Project 7-1

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Southern New Hampshire University *

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100

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Astronomy

Date

Jan 9, 2024

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docx

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P a g e | 1 Michael Bastian Project 7-1 South New Hampshire University SCI-100-H2034 Perspectives in Natural Sciences Ms. Jill Lockard December 8 th , 2023

P a g e | 2 For this assignment, I have selected the news article titled "Astronomers discover a black hole in close proximity consuming a star"(Panagiotou, et.. al, 2023) The news item reports that a supermassive black hole in a galaxy tears apart a star that is passing by, which is referred to as a "tidal disruption event." This event exposes the center of the galaxy. This outburst is the most recent tidal disruption event observed and one of the earliest to be detected using infrared wavelengths. The concept of a black hole consuming a star was completely foreign to me before I started working on this assignment. However, that is precisely why it captured my attention and motivated me to undertake a project on this subject. The selected news story focuses on the field of observational astronomy as the methodology for scientific study. Astronomers have observed the phenomenon of a black hole consuming a star, an infrequent occurrence that takes place approximately once every 1,000 years. The new narrative elucidates the process by which the intense gravitational force exerted by the black hole causes the star to disintegrate, resulting in a luminous burst of light that is observable through telescopes. The astronomers employed many telescopes to study the phenomenon and collect data regarding the black hole's activity during the process of devouring. As I went deeper into the complex field of astronomy, I was intrigued to the vague nature of Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs) that occur in distinct galactic contexts. My research efforts resulted in a finalized question that has become the focal point of my scientific pursuit: How does the galactic environment, specifically the classification of galaxies as blue, green, or red, influence the occurrence and detection of TDEs, as well as the dust content associated with them?

P a g e | 3 Creating a hypothesis was both enlightening and difficult. To elucidate my hypothesis, I constructed an if/then statement based on existing research, particularly the work of Gezari et al. (2023): "If galaxies actively engaged in star formation produce substantial amounts of dust, then an increased incidence of TDEs will be observed, primarily within the subset identified as 'green galaxies.'" The established link between galactic dust composition and the occurrence of TDEs supports this claim. Examining the effect of dust levels on TDE frequency within different galaxy types reveals a direct correlation between my hypothesis and the study topic. The idea proposes that TDEs are more common in 'green galaxies,' owing to their increased dust composition. Thus, if this idea is right, it will reveal a hitherto unknown prevalence of TDEs among actively star- forming galaxies. The feasibility of this concept will be determined by long-term infrared studies within star-forming galaxies. The validity of the theory might be validated by comparing the results of these surveys to data from previous optical and X-ray research. A considerable number of TDEs found just using infrared scans that were previously missed by other monitoring methods would provide support for the concept. However, it is critical to accept the hypothesis's falsifiability. If data from 'green galaxies' fail to show a higher incidence of TDEs than those from blue and red galaxies, despite the expected elevated dust levels, the hypothesis would be refuted. This finding implies that other variables contribute to the development of TDEs in galaxies, throwing doubt on the function of dust content in affecting these events. My interest in black holes, TDEs, and the intricate systems that regulate cosmic events drove me to embark on this study effort. My past understanding in this sector was somewhat

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