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Dense, swirling winds help supermassive black holes grow

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Dense, swirling winds help supermassive black holes grow

By studying nearby galaxy ESO320-G030, a team of international astronomers led by CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow Mark Gorski has discovered extremely dense and powerful rotating, magnetic winds help the galaxy’s central supermassive black hole grow. This image, created by CIERA Professor Aaron Geller, depicts this phenomenon. The process is strikingly similar to the birth of new

M. D. Gorski/Aaron M. Geller

  • Science

3rd annual Astronomy Night Out – “Tuning into the Cosmic Symphony: Pulsar Timing, the Gravitational Wave Background, and Beyond”

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3rd annual Astronomy Night Out – “Tuning into the Cosmic Symphony: Pulsar Timing, the Gravitational Wave Background, and Beyond”

On Friday, May 17, 2024, CIERA welcomed 170 in-person and 25 remote participants to its 3rd annual Astronomy Night Out, an evening dedicated to sharing astronomy with the community through a variety of formats. The keynote public lecture was presented by CIERA-Adler Postdoctoral Fellow Caitlin Witt and entitled, “Tuning into the Cosmic Symphony: Pulsar Timing, the Gravitational Wave

  • Outreach,
  • Event,
  • Education

Sun’s magnetic field originates surprisingly close to the surface

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Sun’s magnetic field originates surprisingly close to the surface

On May 22, 2024 an international team of researchers, including CIERA Professor Daniel Lecoanet, published a paper in Nature that brings scientists closer than ever before to solving a 400-year-old solar mystery that stumped even famed astronomer Galileo Galilei. Since first observing the sun’s magnetic activity, astronomers have struggled to pinpoint where the process originates.

NASA/SDO/AIA/LMSAL

  • Data Science & Computing,
  • Interdisciplinary,
  • Science

Aurora in Chicago

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Aurora in Chicago

Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo was taken by CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow Sharan Banagiri. Banagiri captured this photo between 9 and 10PM on May 10 at Hollywood Beach in Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois, featuring

Sharan Banagiri/CIERA/Northwestern

  • Science

Aurora in Chicago

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Aurora in Chicago

Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo was taken by CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow Sharan Banagiri. Banagiri captured this photo between 9 and 10PM on May 10 at Hollywood Beach in Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois. When

Sharan Banagiri/CIERA/Northwestern

  • Science

Aurora in Chicago

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Aurora in Chicago

Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo was taken by CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow Sharan Banagiri. Banagiri captured this photo between 9 and 10PM on May 10 at Hollywood Beach in Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois. When

Sharan Banagiri/CIERA/Northwestern

  • Science

Aurora in Chicago

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Aurora in Chicago

Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo was taken by CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow Sharan Banagiri. Banagiri captured this photo between 9 and 10PM on May 10 at Hollywood Beach in Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois. When

Sharan Banagiri/CIERA/Northwestern

  • Science

Solar Active Region 3664

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Solar Active Region 3664

Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo was taken by CIERA graduate student Imran Sultan, amateur astrophotographer and member of Professor Claude-André Faucher-Giguère‘s research group. Sultan took this photo on May 10 in Evanston.

  • Science

Aurora in Wisconsin

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Aurora in Wisconsin

Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo was taken by CIERA graduate student Imran Sultan, amateur astrophotographer and member of Professor Claude-André Faucher-Giguère‘s research group. Sultan took this photo from dark skies in Wisconsin

Imran Sultan/Northwestern/CIERA

  • Science

Aurora in Wisconsin

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Aurora in Wisconsin

Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo was taken by CIERA graduate student Imran Sultan, amateur astrophotographer and member of Professor Claude-André Faucher-Giguère‘s research group. Sultan took this photo from dark skies in Wisconsin

Imran Sultan/Northwestern/CIERA

  • Science

Aurora in Wisconsin

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Aurora in Wisconsin

Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo was taken by CIERA graduate student Imran Sultan, amateur astrophotographer and member of Professor Claude-André Faucher-Giguère‘s research group. Sultan took this photo from dark skies in Wisconsin

Imran Sultan/Northwestern/CIERA

  • Science

Aurora in Virginia

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Aurora in Virginia

Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo, taken by CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow Meng Sun captures a pinkish aurora in Virginia. Dr. Sun captured the shot on May 10 from Chris Greene Lake Park in

Meng Sun/CIERA/Northwestern

  • Science

Aurora in Virginia

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Aurora in Virginia

Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo, taken by CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow Meng Sun captures a pinkish aurora in Virginia. Dr. Sun captured the shot on May 10 from Chris Greene Lake Park in

Meng Sun/CIERA/Northwestern

  • Science

Aurora above Lake Michigan

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Aurora above Lake Michigan

Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo, taken by CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow Meng Sun depicts the aurora visible over Lake Michigan. Dr. Sun captured the shot on May 11 on a flight back from

Meng Sun/CIERA/Northwestern

  • Science

Diamond Ring – Total Solar Eclipse

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Diamond Ring – Total Solar Eclipse

Many CIERA members travelled to the April 8th solar eclipse’s path of totality, including graduate student Imran Sultan. This photo was taken from Millinocket, Maine, the last part of the US on the path of totality. The phenomenon pictured here is called the “Diamond Ring” and it occurs seconds before totality, just as the moon is

Imran Sultan/Northwestern/CIERA

  • Science

Witch Head Nebula and Rigel

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Witch Head Nebula and Rigel

Near Rigel, a bright star found in the constellation Orion, lies the Witch Head Nebula (look closely to see the face!). This nebula is a reflection nebula– a cloud of dust that is lit up by nearby stars. Rigel’s starlight reflects off the dust to light up this very faint nebula. Photographer and CIERA graduate

Imran Sultan/Northwestern/CIERA

  • Science