misslily One front door in two different states! (oh yeah!) / Crossing borders right between our plates! (uh-huh!)
Gossip
If you could safely visit Sagittarius A*, would you go?
teacher In 1912, astronomer Vesto Slipher discovered that Andromeda's light is blueshifted, meaning it is moving toward us.
misslily Until a historic 2015 treaty, India and Bangladesh shared a complex network of nested enclaves, including the world's only counter-counter-enclave.
Fun Fact
Sgr A* name: The asterisk in Sagittarius A* was inspired by chemistry, where an asterisk denotes an excited atom.
Glossary
trajectory (noun)
The path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces. In 2012, astronomers used Hubble telescope data to plot the neighboring galaxy's path toward us.
The path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces. In 2012, astronomers used Hubble telescope data to plot the neighboring galaxy's path toward us.
Quiz
Why did India and Bangladesh exchange 162 enclaves in 2015?
teacher Astronomers proved the black hole's existence by tracking stars orbiting an invisible object at blistering speeds.
teacher By studying stellar orbits, scientists calculated that Sagittarius A* is four million times heavier than our Sun.
Fun Fact
Andromeda's size: If Andromeda were brighter, it would appear six times wider than the full moon in our night sky.
Quiz
Which star was tracked for decades to prove Sagittarius A*'s gravity?
misslily This Belgian-Dutch border splits streets, yards, and even individual houses, requiring unique laws to determine which country a resident lives in.
teacher The Milky Way and Andromeda are the two heavyweights dominating our local neighborhood of over 50 galaxies.
Fun Fact
Baarle-Hertog front doors: If a border line in Baarle-Hertog cuts a house in half, the resident's nationality is decided by which side has the front door.
Quiz
Who co-discovered the radio source Sagittarius A* in 1974?
Quiz
What is the official catalog designation for the Andromeda galaxy?
Quiz
What does the asterisk (*) in the name Sagittarius A* represent?
Quiz
In which constellation does the center of our galaxy lie?
Quiz
What is the name of the galactic cluster that contains both the Milky Way and Andromeda?
Quiz
What percentage of the speed of light does the star S-2 reach at its closest approach to Sagittarius A*?
Quiz
Which astronomer first discovered that Andromeda is moving toward us?
Quiz
The diameter of Sagittarius A* would easily fit inside the orbit of which planet?
Quiz
For what discovery did Andrea Ghez and Reinhard Genzel win the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics?
Quiz
How fast is the Andromeda galaxy currently traveling toward the Milky Way?
Quiz
Which space telescope was used in 2012 to confirm Andromeda is on a direct collision course?
Quiz
Approximately how far away is the Andromeda galaxy from Earth today?
Quiz
What does it mean when light from a distant galaxy is 'blueshifted'?