Nature, Published online: 26 May 2022; doi:10.1038/d41586-022-01420-9
SpaceX and other companies are still struggling to make their satellites darker in the night sky.Nature, Published online: 25 May 2022; doi:10.1038/d41586-022-01462-z
A growing body of evidence, including observations that produced the first image of Sagittarius A*, is starting to reveal the inner workings of our Galaxy’s core.Citizen scientists have discovered a strange lopsided system consisting of three very massive stars orbiting around one another very rapidly---a rare combination that has scientists asking how this system could have formed.
Read MoreNature, Published online: 23 May 2022; doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04659-4
Binarity and multiplicity in general strongly affect the properties of emerging stars, as well as the physical and chemical structures of protoplanetary disks and therefore potentially any emerging planetary systems.ESO’s observatory sites in Chile are once again opening their doors to the public, after two years of pandemic-related closures. From 28 May, visitors will be able to take free tours of the sites in Paranal and La Silla.
“We hope to once again amaze people with ESO's impressive telescopes, immersed in the most incredible landscapes of the Atacama Desert,'' says Luis Chavarría, ESO Representative in Chile. “The reopening of our sites to the public marks a small but significant step for ESO.”
Tours of the ESO sites provide a unique opportunity for anybody to experience what it is like at the forefront of astronomy research. Visitors can explore inside the ESO telescopes, learn about their technology, and even witness where astronomers and engineers find a much-needed oasis in the desert.
Public tours will run every Saturday at 10:00 and 14:00 in Spanish and English. Each tour will be limited to a capacity of 40 people at both Paranal and La Silla. As time progresses, ESO will adapt to changes in COVID-19 local guidelines, with the aim of offering more spaces on the tours.
Visitors will have to register in advance, for which there are online forms for La Silla and Paranal. Visitors should fill a COVID-19 health declaration form 24 to 48 hours prior to the visit. In addition, they must comply with the new COVID-19 protocol and guidelines, including wearing masks (disposable surgical masks, N95, KN95) for the duration of the visit and showing the Chilean Mobility Pass or proof of a negative PCR test.
“We are very much looking forward to slowly but safely opening our observatories to the public for the first time in two years” says Laura Ventura, ESO’s Head of Communication in Chile.
Nature, Published online: 19 May 2022; doi:10.1038/d41586-022-01410-x
Researchers say a cosmic collision could have created two galaxies that don’t contain the mysterious substance — but others cast doubt on the claim.Nature, Published online: 18 May 2022; doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04665-6
The dark-matter-free dwarf galaxies DF2 and DF4 in the NGC 1052 group probably formed together in the aftermath of a single bullet-dwarf collision around eight billion years ago.Nature, Published online: 18 May 2022; doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04616-1
Spectroscopy of a gravitationally lensed galaxy at a redshift of 2.7 with spatially resolved maps of two foreground damped Lyman α systems indicates a vast mass of neutral hydrogen gas, consistent with a star-forming region.Nature, Published online: 18 May 2022; doi:10.1038/d41586-022-01298-7
Two galaxies that are curiously lacking in dark matter — the most abundant matter in the Universe — might have formed when a collision between dwarf galaxies separated ordinary matter from its dark counterpart.Nature, Published online: 18 May 2022; doi:10.1038/d41586-022-01403-w
How dark-matter-free galaxies may have formed, the scientists surviving the war in Ukraine, and imaging the black hole Sagittarius A*.