One of the most important events of the year, according to scientists, will be the total eclipse of the Sun, which will occur on March 9.
Igor Zh. | Shutterstock.com
Unfortunately, in Russia the eclipse will only be visible in the Far East, and it will be partial. Astronomers strongly recommend looking at the star only through special glasses.
Solar eclipse diagram. NASA
May 31 is the day of another interesting phenomenon: Mars will be so close to Earth (0.503 AU) that even with the help of the simplest telescope, patterns on its disk will be visible. After the Sun sets below the horizon, the planet will appear in the southwest. If the weather is favorable, the “red star” will be clearly visible in the dark sky until the morning.
On the night of August 12-13, astronomers predict the most spectacular event of the year - the Perseid meteor shower. Within an hour you will be able to see up to fifty shooting stars and make a wish.
For a more detailed list of astronomical events in 2016, see the Gismeteo material.
The most amazing astronomical phenomena of 2016
2016 promises to be an interesting year for astronomical observations - a total solar eclipse, the opposition of Mars, the passage of Mercury across the disk of the Sun and other equally exciting phenomena.
rudall30 | Shutterstock
1. Opposition of Mars
In addition to other unforgettable celestial events of 2016, the most striking may be the opposition of Mars, which will take place on May 22 (the Red Planet will be in the constellation Scorpio). Already on May 31, Mars will be at a distance of 0.503 AU. (in the constellation Libra) from us, which is half the distance from the Sun to the Earth. That is why astronomy lovers should equip themselves with telescopes - at this time it will be possible to observe interesting details of the Martian surface. This opposition will be the last one before the Great Opposition of Mars in 2018; the last Great Opposition occurred in 2003, Mars was at a minimum distance from the Earth - 0.37 AU. On average, Mars oppositions occur approximately once every 780 days, Great oppositions occur once every 15 years.
2. Transit of Mercury across the disk of the Sun
On May 9, for the first time in 10 years, an astronomical transit of Mercury will take place. Its tiny silhouette will move along the solar disk for about 7 hours - from 14:12 Moscow time to 21:42 Moscow time. Mercury will pass across the disk from left to right, south of the center. Under favorable weather conditions, the passage can be observed from most countries of America and Western Europe, as well as partially from most of the countries of Africa and Asia. In East Asia and Australia it will not be possible to see it, since it will be night there at that time. Mercury will cover only 1/150 of the solar disk. Safely observing the event will require a telescope equipped with a solar filter. As for Russia, it will be possible to observe the phenomenon from the western regions of the country, but the further to the east, the more difficult it is, since the Sun will have time to set below the horizon in some places.
3. Total solar eclipse
On March 9, there will be a total solar eclipse - the Moon will completely block the solar disk from the observer on Earth. The full phase will last approximately 4 minutes and 9 seconds and will be visible in Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the western Pacific Ocean. The partial eclipse, when the Sun is visible, will be visible over a much wider area, including Asia, Oceania and Australia. Unfortunately, the eclipse will not be visible in Moscow, but minor phases will be visible in Primorye, Sakhalin, Kamchatka and Chukotka.
The second solar eclipse of the year will be annular, it will take place on September 1 - visually the Moon will pass across the disk of the Sun, but will be much smaller in diameter and will not be able to completely cover it. The eclipse will be observed in the Indian and Atlantic oceans and in Central Africa, as well as in Madagascar. The duration will be 3 minutes and 6 seconds. In Russia, even some phases of the eclipse will not be visible.
4. Supermoon
This phenomenon occurs when a full or new moon is accompanied by perigee - the closest approach of the Moon and Earth. On November 14, the distance between the satellite and our planet will be 356,511 kilometers. This will make the Moon appear larger than usual from Earth.
On March 23 and September 16, penumbral lunar eclipses will occur, when there is a penumbra around the cone of the Earth's shadow, where the Earth partially obscures the Sun, and the Moon passes this area, but does not enter the shadow. The Moon's brightness will decrease, but only slightly. For example, during the eclipse on March 23, a slight darkening of the southern edge of the Moon’s disk will be observed with the naked eye; the phenomenon will be visible from the territory of Russia. The eclipse on September 16 will also be observable, but this time the darkening will be at the northern edge of the disk.
5. Eta Aquarids
This year, many meteor showers will be difficult to observe due to the light of the Moon, but this is not the case for the Eta Aquarids (May Aquarids). On the night of May 6-7, up to 60 meteors per hour can be seen in the Southern Hemisphere, and up to 30 in the Northern Hemisphere. The shower is associated with Halley's Comet, its radiant is located in the constellation Aquarius. This year, the peak of rain activity will coincide with the new moon, so the sky will be dark enough for observers in the dark zone to fully enjoy the splendor of the starfall.
6. Space trio
On the night of August 23 and 24, Mars, Saturn and Antares, the brightest star of the constellation Scorpio, will meet in the night sky, almost lining up in one vertical line in the southwestern part of the sky. Particularly interesting will be the combination of orange-red shades of Mars and Antares.
7. Date of Venus and Jupiter
On August 27, the two brightest objects (besides the Sun and Moon) will converge in the night sky - Venus and Jupiter. The conjunction will be observed at dusk, in the lower part of the western sky. The celestial bodies will be only 10 arcminutes apart, which is equivalent to 1/3 of the diameter of the lunar disk in the sky.
8. Mars and Lagoon
On September 28, Mars and the Lagoon Nebula, 4,000 light-years away, will be just one degree apart, making for an excellent viewing opportunity with binoculars or a telescope.
Astronomy lovers will be able to witness several interesting phenomena, which take place every year, for example, such as eclipses of the Sun and Moon, as well as quite rare ones, for example, the passage Mercury across the disk of the Sun.
Several years ago we witnessed transit of Venus across the disk of the Sun, and now it's time to observe Mercury, which will also move across the disk of the Sun from the point of view of an earthly observer. This event will take place May 9, 2016.
Expected in 2016 4 eclipses: two solar and two lunar.9th of Marchwill be observed complete, ASeptember 1 - annular solar eclipse. Observers in Russia will not see any of them in full, unlike penumbral lunar eclipses -March 23 and September 16.
One of the important events in space exploration is the achievement of Jupiter by the American spacecraft "Juno", which is expected in July 2016. The device was started August 5, 2011 and to July 2016 will have to cover the distance 2.8 billion kilometers.
This calendar indicates Moscow time(GMT+3).
Astronomical calendar 2016
JANUARY
January 2 – Earth at perihelion (The planet is at its closest distance from the Sun)
January 3, 4 – Star Rain Peak Quadrantids. The maximum number of meteors per hour is 40. Remains of the disappeared comet 2003 EH1, which was opened in 2003.
January 10 – New moon at 04:30. Days near the new moon are most suitable for stargazing due to the fact that the moon will not be visible, which means there will not be much light pollution.
FEBRUARY
11 February 364358 km from the earth
MARCH
March 8 – Jupiter in opposition to the Sun. The best day for observing Jupiter and its satellites, since the giant Jupiter will be well illuminated by the Sun and at the same time will be at the closest distance from the Earth.
9th of March – New moon at 04:54. Total solar eclipse 130 Saros 52nd in a row. It can be observed in the north and center of the Pacific Ocean, in the east of the Indian Ocean. In Asia, including Japan and Kamchatka, and in Australia it will be partially visible. The full eclipse can be seen from Caroline Islands. The total phase of the eclipse will last only 4 minutes and 9 seconds.
20th of March – Spring equinox at 07:30. Day is equal to night. The first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.
March 23 – Full moon at 15:01. Penumbral lunar eclipse at 14:48. Eclipse 142 Saros, number 18 of 74 eclipses in the series. Residents and guests of Eastern Asia, Australia, Oceania, Eastern Russia, and Alaska will be able to watch it. Duration of the penumbral phase – 4 hours 13 minutes. During this type of eclipse, the full Moon will only be partially in the Earth's shadow.
Astronomical observations 2016
APRIL
April 22-23 - Star Rain Lyrids. constellation Lyra. Comet remnants Thatcher C/1861 G1, which was opened in 1861. Due to the timing of this star shower coinciding with the full moon this year, it will be quite difficult to observe.
May 6-7 - Star Rain Eta Aquarids. constellation Aquarius. Is particles Comet Halley, discovered in antiquity. Due to the fact that this star shower coincides with the new moon, all meteors will be clearly visible. The best time to watch for rain is just after midnight.
9th May – Walkthrough Mercury across the disk of the Sun– a rare transit that can be called a “mini-eclipse” of the Sun by Mercury. This event occurs on average once every 7 years(13-14 times per century) and can be observed either in May or November. Mercury, the Sun and the Earth will be in one straight line, so the inhabitants of the Earth will be able to see how Mercury passes against the background of the disk of the Sun.
Previous time Mercury passed across the disk of the Sun November 8, 2006. Next time this phenomenon will occur November 11, 2019, and then only after 20 years - in 2039.
Mercury's transit across the solar disk will be clearly visible to observers in Northern Central and South America, parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. The full transit can be observed in eastern US and South America.
22nd of May – Mars in opposition to the Sun. Mars will be well illuminated by the Sun and will be at its closest distance to Earth, making this the best time to observe the Red Planet. With a medium-sized telescope, dark details on the planet's reddish surface will be visible.
Astronomical phenomena 2016
JUNE
June 3 – Saturn in opposition to the Sun. The distant planet Saturn will be best visible this day due to the fact that it will be at its closest distance from the Earth.
June 3 – Moon at perigee: distance -361142 km from the earth
21st of June - Summer solstice at 01:45. The longest day of the year. The first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and also the first day of winter in the Southern Hemisphere.
JULY
4th of July – The Earth is at aphelion from the Sun (The planet is at its farthest distance from the Sun)
4th of July - Spaceship "Juno" will reach Jupiter.
This automatic interplanetary station must reach its goal - the planet Jupiter, covering the distance in 5 years 2.8 billion kilometers. It should enter the orbit of the giant planet and, in about 1 Earth year, complete 33 full turns around the planet. The mission of the station is to study the atmosphere and magnetic field of Jupiter. It is planned that Juno will remain in orbit of the giant until October 2017, and then burn up in the planet’s atmosphere.
June 13 – Moon at apogee: distance -404272 km from the earth
July 28-29 - Star Rain Southern Delta Aquarids. The maximum number of meteors per hour is 20. Radiant - area constellation Aquarius. Is wreckage comets Marsten and Kracht.
AUGUST
August 12-13 - Star Rain Perseids. Maximum number of meteors per hour – 60. Radiant – area constellation Perseus. Is wreckage comet Swift-Tuttle.
August 27 – Connection Venus and Jupiter. It's a spectacular sight - the two brightest planets in the night sky will be very close to each other (0.06 degrees) and will be easily visible to the naked eye in the evening sky just after sunset.
Astronomical objects 2016
SEPTEMBER
September 1 – New moon at 12:03. Ring-shaped solar eclipse at 12:07 – 39th eclipse of 135 Saros. This eclipse will be visible in Africa, Madagascar and other parts of the equatorial and tropical latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. The eclipse will only last 3 minutes and 6 seconds.
September 3 – Neptune in opposition to the Sun. On this day, the blue planet will approach the closest distance to the Earth, therefore, armed with a telescope, it will be best observed. However, only the most powerful telescope can show any details. The planet Neptune is not visible to the naked eye.
16 of September – Full moon at 22:05. Penumbra moon eclipse at 21:55. Refers to 147 Saros at number 9 of 71 eclipses in the series. This eclipse will be best observed in Europe, Russia, Africa, Asia, and Australia. In total, the eclipse will last 3 hours 59 minutes.
September 22nd - Autumn equinox at 17:21. Day is equal to night. This is the first day of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of spring in the Southern Hemisphere.
1.03.2016 9:10 | Alexander Kozlovsky
Dear astronomy lovers!
The next issue of the Astro Library series from AstroKA and the magazine has been published
This yearbook describes the main astronomical events expected to occur in 2016. The calendar contains ephemeris of the Sun, Moon, major planets, comets and asteroids, available for observation by amateur means. In addition, descriptions of solar and lunar eclipses are given, information is provided on the occultations of stars and planets by the Moon, meteor showers, occultations of stars by asteroids, etc.
A total of two Astronomical calendars for 2016 have been released, available for free downloading in electronic form and for printing on paper.
In addition, the production of printed Astronomical calendars will continue, the release of which can be found on the Internet.
Transit of Mercury across the disk of the Sun
Among the heavenly wanderers available for small and medium telescopes will be: Catalina (C/2013 US10), PANSTARRS (C/2014 S2), PANSTARRS (C/2013 X1), Johnson (C/2015 V2) and P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova (45P) , the expected brightness of which will be brighter than 11m. Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10) will be visible to the naked eye in the January morning sky. It should be noted that the above list may change significantly due to the discovery of new comets and the increase in the brightness of expected ones, as well as the loss of known comets. Comet 321P/SOHO, for example, according to various forecasts, can reach zero magnitude or even the brightness of Venus, but only at an angular distance of 1 degree from the Sun.
From meteor showers the best to observe will be the Quadrantids, eta Aquarids and Draconids. General overview of meteor showers on the website of the International Meteor Organization http://www.imo.net
Information on occultation of stars by asteroids in 2016 are available on the website http://asteroidoccultation.com.
Information on variable stars are on the AAVSO website.
Upcoming events for other years can be viewed in the book, as well as independently determined using very detailed online calendar CalSky
Current information about the phenomena at http://astroalert.ka-dar.ru, http://meteoweb.ru, http://shvedun.ru, http://edu.zelenogorsk.ru/astron/calendar/2016/mycal16 .htm, http://www.starlab.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=58, http://astronomy.ru/forum/
I would like to hope that AK_2016 will serve as a reliable companion for your observations throughout the year!
Clear skies and successful observations!A collection of links (all in one place!) to Internet resources where you can get additional astronomical information throughout 2016.
1. Astronomical calendar for 2016 on Astronet
2. Astronomical calendar of Sergei Guryanov (web version AK_2016) http://edu.zelenogorsk.ru/astron/calendar/2016/mycal16.htm
3. Brief astronomical calendar for 2016-2050
4. Astronomical phenomena until 2050
5. Astronomical calendar for 2016 by Fedor Sharov
6. Maps of the movement of celestial bodies in 2016 http://blog.astronomypage.ru/category/astronomiya/
7. Astronomical calendar for 2016 on the website http://saros70.narod.ru/
8. Timesheet calendar for 2016 on the website http://daylist.ru
9. Magnificent astronomical calendar for 2016 http://in-the-sky.org/newscalyear.php?year=2016&maxdiff=3#datesel
10. A simple yearly timesheet generator from NASA http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SKYCAL/SKYCAL.html
11. Observer's Calendar (monthly publication)
The year 2016 will forever remain in the history of science as the year when the (and third) registration of gravitational wave bursts was announced. As we remember, these were mergers of stellar-mass black holes. Apparently, this is the main scientific news for the entire year in all sciences.
The era of gravitational wave astronomy has begun.
The Archive of Electronic Preprints (arXiv.org) has published several articles devoted to the discovery itself, many works that contain details of the experiment, a description of the setup, as well as details about data processing. And, of course, a huge number of publications by theorists have appeared in which the properties and origin of black holes are discussed, limitations on gravity models and many other interesting issues are considered. And it all started with work with the modest title “Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger.” Much has been written about the detection of gravitational waves, so let's move on to other topics.
Names for the stars
The year will go down in history not only because of gravitational waves. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) began mass naming stars for the first time. The first step was taken, however, back in 2015, when names were first assigned to exoplanets. Along with them, the stars around which they revolve also received official names. However, official names for bright stars appear for the first time. Previously this was a matter of tradition. Moreover, some well-known objects had several commonly used names.So far we started with a little over 200 well-known stars, such as Pollux, Castor, Altair, Capella... But it’s a bad start! There are a lot of stars!
There are many stars, but for astronomers it is not the names that are important, but the data. Released in 2016 first release of Gaia satellite data, based on 14 months of observations. Data on more than a billion stars is presented (I wonder if they will all be given names in the future?).
The satellite has been in orbit for three years. The first release showed that everything is going as expected, and we expect important results and discoveries from Gaia.
The most important thing is that a three-dimensional map of half of the Galaxy will be built.
This will allow us to determine all its basic properties with unprecedented accuracy. And besides this, a huge array of data on stars will be obtained, tens of thousands of exoplanets will be discovered. It may be possible to determine the masses of hundreds of isolated black holes and neutron stars thanks to gravitational lensing.
Many of the top results of the year are associated with satellites. Space research is so important that even a successfully tested prototype can make it to the top list. We are talking about the prototype of the LISA space laser interferometer. This is a project of the European Space Agency. Having been launched at the end of 2015, the device carried out the entire main program in 2016 and greatly pleased its creators (and all of us). To create a space analogue of LIGO, new technologies are required, which have been tested. , much better than expected.
This paves the way for the creation of a full-scale space project, which is likely to start operating even earlier than originally planned.
The fact is that NASA is returning to the project, which several years ago withdrew from it, which led to a simplification of the detector and a reduction in its basic parameters. In many ways, NASA's decision could be due to the difficulties and increased costs of creating the next space telescope - JWST.
NASA
In 2016, an important psychological milestone was apparently crossed: it became clear that the James Webb Space Telescope project had reached the finish line. A number of tests were carried out, which the device passed successfully. Now NASA can spend energy and money on other large installations. And we are waiting for the launch of JWST in 2018. This instrument will provide many important results, including on exoplanets.
It may even be possible to measure the composition of the atmospheres of Earth-like exoplanets in their habitable zones.
We need all sorts of planets
And in 2016, with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope, it was possible for the first time study the atmosphere of the light planet GJ 1132b. The planet has a mass of 1.6 Earth's and a radius of about 1.4 Earth's. This transiting planet orbits a red dwarf star. True, not in the habitable zone, but a little closer to the star. This is currently a record. All other planets for which we managed to learn at least something about the atmosphere are much heavier, at least several times.
Planets are not only heavy, but also dense. According to data from the Kepler satellite, which continues to work, “dangling” across the sky, it was possible to measure the radius of the planet BD+20594b. Based on ground-based observations using the HARPS instrument, its mass was measured. As a result, we have a planet with a mass corresponding to the “Neptunes”: 13-23 Earth’s. But its density suggests that it could be entirely made of stone. Refining mass measurements could yield interesting results about the possible composition of the planet.
It's a pity that we don't have live images for BD+20594b. But for HD 131399Ab there is such data! It was the direct imaging that made it possible to discover this planet. Using the VLT telescope, scientists observed triple young system HD 131399!
Its age is about 16 million years. Why were young stars observed? Because the planets there only recently formed. If these are gas giants, then they still continue to compress, and because of this they are quite hot and emit a lot in the infrared range, which makes it possible to obtain their images. This is the case with HD 131399Ab. True, this is one of the lightest (3-5 Jupiter masses) and coldest (800-900 degrees) planets for which there are direct images.
For a long time, the main supplier of planets was the Kepler satellite. In general, this is how it remains today. In 2016, processing of data from the first four years of operation continued. The final one is out (as the authors promise) data release - DR25. It presents data on approximately 34 thousand candidates for transiting planets in more than 17 thousand stars. This is one and a half times more than in the previous release (DR24). Of course, the information about some candidates will not be confirmed. But many will turn out to be planets!
Even the so-called gold candidates in the new release are about 3.4 thousand.
Some of these planets are described in the article. The authors present two dozen very good candidates for small (less than 2 Earth radii) planets in habitable zones. Besides this, there are many more large planets, also in habitable zones. Let us remember that they may have habitable satellites.
But the most notable exoplanetary result of the year was the discovery of an Earth-like (more than 1.3 Earth mass) planet in the habitable zone of a nearby star. The planet is not transiting, it was discovered by measuring changes in the radial velocity of Proxima.
To be habitable while orbiting a red dwarf, a planet must come close to the star. And red dwarfs are very active. It is unclear whether life could appear on such a planet. The discovery of Proxima b has spurred research into this issue.
As for Proxima herself, it seems that it has been conclusively proven that she still gravitationally bound with a pair of sun-like stars forming the bright Alpha Centauri (by the way, its official name is now Rigil Kentaurus!). Proxima's orbital period is approximately 550 thousand years, and it is now at the apoaster of its orbit.
Closer to home
From exoplanets and their systems, let's turn to ours - the Solar one - and its inhabitants. In 2016, the main scientific results of the New Horizons project on Pluto and its system were published. In 2015, we were able to enjoy the photographs, and in 2016, scientists were able to enjoy the articles. Thanks to the images, which in some cases had a resolution of more than 100 m per pixel, details on the surface were revealed, allowing us to study Pluto's geology for the first time. It turned out that there are quite young formations on its surface.
For example, Sputnik Planum has virtually no craters. This suggests that the surface there is no older than 10 million years.
There were also a number of interesting works on the bodies of the Solar System. In 2016 there was satellite discovered near the dwarf planet Makemake. All four post-Neptunian dwarf planets now have moons.
Personally, I will most remember the result according to European observations. Back in 2014, observations with the Hubble telescope made it possible to suspect the presence of water emissions on Europa. Fresh data also obtained from it provide new arguments in favor of the presence of such “fountains”. The images were taken during Europa's passage across the disk of Jupiter.
This seems important since ejections had previously only been reliably observed on Enceladus.
And in 2016 it finally appeared, more or less well-developed project missions to this satellite. But Europe is a much more accessible target. And the probability of the existence of life in the subglacial ocean there is, perhaps, higher. Therefore, it’s nice that you don’t have to send a drilling rig to Europa, you just need to choose a place where water comes out of the depths and plant a biochemical laboratory there. In the 2030s this will be quite possible.
The Mystery of the Ninth Planet
However, the most sensational topic on the solar system was (and remains) the discussion about. For several years, evidence has been accumulating that suggests there may be another massive planet in the solar system. The orbits of distant small bodies turn out to be “built” in a special way. To explain this, one can invoke the hypothesis of the existence of a planet with a mass of several Earth's, located ten times further than Pluto. In January 2016 it appeared work by Batygin and Brown, which took the discussion to a new level. Now there is an active search for this planet and calculations continue to clarify its location and parameters.
In conclusion, we note a few more striking results of 2016. For the first time I was able to see analogue of a radio pulsar, where the source is not a neutron star, but a white dwarf in a binary system. The star AR Scorpii was once classified as a Delta Scuti variable. But the authors showed that this is a much more interesting system. It is a double star with an orbital period of three and a half hours. The system includes a red dwarf and a white dwarf. The latter rotates with a period of almost two minutes. Over the years we have seen it slow down. The energy release of the system is consistent with the fact that its source is the rotation of the white dwarf. The system is variable and emits from radio to x-ray.
Optical brightness can increase several times in tens of seconds. Most of the radiation comes from the red dwarf, but the cause is its interaction with the magnetosphere and relativistic particles of the white dwarf.
Mysterious fast radio bursts (FRBs) may be associated with neutron stars. They have been studied since 2007, but the nature of the outbreaks is not yet clear.
And they happen in our sky several thousand times a day.
In 2016, several important results were obtained on these bursts. The first declared result, unfortunately, was not confirmed, which shows the difficulties (and sometimes drama!) in the study of such phenomena. At first scientists said that they see a weak decaying radio transient (a source with varying brightness) on a scale of ~6 days. It was possible to identify the galaxy in which this transient originated; it turned out to be elliptical. If this slow transient is associated with an FRB, then this is a very strong argument in favor of the neutron star merger model.
Such events should often occur in galaxies of this type, in contrast to magnetar outbursts, core-collapse supernovae, and other phenomena associated with massive stars or young compact objects. It seemed that the answer to the riddle about the nature of FRBs had been found... However, the result was criticized in a series of works by different authors. Apparently, the slow transient is not associated with the FRB. This is simply the active galactic nucleus “working”.
The second important result on FRB was perhaps the most long-awaited. It seemed that he would bring clarity, since we are talking about detecting repeated bursts.
Were introduced results from the first detection of repeated bursts of an FRB source. The observations were carried out at the 300-meter Arecibo telescope. First, ten events were discovered. The rate was approximately three bursts per hour. Then several more bursts from the same source were detected, both at the Arecibo telescope and at the Australian 64-meter antenna.
It would seem that such a discovery immediately rejects all models with catastrophic phenomena (mergers of neutron stars, collapse into a black hole, birth of a quark star, etc.). After all, you can’t repeat the collapse “for an encore” 15 times! But it's not that simple.
This may be a unique source, i.e. it may not be a typical representative of the FRBs population.
Finally, in November they showed us the brightest known FRB. Its flow was several times higher than the flow of the first detected event. If we compare it with average indicators, then this flash shone tens of times brighter.
It is significant that the surge was seen in real time, and was not detected from archival data. This made it possible to immediately “target” this point using different instruments. As with the previous real-time burst, no accompanying activity was detected. It was quiet after that: no repeated bursts, no afterglow.
Since the burst is bright, we managed to localize the flash location in the sky quite well. Only six galaxies fall into the region of uncertainty, and all are distant. So the distance to the source is at least 500 Mpc (i.e. more than 1.5 billion light years). The brightness of the flare made it possible to use the flare to probe the intergalactic medium. In particular, an upper limit on the magnitude of the magnetic field along the line of sight was obtained. Interestingly, the results obtained can be interpreted as indirect arguments against FRB models involving objects embedded in dense shells.
In 2016, several mysterious powerful flares were detected, but now in the X-ray range, the nature of which is unclear. IN work The authors studied in detail 70 archival observations of galaxies at the Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observatories. The result was the discovery of two sources of powerful flares.
The flares have a maximum with a characteristic time scale of tens of seconds, and the total duration of the flares is tens of minutes. The luminosity at maximum is millions of times greater than that of the sun.
And the total energy corresponds to solar energy release over tens of years.
The cause of the flares is unclear, but the sources appear to be accreting compact objects (neutron stars or black holes) in close binary systems.
Among domestic results, first of all let's highlight this work. Processing data from the Fermi Space Telescope for the Andromeda Nebula (M31) and its environs has revealed the existence of a structure that is very similar to the Fermi Bubbles in our Galaxy. The appearance of such a structure may be associated with the past activity of the central black hole.
In the Andromeda Nebula it is tens of times heavier than in our galaxy.
So we can expect that a powerful energy release in the center of the M31 galaxy, which may have taken place in the past, gave rise to such structures.
The most massive black holes are known to be found in giant galaxies sitting at the centers of galaxy clusters. On the other hand, quasars are more often found not in large clusters, but in groups of galaxies. Moreover, observations show that in the past (say, a billion years after the Big Bang) there were quasars with black holes whose masses reach tens of billions of solar masses. Where are they now? It would be interesting to find such a supermassive black hole in a relatively nearby galaxy that is part of the group.
This is exactly what the authors succeeded in other work. By studying the distribution of stellar velocities in the central part of the NGC 1600 galaxy, they discovered some features that can be explained by the presence of a black hole with a mass of 17 billion solar masses. Interestingly, if these data are correct, then at a distance to NGC1600 of 64 Mpc, the black hole in it is one of the largest in the sky. At a minimum, it is one of the four largest black holes by angular size, along with Sgr A* in the center of the Milky Way, the hole in M87 and, possibly, the hole in the Andromeda Nebula.
Finally, let's talk about one of the results Russian space project "Radioastron". The nearby quasar 3C273 was studied using a space radio interferometer. In a small area less than three light months in size, it was possible to estimate the so-called. brightness temperature. It turned out to be significantly higher than previously thought and than predicted by models: >10 13 kelvin. We are waiting for Radioastron's results on other active nuclei.
What awaits us in 2017? The most important discovery is easy to predict.
The LIGO collaboration (maybe together with VIRGO) will announce the detection of gravitational wave bursts involving neutron stars.
It is unlikely that it will be possible to immediately identify it in electromagnetic waves. But if this happens, it will be an extremely important achievement. LIGO detectors have been operating at higher sensitivity since November 30th. So perhaps we won't have to wait long for a new press conference.
In addition, the final release of cosmological data from the Planck satellite will be released. It is unlikely that it will bring sensations, but for cosmology, which has long become an exact science, this is very important data.
We are still waiting for new data from teams searching for low-frequency gravitational waves from supermassive black holes using pulsar timing. Finally, the launches of the TESS and Cheops satellites to search for and study exoplanets are scheduled for 2017. If everything goes according to plan, then at the end of 2018 the results from these devices may be included in the results.
Residents of Russia can observe a rare phenomenon - a small parade of planets - these days. Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury are now in the same sector of the starry sky and are visible in clear weather even with the naked eye. According to astronomers, the most favorable moment for observing the luminaries was October 18. The parade will last until the 20th, so, armed with binoculars and telescopes, you can still try to distinguish four planets in the starry sky that are in close proximity to each other.
the site has compiled a calendar of events that may be of interest to astronomy lovers in 2016.
Solar eclipses
Residents of the Earth will be able to observe a total solar eclipse on March 9. According to experts, this will be the 52nd total solar eclipse of 130 Saros.
The Saros or Draconic Period is a period consisting on an average of approximately 6585.3213 days, after which the eclipses of the Moon and the Sun approximately recur in the same order.
A similar phenomenon occurred on February 26, 1998. Anyone who can't see it in 2016 will have to wait until March 20, 2034.
The eclipse will be visible in the eastern Indian Ocean and the northern and central Pacific Ocean. Partial phases will be visible from Asia and Australia. So, for example, the edge of the eclipse will affect the Russian Far East and Kamchatka.
Residents of the Caroline Islands will have the best luck. They will be able to see the maximum of the eclipse. The eclipse itself will last about 6 hours, but the total phase will be 4 minutes 9 seconds.
The eclipse lasts for several hours. Photo: AiF-Tula/Dmitry Cherba
In Russia, an annular solar eclipse will not be visible on the first day of autumn. To do this, you will have to go to the countries of Central Africa, Madagascar or to the area of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
The phenomenon got its name - “ring” - due to the fact that the shadow of the month is not able to completely cover the Sun. As a result, a ring glow is observed around the Moon.
According to astronomers, the maximum duration of the annular phase will reach 3 minutes 6 seconds.
Lunar eclipses
Eclipses, when the Moon enters the cone of the shadow cast by the Earth, can be observed twice in 2016 - on March 23 and September 16.
The penumbral lunar eclipse will be able to be observed in Kamchatka and Chukotka, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, as well as in the Far East. Abroad, residents of Australia, New Zealand, and western North America will witness the eclipse.
Its maximum phase will be 0.8 when the Moon passes through the northern part of the Earth's penumbra.
The penumbral lunar eclipse will be visible on all continents except America. It will be clearly visible to Russians too.
Moon eclipse. Phases Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Supermoon
The astronomical phenomenon, when the full moon comes closest to the Earth, will occur, according to preliminary estimates, on November 14, 2016. The approach of the Moon and the Earth will be 356,511 kilometers. The planets will approach such a close distance only in November 2034. Then the distance between them will be 356,447 kilometers.
Last time the supermoon coincided with a total lunar eclipse. It could be observed on the night of September 27-28, 2015.
Note that experts ask astronomy lovers not to confuse a supermoon with a lunar illusion, when the disk of the moon hangs low above the horizon and visually appears larger in size than usual.
The supermoon should not be confused with the lunar illusion. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
Perseids and Draconids
August 2016
Once every 135 years, a comet approaches the Earth, through whose “tail” our planet then passes every year. Small particles of the “tail”, entering the Earth’s atmosphere, burn up. The flashes from Earth look like meteor showers.
This is best seen in the northern hemisphere. Since the stream appears annually from the side of the constellation Perseus, this is where it got its name - the Perseids.
Observation of this phenomenon was carried out in ancient times. There is a mention of it in a Chinese chronicle dating back to 36 AD. e. In Europe, the August meteor shower was often called the “Tears of St. Lawrence.” This was due to the fact that the “rain” was most active on August 10 - the day when the Festival of St. Lawrence takes place in Italy.
In 2016, Russians will also be able to watch the night sky illuminated by flashes of burning comet particles.
Another meteorite shower, which the inhabitants of the Earth can observe every year, will take place in October. It is associated with comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. Since it is visible in the area of the constellation Draco, it is often called the Draconids.
Experts note that the activity of the stream has varied over the years. If in 1946 there was a real “shower of stars”, when the sky was illuminated by flashes of several thousand meteors per hour, then in 2011 the activity of the stream was ZHR=300.
