Air quality advisories issued in 5 provinces, 1 territory
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
Astronomers have detected the presence of a disc around a planet outside our solar system for the first time.
Using the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observatory which is partially run by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), astronomers saw the disc, called a “circumplanetary disk,” surround the exoplanet PDS 70c, one of two giant Jupiter-like planets orbiting a star nearly 400 light-years away.
Researchers had found hints of a disc being formed around PDS 70c before, according to a release, but could not get a clear enough image to support their theory, until now. Their findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on Thursday.
"Our work presents a clear detection of a disc in which satellites could be forming," said study author Myriam Benisty in the release. "Our ALMA observations were obtained at such exquisite resolution that we could clearly identify that the disc is associated with the planet and we are able to constrain its size for the first time.”
Using ALMA, Benisty and the team found that the disc has approximately the same diameter as the distance from our Sun to the Earth and enough mass to form up to three satellites the size of the Moon.
"These new observations are also extremely important to prove theories of planet formation that could not be tested until now," said study author Jaehan Bae.
Planets form in dusty discs around young stars, carving out space as they collect material from the disc to grow. In this process, a planet can acquire its own circumplanetary disc, which contributes to the growth of the planet by regulating the amount of material falling onto it.
At the same time, the gas and dust in the circumplanetary disc can come together into progressively larger bodies through multiple collisions, ultimately leading to the birth of moons.
But astronomers do not yet fully understand the details of these processes. "In short, it is still unclear when, where, and how planets and moons form," said ESO researcher Stefano Facchini, in the release. "This system therefore offers us a unique opportunity to observe and study the processes of planet and satellite formation.”
Exoplanets PDS 70b and PDS 70c, the two planets making up the system, were first discovered using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The latest high-resolution ALMA observations have now allowed astronomers to gain further insights into the system.
For instance, researchers found that because PDS 70b does not have clear evidence of a disc, it was probably starved of material because of PDS 70c forming its own.
Researchers hope to continue their study using the ESO’s high-resolution Extremely Large Telescope, currently under construction on Cerro Armazones in the Chilean Atacama desert.
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
Hollywood actor Steve Buscemi has been treated for injuries after being punched in the face while walking in New York City.
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
For her latest column on CTVNews.ca, royal commentator Afua Hagan writes about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent visit to Nigeria, calling it a 'deeply meaningful campaign' that was about aligning their ongoing efforts to foster mental-health awareness and promoting the Invictus Games.
As a pair of wildfires burn near Flin Flon and The Pas, a number of Manitobans are being told to evacuate their homes.
Ontario will need 33,200 more nurses and 50,853 more personal support workers by 2032, the government projects — figures it tried to keep secret but were obtained by The Canadian Press.
A tiny contingent of Duke University graduates opposed pro-Israel comedian Jerry Seinfeld speaking at their commencement in North Carolina Sunday, with about 30 of the 7,000 students leaving their seats and chanting "free Palestine" amid a mix of boos and cheers.
Whether you were lucky to nab tickets to one of Taylor Swift's six sold-out Toronto concerts in November or not, a new 'fan experience' hopes to get you into the party spirit.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'