Black hole’s corona disappearing act; white dwarf hurtling across Milky Way; SDSS fills in gap in expansion history; new image of CMB continues age debate; using science to analyze art

Black hole’s corona disappearing act; white dwarf hurtling across Milky Way; SDSS fills in gap in expansion history; new image of CMB continues age debate; using science to analyze art

Jul 20, 2020 | Cosmology, Daily Space, Rockets, Supermassive Black Holes, White Dwarfs

Join us today as we examine one possible reason a black hole’s corona may have disappeared. Be on the lookout for a runaway white dwarf whose supernova sent it hurtling across the Milky Way. We take a look at new survey results that fill in an 11-billion-year gap in the expansion of the universe. A new image of the cosmic microwave background suggests the universe is 13.77 billion years old, give or take 40 million years. And as a fun bonus, scientists use celestial sleuthing on a Vermeer painting to determine when it was actually painted.

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Looking for life in White Dwarf Orbits, Our Sun’s Low Activity, & Guest David Joseph Wesley

Looking for life in White Dwarf Orbits, Our Sun’s Low Activity, & Guest David Joseph Wesley

May 3, 2020 | Astrobiology, Daily Space, The Sun, White Dwarfs

It. Is. Friday. To celebrate, we are going to be joined by special guest Composer David Joseph Wesley. He is the composer of the Astronomy Cast theme song, and some of my favorite music to play without lyrics, including Music to Smuggle By. As a fan of science and science fiction, Dave’s work is often influenced by human and robotic space exploration, and today we’re going to be talking about his album tribute to the Cassini Mission. But before we do that, let’s take a quick run through the news. Today’s top stories include a look at how life theoretically could be found around White Dwarfs, and the discovery that our Sun is unusually sedate.

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