Sun Glitter and Sunglint on Titan’s Hydrocarbon Seas
From its vantage point in orbit around Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft captured the brilliant gleam of sunlight reflecting off of Titan’s oily hydrocarbon seas. New research explores what sunglint can tell us about the interaction between Titan’s seas and atmosphere.
Arachnophobes beware: today’s post concerns the behavior of the voracious stellar remnants called spider pulsars.
Astrobites reports on whether planets around Sun-like stars destined to become white dwarfs are able to hold on to their oceans.
New images highlight the clumpy ejecta and radial streaks surrounding WR 8, a Wolf–Rayet star that may be changing from one spectral subclass to another.
New high-resolution maps of the Moon’s north pole reveal interesting terrain and locations possibly preserving water ice, which will inform future lunar exploration.
Black Holes Grow Better with a Friend
Astrobites reports on observations of dwarf galaxies that show how a buddy galaxy can help trigger phases of rapid black hole growth.
Since 2017, the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society (RNAAS) has provided a venue for brief research reports, student work, null results, and more. Editor Chris Lintott shares his reflections on a recent RNAAS milestone: 2,000 Notes.
A search for white dwarfs that present different compositional “faces” as they spin has dredged up two new members of the emerging class of double-faced white dwarfs.
A serendipitous discovery illuminates the kinds of objects that might bridge the gap between pulsars and long-period radio transients.