The supernova of a generation
The supernova of a generation.
There will be a slew of stories about this in the next few days. The important takeaways are as follows:
- After almost a half century, astronomers have finally proven the theory that type Ia supernovae come from the explosion of a white dwarf star, overloaded with material sucked from its binary companion.
- The prediction that the companion would be a red giant star, however, has turned out to be wrong. At the same time, astronomers still do not know what kind of star it was in this particular case.
- With this new knowledge astronomers will have a better chance of identifying type Ia supernovae, before they go boom.
- Finally, type Ia supernovae are used to measure the expansion rate of the universe, and thus were the key to discovering dark energy. By better understanding how these supernovae occur, cosmologists will be better able to constrain what they know about dark energy.
From the press release: From the moment he is handed a possibility of making the first alien contact, Saunders Maxwell decides he will do it, even if doing so takes him through hell and back.
Unfortunately, that is exactly where that journey takes him.
The vision that Zimmerman paints of vibrant human colonies on the Moon, Mars, the asteroids, and beyond, indomitably fighting the harsh lifeless environment of space to build new societies, captures perfectly the emerging space race we see today.
He also captures in Pioneer the heart of the human spirit, willing to push forward no matter the odds, no matter the cost. It is that spirit that will make the exploration of the heavens possible, forever, into the never-ending future.
Available everywhere for $3.99 (before discount) at amazon, Barnes & Noble, all ebook vendors, or direct from the ebook publisher, ebookit.
And if you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and I get a bigger cut much sooner.
The supernova of a generation.
There will be a slew of stories about this in the next few days. The important takeaways are as follows:
- After almost a half century, astronomers have finally proven the theory that type Ia supernovae come from the explosion of a white dwarf star, overloaded with material sucked from its binary companion.
- The prediction that the companion would be a red giant star, however, has turned out to be wrong. At the same time, astronomers still do not know what kind of star it was in this particular case.
- With this new knowledge astronomers will have a better chance of identifying type Ia supernovae, before they go boom.
- Finally, type Ia supernovae are used to measure the expansion rate of the universe, and thus were the key to discovering dark energy. By better understanding how these supernovae occur, cosmologists will be better able to constrain what they know about dark energy.
From the press release: From the moment he is handed a possibility of making the first alien contact, Saunders Maxwell decides he will do it, even if doing so takes him through hell and back.
Unfortunately, that is exactly where that journey takes him. The vision that Zimmerman paints of vibrant human colonies on the Moon, Mars, the asteroids, and beyond, indomitably fighting the harsh lifeless environment of space to build new societies, captures perfectly the emerging space race we see today. He also captures in Pioneer the heart of the human spirit, willing to push forward no matter the odds, no matter the cost. It is that spirit that will make the exploration of the heavens possible, forever, into the never-ending future. Available everywhere for $3.99 (before discount) at amazon, Barnes & Noble, all ebook vendors, or direct from the ebook publisher, ebookit. And if you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and I get a bigger cut much sooner.
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