Recent advancements in radio astronomy have allowed scientists to explore a vast, 'low surface brightness universe' that is invisible to optical telescopes. Researchers from Australia, utilizing advanced instruments like the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and MeerKAT radio telescope, are discovering new cosmic objects, including a class of faint radio sources with unique properties. Notable findings include Wolf-Rayet stars, massive celestial bodies nearing their end of life, which shed mass and create luminous shells invisible to traditional telescopes, highlighting the expanding frontier of radio astronomy in understanding the cosmos.
Allowing astronomers to delve into this uncharted realm include the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), which is made up of 36 powerful antennas, and the South African MeerKAT radio telescope, comprising 64 antennas.
As we study the sky with telescopes that record radio signals rather than light, we end up seeing a lot of circles.
Two of them are stellar oddities known as a Wolf-Rayet star. Dubbed them as rare. Kýklos and WR16, these are massive celestial bodies, perhaps 25 times heavier than the Sun.
The latest advances in radio observatories are uncovering an entire 'low surface brightness universe' teeming with circular curiosities, according to a team of researchers from Australia.
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