You’ve probably heard of the star in today’s paper. The “WTF star” (WTF stands for “Where’s the flux?” of course) has been in the media since its discovery and two follow-up papers hit astro-ph. Today, a group of astrobiters pool our expertise to bring you a comprehensive look at KIC 8462852 and what new observations may reveal.
Today’s paper uses adaptive optics and polarized visible light to probe Betelgeuse’s secrets. These observations have lots to tell us about interactions among the star’s surface, the closest and most-recently-ejected clumps of gas, and brand new polarized dust.
On 16th November in 483 CE, astronomers in China recorded the appearance of “a guest star east of Shen, as large as a peck measure, and like a fuzzy star”. The new celestial light shone brightly for just under a month, then faded to nothing. Over 1500 years later, the authors of today’s paper suggests that they may have found the source.
Astronomers discover direct successors of the first stars in the Milky Way.
What makes up the innards of the brightest galaxy in the universe?
Magnetic fields are believed to play an integral role in the formation of stars and protoplanetary disks. Today’s article took the one of the closest looks ever at the magnetic field around a baby star and unveiled its underlying structure.