Astronomical Transients | 28 May 2024

Source: TH

Recently, an Indian-American astronomer Shrinivas Kulkarni was awarded the Shaw Prize for Astronomy in 2024 for his work on the physics of astronomical transients.

Astronomical transients are celestial objects or phenomena that change their brightness over a relatively short period of time, as compared to longer periods of time over which stars and galaxies change and develop.
Studying these energetic, short-lived cosmic events could unlock secrets of the universe's most powerful objects and physical laws. Some of the different types of astronomical transients are:
- Supernovae: When the cores of massive stars collapse due to the depletion of fusionable elements, their outer layers explode, releasing immense energy and briefly outshining their entire host galaxy.
- Active galactic nucleus (AGN): Supermassive black holes at the cores of massive galaxies sometimes actively consume surrounding matter. This interaction causes the matter to emit light with varying brightness.
- Fast radio bursts (FRBs): FRBs are powerful bursts of radio waves that can release as much energy in a few thousandths of a second as the sun emits in three days.