News

Most Massive Neutron Star Ever Detected, Almost too Massive to Exist

Most Massive Neutron Star Ever Detected, Almost too Massive to Exist

Astronomers using the GBT have discovered the most massive neutron star to date, a rapidly spinning pulsar approximately 4,600 light-years from Earth. This record-breaking object is teetering on the edge of existence, approaching the theoretical maximum mass possible for a neutron star. Artist impression of the pulse from a massive neutron star...

Michael Holstine on the Green Bank Telescope and listening to the whispers of the universe

Michael Holstine on the Green Bank Telescope and listening to the whispers of the universe

The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in Green Bank, West Virginia, US is the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope. It is situated in the National Radio Quiet Zone, a unique area where authorities limit all radio transmissions to avoid emissions toward the GBT. The location of the telescope within the Radio Quiet Zone allows...

West Virginia First-Generation College Students Get Major Boost to STEM Opportunities

West Virginia First-Generation College Students Get Major Boost to STEM Opportunities

Newswise — West Virginia’s First2 STEM Student Success Alliance has received a total of $2,406,954 in new funding as part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) INCLUDES grant program, which helps to develop and maintain a diverse, innovative workforce in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. This initiative in West Virginia...

Radio Observations Confirm Superfast Jet of Material From Neutron Star Merger

Radio Observations Confirm Superfast Jet of Material From Neutron Star Merger

Precise measurement using a continent-wide collection of National Science Foundation (NSF) radio telescopes has revealed that a narrow jet of particles moving at nearly the speed of light broke out into interstellar space after a pair of neutron stars merged in a galaxy 130 million light-years from Earth. The merger, which occurred in August of...