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Astronomy

Astronomers detect sudden awakening of black hole 1m times mass of sun | Black holes

The mysterious brightening of a galaxy far, far away has been traced to the heart of the star system and the sudden awakening of a giant black hole 1m times more massive than the sun.Decades of observations found nothing remarkable about the distant galaxy in the constellation of Virgo, but that changed at the end of 2019 when astronomers noticed a dramatic surge in its luminosity that persists to this day.Researchers now believe they are witnessing changes that have never been seen before, with the black hole at the galaxy’s core putting on an extreme cosmic light show as vast amounts of material fall into it.“We discovered this source at the moment it started to show these variations in luminosity,” said Dr Paula Sánchez-Sáez, a staff astronomer at the European Southern Observatory hea...

Space Delta 7 welcomes new ISR commander > United States Space Force > Article Display

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Space Force

Space Delta 7 welcomes new ISR commander > United States Space Force > Article Display

“To the men and women of Delta 7, your reputation precedes you,” Hauser said. “In the upcoming years, we are going to establish a style of warfare that has never been accomplished before in human history … we are going to train to fight, and we are going to fight to win. I’m looking forward to breaking ground with you, together.”Miller highlighted Hauser as the right person for the job and praised the outgoing commander, Col. Brett Swigert, for his leadership over the last two years.“He has done a remarkable job, he will be noted for literally doubling the combat power in Delta 7 from three squadrons to six,” Miller said.Swigert, who will become the Director of Intelligence of Space Training and Readiness Command, shared memories of his time as commander.“I’m incredib...

Finding an Undocumented Earthquake That Moved a River – State of the Planet

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Science

Finding an Undocumented Earthquake That Moved a River – State of the Planet

The sand dike exposure and research team in the Ganges floodplain of Bangladesh. Photo: Liz Chamberlain Liz Chamberlain and Steve Goodbred, two sedimentologists from Vanderbilt University, were traipsing around coastal Bangladesh in March 2018 when they saw the sand dikes. Chamberlain and Goodbred had come to Bangladesh to investigate how fast rivers meander, or shift, in the coastal part of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta. Their research team, also consisting of Goodbred’s graduate student Rachel Bain, and Abdullah Al Nahian and Mahfuzur Rahman from Dhaka University, was taking sediment samples from loops in the many rivers that cross the lower delta plain. They would use these samples to date the sediments left behind as the rivers shifted. Midway through the trip, they came acros...

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NASA

How NASA Benefits Our Home – NASA Blogs

No matter where you are located on this globe, we all have one thing in common – we all call planet Earth our home! Earth provides humanity with everything we need to survive. Earth Day is a time to acknowledge what we can do to help our planet. With more than a billion people participating every year, Earth Day is the largest secular observation in the world. Let’s look at three ways NASA is impacting the Earth. 1.) Global Ecosystems Dynamic Investigation (GEDI): GEDI provides a unique 3D view of Earth’s forests, helping to fill in missing information about their role in the carbon cycle. The primary purpose of GEDI is to produce high-resolution laser-ranging observations of Earth in order to characterize the effects of climate change and land use on...

98th Space Range Squadron takes warfighter readiness to next level > United States Space Force > Article Display

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Space Force

98th Space Range Squadron takes warfighter readiness to next level > United States Space Force > Article Display

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- For decades, Air Force test and training ranges, like the Nevada Test and Training Range and the Utah Test and Training Range, have provided aircrews with flexible, realistic, multidimensional battle spaces to conduct testing and advanced training. Though only a few years old, the National Space Test and Training Complex functions as a space-based counterpart, providing unique opportunities for Guardians to hone their warfighting skills in the era of Great Power Competition. The Orbital Warfare Range of the National Space Test and Training Complex provides operational environmen...