An international team of astronomers used ALMA to capture high-resolution images of eight protoplanetary disks in the Sigma Orionis cluster, which is irradiated by intense ultraviolet light from a massive nearby star. To their surprise, they found evidence of gaps and rings in most of the disks—structures commonly associated with the formation of giant planets, like Jupiter.
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Applications Accepted for 2018 Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program
Cerro Mayu Observatory outside La Serena, Chile. The Milky Way arches over sculptures near the Observatory. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds can be seen near the horizon (right). Photo taken by 2017 ACEAP Ambassador Matt Dieterich (ACEAP/NSF)
Applications are now being accepted for the 2018 Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program (ACEAP).
This program, in its fourth year, brings amateur astronomers, planetarium personnel, and astronomy educators to several U.S.-funded astronomy observatories in Chile. While there, ambassadors will receive behind-the-scenes tours of some of the world’s most productive and advanced telescopes, including in-depth information on their instruments and discoveries.
ACEAP is a collaborative project of Associated Universities, Inc., the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, and Gemini Observatory. ACEAP was initially funded in 2015 as a two-year pilot program by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Due to its success, NSF decided to fund the program for an additional two years.
To be eligible for this program, individuals must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Ambassadors may be either amateur astronomers, kindergarten through college (formal and informal) educators who teach astronomy as part of their curriculum or program, planetarium educators, or others who communicate astronomy to the public.
The ACEAP partners will select eight ambassadors from across the United States and its territories for the excursion, which will begin on 10 June 2018 and continue through 18 June 2018. This nine-day expedition (not including travel time between the U.S. and Chile) will include stops at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), Gemini-South Observatory, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
APPLY NOW – http://epe.aui.edu/programs/astronomy-in-chile-educator-ambassadors-program/
ACEAP 2016 Ambassadors. Ambassadors visit the Atacama Desert following a successful visit to the ALMA high-site at 16,500 ft. Photo by Tim Spuck (AUI/NSF).
Recent News
ALMA Reveals Planets Can Form Under Harsh Radiation
An international team of astronomers used ALMA to capture high-resolution images of eight protoplanetary disks in the Sigma Orionis cluster, which is irradiated by intense ultraviolet light from a massive nearby star. To their surprise, they found evidence of gaps and rings in most of the disks—structures commonly associated with the formation of giant planets, like Jupiter.
Astronomers Discover New Building Blocks for Complex Organic Matter
There should be a lot of carbon in space, but surprisingly, it’s not always easy to find. While it can be observed in many places, it doesn’t add up to the volume astronomers would expect to see. The discovery of a new, complex molecule (1-cyanopyrene), challenges these expectations, about where the building blocks for carbon are found, and how they evolve.
Massive Stars Born from Violent Cosmic Collapse
An international team of astronomers has observed evidence that massive stars can be born from rapidly collapsing clouds of gas and dust, challenging long-held assumptions about star formation.