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Here’s Something Strange, the Afterglow From Last Year’s Kilonova is Continuing to Brighten
Universe Today ^ | 01/2202018 | Matt Williams

Posted on 01/23/2018 9:22:31 AM PST by BenLurkin

X-ray observations are consistent with radiowave data reported last month by another team of scientists, who also indicated that it was continuing to brighten during the three months since the collision. During this same period, X-ray and optical observatories were unable to monitor GW170817/GRB because it was too close to the Sun at the time.

However, once this period ended, Chandra was able to gather data again, which was consistent with these other observations. As John Ruan explained:

“When the source emerged from that blind spot in the sky in early December, our Chandra team jumped at the chance to see what was going on. Sure enough, the afterglow turned out to be brighter in the X-ray wavelengths, just as it was in the radio.”

This unexpected behavior has led to a serious buzz in the scientific community, with astronomers trying to come up with explanations as to what type of physics could be driving these emissions. One theory is a complex model for neutron star mergers known as “cocoon theory”. In accordance with this theory, the merger of two neutron stars could trigger the release of a jet that shock-heats the surrounding gaseous debris.

This hot “cocoon” around the jet would glow brightly, which would explain the increase in X-ray and radiowave emissions. In the coming months, additional observations are sure to be made for the sake of confirming or denying this explanation. Regardless of whether or not the “cocoon theory” holds up, any and all future studies are sure to reveal a great deal more about this mysterious remnant and its strange behavior.

As Melania Nynka, another McGill postdoctoral researcher and a co-author on the paper indicated, GW170817/GRB presents some truly unique opportunities for astrophysical research.

(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: blameitonthekilonova; catastrophism; gw170817grb; kilonova; nova

1 posted on 01/23/2018 9:22:31 AM PST by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

more off-worlders doing high energy engineering ...


2 posted on 01/23/2018 9:52:48 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: BenLurkin
Fascinating stuff!

The brightening of 170817 is , indeed obvious in the below image pair...

...as is the stability of the reference star at lower right.

~~~~~~~~~~~

But, I can't help but wonder how they explain the apparent brightness increase of NGC 4993 -- in the middle...

3 posted on 01/23/2018 9:54:56 AM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias | "Islamists": Satan's assassins | "Moderate Muslims": Useful idiots.)
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To: PIF
Any technological civilization will advance until it gets its super-collider working really well.

Then it ceases to be a technological civilization.

4 posted on 01/23/2018 9:55:27 AM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: TXnMA

Sensor noise


5 posted on 01/23/2018 9:59:02 AM PST by gr8eman (Facts and evidence are bourgeois constructs weaponized by patriarchal penis-people)
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To: BenLurkin

It’s coming right at us!


6 posted on 01/23/2018 9:59:55 AM PST by IYAS9YAS (There are two kinds of people: Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.)
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To: IYAS9YAS

It’s definitive proof of Global Climate Change


7 posted on 01/23/2018 10:02:39 AM PST by AppyPappy (Don't mistake your dorm political discussions with the desires of the nation)
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To: AppyPappy
It’s definitive proof of Global Climate Change

Star GW170817 gets brighter and Albuquerque finally gets winter-like cold weather. Coincidence? I think not!

We're doomed.

8 posted on 01/23/2018 10:06:55 AM PST by IYAS9YAS (There are two kinds of people: Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.)
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To: NorthMountain

Then it ceases to be a technological civilization.

Then what does it become? God-like? Ascended?


9 posted on 01/23/2018 10:07:28 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: PIF

If they’re really lucky, they get to be primitives roasting rats over open fires and howling at the moon(s).


10 posted on 01/23/2018 10:08:46 AM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: BenLurkin

X-ray observations are consistent with radiowave data reported last month by another team of scientists, who also indicated that it was continuing to brighten during the three months since the collision. During this same period, X-ray and optical observatories were unable to monitor GW170817/GRB because it was too close to the Sun at the time.

...

GW170817/GRB was first discovered as a gravitational wave event by LIGO. Shortly after it was seen in the electromagnetic spectrum. The first time such a correlation was ever observed, a truly magnificent human accomplishment.


11 posted on 01/23/2018 10:11:11 AM PST by Moonman62 (Make America Great Again!)
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To: 75thOVI; Abathar; agrace; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aragorn; aristotleman; ...
[singing] ...blame it on the kilonova... [/singing] Thanks BenLurkin.



12 posted on 01/23/2018 10:59:40 AM PST by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
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To: BenLurkin

Nothing to see here. It’s just the planet Gazork bundling and sending back all of our TV and radio shows they have received over the years. They consider it to be all trash except for Jerry Springer of course.


13 posted on 01/23/2018 11:29:07 AM PST by buckalfa (I was so much older then, but I'm younger than that now.)
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To: BenLurkin

Women an Daca kids will be hurt the most....


14 posted on 01/23/2018 11:32:00 AM PST by kjam22
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To: BenLurkin

We may be in a alien vacuum tube.

FTA: the afterglow turned out to be brighter in the X-ray wavelengths, just as it was in the radio


15 posted on 01/23/2018 11:52:26 AM PST by minnesota_bound
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To: minnesota_bound; BenLurkin; SunkenCiv; All

Could this brightness be related to the fact that the sun’s corona is way hotter than the sun itself, or that when using a soldering torch, the flame at the tip is hotter than at the center of the flame?


16 posted on 01/24/2018 12:31:24 AM PST by gleeaikin
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