Astron

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory to detect cosmic gravitational waves and to develop gravitational-wave observations as an astronomical tool. [1] Two large observatories were built in the United States with the aim of detecting gravitational waves by laser interferometry . The initial LIGO observatories were funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and were conceived, built, and are operated by Caltech and MIT . [2] [3] They collected data from 2002 to 2010 but no gravitational waves were detected. The Advanced LIGO Project to enhance the original LIGO detectors began in 2008 and continues to be supported by the NSF, with important contributions from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council , the Max Planck Society of Germany, and the Australian Research Council . [4] [5] The improved detectors began operation in 2015. The detection of gravitational waves was reported in 2016

The Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) is a solar observatory located on the north side of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains of southwestern San Bernardino County , California (USA), approximately 120 kilometers (75 mi) east of downtown Los Angeles . The telescopes and instruments at the observatory are designed and employed specifically for studying the activities and phenomena of our solar system's star, the Sun . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bear_Solar_Observatory   Portal BBSO  

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a NASA mission which has been observing the Sun since 2010. [4] Launched on February 11, 2010, the observatory is part of the Living With a Star (LWS) program. [5] The goal of the LWS program is to develop the scientific understanding necessary to effectively address those aspects of the connected Sun – Earth system directly affecting life and society. The goal of the SDO is to understand the influence of the Sun on the Earth and near-Earth space by studying the solar atmosphere on small scales of space and time and in many wavelengths simultaneously. SDO has been investigating how the Sun's magnetic field is generated and structured, how this stored magnetic energy is converted and released into the heliosphere and geospace in the form of solar wind , energetic particles, and variations in the solar irradiance . [6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Dynamics_Observatory   Portal  

Published on Feb 20, 2013 Music: "Thunderbolt" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist. http://www.lars-leonhard.de/ Eruptive events on the sun can be wildly different. Some come just with a solar flare, some with an additional ejection of solar material called a coronal mass ejection (CME), and some with complex moving structures in association with changes in magnetic field lines that loop up into the sun's atmosphere, the corona. On July 19, 2012, an eruption occurred on the sun that produced all three. A moderately powerful solar flare exploded on the sun's lower right hand limb, sending out light and radiation. Next came a CME, which shot off to the right out into space. And then, the sun treated viewers to one of its dazzling magnetic displays -- a phenomenon known as coronal rain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFT7ATLQQx8    

 Beta Pictoris b (also abbreviated as β Pic b) is an exoplanet orbiting the young debris disk A-type main sequence star Beta Pictoris located approximately 63 light-years (19.4 parsecs , or nearly 5.986 214 × 10 14 km ) away from Earth in the constellation of Pictor . It has a mass around 7 Jupiter masses and a radius around 65% larger than Jupiter 's. It orbits at 9 AU from Beta Pictoris (close to the plane of the debris disk orbiting the star) with a low eccentricity and a period of 20–21 years, and is the only known planet in the Beta Pictoris system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Pictoris_b   Portal  

At the 2012 General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU; the international body for professional astronomy ), the organising committee of IAU Commission 5 (Data and Information) requested the creation of a list of Astronomical Acronyms on Wikipedia. This list of acronyms and initials is not definitive but reflects current usage amongst professional astronomers . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_acronyms

In 2016, the IAU mobilised the Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) under its Division C (Education, Outreach, and Heritage), whose purpose was to formally catalogue the names of stars, beginning with the brightest and best-known. The Working Group is composed of an assortment of astronomers from all over the world who bring different perspectives and experience to its decisions. Further details on the establishment of the group can be found in this press release . Alphanumeric designations are useful for astronomers to officially identify the stars they study, but in many instances, for cases of bright stars, and stars of historical, cultural, or astrophysical interest, it can be more convenient to refer to them by a memorable name. Many such names are already in common parlance, and have been for a long time, but until the establishment of the WGSN there was no official, IAU-approved catalogue of names for the brightest stars in our sky. https://www.iau.org/public/th

The atmospheres of WASP planets with JWST The James Webb Space Telescope is expected to revolutionise the study of exoplanet atmospheres following its launch in 2018, and WASP planets will be among the prime targets. Paul Mollière et al have been simulating the data expected, and have produced this illustration of the atmospheric emission spectrum of WASP-18b.  https://wasp-planets.net/