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The key to astronomy is careful observation. Unlike many sciences‚ astronomers can’t often do their work in a lab. Sure‚ they can build space telescopes and large ground observatories‚ but even with tools as simple as sticks and stones astronomers were able to change our understanding of the Universe with patience and observation. That tradition still holds true today‚ as a recent study in The Astronomical Journal shows. The study focuses on a small nebula in the southern hemisphere known as 30 Doradus B. It is part of a star-forming region that has been creating stars for about 10 million years. At first glance‚ 30 Dor B is a rather typical nebula. It’s a supernova remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud‚ but otherwise not much to look at. However‚ interesting things can be discovered if you take the time to look. In this case‚ the team looked at x-ray data captured by the Chandra space telescope. Two million seconds worth of data‚ which adds up to more than 23 days. From these weeks of data‚ they were able to detect a faint shell gas emitting X-rays. The shell is about 130 light-years across‚ which is large‚ but again not too unusual. X-ray shells such as this are often seen around supernova remnants. When supernovae explode they cast off a shell of high-velocity material‚ which can collide with interstellar gas to produce X-rays. But the team went further‚ and looked at Hubble observations of the region in visible light‚ and other observations in infrared. By combining all of this data they began to see something strange. The visible and infrared observations show the distribution of gas in the nebula‚ and combined with x-ray data of the same region they could show that the supernova occurred about 5‚000 years ago. But the extended shell of faint X-rays is too large to match that age. Based on the size of the X-ray shell‚ there must have been a supernova explosion more than 5‚000 years ago. Taken together‚ the observations revealed that 30 Doradus B is not a simple supernova. Instead‚ it is the product of at least two supernovae occurring within the same region. It’s possible that the first supernova helped to trigger the second one. It’s even possible that multiple supernovae occurred in the region over the past several millennia. Of course‚ none of this is obvious to look at the nebula. If this team of astronomers hadn’t taken a second look we would just assume it is a typical remnant. But because of their detailed study‚ we can learn more about the evolution and demise of large stars in star-forming regions. Careful observation leads to beautiful data‚ and our understanding of the cosmos is all the richer for it. Reference: Chen‚ Wei-An‚ et al. “New Insights on 30 Dor B Revealed by High-quality Multiwavelength Observations.” The Astronomical Journal 166.5 (2023): 204. The post Multiple Supernova Remnants Merging in a Distant Nebula appeared first on Universe Today.

XRISM‚ the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission‚ is a joint NASA/JAXA mission led by JAXA. The X-ray space telescope began its mission in low-Earth orbit on September 6th‚ 2023. Science operations won’t begin until later this year‚ but the satellite’s science team has released some of the telescope’s first images. XRISM is a stop-gap telescope. Our existing X-ray observatories‚ XMM Newton and Chandra‚ are aging‚ and their missions will end soon. Their replacement‚ the European Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics (ATHENA)‚ won’t launch until 2035‚ leaving a years-long gap with no X-ray telescope coverage. Japan’s Hitomi X-ray observatory was meant to succeed XMM Newton and Chandra‚ but it failed a few weeks after launch. Even though XRISM is intended as a fill-in mission‚ it’s still very powerful and will deliver robust scientific observations. “XRISM will provide the international science community with a new glimpse of the hidden X-ray sky‚” said Richard Kelley‚ the U.S. principal investigator for XRISM at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt‚ Maryland. “We’ll not only see X-ray images of these sources but also study their compositions‚ motions‚ and physical states.” Some new images from the telescope show just how powerful this ”stop-gap’ observatory is. XRISM has two instruments: Resolve and Xtend. Resolve is a microcalorimeter spectrometer‚ a cryogenic instrument that’s kept at barely above absolute zero. When a photon hits it‚ it warms the detector by a specific amount related to its energy. “By measuring each individual X-ray’s energy‚ the instrument provides information previously unavailable about the source‚” NASA explains. Xtend is an X-ray CCD camera with a higher resolution than its predecessor on the failed Hitomi observatory. The first image from XRISM at the top of the page is of a supernova remnant (SNR) in the Large Magellanic Cloud called N132D. The remnant is almost unseeable in the optical light image but is bright in X-rays. XRISM is a spectrometer and it created the most detailed X-ray spectrum of N132D ever. XRISM’s X-ray spectrum of N132 reveals the presence of Silicon‚ Sulfur‚ Argon‚ Calcium‚ and Iron. The numbers indicate the number of electrons lost‚ or the ionization state‚ required to produce each peak. These elements originated in the remnant’s progenitor star and blasted out into space when it exploded as a supernova. Image Credit: JAXA/NASA/XRISM Resolve and Xtend The progenitor star was about 15 times as massive as the Sun and exploded when it depleted its hydrogen and collapsed in on itself. The wreckage‚ the supernova remnant‚ is about 3‚000 years old and is still expanding. These remnants are important because they spread heavy elements throughout the galaxy‚ heat the interstellar medium‚ and accelerate cosmic rays. Their shockwaves can even compress nearby gas and trigger new star formation. Brian Williams‚ NASA’s XRISM project scientist at Goddard‚ explained how XRISM will help us understand SNRs. “These elements were forged in the original star and then blasted away when it exploded as a supernova‚” said Williams. “Resolve will allow us to see the shapes of these lines in a way never possible before‚ letting us determine not only the abundances of the various elements present but also their temperatures‚ densities‚ and directions of motion at unprecedented levels of precision. From there‚ we can piece together information about the original star and the explosion.” Measuring the chemical composition of objects is important in astrophysics‚ and XRISM is proving to be even better than expected at that task. “Even before the end of the commissioning process‚ Resolve is already exceeding our expectations‚” said Lillian Reichenthal‚ NASA’s XRISM project manager at Goddard. “Our goal was to achieve a spectral resolution of 7 electron volts with the instrument‚ but now that it’s in orbit‚ we’re achieving 5. What that means is we’ll get even more detailed chemical maps with each spectrum XRISM captures.” Xtend‚ XRISM’s X-ray imager‚ plays an important role in the observations. Its large field of view means it can observe an area about 60% larger than the full Moon. The science team released an Xtend X-ray image of Abell 2319‚ a nearby galaxy cluster that’s the object of frequent study. XRISM’s Xtend instrument captured galaxy cluster Abell 2319 in X-rays‚ shown here in purple and outlined by a white border representing the extent of the detector. The background is a ground-based image showing the area in visible light. The pink is X-ray light from gas that permeates the cluster heated to millions of degrees. By measuring it with XRISM‚ astronomers can measure the mass of the entire cluster‚ an important point in understanding it. Image Credit: JAXA/NASA/XRISM Xtend; background‚ DSS The purple in the image is gas that is leftover from billions of years of star birth and death. XRISM will tell astronomers what elements are present and how abundant they are‚ especially elements heavier than hydrogen and helium‚ called ‘metals’ in astronomy. These XRISM observations will help us understand how the Universe has become enriched in metals over its 13+ billion-year history. Astronomers have observed Abell 2319 with the Chandra and identified different substructures in the intracluster medium (ICM.) They found cold fronts between masses of cooler and warmer gases and even finer substructures within the fronts. It all hints at more complexity than previously thought‚ triggered by mergers between galaxies and groups and interactions with the cluster’s AGN. Abell 2319 is currently undergoing a major merger event‚ and since XRISM is more powerful than Chandra‚ it should reveal even more details about the merger. But alongside the success represented by these first images‚ XRISM is facing its first challenge. An aperture door that protects the Resolve detector before launch hasn’t opened. This means that photons below 1‚700 electron volts can’t reach the detector. XRISM personnel have made several attempts to open it but haven’t yet been successful. If it remains closed‚ then the mission won’t detect photons below 1‚700 electron volts‚ while it’s designed to measure photons as low as 300 electron volts. This problem‚ however‚ doesn’t affect Xtend‚ and the XRISM team is still working on a solution. Though the XRISM mission is primarily a partnership between NASA and JAXA‚ the ESA and the Canadian Space Agency are also involved. An aperture that protects the Resolve instrument is stuck closed‚ meaning XRISM can’t operate at its full electron volt detection range. Xtend‚ which has its own aperture‚ is unaffected. Image Credit: By ESA – https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2023/08/XRISM_in_a_nutshell‚ CC BY-SA 3.0 igo “It’s so exciting to see XRISM already carrying out such marvellous scientific observations‚ even though it is not yet fully calibrated‚” says ESA Director of Science Carole Mundell. “It shows the potential this mission offers to our science communities for groundbreaking discoveries in the study of the most energetic phenomena in the Universe.” The post Japan’s New X-Ray Observatory Sees First Light appeared first on Universe Today.

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Datamost was a Southern California based game and book publisher for American 8bit computers in the early 80’s. They produced roughly 40 different games across the Apple‚ Atari‚IBM PC and Commodore machines‚ 16 of which we will explore here for the Atari 8bit.They mostly released arcade and action adventure titles‚ some unique to the Atari machines and some ports from the Apple II. To paraphrase  a 2017 Kay Savitz interview with Gary Koffler‚ the VP of  A and R at Datamost. Gary said that unlike  A &; R in the 80’s music industry‚ which most likely included obtaining illegal substances and dates from the crowd for the band members‚  his job consisted of mostly taking the teen Datamost programmers out for snacks and giving them quarters to play arcade games.Datamost also published a huge line of books for the 80’s 8-bit American machines‚ Gary said that their book publishing business for such titles as Atari Roots and Kids and the Atari was the most profitable side of the business. Gary described all kinds of profits‚ parties and risque advertisement back in the early 80s when Apple‚ Atari and C64 games were flying off the selves of all manner of retailers. . The link to this very eye opening interview is below. Like many publishers‚ Datamost had its share of fun arcade shooters‚ as well as quite a number of well made platform games. They also have a couple arcade puzzlers and at least one well done classic board game. After replaying all of the Datamost titles‚ i have to admit that only a couple of them‚ Mr. Robot and His Robot Factory and the Tail of beta Laray really strike me a Atari 8bit classics that I played back in the 80s‚ although I will add that both Jet Boot Jack and Cosmic Tunnels and Round Abou have qualities that will keep me coming back for more. Datamost were very proud of the music they put into their Atari released with advertisement that touted “here at last‚ real music for your Atari”So‚ as we will see‚ DataMost was REALLY adamant in Christmas 1983  that Atari 8bit and C64 owners would go out of their minds‚ while classic reviews didn’t care much for many of their games. As always‚ the truth lies software in between Up next are all 16 Atari 8bit releases and some of my and classic reviewers thought on the gamesNotes:Antic Interviewhttps://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-290-gary-koffler-vp-at-datasoft-and-datamostAtarimaniahttp://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-datamost_publisher_1176_8_G.htmlAirstrike – 1983 – Originally Super Cobra style horizontal; scrolling shooterreleased in the UK‚ this is a very difficult   by Steven A.Riding who also coded the Atari 8bit classic Captain Sticky’s Gold.  Airstrike got generally good reviews in the USA‚ but Atari User in an oldies review only gave it 1.5/4 in issue 50‚ saying 8 years ago it was considered good‚ but today it’s a little primitive.I will add that like many Datamost games‚ the controls get in the way of the game play. Air Strike is extremely difficult and the control far too touchyAlternity – 1983 (OS-B) – This is a unique shooter A cross between Amidar and Tempest whose controls take a bit to get used to but is a blast to play. I could not find any contemporary reviews of Alternity. But it has a 7.4/10 from Atarimania users.Ankh – 1984 – A very interesting Arcade Puzzler that combines Berzerk‚ Thrust‚ and Breakout into a puzzle game of discovery. The only reviews I found were for the C64 version and it received an average of 80% and a rather low 5.6/10 from Atarimania users.Ardy the Aardvark – 1983 – This AntEater clone is quite well done and adds some unique elements not in the arcade game. Although players seem to generally like this game‚ the only review for any system I could find was in Page6 Atari User issue 50 which gave it a 2/4 saying it’s amusing at first‚ but its appeal dwindled after a few plays.Aztec – 1982 – This almost forgotten classic was a must-have on the Apple II and was ported quite well in mode 8 to the Atari computers with joystick control that leaves a little to be desired. Play slow and be careful. This is not the pure action title you are expecting. Although I remember this being a beloved classic on Apple‚ I could not find any contemporary reviews for it or the Atari version‚ but Atarimania users give it a solid 7.2/10 while i find it far too difficult to have any fun withCohen’s Towers – 1983 – Like all Frank Cohen games‚ this one looks good and includes the music Datamost is very proud of‚ but  is very challenging to play. Contemporary reviews were all over the map on this one. Early Page 6 issue 15 called it Excellent‚ but after the Atari User Merger‚ in a classic review gave it 2/4‚ calling it reasonably addictive in its issue 50. On the other hand in Analog magazine Issue 20‚ notorious reviewer Steve Panak did not like it at all‚ calling it a crazy climber clone which is certainty is not. Crazy climber is a specific arcade game that is nothing like this. I guess to some people any game where a building is involved is crazy climber. I’ll give Steve Panak credit here though‚ while it’s not crazy climber and while it looks and sounds pretty good‚ it’s no fun at all. The difficult it far too high.Cosmic Tunnels – 1983 – A very cool shooter and action combo that is a close early cousin and possible inspiration for Oids on the Atari ST combined with Cosmic Ark on the VCS. Electronic games magazine called Cosmic Tunnel excellent‚ but Analog issue 25‚ the same Steve Panak  called it insulting while  Atari User  issue 50 gave it 2.5 out of 4 stars.  So it fared pretty well compared to other games we have seen them review so far in their issue 50 classic game round up.Jet Boot Jack – 1984 – Originally released by English Software‚ this is the Official release of the John Williams classic in the USA. It’s tough as nails‚ but John knew (and still knows)  the Atari 8bit graphics and sound inside and out. Page 6 magazine loved it in early issue 8‚ and also gave it 3 out  of 4 in later issue 52 as Atari User Magazine saying it was deserving of it’s minor classic status.Monster Smash! – 1983. Is a combination of Whack a mole‚ Mouse Trap and Zookeeper  where the player must stop monsters from escaping the screen‚ It includes  Music that some say rivals the  Mule opening Pokey Tune. Page 6‚ issue 15 called Monster Smash simple but addictive‚ which we wholeheartedly agree withMr. Robot and His Robot Factory – 1983 – Along with its screen designer‚ we were always partial to this over Miner 2049er‚ but the level design was not quite as good as Bill Hogue’s classic. Luckily‚ you can make your own!. Electronic fun‚ Page 6‚ Atari User‚ the Combined Atari User / Page 6 all gave Mr. Robot high marks. Again Analog magazine gave the arcade game reviews to Steve Panak‚ who really didn’t like arcade games on home computers much and he said “Try before you buy”‚ which possibly is accurate if you were a hard core Steve Panak review reader and agreed with him. If not‚ It was one of the better A8 games to have ever been released.Mychess II – 1984 – Developed as a rival to Sargon‚ this very well crafted chess game also has a set of classic games included for the player to study. I could not find any contemporary reviews of MyChess 2 across any platform‚ but I have to say that it looks great. I would like to have been able to use the joystick to move‚ but the coordinate entry system is probably more accurate for hard core chess players for which it is targeted‚ and Atari Manaia users give it a nice 7/10/ Nightraiders – 1983  This combo of Zaxxon and Blue Max‚ was  coded by a teenager Peter  Filiberti‚   is quite fun to play with many various vertical scrolling challenging stages.Electronic Games magazine liked Night Raiders in it’s July 1984 issue and Atari Mania users seemed to appreciate its variety of game play  giving it 6.9/10Polar Pierre – 1984 A fun arcade style non-scrolling platform game across multiple unique screens. I could not find any contemporary reviews of Polar Pierre‚ but it has a 7.8/10 rating on AtariManiaRound About – 1983 A fun and colorful sliding arcade shooter  by Kent Simon who also coded  Ankh. This game is more appreciated by Atarimania voters then Anka  with a very good (for Atarimania voters)  7/10 rating.Super Bunny – 1984 A mode 8 color game with artifacting that plays a little like Frogger. What we are showing here is a Homesoft modded version that doesn’t lock up the screen on the 800XL or in emulation. Although there are no Atari 8bit reviews from contemporary magazines‚ at least in my review database‚ I did find one Apple II review from Moby games giving it 38% in Electronic Fun magazine‚ while Atarimania users liked it a little more at 6.7/10Tail of Beta Lyrae “LARAY” (The) – 1983 A very fun scramble clone that Electric Fun called TIRED even in 1984. Giving it 2/4. But Laray was universally lauded multiple times in both Page 6 and Atari User when they called it Brilliant with Excellent graphics and sound while bestowing it 8/10 and 3.5/4 ratings. We wholeheartedly agree.Well‚ that’s it for this time. Datalost was not as prolific as Synapse for the Atari 8 bit and their games were a little more hit and miss‚ but I was generally pleased to play the ones I had not played and had fun revisiting my classic favorites.in \The Vertical Blank