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As we collectively welcome the new year, we retrace the 2020 milestones in sample return and look at a few of the major upcoming events in 2021. There are many reasons for astronomers to be optimistic.
HORuS, a new high-resolution spectrograph for the Gran Telescopio Canarias, will facilitate an expanded range of optical and near-infrared studies, explains Instrument Scientist Carlos Allende Prieto.
Gigaelectronvolt emission from a magnetar giant flare is discovered by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, between 19 s and 284 s after the initial detection of a signal in the megaelectronvolt energy band, potentially generated by an ultra-relativistic outflow far from the stellar magnetosphere.
The largest ever simulation of astrophysical turbulence substantially improves our understanding of how energy injection on large interstellar scales governs how stars form on small scales.
Benzonitrile, a proxy for the aromatic ring molecule benzene, has now been detected at multiple locations in the Taurus and Serpens molecular clouds, suggesting a widespread aromatic chemistry in the interstellar medium. Chemical models underestimate the abundance of aromatic molecules, highlighting the need for further study.
A massive starburst galaxy at redshift 1.4 is ejecting 46 ± 13% of its molecular gas mass at a rate of ≥ 10,000 M⊙ yr−1, owing to a merger rather than feedback processes. The implied statistics suggest that similar events are potentially a major quenching channel.
A high-resolution simulation of interstellar turbulence determines the position and width of the transition from supersonic to subsonic turbulence, providing quantitative input for models of filament structure and star formation in molecular clouds.
The authors present a technique to detect (weak) molecular emission lines towards sources with sparse line spectra. This method supports the current GOTHAM survey of TMC-1, and is applied to the detection of the cyanopolyyne species HC11N.
Hayabusa2 created an artificial crater on Ryugu to analyse the subsurficial material of the asteroid. Results show that the subsurface is more hydrated than the surface. It experienced alteration processes that can be traced back to Ryugu’s parent body.
