutes most — about 85% — of the matter in our Universe. Although scientists have made progress in better understanding dark matter, the true nature of this invisible material remains elusive. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory plays an important role in the search to learn about dark matter. One way that astronomers have used Chandra to investigate dark matter has been through the study of a mysterious signal seen in the X-ray data. In 2014, astronomers reported they found a spike of intensity at a very specific energy in Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of the hot gas in the Perseus and other galaxy clusters. This spike, or emission line, is at an energy of 3.5 kiloelectron volts, or keV (pronounced "kay-ee-vee"), and could not easily be explained as emission from known elements. Therefore, one possibility was that this line was produced by dark matter particles. Naturally, determining the true nature of dark matter would be a huge discovery. And as Carl Sagan famously said, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Therefore, astronomers have been working hard both to replicate the initial results and also provide explanations for all of the observations connected to this original finding. Now a new team of astronomers has provided an innovative interpretation of the observations surrounding this 3.5 keV line. They propose that there is another mechanism at work, namely the absorption of X-ray light by mystery particles. If this is true, then it's possible that the 3.5 keV line may, in fact, be produced by dark matter particles. While these ideas need to be confirmed with future observations, it may be that the prospect of determining the nature of the darkest of matter may never have been more so bright.

Did you know stars can come in many colors? Join our NASA Spotlite Student Producers as they explain how a star's color can help determine its mass, surface temperature, and position in its lifecycle!

Part 1 in a collaboration with Dr. Paul Sutter of The Ohio State University on the subject of unusual stars. This episode focuses on stars that do not yet exist, but will as the universe ages. Part II is a discussion of unusual stars that exist now and can be found here: Part II: https://youtu.be/OfjBPh8YxAc Cylinder Eight by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/cylinders/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

Kimberly Arcand, CfA, Visualization Lead for NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory; Tom Sgouros, Manager of the Brown University Virtual Reality Lab Objects in space are rather far away. The Moon is our closest celestial neighbor at nearly a quarter million miles from Earth, and the nearest star, our Sun, is 93 million miles away. These extreme distances mean that it’s usually impossible to touch real objects in space (meteorites that fall to the ground notwithstanding). But now, thanks to data from some of our favorite observatories, anyone can hold a dead star in their hand. Here’s how. Arcand, of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, will talk about the process of creating the first data-based 3D model and print of an exploded star. At the end of Arcand's talk, she will be joined by Tom Sgouros, a researcher with and on virtual reality at the Brown University Center for Computation and Visualization. Arcand and Sgouros have worked together to develop software, using Occulus Rift technology, allowing observers virtual first-hand experience of a supernova remnant like never before. Original music by Mark C. Petersen, Loch Ness Productions. Used with permission. Animations used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

It's the perfect meeting of old and new. Astronomers have combined recent data from ESA's Gaia mission with a simple analysis technique from the 18th century to discover a massive star cluster that had previously escaped detection. Subsequent investigations are helping to reveal the star-forming history of our Galaxy, the Milky Way. For more about this story see How do you find a star cluster? Easy, simply count the stars at http://sci.esa.int/gaia/59741-how-do-you-find-a-star-cluster-easy-simply-count-the-stars/