Swift HD Beauty Shot

Observatories Collaborate to Catch Star-Gobbling Black HoleNASA’s TESS Sees Its First Star-destroying Black HoleRare Black Hole Event Sheds Light on a Cosmic Mystery For the first time, NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) watched a black hole shred apart and devour a distant star from the moment the violent event began. This phenomenon only happens about once every 10,000 to 100,000 years in a galaxy the size of our own Milky Way! So what is a black hole and how hard is it to watch one destroy a star? Chat with scientists on Friday, Sept. 27, from 6:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. EDT to find out how they work together to spot these rare cosmic events and what we’re learning about them. Skype interviews are also available. HERE’s a link to the FEATURE STORY. And HERE for a version of it in Spanish. Scientists know black holes are integral to the life cycle of galaxies, but they’re incredibly difficult to study. Thanks to identification and coordination by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae [ASAS-SN, pronounced like “assassin”] and observations by TESS and other missions, including NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, astrophysicists are a step closer to understanding some of the most mysterious objects in the universe. Schedule an Interview To schedule an interview please fill out our form: https://forms.gle/rH7Ct9LWqETGB1gC7Interview location: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland Satellite CoordinatesHD Satellite Coordinates for G17-K18/Lower: Galaxy 17 Ku-band Xp 18 Slot Lower| 91.0 ° W Longitude | DL 12051.0 MHz | Vertical Polarity | QPSK/DVB-S | FEC 3/4 | SR 13.235 Mbps | DR 18.2954 MHz | HD 720p | Format MPEG2 | Chroma Level 4:2:0 | Audio Embedded Media contacts for partner institutions:Natasha Metzler / Carnegie Institution, Strategic Communications/ nmetzler@carnegiescience.edu/ (202) 939-1142Laura Arenschield / The Ohio State University, Research Communications / Arenschield.2@osu.eduFor more information check out @NASAUniverse and #BlackHoleWeek Questions? Contact michelle.z.handleman@nasa.gov or 301-286-0918. B-roll package that corresponds to the following:SUGGESTED QUESTIONSWhat is a black hole and what did NASA and its partners discover?How does a black hole destroy a star?How did NASA and other observatories work together to capture this moment?What new things did we learn from this catastrophic event?How far away is this black hole? Could our Sun be eaten by a black hole?Black holes are black right? How do scientists study something that can’t be seen?Where can we learn more?QUESTIONS FOR LONGER INTERVIEWS:How does a planet-hunting mission help us learn about black holes?How did the scientists involved first learn about the event?What is #BlackHoleWeek?QUICK LINKS TO VIDEO AND AUDIOClick for downloadable AUDIO SOUNDBITE with NASA Scientist Knicole Colon.Click for downloadable soundbites with NASA Scientist Knicole ColonClick for downloadable soundbites with NASA Scientist Brad CenkoClick for downloadable soundbites with Carnegie astronomer Tom Holoien. Audio soundbite with NASA Scientist Knicole Colon about the discovery. TRT :58. Click download button for this file. Canned interview with NASA Scientist Knicole Colon. TRT 4:40 Canned intervew with NASA Scientist Brad Cenko. TRT 4:45 Canned interview with Carnegie Astronomer Tom Holoien looking off camera. TRT 5:52

An exciting discovery out of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center! The bling in your ring is a product of the most violent kind of explosion in the universe. Suggested Anchor Intro:Yesterday scientists announced another giant discovery in the physics world. This time, it involves the most powerful explosion in the universe, head-banging stars and a cosmic gold rush. We have NASA scientist *NAME* here to give us a bite-sized astrophysics lesson. While observing a galaxy 130 million light-years away, NASA scientists became the first to see a gamma-ray burst caused by two neutron stars smashing into each other. Join some of these brilliant minds from 6:00-11:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 17, for a bite-sized astrophysics lesson about an exciting discovery: many precious metals on Earth are remnants of these stellar collisions. This particular explosion produced 500 times the mass of Earth in platinum and 200 times the mass of Earth in gold. Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions in the cosmos. Most occur when a massive star collapses under its own weight as it nears the end of its life. For decades scientists have suspected these bursts might also come from something else: collisions between neutron stars, the smallest and densest stars known to exist — they were right. Black holes merge darkly, but neutron stars do so with a splash. Matter is packed so tightly in neutron stars that a sugar cube-sized amount of material would weigh as much as Mount Everest. So, as it turns out, a neutron star merger can fuel the creation of precious metals and scatter them across the universe — precisely how gold, platinum and dozens of other elements arrived at Earth. We now know that a neutron star merger is powerful enough to cause ripples in space-time, just as a rock thrown into a pond creates ripples in the water. The discovery of these gravitational waves earned three physicists a 2017 Nobel Prize. This neutron star collision marks the first time scientists have been able to pinpoint exactly where gravitational waves originated. This discovery brings remarkable new insights into the physics behind the most powerful explosions in the universe — and a reminder that we s Goddard Space Flight Center/Greenbelt, Maryland Scientists:Dr. Brad Cenko / NASA Astrophysicist, Goddard Space Flight CenterDr. Paul Hertz / Director, Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Headquarters Dr. Julie McEnery / NASA Astrophysicist, Goddard Space Flight Center To book a window contact: Micheala Sosby / micheala.m.sosby@nasa.gov / 301-286-8199 Live shot b-rollFor more information see: NASA Missions Catch First Light From A Gravitational-Wave-Event Canned interview with Dr. Paul Hertz with no graphics. Canned interview with Dr. Paul Hertz with graphics Canned interview with Dr. Julie McEnery looking off camera. Location: NASA Astrophysicist, Goddard Space Flight Center. Includes full transcript. SOTS are separated by slates. TRT 2:17 Canned interview with Dr. Brad Cenko Canned interview with Dr. Julie McEnery

Swift searches for Gamma Ray Bursts and stellar explosions Swift leaves the darkness, camera zooms in to catch the spacecraft crossing Earth. Swift departs Earth orbit Transferring data to earth via TDRS spacecraft Data transfer around the Earth Approaching Swift in orbit - pause - camera moves behind Swift to catch a burst in progress. Swift observing a gamma ray burst as it moves out into space. A single burst at great distance Swift turning quickly to observe a gamma ray burst in progress. Looping animation of Swift pointing at various locations, placed on an alpha channel for easy compositing.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab