AskScience AMA Series: European Southern Observatory announcement concerning groundbreaking observations. | AskScience Blog

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Monday, October 16, 2017

AskScience AMA Series: European Southern Observatory announcement concerning groundbreaking observations.

AskScience AMA Series: European Southern Observatory announcement concerning groundbreaking observations.


AskScience AMA Series: European Southern Observatory announcement concerning groundbreaking observations.

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 07:00 PM PDT

ESO announces observations of an astronomical phenomenon that has never been witnessed before. The session will take place after ESO's press conference on 16 October 2017 at 16:00 CEST (10 AM ET), which can be watched live at www.eso.org/live.


Summary

ESO's fleet of telescopes in Chile have detected the first visible counterpart to a gravitational wave source. These historic observations suggest that this unique object is the result of the merger of two neutron stars. The cataclysmic aftermaths of this kind of merger — long-predicted events called kilonovae — disperse heavy elements such as gold and platinum throughout the Universe. This discovery, published in several papers in the journal Nature and elsewhere, also provides the strongest evidence yet that short-duration gamma-ray bursts are caused by mergers of neutron stars.

Besides the science, the collaborative global effort to make this discovery possible was also very interesting. On 17 August 2017 a gravitational wave event was detected. About two seconds later, two space observatories detected a short gamma-ray burst from the same area of the sky. As night fell in Chile ESO's telescopes as well as many others, peered at this patch of sky, pinpointing the source in visible and infrared light. Observations continued as night arrived in Hawaii, as well as for weeks after around the globe.

Details on the discovery can be read here: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1733/

Guests:

  • Stephen Smartt, Professor of Mathematics and Physics at the Queen's University Belfast. He can take questions on the electromagnetic event, kilonova, r-process, chemical enrichment, heavy elements, telescopes and surveys, finding kilonovae.
  • Joe Lyman, Post-doctoral researcher at the University of Warwick. He can take questions on the host galaxy and environment of the kilonova, as well as the observations done at ESO's La Silla Observatory.
  • Marina Rejkuba, Associate Astronomer at the European Southern Observatory and head of ESO's User Support Department. She can take questions on ESO, telescopes, instruments, and generally the observations carried out for this event.
  • Andrew Levan, Professor of Physics at the University of Warwick. He can take questions on neutron star mergers and electromagnetic follow-up from gamma-ray to radio, observations from the facilities of the European Southern Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope.
  • Prof. Paolo A. Mazzali, Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University and Max-Planck Institute for Astrophysics. He can take questions on the merger event, its origin, its ejecta, and interpretation of the ESO spectra.
  • Avneet Singh, Doctoral researcher, Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik (Albert-Einstein-Institut). He can answer questions on sources and searches for gravitational waves, general relativity, cosmology and physics of extreme matter.
  • Alex Nitz, Postdoctoral researcher, Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Albert-Einstein-Institute. He can answer questions on the design of gravitational-wave instruments, the theory behind gravitational waves, gravitational waves from compact binary mergers, how we find signals, and measure their astrophysical parameters.

We have been involved in this discovery, either operating ESO's telescopes when the event happened or analysing the data received and drawing the conclusions. We'll be on starting at 18:30 CEST/12:30 ET. AMA!

submitted by /u/AskScienceModerator
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How do we know the measurement of subatomic particles from each other? I've heard the analogy of the nucleus of an atom being the size of a football or a grape then the electrons would be so many kilometers away, specifically I want to know how we came to figure these relative distances.

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 04:33 PM PDT

Why aren't there nuclear powered cruise ships and shipping vessels?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 11:56 AM PDT

The largest vehicles in the world emit the most pollution. A cruise ship is equal to a million cars a day. The cargo ships and oil tankers are already a threat to the environment just by their cargo let alone their pollution. Large ships, capable of hauling oil rigs or multiple cargo ships, are an order of magnitude worse.

Why not use nuclear power and electric?

submitted by /u/sheepsleepdeep
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How fast would an indestructable 50c euro coin have to go to destroy earth on impact?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 02:45 PM PDT

If it is at all possible. Wikipedia for coin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_cent_euro_coin

submitted by /u/DMCofSourcefed
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Do the ocean/lakes/rivers provide extra protection to creatures living underwater from UV radiation from the sun? (Besides just the ozone layer for land creatures)

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 07:03 PM PDT

If our sun was to go supernova, what would kill us first?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 11:02 AM PDT

I know our sun is too small, but the thought of it happening raises thoughts. I once read that the light from a supernova would be so bright it would be like the Hiroshima bomb detonating against our eyeball, but would that be enough to kill us all before the rest of the exploding star reached us?

submitted by /u/TheMavic
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Would the supposed "floor tile energy generators" actually work?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 02:16 PM PDT

This is what I'm talking about: http://www.pavegen.com/about

submitted by /u/Flareblood
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How do scientists believe that Phobos and Deimos are captured asteroids from the belt? How does this happen?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 12:20 PM PDT

It's not that I don't believe it, it's that I'm not quite sure how it's possible. I was reading an article that stated scientists believe that Mars' two moons are captured asteroids from the belt. How does a planet just capture an asteroid? If this was possible, wouldn't all the asteroids that come near Earth be moons if this was a thing?

Perhaps I'm in the wrong subreddit. Maybe it should be in /r/explainlikeimfive but I suppose it's still relevant here.

Edit: How can they rule out the fact that something could have hit Mars, something big, and caused chunks of it to go into space (similar to Earth's Moon forming theory).

submitted by /u/Aaronpierce1
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Electrodeposition deposition of iron from iron oxide for mars mission?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 11:11 PM PDT

Ok, so out of curiosity i have been trying to figure out how a martian colony could operate without continuous support from earth which would cost trillions. A significant problem i have encountered is the lack of carboneous material to smelt ore with. Can any other method like galvanic processes be used to make metal out of ore? Would it be practical? What chemicals would need to be producable by the martian colony to make it feasible?

submitted by /u/RavingElephant
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would a flag on a flying spaceship flap or would it stay in the same position?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 12:10 PM PDT

sorry for the badly worded question, but I'm half cut and will forget my question by the morning :)

submitted by /u/DrPuffinStuff
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If my iPhone is connected to a Bluetooth speaker, does the volume level on the iPhone impact the amount of power being consumed by the iPhone?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 01:52 PM PDT

Would The Fires In California Go Out By Themselves?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 04:30 PM PDT

If there weren't any firefighters there, would the fires in California eventually go out by themselves? I know that they would eventually consume all the fuel they had and go out because of that, but would they reach that level and consume the forests of California first? Or would something else naturally stop them?

submitted by /u/IWillEatYourChildren
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Why do we believe Electrons are magnetic dipoles?

Posted: 16 Oct 2017 12:04 AM PDT

From what I've read over the years, it seems like a lot of the really random parts of quantum mechanics that don't just come down to wave mechanics revolve around the idea that electrons and other charged particles are dipoles that only ever point directly at whatever they're interacting with.

My question is, how do we know that's the case? Wouldn't it work exactly the same if they were just magnetic monopoles with opposite signs?

submitted by /u/chunkylubber54
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In rocketry, why are grid fins more aerodynamic than traditional fins at supersonic speeds?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 12:50 PM PDT

I've read the length required from a traditional fin to attain the same control as a grid fin causes more drag than the grid fin.

This seems counter intuitive because grid fins have larger frontal areas.

submitted by /u/staytrue1985
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What's the shape and plane of the Magallenic Clouds's orbit of the Milky Way? Where are they, in relation to Earth?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 12:43 PM PDT

Is there an advantageous reason to preheating an oven before cooking something? Does the food cook differently entering at a higher temperature rather than raising with the oven?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 04:59 PM PDT

What allows humans to control gravity in an enclosed area?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 07:58 AM PDT

I saw the video of Stephen Hawking on zero gravity. What do they have to do to make the conditions right for zero gravity?

submitted by /u/cocidlc
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What determines whether a white dwarf ignites a classical nova, or a type IA supernova after it has accumulated enough mass?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 12:07 PM PDT

I even heard the same white dwarf can go a classical nova (a few times) before eventually going supernova. My common sense says one would prevent the other from happening. Why not?

submitted by /u/empire314
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Does agitating a fluid increase its temperature?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 04:56 PM PDT

I understand temperature as the average motion of the atoms in an object, so does agitating a fluid increase the total motion and therefore the temperature?

submitted by /u/Gfd_Rewq
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How does a tsunami affect a small island or atoll in the middle of an ocean?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 04:48 PM PDT

If I was on a small atoll or island in the middle of an ocean, and a tsunami was headed my way, would the wave stay small or would the wave become the size they are when they hit mainland?

submitted by /u/Zedloaf
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How do flies keep up with a moving vehicle inside?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 08:33 PM PDT

Okay before I start this, I wanna point out that I'm absolutely terrible at explaining things and I'm currently running on 1.5 hours sleep, also mixed with the fact I failed year 11 physics, so bear with me.

Due to inertia, we need to stay seated while in a vehicle. For example, I'm on a bus and I need to sit down and "attach" myself to the bus so that I move with the bus. However, flies, well... Fly. They don't sit. So they're just in a big room of air. Much like if you had a dangling light hanging from the ceiling of a bus for example, if you're sitting at a set of lights and then speed up, the lights will go backwards towards the back of the bus because they're still trying to rest at 0km/h.

So my question is, if a bus is travelling at say 40km/h, does a fly need to be flying at 40km/h to keep up? If not, why?

submitted by /u/Sheepzor
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How would a mission to Planet Nine work?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 07:09 PM PDT

Assuming for a moment that Planet Nine exists, and is more or less like experts predict (~10 Earth masses, orbital period of ~15,000 years), do we currently have the technology to land a probe on it? What would the mission look like? What's the most exciting thing we could learn?

submitted by /u/5tring
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Can the coefficient of kinetic friction be greater than 1 or less than 0?

Posted: 15 Oct 2017 07:02 PM PDT

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