Out There Now shares what is happening right now in the sky - scientific results, reported at The Astronomer’s Telegram (ATel), from professional astrophysicists. Listeners are invited to investigate further, at the ATel website, and by joining the discussion online, at Twitter (#OutThereNow).
We share report from ATel 11901 of the first Fast Radio Burst detected with a newly commissioned radio observatory, called “CHIME”. The Fast Radio Burst is only 2 milliseconds long, and called FRB 180725A after the calendar date of its detection – July 25 2018. Also, we share a report of Mid-Infrared Observations of the … Continue reading OTN Ep #011: Fast Radio Burst detected with CHIME and Outburst from NGC 1566 →
In this podcast, we first share report of a new brightening of a YSO – that’s a “Young Stellar Object” – known as EC 53 in Serpens Main, in ATel 11614. A YSO is a star which is still in the process of formation, undergoing gravitational collapse, just as nuclear burning is attempting to get … Continue reading OTN Ep #010: Young Stellar Object EC 53, and Gravitational Wave Source GW170817 →
In this podcast, we answer the question – what happens when what you are looking for, isn’t there? We share two reports, one which looked for — and didn’t find — repeated radio bursts from a previously observed Fast Radio Burster (FRB). Another, we share a report of a search for expected radio emission from … Continue reading OTN Ep #009: FRB 180309, MAXI J1535-571, and Nova V392 Per →
We share a report of the black hole candidate MAXI J1820+070. Observations of the source in the X-ray band have tracked its variability – in particular, its QPO (that’s, quasi-periodic oscillations) and found that the frequency is increasing with time, exponentially increasing with time. This is reported in ATel 11578. We also share reports of … Continue reading OTN Ep #008: MAXI J1820+070 and TCP J04432130+4721280 (Nova V392 Per) →
In this podcast, we share three reports of recent discoveries. The first is of an optical transient source, ASASSN-18ix. The discovery report suggests the transient is a classical nova- but it can also be a cataclysmic variable; they’re not sure which. The second report is the first reported discovery of a millisecond pulsar, by a … Continue reading OTN Ep #007: ASASSN-18ix, A New Millisecond Radio Pulsar from FAST, and MAXI J1820+070 →
In this podcast, 3C 279 is active. “3C” refers to the “3rd Cambridge Catalogue of Radio Source”, and “279” is this object’s number in that catalog, which was published way back in 1959, when radio astronomical observations were just a toddler. And though we’ve known about this object for decades, it has been observed to … Continue reading OTN Ep #006: 3C 279 is active →
On today’s podcast, we bring back a past bit character. You know what this is, don’t you? When a show suddenly – around episode 5 or so – turns around, and focuses in on what you thought was a bit character introduced back in episode 2 for five minutes? Somebody you could forget, because you’ll … Continue reading OTN Ep #005: The Bit Character Returns: MAXI J1820+070 →
In this podcast, we share two pairs of reports. In each pair, the topic is somewhat the same – reflected in the title. But to the astronomer’s way of thinking, the objects are enormously different. First, we look at a pair of “X-ray re-brightenings”, one of a B-type emission star, another of an accreting millisecond … Continue reading OTN Ep #004: Two Pairs →
We share reports on one specific object: Swift J1756.9-2508, an accreting, millisecond X-ray pulsar. It was discovered in June 2007- suddenly bright, as transient sources can be; the 182 Hz X-ray pulsation was quickly discovered, but a month later, the object faded and disappeared from the sky — and has been dormant since July 2007. … Continue reading OTN Ep #003: Why Swift J1756.9-2508? →
We share three new reports — where the supernova SN Ia 2018aoz is Ultra-Violet bright; the optical and X-ray quasiperiodic oscillations in MAXI J1820+070 are of similar frequency, and astrometry and photometry suggests the Nature of ASASSN-18gq. After the show, we invite you to examine the results even further at our website, and join the … Continue reading OTN Ep #002: SN Ia 2018aoz, MAXI J1820+070 and ASASSN-18gq →