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#JWST is often cited for its amazing work with galaxies, BUT LOOK AT IT DISSECTING UP THE CRAB NEBULA AND SHOWING US STAR GUTS FROM A 1000-YEAR OLD STELLAR DETONATION.
Wow! Look at the pulsar!
So epic that we can see this detail, the different structures, elements, velocities, energies, etc. from an event that Chinese and Japanese astronomers witnessed and documented 1000 years back.
We're connected through time with this event to them!
Seeking new data, the James Webb Space Telescope is observing objects that are old acquaintances to the Hubble Space Telescope. Magic Universe proposes a slow transition of the images of both devices in orbit to better see what is new in Webb's latest observations, activate this transition by placing the mouse over the image or clicking on touch screens. The objective of..... #astronomy#space#astrophysics#astrophotography
The excellent collaboration image between astronomers Mark Hanso and Martin Pugh shows the peculiar planetary nebula HFG-2, also cataloged as PK 247-04 1 among other designations. It is a sphere with a network-shaped structure, whose filaments connect with each other and shows a possible opening to the south. This planetary nebula appears to be..... #astronomy#space#astrophysics#astrophotography
Before I head off on a trip to various parts of not-Barcelona, I thought I’d share a somewhat provocative paper by David Hogg and Soledad Villar. In my capacity as journal editor over the past few years I’ve noticed that there has been a phenomenal increase in astrophysics papers discussing applications of various forms of Machine Leaning (ML). This paper looks into issues around the use of ML not just in astrophysics but elsewhere in the natural sciences.
The abstract reads:
Machine learning (ML) methods are having a huge impact across all of the sciences. However, ML has a strong ontology – in which only the data exist – and a strong epistemology – in which a model is considered good if it performs well on held-out training data. These philosophies are in strong conflict with both standard practices and key philosophies in the natural sciences. Here, we identify some locations for ML in the natural sciences at which the ontology and epistemology are valuable. For example, when an expressive machine learning model is used in a causal inference to represent the effects of confounders, such as foregrounds, backgrounds, or instrument calibration parameters, the model capacity and loose philosophy of ML can make the results more trustworthy. We also show that there are contexts in which the introduction of ML introduces strong, unwanted statistical biases. For one, when ML models are used to emulate physical (or first-principles) simulations, they introduce strong confirmation biases. For another, when expressive regressions are used to label datasets, those labels cannot be used in downstream joint or ensemble analyses without taking on uncontrolled biases. The question in the title is being asked of all of the natural sciences; that is, we are calling on the scientific communities to take a step back and consider the role and value of ML in their fields; the (partial) answers we give here come from the particular perspective of physics
arXiv:2405.18095
P.S. The answer to the question posed in the title is probably “yes”.
After crisis in interstellar space, stream of Voyager 1 data resumes. Before its computer crashed, the venerable NASA probe may have entered mysterious new region beyond the Solar System.
New, on @TheConversationUS:
I'm an Astrophysicist mapping the Universe with data from #ChandraXRay: Clear, sharp photos help me study energetic black holes.
This image shows the regions surrounding the Corona star cluster, better known by its English name, Coronet Cluster. Also cataloged as R CrA for its brightest star, it is located at a distance of about 400 light years from the Solar System and is located in the direction of the Corona Australis Constellation, isolated on the edge of the Gould Belt. The Corona Cluster is..... #astronomy#space#astrophysics#astrophotography
My Harvard Horizons video is now on YouTube! I worked hard on this with some talented animators, really excited to share it with ya'll :)
This is a short, public talk of my research: exploring connections between galaxies and cosmology with @desisurvey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIB0F_oNxdM
The black hole that ate its own star. This is some neat science!
A new paper reports that VFTS 243, a massive binary system featuring an O-class star and a 10 solar-mass black hole companion, might have formed through the 'complete collapse scenario'.
This image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope shows spiral galaxy NGC 4689. Resembling a cosmic fingerprint, this galaxy exhibits spiral arms branching in all directions, classifying it as a foculating spiral. Its position facing us offers astronomers an almost perfect view to study its structure in detail. The disk contains dense regions of gas, dust and..... #astronomy#space#astrophysics#astrophotography
Are there major initiatives for which the capabilities of @ChandraScience are absolutely required to address fundamental questions about our current understanding of the Universe that would represent a crucial missed opportunity if they are not completed during Chandra's lifetime?
The community responded, and we are pleased to announce two Chandra Legacy Programs https://cxc.harvard.edu/CLP/
The image by astronomer Jerome Yesavage shows a low surface brightness planetary nebula cataloged as PN Kohoutek 1-16, located in the direction of the Draco Constellation and located at a distance of about 3,400 light years from the Solar System. The central star is a very hot pulsating star called DS Dra, it has a magnitude of 14.96 and is of spectral type..... #astronomy#space#astrophysics#astrophotography
This image shows Gum 46, also cataloged as RCW 71, an impressive gas cloud located at a distance of about 5,500 light years from Earth and located in the direction of the Crux Constellation, revealing details thanks to the skill of astronomers Mark Hanson and Alexandr Zaytsev. At the heart of Gum 46 is a young, hot, blue star called HD311999, both the star and..... #astronomy#space#astrophysics#astrophotography
This image shows Gum 46, also cataloged as RCW 71, an impressive gas cloud located at a distance of about 5,500 light years from Earth and located in the direction of the Crux Constellation, revealing details thanks to the skill of astronomers Mark Hanson and Alexandr Zaytsev. At the heart of Gum 46 is a young, hot, blue star called HD311999, both the star and..... #astronomy#space#astrophysics#astrophotography
Messier 33, presented here in an excellent image by astronomer Alson Wong, is popularly known as the Triangle Galaxy. Its name is not only due to the fact that it is located in the direction of the Triangulum Constellation, but it is also the third largest galaxy in the Local Group, along with the largest, the Andromeda Galaxy Messier 31 and our Milky Way, with the..... #astronomy#space#astrophysics#astrophotography