Nationwide Power Outage Hits Chile, Government Imposes Curfew

A team of astronomers has identified a supermassive black hole located 12.9 billion light years away, dating back to a period when the universe was merely 800 million years old. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) telescope in Chile, researchers detected radio signals from hot gas surrounding the black hole, revealing important insights into the early universe, according to a study published in Nature Astronomy. The black hole, named J231038.88+185519.7, is estimated to be 2 to 4 billion times the mass of the Sun. Researcher Takafumi Tsukui from the Australian National University stated, “This discovery will help us understand how black holes evolve into supermassive black holes from small seeds in the early universe." The findings suggest that many supermassive black holes lie hidden in gas and dust, and the radio signals detected by ALMA offer a new method to uncover these elusive cosmic giants. The study highlights the potential of targeting high-energy states of carbon monoxide to gain a clearer picture of black holes in the early universe.

A team of astronomers has recorded the hottest nova explosion ever observed, named LMCN 1968-12a, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. This recurrent nova, first discovered in 1968, has been erupting approximately every four years, with the latest explosion occurring in August 2024. Findings were reported in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Utilizing the Magellan Baade and Gemini South telescopes in Chile, researchers conducted observations in near-infrared light shortly after the outburst. The results indicated that the expelled gas reached temperatures of 5.4 million degrees Fahrenheit, supported by a significant spike in ionized silicon brightness, which was 95 times greater than sunlight. This extreme heat and unique chemical composition suggest important differences from novas observed in the Milky Way. The astrophysical dynamics involved stem from the white dwarf's interaction with a red subgiant companion star, showing how low-metallicity environments influence nova activity, according to study co-author Sumner Starrfield from Arizona State University.

Adrián Simancas, a 24-year-old kayaker, had a near-death experience on February 8 when he was briefly engulfed by a humpback whale in the Strait of Magellan, off the coast of Chilean Patagonia. Simancas described the moment to The Guardian, stating he "closed [his] eyes to brace for impact" but felt as if he were "in a whirlpool" before his life jacket pulled him back to the surface unharmed. The encounter, captured on a nearby camera, quickly went viral, prompting discussions on whale behavior. Marine biologist María José Pérez Álvarez from Universidad de Chile clarified that humpback whales feed on small prey and could not "devour" a human, as they lack teeth and have a small throat. She cautioned, however, that such interactions should be avoided due to potential risks from the whale's size. Kayaking expert Guillermo Meza warned that Simancas and his father were too close to the whale, emphasizing safety and legal regulations requiring a distance of at least 100 meters from marine mammals. Simancas now plans to take greater precautions during future expeditions.