Asymmetric neutron binary star system discovered; Planet 9 could be a black hole (really); Mars Curiosity and InSight catchup; Comet NEOWISE

Asymmetric neutron binary star system discovered; Planet 9 could be a black hole (really); Mars Curiosity and InSight catchup; Comet NEOWISE

Today’s news comes from all over and starts with a pair of pulsars headed toward merger in 500 million years. This system will help us understand August 2017 observations of a neutron star merger. From one high mass object to another, we turn to look at Avi Loeb’s new idea that Planet Nine might actually be a primordial black hole, what to look for if it is. We also catch up on Mars and its current robot explorers: InSight and Curiosity. Finally, we discuss how to see naked eye comet NEOWISE in the evening sky.

Play
Hidden black holes, Mars Magnetic field, banded brown dwarfs, & special guest Andreas Faisst

Hidden black holes, Mars Magnetic field, banded brown dwarfs, & special guest Andreas Faisst

Today we take a tour of space and time. Our news carries us from a newly discovered black hole in the nearby universe, to magnetism on Mars, and even looks at how we are doing meteorology on nearby brown dwarf stars. We are also joined by CalTech scientist Andreas Faisst, who is the US lead principal investigator for ALPINE, a 70-hour program using ALMA to study the early universe.

Play