RadioNet newsletter 08/2023
RadioNet newsletter 08/2023 issued. Read here.
Record-breaking cold gas discovery in the early Universe
Using the transnational access funded by the EC granted Opticon RadioNet Pilot project, Astronomers have detected cold molecular gas in the form of carbon monoxide in the host galaxy of a supermassive black hole at an early epoch in cosmic history, corresponding to when the Universe was only seven hundred million years old. The discovery [...]
Mysterious Neptune dark spot detected from Earth for the first time
Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have observed a large dark spot in Neptune’s atmosphere, with an unexpected smaller bright spot adjacent to it. This is the first time a dark spot on the planet has ever been observed with a telescope on Earth. Read more in the ESO press release here. Image: [...]
New type of star gives clues to mysterious origin of magnetars
Using multiple telescopes around the world, including European Southern Observatory (ESO) facilities, researchers have uncovered a living star that is likely to become a magnetar. This finding marks the discovery of a new type of astronomical object — massive magnetic helium stars — and sheds light on the origin of magnetars. This research was presented [...]
Prof A. Zensus elected to the KoWi Advisory Board
At the KoWi (The EU Liaison Office of the German Research Organisations) general meeting on 10 August 2023, Prof. Dr. Anton Zensus/Director of MPIfR, Scientific Coordinator of the running Opticon RadioNet Pilot project and Coordinator of the former RadioNet project was elected to the KoWi Advisory Board, with immediate effect.
VLA Finds Megastorms on Saturn Disrupt Gas Giant’s Deep Atmosphere in Surprising Ways
A study of rare megastorms on Saturn using data from the National Science Foundation’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array has revealed disruptions in the distribution of ammonia gas in the planet’s deep atmosphere. The findings raise questions about just how different gas giants can be from each other, and challenge scientists’ understanding of how [...]
New ALMA receivers will probe cosmic origins
An international team of astronomers and engineers at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have made the first measurements using new receivers installed on multiple ALMA antennas. This so-called “Band 2” opens a new window into cosmic origins, allowing measurements that reveal how distant stars and galaxies form, all the way down to the origins [...]
IRAM Telescopes: Call for proposals open
The call is open for observing proposals on IRAM telescopes, both the NOEMA interferometer and the 30-meter telescope, for the winter semester 2023/2024. Access/funding offered through the ORP (Opticon RadioNet Pilot) project. Submission deadline: 14 September 2023, 17:00 CEST (UT + 2 hours)