Related papers: Astrophysics: Most distant cosmic blast seen
If X-rays observed from any extragalactic radio jets are due to inverse Compton scattering on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation, then such a source will be detectable with the same surface brightness anywhere in the more…
The Era of the First Stars is one of the last unknown frontiers for exploration: a poorly understood billion years missing from our cosmological timeline. We have now developed several methods for finally filling in the lost billion years…
Despite much recent theoretical and observational progress in our knowledge of the early universe, many fundamental questions remain only partially answered. Here, we review the latest achievements and persisting problems in the…
Astronomers occasionally detect an object having unexpected shape, unexplainable photometry, or unprecedented spectra that are inconsistent with our contemporary knowledge of the universe. Upon careful assessment, many of these anomalies…
In this chapter, we briefly review the history of X-ray astronomy through its missions. We follow a temporal development, from the first instruments onboard rockets and balloons to the most recent and complex space missions. We intend to…
The origin of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) has been enigmatic since their discovery. The situation improved dramatically in 1997, when the rapid availability of precise coordinates for the bursts allowed the detection of faint optical and radio…
In this brief essay we consider the concept of beginning in cosmology. It can be applied to the Universe as a whole, as well as to various epochs in the cosmic history and major structures as we can see them today.
The emergence of the first black holes during the first billion years of cosmic history marks a key event in cosmology. Their formation is part of the overall process of ending the cosmic dark ages, when the first stars appeared in low-mass…
Since their discovery in 1973, Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) have remained for many years one of the most elusive mysteries in High Energy-Astrophysics. The main problem regarding the nature of GRBs has usually been the lack of knowledge of their…
Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays are the most energetic of any subatomic particles ever observed in nature. The quest for their mysterious origin is currently a major scientific challenge. Here we explore the possibility that these particles…
The past fifty years have been an epoch of impressive progress in the field of astronomical technology. Practically all the technical tools, which we use today, have been developed during that time span. While the first half of this period…
In studies of the oldest solar system bodies - comets and asteroids - it is their fragments - meteoroids - that provide the most accessible planetary material for detailed laboratory analysis in the form of dust particles or meteorites.…
The observed spatial distribution of $\gamma-$ray bursts indicates that they probably originate at cosmological distances. At this distance scale their variability timescale and flux above MeV imply an initial optical-depth to pair…
The study of the Universe and all its contents, the physical phenomena and the evolution of the sky objects has always attracted the Humanity. The Astronomy begins to try to explain these things, others sciences too. Therefore, we think a…
Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions in the universe and are mainly placed at very large redshifts, up to $z\simeq 9$. In this short review, we first discuss gamma-ray burst classification and morphological properties. We then…
HE 0107-5240 is a star in more than once sense of the word. Chemically, it is the most primitive object yet discovered, and it is at the centre of debate about the origins of the first elements in the Universe.
Introduction to the meaning of dark matter and a few historical gestures. What it is? By what the dark matter is formed? Experimental phenomenon evidences and relative explanation under the point of view of the physics of the elementary…
The search for the origin of cosmic rays is a quest of almost a hundred years. A recent theoretical proposal gives quantitative predictions, which can be tested with data. Specifically, it has been suggested, that all cosmic rays can be…
The dark matter problem is almost a century old. Since the 1930s evidence has been growing that our cosmos is dominated by a new form of non-baryonic matter, that holds galaxies and clusters together and influences cosmic structures up to…
Most of the visible matter in the Universe is in a plasma state, or more specifically is composed of ionized or partially ionized gas permeated by magnetic fields. Thanks to recent advances on the theory and detection of cosmic magnetic…