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.
West Virginia Students Contact International Space Station LIVE
How would you feel if you could talk to an astronaut, orbiting over 200-miles above you in space?
Friday, May 7th at 8:00 AM EDT, students in rural West Virginia will experience this once in a lifetime opportunity. Green Bank Elementary-Middle School (GBEMS) will be contacting astronaut Mark Vande Hei on the International Space Station (ISS).
This contact is made possible by Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), an international program that inspires students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. This experience is a limited opportunity available to only a handful of schools – around the world – who must go through an extensive application process, working closely with staff and volunteers to assemble the resources required.
GBEMS is located in secluded and mountainous Pocahontas County, West Virginia, one of the largest counties with one of the smallest populations east of the Mississippi River. The school happens to be next door to the Green Bank Observatory, home of the largest fully steerable radio telescope in the world, an unusual and impressive playground backdrop. Several staff from the Observatory volunteered to support this project, helping students to select and install the technology for this radio contact. The students only have a few precious minutes to establish a connection as the space station orbits above them on Earth.
School principal Julie Shiflet and science teacher Anne Smith put in many hours with students, staff, and volunteers to make this project possible. Following COVID-19 safety guidelines, a small group of students and staff will be using special radio equipment set up in the school gym for this contact. This event will be livestreamed from the Observatory Facebook page for the public to share in the excitement.
Students, staff, and volunteers rehearsing for the contact. A variety of connections must be tested, and the program timed, to ensure contact with the International Space Station as it passes overhead. Photo credit NSF/GBO/Jill Malusky.
The generosity of several groups made this project possible, including the Snowshoe Foundation, The Durbin Lions Club, the Eight Rivers Amateur Radio Club, and the Green Bank Observatory, with special thanks to GBEMS Principal Julie Shiflet and Science Teacher Anne Smith.
To learn more about Green Bank Observatory Observatory science and to see research opportunities visit their website. The Green Bank Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation and is operated by Associated Universities, Inc.
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This news article was originally published on the GBO website on April 28, 2021.
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.