High-energy transient signals are most often determined to be gamma-ray burst events, but the recently-launched Einstein Probe has expanded astronomers’ ability to quickly respond to similar signals occurring at X-ray wavelengths. Now, a multi-wavelength study of EP240408a concludes that while many of the signal’s characteristics might lead to the conclusion that it is a gamma-ray burst, the non-detection at radio wavelengths precludes that possibility.
Recent News
Students Contribute to New Understanding of ‘Twinkling’ Pulsars
The flexible observing setup of the Green Bank Observatory’s 20-meter telescope enabled frequent, long-duration observations of eight pulsars, spanning two and a half years for a student-driven study carried out by students in the Pulsar Science Collaboratory program.
Double the Disks, Double the Discovery: New Insights into Planet Formation in DF Tau
Tucked away in a star-forming region in the Taurus constellation, a pair of circling stars are displaying some unexpected differences in the circumstellar disks of dust and gas that surround them. A new study led by researchers at Lowell Observatory, combining data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and Keck Observatory, has unveiled intriguing findings about planet formation in this binary star system, known as DF Tau, along with other systems in this region.
White House Star Party
AUI and NRAO Attend the White House Astronomy Night
PING group heads to the White House
The evening of October 19 brought telescopes, astronomers, astronauts, astronomy educators, and more than 200 students to the South Lawn of the White House for a stargazing event with the President. Among those invited to attend were AUI’s STEM Education Development Officer, Tim Spuck, NRAO-Green Bank’s Education Officer, Sue Ann Heatherly, and one of NRAO’s newest hires, Sabrina Stierwalt. Also in attendance were eleven student representatives from the 2015 Physicists Inspiring the Next Generation: Exploring the Cosmos with NRAO (PING) program including current 9th graders Julia Adler from Culver City, California; Caroline Kragh from Bel Air, Maryland; Ava Patino from New York City; Shira Nash from Washington, D.C.; David Allen from Baltimore, Maryland; Mikiyas Solomon from Laurel, Maryland; Hunter Farrow from Gwynn Oak, Maryland; Izzy Workman from Hendersonville, North Carolina; Justin Price from Randallstown, Maryland; and Kevin Little who is currently an undergraduate student at George Mason University.
In the weeks leading up to Astronomy Night Spuck and Heatherly assisted the National Science Foundation and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in planning for this special event. The goal of the White House Astronomy Night was to inspire the next generation of explorers through astronomy and space related science and engineering. President Obama stated in his opening remarks, “When I look out at the faces of these young people I am absolutely confident that there are new frontiers that we’re going to be busting through, in my lifetime and beyond. So thank you for that. You make me excited and you make me inspired.” Just prior to the event, a small group of individuals representing various STEM education initiatives were invited to meet with President Obama. One of the programs recognized was PING: Exploring the Cosmos with NRAO. PING student, Ava Patino, and Paul Gueye, President of the National Society of Black Physicists, had the opportunity to share a few words with the President during this time.
Sofy Alvarez-Bareiro, a high school senior from Brooklyn, New York, explains how craters are formed on the Moon to President Obama
Among the displays AUI and NRAO featured at the event were three optical telescopes, secured through AUI’s network of STEM educators from the Oil Region Astronomical Society and Clarion University’s Science in Motion Project, and the Itty Bitty Radio Telescope. For the first time ever a radio telescope from NRAO made it to the White House lawn!
For more information please contact AUI’s STEM Education Development Officer, Tim Spuck, at [email protected].
Recent News
NSF VLA Contributes Crucial Puzzle Piece to ‘Peculiar’ High Energy Transient
High-energy transient signals are most often determined to be gamma-ray burst events, but the recently-launched Einstein Probe has expanded astronomers’ ability to quickly respond to similar signals occurring at X-ray wavelengths. Now, a multi-wavelength study of EP240408a concludes that while many of the signal’s characteristics might lead to the conclusion that it is a gamma-ray burst, the non-detection at radio wavelengths precludes that possibility.
Students Contribute to New Understanding of ‘Twinkling’ Pulsars
The flexible observing setup of the Green Bank Observatory’s 20-meter telescope enabled frequent, long-duration observations of eight pulsars, spanning two and a half years for a student-driven study carried out by students in the Pulsar Science Collaboratory program.
Double the Disks, Double the Discovery: New Insights into Planet Formation in DF Tau
Tucked away in a star-forming region in the Taurus constellation, a pair of circling stars are displaying some unexpected differences in the circumstellar disks of dust and gas that surround them. A new study led by researchers at Lowell Observatory, combining data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and Keck Observatory, has unveiled intriguing findings about planet formation in this binary star system, known as DF Tau, along with other systems in this region.