Gli shock sono onde d’urto che viaggiano a velocità supersonica e sono molto importanti in astrofisica perché vengono osservati su diverse scale spaziali ed in diversi contesti, dal nostro “piccolo” sistema solare, fino a scale extragalattiche e cosmologiche. Gli shock astrofisici differiscono da quelli osservabili sulla Terra perché si manifestano in condizioni estreme, non riproducibili sul nostro pianeta. Mentre nell’atmosfera
LSST (Large Synoptic Survey Telescope) is the future of the astronomy in the time domain. LSST is a new-generation telescope that will be built on Cerro Pachon in Chile (2700 meters). It will be equipped with a primary mirror of 8.4 meters of diameter and an innovative camera able to observe an very large field of view, more than 49
Riccardo Giacconi passed away on December 9th, at the age of 87 years. Riccardo Giacconi born in Genoa on 1931 and won the physics Nobel prize on 2002. He was one of the founder of X-ray astronomy. Riccardo played a fundamental role in the developing of the X-ray observatory Einstein and gave a major contribution for other important missions such
Most of the stars, mainly the low mass stars, produce their own magnetic field in their interior. The interaction between the magnetic field and stellar plasma is the cause of phenomena such as photosperic spots, faculae, protuberances, coronal mass ejections, and flares. The study of this activity is important both because it reveals how intense magnetic fields interact with high-temperature
From the large number of exoplanets discovered by missions such as Kepler and CoRoT, it is clear that the presence of planets is a common feature in stars of our Galaxy. In particular, it has been estimated that on average each low mass star has one planet. Planets formation is thus an ubiquitous phenomenon across the Milky Way. It is
OB associations are objects of great importance, since they contain a rich population of OB stars. Despite their paucity, OB stars have a strong impact on the evolution of their parental clouds, nearby stars, and the whole Galaxy. For instance, their intense UV emission affects the evolution of the parental cloud and the star formation process in it, sometimes triggering
OB associations are objects of great importance, since they contain a rich population of OB stars. Despite their paucity, OB stars have a strong impact on the evolution of their parental clouds, nearby stars, and the whole Galaxy. For instance, their intense UV emission affects the evolution of the parental cloud and the star formation process in it, sometimes triggering
In the last few years, many space missions and ground-based surveys, discovered more than 4000 exoplanets, especially using the transit and radial velocity methods. These two methods combined, give us a first estimation of the bulk density of the planets. In order to have a deeper understanding on the planetary characteristics and history, we also need to study their atmospheres.
What remains after a supernova explosion, which is among the most energetic phenomena in the Universe, is an expanding cloud interacting with the surrounding interstellar medium (the “supernova remnants”) and a compact object produced by the contraction of the nucleus of the progenitor star. Given its proximity to the Sun (“only” 945 light years), the Vela supernova remnant is one
One of the big and so far unsolved mysteries regarding the origin of life is what are the processes leading to the formation of its fundamental components: aminoacids and their precursors. In the past years several aminoacids have been detected in meteorites. This supports the hypothesis that life could have developed on Earth thanks to complex molecules formed in space.
