�㽶��Ƶ News - astrophysics

CHIME Fast Radio Burst Team to Receive 2022 Berkeley Prize

webfull — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 18:28:34 +0000

The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment fast radio burst (CHIME/FRB) team, which discovered more than 500 new fast radio bursts in the first year of the detector’s operations, will receive the 2022 Lancelot M. Berkeley − New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy.

Published: 17 November 2021

Telescopes unite in unprecedented observations of famous black hole

webfull — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 20:01:18 +0000

In April 2019, scientists released the first image of a black hole in the galaxy M87 using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). However, that remarkable achievement was just the beginning of the science story to be told. �㽶��Ƶ astronomers were part of this global effort.

Data from 19 observatories are now being released that promise to give unparalleled insight into this black hole and the system it powers, and to improve tests of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity.

Published: 14 April 2021

Detection of a short, intense radio burst in Milky Way could help resolve origins of mysterious phenomenon

webfull — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 16:05:39 +0000

New data from a Canadian-led team of astronomers, including researchers from the McGill Space Institute and �㽶��Ƶ Department of Physics, strongly suggest that magnetars - a type of neutron star believed to have an extremely powerful magnetic field - could be the source of some fast radio bursts (FRBs). Though much research has been done to explain the mysterious phenomenon, their source has thus far remained elusive and the subject of some debate.

Published: 4 November 2020

McGill team awarded contract to advance potential Canadian contribution for LiteBIRD space telescope

webfull — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 19:00:35 +0000

November 7, 2019 (MONTREAL, Quebec) - A team of researchers from the McGill Space Institute has secured a Phase 0 contract with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to advance a proposed Canadian contribution – including technology deliverables and scientific know-how -- for the LiteBIRD (Light satellite for the studies of B-mode polarization and Inflation from cosmic background Radiation Detection) mission.

Published: 26 November 2019

Neutron-star merger yields new puzzle for astrophysicists

webfull — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 17:22:44 +0000

The afterglow from the distant neutron-star merger detected last August has continued to brighten – much to the surprise of astrophysicists studying the aftermath of the massive collision that took place about 138 million light years away and sent gravitational waves rippling through the universe.

Published: 18 January 2018

Homing in on source of mysterious cosmic radio bursts

webfull — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 18:02:45 +0000

Astronomers have pinpointed for the first time the home galaxy of a Fast Radio Burst, moving scientists a step closer to detecting what causes these powerful but fleeting pulses of radio waves. FRBs, which last just a few thousandths of a second, have puzzled astrophysicists since their discovery a decade ago.

Published: 4 January 2017

Astrophysicist Vicky Kaspi wins top Cdn science prize

webfull — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 14:21:14 +0000

By Chris Chipello, McGill Newsroom

McGill researchers Elena Bennett and Yasser Gidi also honoured by NSERC

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) has named �㽶��Ƶ astrophysicist Vicky Kaspi as this year’s recipient of the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, NSERC’s highest honour, in recognition of the excellence and influence of her research contributions.

Published: 16 February 2016

Victoria Kaspi wins Canada’s top science prize

webfull — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 11:59:15 +0000

Victoria Kaspi, a professor and Canada research chair at �㽶��Ƶ, is this year's winner of the $1 million Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The award has been awarded annually since 1991 to recognize "sustained excellence and overall influence" of research conducted in Canada.

Published: 16 February 2016

NASA Telescopes Find Galaxy Cluster with Vibrant Heart

webfull — Fri, 11 Sep 2015 01:00:59 +0000

"Usually, the stars at the centers of galaxy clusters are old and dead, essentially fossils," said Tracy Webb of �㽶��Ƶ, Montreal, Canada, lead author of a new paper on the findings accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. "But we think the giant galaxy at the center of this cluster is furiously making new stars after merging with a smaller galaxy."

Published: 10 September 2015

Vicky Kaspi wins 2015 Killam Prize in Natural Sciences

webfull — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 10:31:53 +0000

McGill professor Vicky Kaspi, a world-renowned astrophysicist known for her cutting-edge work on neutron stars and pulsars, was awarded the Killam Prize today, one of the country’s most prestigious awards for academic-career achievement. The $100,000 prize was granted for outstanding scholarship in the natural sciences. Five awards – one each in the categories of the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences and engineering -- are distributed every year by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Published: 14 April 2015