NASA - discovery of an exceptional object in our cosmic neighborhood.

[Arthur_Parker]

NASA Announces Televised Chandra News Conference

WASHINGTON -- NASA will hold a news conference at 12:30 p.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 15, to discuss the Chandra X-ray Observatory's discovery of an exceptional object in our cosmic neighborhood.

The news conference will originate from NASA Headquarters' television studio, 300 E St. SW in Washington and carried live on NASA TV.

Media representatives may attend the conference, join by phone or ask questions from participating NASA locations. To RSVP or obtain dial-in information, journalists must send their name, affiliation and telephone number to Trent Perrotto at: trent.j.perrotto@nasa.gov by 10 a.m. EST on Nov. 15. Reporters wishing to attend the conference in-person must have a valid press credential for access. Non-U.S. media also must bring passports.

Scientists involved in the research will be available to answer questions. Panelists providing analysis of the research include:
- Jon Morse, director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters in Washington
- Kimberly Weaver, astrophysicist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
- Alex Filippenko, astrophysicist, University of California, Berkeley

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and further information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv


For more information about NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/chandra


http://chandra.harvard.edu 

Bruce Willis and a crack team of the oil rig drillers are on standby.

[Surlyboi]

We come in peace...

[tgr]

We come in peace...

____________/

[Arthur_Parker]

http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/10_releases/press_111510.html

For Release: November 15, 2010

CXC


Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/D.Patnaude et al, Optical: ESO/VLT, Infrared: NASA/JPL/Caltech
Press Image and Caption
Evidence for the youngest known black hole in our cosmic neighborhood has been found using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes. The age and proximity of this object could provide astronomers with a unique opportunity to watch a black hole develop during its infancy.

The object in question is associated with SN 1979C, a supernova in the galaxy M100 discovered by an amateur astronomer in 1979. While many likely new black holes in the distant Universe have been detected in the form of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), this nascent black hole candidate is much closer, at a distance of only 50 million light years from Earth.

Data from Chandra, as well as NASA's Swift, the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton and the German ROSAT observatory revealed a bright source of X-rays that has remained steady for the 12 years from 1995 to 2007 over which it has been observed. This behavior and the X-ray spectrum, or distribution of X-rays with energy, support the idea that the object is a black hole being fed either by material falling back into the black hole after the supernova, or from a binary companion.

"If our interpretation is correct, this is the nearest example where the birth of a black hole has been observed," said Daniel Patnaude of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass. who led the study.

The scientists think that SN 1979C formed when a star about 20 times more massive than the Sun collapsed. It was a particular type of supernova where the exploded star had ejected some, but not all of its outer, hydrogen- rich envelope before the explosion, so it is unlikely to have been associated with a GRB. Supernovas have sometimes been associated with GRBs, but only where the exploded star had completely lost its hydrogen envelope.

"This may be the first time that the common way of making a black hole has been observed," said coauthor Abraham Loeb, also of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Most black holes in the Universe should form when the core of a star collapses and a gamma-ray burst is not produced."

Seems like it's this, sadly not quite as newsworthy as Aliens or the end of the world.

[Surlyboi]

It's still definitely a chance for them to discover if some of their theories are correct and if not, by how much they're off.

Still, 50 million light years being in "our galactic neighborhood" is a nice indicator of just how small this planet and all the people on it are.

[pxib]

50 light years is at the far edge of our neighborhood. Within the galactic plane, we can only see about that far before interstellar debris completely clouds our vision. High energy photons like x-rays are the easiest to distinguish at those distances, so it's not surprising that the object has been known of (if not completely understood) since 1979.

[Muffled]

50 million light years is at the far edge of our neighborhood. Within the galactic plane, we can only see about that far before interstellar debris completely clouds our vision. High energy photons like x-rays are the easiest to distinguish at those distances, so it's not surprising that the object has been known of (if not completely understood) since 1979.

Still quite close, as these things go.

[Ironwood]

I'm building my Big Red Robot.

Anyone want some vegetables diced ?

[Furiously]

The thing I've always thought of being cool is these events took place 50 million years ago. The continents had all just started to break apart, mammals were just coming into existence, the north pole was a tropical zone. And 50 million light years away a sun exploded. We get to watch history but somehow it's happening now from our perspective.

[pxib]

How embarrassing.

Ah... well considerably less neighborly. Relativity plays games at that distance. If you want to bake your noggin, Furiously, try wrapping your head around this. Lorentz transforms are weird at long distances, so exactly what time it is at SN 1979 C varies by a matter of weeks depending on which direction you're walking.

[Chimpy]

But isn't the earth flat and all stars are actually the same distance away?

[Sir T]

Yeah, but Atlas tossed the earthfrizbee last week.

[bhodi]

How embarrassing.

Ah... well considerably less neighborly. Relativity plays games at that distance. If you want to bake your noggin, Furiously, try wrapping your head around this. Lorentz transforms are weird at long distances, so exactly what time it is at SN 1979 C varies by a matter of weeks depending on which direction you're walking.

It's easy to discount and put into perspective by remembering that for two independent frames of reference, the other may as well not exist. The speed of light is the speed of information. No one knows if the aliens invade or not until we detect something.. and they'll both be on the receiving end of the (speed of light) death ray at (almost) the same time.

Edit: but, the wiki article already says that. It's more about remembering that everyone has their own frame of reference (plane of simultaneity) and no two are alike. Relativity thought experiments are fun.

[Furiously]

Until you get into a superspaceship and take a quick jaunt out to the edge of the galaxy then come back 6 years later only to discover everyone you knew is dead and 15,000 years have passed.

[Surlyboi]

Well, not quite that much time. Unless part of that 15,000 earth years was spent at the event horizon of a black hole.

[WayAbvPar]

Until you get into a superspaceship and take a quick jaunt out to the edge of the galaxy then come back 6 years later only to discover everyone you knew is dead and 15,000 years have passed.

[Typhon]

Well, not quite that much time. Unless part of that 15,000 earth years was spent at the event horizon of a black hole.

Milkyway is guestimated to have a diamter of 100,000 lightyears (ly).

Sol is guestimated to be 25,000 ly from the core.

That leaves Sol 25,000 light years from the nearest edge.  2 x 25,000 ly / really close to the speed of light for the whole trip = 50,000 years minimum amount of time has elapsed on Earth by the time you have gotten back from the edge of the Milkyway. 

Even if that estimate is too large and it's only 15,000 ly to the nearest edge it's still a minimum of 30,000 years elapsed on Earth for you to get there and back.  No black hole required.  Just something to convert matter into energy to accelerate you to close to the speed of light and some sort of shielding to keep the interstellar hydrogen from slamming into your body with the force of a baseball.

Probably worth it though to get all the cool psionic powers that you get from leaving the galaxy hitting the galactic barrier.  Mild insanity seems a small price to pay, don't be a sissy.

[Count Nerfedalot]

Our galaxy is a fairly thin disk.  If you want to get out of it, you needn't go to the edge, just "up" or "down".

That said, good luck with that! 

[Typhon]

When I get my psionic-demi-godhood I'm going to be gunning for you z-axis exploiters.  Course, you'll have a 48,000 year head start on me, ... 

[Sky]

Hey, everyone! Look at the psionic demi-god caveman!

He doesn't know how to use the three shells, bwhaha!

[MahrinSkel]

He doesn't know how to use the three shells, bwhaha!

How do you use the three shells, BTW?

--Dave

[Furiously]

Haha you don't know!!!