Exotic, rapidly rotating objects are of interest to astrophysicists. Polish astronomers are trying to obtain information about the physical conditions inside fast-rotating neutron stars. In a work published in The Astronomical Journal, they enriched the analysis with effects resulting from the phenomenon of gravitational darkening.

Registration for the 5th edition of the International Conference „Cosmology School – Introduction to Cosmology” co-organized by the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCNR) has started. The conference has already become part of the schedule of Polish astrophysical scientific events and is recognized in the arena of cosmological conferences worldwide.

Publicly available data is not too popular among scientific breakthrough seekers. Usually they were extensively researched and there is nothing more to discover. However, there are exceptions, such as the quasar HE 0435-5304, which sounds boring by name.

NCBJ participates in the study of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), in particular the gravitational lensing of their glow. GRBs are one of the most energetic processes in the universe.Scientists propose to extend the search for GRBs with multi-range observations of the glow of these phenomena.

NCBJ coordinates Polish participation in the largest observational astronomy project in history. The field of view of a telescope built in Chile will cover an area 40 times larger than the Moon’s disc. The observations planned for 10 years will provide, among others data about variable objects. Scientists from NCBJ working as part of the ASTROdust team are already preparing algorithms that will enrich the set of information obtained from the observations.

Astronomers use many methods of determining the distance to celestial bodies, but each of them has limits of its applicability. An international group of scientists, with the participation of Professor Marek Biesiada from the National Center for Nuclear Research, proposes the use of quasars for this purpose. The method could be applied to objects whose image reaches us even 13 billion years ago.