Astrobites at AAS 239 Virtual Events: Day 1
We report on Day 1 of the virtual events based around the cancelled winter AAS meeting.
A New Recipe for Neutron Star Magnetic Fields
How do neutron stars acquire such strong magnetic fields? Why do these fields differ between pulsars and magnetars? Today’s paper suggests that *convective dynamos* may be at play.
The Secret Solar Neighborhood Superbubble
3D dust mapping in the era of Gaia reveals explosive origin of some of your favorite molecular clouds!
A star’s final words!
Today’s paper describes a star that spoke its final words in the form of a long brightening before exploding as a supernova!
A story of light and darkness
There’s a problem with dark matter, and two possible solutions: bright, luminous supernovae, or dark matter itself.
Cosmic Coughs: The Dust Production of Luminous Blue Variables
Where does the dust in the universe come from? Today’s bite explains that luminous blue variables, a rare type of evolved massive star, may be the second most important producer of dust in galaxies.