NuSTAR discovery of a cyclotron line in KS 1947+300

We present a spectral analysis of three simultaneous Nuclear Spectroscopy Telescope Array and Swift/XRT observations of the transient Be-neutron star binary KS 1947+300 taken during its outburst in 2013/2014. These broadband observations were supported by Swift/XRT monitoring snapshots every three days, which we use to study the evolution of the spectrum over the outburst. We find strong changes of the power-law photon index, which shows a weak trend of softening with increasing X-ray flux. The neutron star shows very strong pulsations with a period of P ≈ 18.8 s. The 0.8–79 keV broadband spectrum can be described by a power law with an exponential cutoff and a blackbody component at low energies. During the second observation we detect a cyclotron resonant scattering feature at 12.5 keV, which is absent in the phase-averaged spectra of observations 1 and 3. Pulse phase-resolved spectroscopy reveals that the strength of the feature changes strongly with pulse phase and is most prominent during the broad minimum of the pulse profile. At the same phases the line also becomes visible in the first and third observation at the same energy. This discovery implies that KS 1947+300 has a magnetic field strength of B ≈ 1.1 × 10^(12) (1 + z) G, which is at the lower end of known cyclotron line sources

NuSTAR Detection of the Blazar B2 1023+25 at Redshift 5.3

B2 1023+25 is an extremely radio-loud quasar at z = 5.3 that was first identified as a likely high-redshift blazar candidate in the SDSS+FIRST quasar catalog. Here, we use the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) to investigate its non-thermal jet emission, whose high-energy component we detected in the hard X-ray energy band. The X-ray flux is ~ 5.5 x 10^(-14)erg cm^(-2) s^(-1) (5-10 keV) and the photon spectral index is Γ_X ≃ 1.3-1.6. Modeling the full spectral energy distribution, we find that the jet is oriented close to the line of sight, with a viewing angle of ~3°, and has significant Doppler boosting, with a large bulk Lorentz factor ~13, which confirms the identification of B2 1023+25 as a blazar. B2 1023+25 is the first object at redshift larger than 5 detected by NuSTAR, demonstrating the ability of NuSTAR to investigate the early X-ray universe and to study extremely active supermassive black holes located at very high redshift

Flares of Fury

THE NORTH DAKOTA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM COLLECTION NASA initiated the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, also known as Space Grant, in 1989. This national network of colleges and universities works to expand opportunities for Americans to understand and participate in NASA\u27s aeronautics and space projects by supporting and enhancing science and engineering education, research, and public engagement efforts. The  North Dakota NASA Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC)  was established in February of 1991. The North Dakota NASA Space Grant Consortium fulfills the Space Grant mission by involving North Dakota faculty, students, and K‐12 teachers and students in multi‐institutional, collaborative, NASA‐relevant research and education projects, while also educating the North Dakota citizenry about NASA, its purpose, and its missions. The North Dakota Space Grant Consortium has a collection of printed posters, photos, and art available to the public. Pieces can be collected at the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium office (Clifford Hall, Room 270) on the UND campus. Image text: National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Discovered by TESS Beware the terrible tantrum of an angry young star AU Mic presents Flares of Fury Located less than 32 light-years from Earth, AU Microscopii is among the youngest planetary systems ever observed by astronomers, and its star throws vicious temper tantrums! You\u27ve heard of the terrible twos ? Well, AU Mic is in the midst of its terrible 22... millions! This devilish young system holds planet AU Mic b captive inside a looming disk of ghostly dust and ceaselessly torments them with deadly blasts of x-rays and other radiation, thwarting any chance of life... as we know it! Beware! There is no escaping the stellar fury of this system! The monstrous flares of AU Mic will have you begging for eternal darkness! Guest starring the Spitzer Space Telescope www.nasa.gov Galaxy of Horrors exoplanets.nasa.gov Planet type: Gas giant Based on real science Discovered in 2019 Detected using transithttps://commons.und.edu/ndsgc-posters/1027/thumbnail.jp

Gamma Ray Ghouls

THE NORTH DAKOTA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM COLLECTION NASA initiated the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, also known as Space Grant, in 1989. This national network of colleges and universities works to expand opportunities for Americans to understand and participate in NASA\u27s aeronautics and space projects by supporting and enhancing science and engineering education, research, and public engagement efforts. The  North Dakota NASA Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC)  was established in February of 1991. The North Dakota NASA Space Grant Consortium fulfills the Space Grant mission by involving North Dakota faculty, students, and K‐12 teachers and students in multi‐institutional, collaborative, NASA‐relevant research and education projects, while also educating the North Dakota citizenry about NASA, its purpose, and its missions. The North Dakota Space Grant Consortium has a collection of printed posters, photos, and art available to the public. Pieces can be collected at the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium office (Clifford Hall, Room 270) on the UND campus. Image text: National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA A radiating thriller of cosmic proportions! Gamma ray ghouls In the depths of the universe, the cores of two collapsed stars violently merge to release a burst of the deadliest and most powerful form of light, known as gamma rays. These beams of doom are unleashed upon their unfortunate surroundings, shining a million trillion times brighter than the sun for up to 30 terrifying seconds. No spaceship will shield you from the blinding destruction of the gamma ray ghouls! www.nasa.gov Galaxy of Horrorsexoplanets.nasa.govBased on real sciencePresented by NASA\u27s Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescopehttps://commons.und.edu/ndsgc-posters/1028/thumbnail.jp

Galactic Graveyard

THE NORTH DAKOTA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM COLLECTION NASA initiated the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, also known as Space Grant, in 1989. This national network of colleges and universities works to expand opportunities for Americans to understand and participate in NASA\u27s aeronautics and space projects by supporting and enhancing science and engineering education, research, and public engagement efforts. The  North Dakota NASA Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC)  was established in February of 1991. The North Dakota NASA Space Grant Consortium fulfills the Space Grant mission by involving North Dakota faculty, students, and K‐12 teachers and students in multi‐institutional, collaborative, NASA‐relevant research and education projects, while also educating the North Dakota citizenry about NASA, its purpose, and its missions. The North Dakota Space Grant Consortium has a collection of printed posters, photos, and art available to the public. Pieces can be collected at the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium office (Clifford Hall, Room 270) on the UND campus. Image text: National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA MACS 2129-1 stars in: Galactic Graveyard Beware: It\u27s old, red and dead! Based on real science This chillingly haunted galaxy mysteriously stopped making stars only a few billion years after the Big Bang! It became a cosmic cemetery, illuminated by the red glow of decaying stars. Dare to enter, and you might encounter the frightening corpses of exoplanets or the final death throes of once-mighty stars. A Hubble Space Telescope observation www.nasa.gov Galaxy of Horrors exoplanets.nasa.govhttps://commons.und.edu/ndsgc-posters/1032/thumbnail.jp

Rains of Terror

THE NORTH DAKOTA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM COLLECTION NASA initiated the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, also known as Space Grant, in 1989. This national network of colleges and universities works to expand opportunities for Americans to understand and participate in NASA\u27s aeronautics and space projects by supporting and enhancing science and engineering education, research, and public engagement efforts. The  North Dakota NASA Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC)  was established in February of 1991. The North Dakota NASA Space Grant Consortium fulfills the Space Grant mission by involving North Dakota faculty, students, and K‐12 teachers and students in multi‐institutional, collaborative, NASA‐relevant research and education projects, while also educating the North Dakota citizenry about NASA, its purpose, and its missions. The North Dakota Space Grant Consortium has a collection of printed posters, photos, and art available to the public. Pieces can be collected at the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium office (Clifford Hall, Room 270) on the UND campus. Image text: National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA The nightmare world of HD 189733b Presents: Rains of Terror This far-off blue planet may look like a friendly haven- but don\u27t be deceived! Weather on this world is deadly! The planet\u27s cobalt blue color comes from a hazy, blow-torched atmosphere containing clouds laced with glass! Its howling winds send the storming glass sideways at 5,400 mph (2 km/s) whipping all in a sickening spiral around the planet! It\u27s death by a million cuts on this slasher planet! www.nasa.gov Galaxy of Horrors exoplanets.nasa.gov Based on Real Science Planet type: Gas giant Discovered in 2005 Detected using radial velocity A Haute-Provence Observatory discoveryhttps://commons.und.edu/ndsgc-posters/1031/thumbnail.jp

Devoured by Gravity

THE NORTH DAKOTA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM COLLECTION NASA initiated the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, also known as Space Grant, in 1989. This national network of colleges and universities works to expand opportunities for Americans to understand and participate in NASA\u27s aeronautics and space projects by supporting and enhancing science and engineering education, research, and public engagement efforts. The  North Dakota NASA Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC)  was established in February of 1991. The North Dakota NASA Space Grant Consortium fulfills the Space Grant mission by involving North Dakota faculty, students, and K‐12 teachers and students in multi‐institutional, collaborative, NASA‐relevant research and education projects, while also educating the North Dakota citizenry about NASA, its purpose, and its missions. The North Dakota Space Grant Consortium has a collection of printed posters, photos, and art available to the public. Pieces can be collected at the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium office (Clifford Hall, Room 270) on the UND campus. Image text: National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Cygnus X-1 Presents: Devoured by Gravity It\u27s dinner time and you\u27re the meal! Lurking in our galaxy approximately 6,000 light years from Earth is a monster named Cygnus X-1. This black hole, which has about 14.8 times the mass of our sun, will stretch and squeeze anything it captures in its immense gravity. Cygnus X-1 is waiting, snacking on its neighboring star. Don\u27t get too close, or you\u27ll become its next meal! www.nasa.gov Galaxy of Horrors exoplanets.nasa.gov Observed by NASA\u27s Nustar and Chandra X-Ray Telescopes Based on real sciencehttps://commons.und.edu/ndsgc-posters/1026/thumbnail.jp