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The FASTEST growing supermassive black hole EVER found | Night Sky News March 2024

Dr. Becky・31 minutes read

Night Sky News for March 2024 discusses upcoming celestial events, including visible planets, a total solar eclipse, and bright comets, while also highlighting NASA's latest space tools and Intuitive Machines' successful moon landing. The text also delves into budget constraints facing the National Science Foundation, potential impacts on US astronomy, and the significance of a recently discovered supermassive black hole and quasars in expanding our understanding of the universe.

Insights

  • Special eclipse glasses are essential to safely view the total solar eclipse on April 8th, preventing permanent eye damage from direct sun exposure.
  • The dilemma faced by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in choosing between funding the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) in Chile or the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) in Hawaii will significantly impact the future of US astronomy, potentially limiting access to cutting-edge observatories.

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Recent questions

  • How can I safely view a solar eclipse?

    Use special eclipse glasses.

  • What is the purpose of the Adi Rover on the moon?

    Study radio frequencies and test navigation methods.

  • What is the significance of the Giant Magellan Telescope?

    Advancements in ground-based astronomy.

  • How do quasars contribute to astronomical research?

    Provide insights into distant objects.

  • What is the impact of NASA's budget cuts on scientific missions?

    Premature phasing out of the Chandra X-ray Telescope.

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Summary

00:00

Celestial Events and Space News Update

  • Night Sky News for March 2024 hosted by astrophysicist Dr. Becky Smithurst discusses upcoming celestial events and recent space news.
  • On March 24th, Jupiter will be visible in the evening sky along with Mercury, which will be harder to spot due to its faintness and proximity to the horizon.
  • Saturn will be visible in the morning sky on April 6th, forming a triangle with Mars and the crescent moon, with Venus rising behind them.
  • The total solar eclipse on April 8th will be visible across Mexico, the USA, and Canada, with partial coverage in shaded yellow regions.
  • Special eclipse glasses are necessary to safely view the eclipse, as looking directly at the sun can cause permanent eye damage.
  • Comet Pons-Brooks is getting brighter and may be visible with binoculars or a smartphone camera, with a potential sighting opportunity on April 10th alongside Jupiter and the crescent moon.
  • Ground News, an app and website, offers unbiased news coverage and is sponsoring the video, providing a comprehensive view of global media sources.
  • NASA launched a new tool displaying current observations by the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope, offering insights into their scientific purposes.
  • Intuitive Machines' Adi Rover landed near the South Pole of the moon on February 23, 2024, marking the first US-made craft to land on the moon since 1972 and the first commercial company to achieve this milestone.
  • The Adi Rover carries instruments to study radio frequencies near the moon's surface and test new navigation methods, aligning with NASA's goals for future lunar missions and potential human habitation on the moon.

13:45

"Commercial Space Boosts Solar System Exploration"

  • Commercial space activities may lead to cheaper scientific missions, allowing for more exploration in the solar system, including visits to Uranus, Neptune, and moons of Saturn and Jupiter.
  • The National Science Foundation (NSF) faces a budget dilemma, being forced to choose between funding the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) in Chile or the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) in Hawaii due to budget constraints set by Congress.
  • The GMT and TMT, both large telescopes, offer significant advancements in ground-based astronomy, with the GMT being smaller and cheaper but the TMT potentially more scientifically useful due to its location in the Northern Hemisphere.
  • The GMT's location in Chile is ideal for astronomy, while the TMT's location on Mount AA in Hawaii has faced opposition from native Hawaiians, leading to construction delays.
  • The decision between funding the GMT or TMT will impact the future of US astronomy, with potential limitations on access to cutting-edge observatories.
  • NASA's budget cuts include phasing out the Chandra X-ray Telescope prematurely, despite its significant scientific contributions in high-energy astrophysics.
  • The discovery of a supermassive black hole, 17 billion times the mass of the sun, growing at an extraordinary rate, has been made, making it the brightest object known as a quasar.
  • Quasars are extremely bright due to material spiraling around supermassive black holes, emitting light across the spectrum, and are crucial for understanding distant objects in the universe.
  • The discovery of the supermassive black hole was confirmed through observations with the VLT in Chile, determining its mass, growth rate, and other properties.
  • The supermassive black hole's growth rate, taking in one sun's worth of matter every day, is unprecedented and highlights the immense scale of this astronomical phenomenon.

29:19

"Revolutionary Gravity Plus Measures Black Hole Mass"

  • Gravity Plus can resolve the accretion disc in detail to directly measure black hole mass, surpassing indirect methods like emission lines correlation.
  • Bright quasars enable measuring the universe's expansion rate to vast distances, surpassing Supernova or Seid variables, with future studies relying on stable observations from the European Extremely Large Telescope.
  • Excitement surrounds the discovery of the fastest-growing supermassive black hole, with future studies anticipated, including the detection of population three stars, a topic to be covered in an upcoming video, and a recommendation for the book "The Accidental Universe" by Chris Lintar.
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