Thousands of satellites in “megaconstellations” have been launched to meet the demand for global Internet service, and thousands more will be launched in the near future. But these small satellites have a short lifespan and, when they burn up during reentry, will release ozone-depleting pollutants. A new study in Geophysical Research Letters measures this pollution … Read more
Astronomers have spotted flashes and echoes coming from the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). These “cosmic fireworks” and X-ray echoes can help scientists better understand the dark, quiet cosmic titan around which our galaxy orbits. The Michigan State University team of researchers made the groundbreaking discovery … Read more
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have mapped, for the first time ever, the plasma “burps” of a supermassive black hole-powered quasar that resides relatively close to Earth. While supermassive black holes with masses millions or billions of times that of the sun are thought to reside at the heart of all galaxies, not all … Read more