A universe full of mysteries
Dear reader, What fascinates me about astronomy is the mysteries and the extremes. Do you feel the same? Then you can look forward to this issue.
The cover story offers new insights into an active galaxy that loyal SuW readers already got to know in the September 2018 issue: The blazar TXS0506+056 made headlines because it could be identified as the source of an extremely energetic neutrino. From page 30 onwards, astrophysicists explain the spectacular way in which the neutrino got a kick and this crazy energy.
Despite years of effort by physicists and astronomers, it is still unclear what the astronomically detectable dark matter consists of. In this issue, you'll hear news from the frontline of basic science, namely whether dark matter might have something to do with mini black holes (p. 23) or the ominous X17 particle (p. 26).
After presenting the history of the discovery of helium in the last issue, we turn to a mystery in the second part of the series starting on page 38, which was brilliantly solved a few decades ago: the cosmic origins of helium. The article also deals with the important applications of the noble gas in physics and astronomy.
When hearing the word "extreme" a planetary researcher probably thinks of Venus. She will accompany us in numerous articles in the still young year 2020. From p. 68 we take a look at our planetary neighbor from the perspective of the observer. Because there are numerous highlights for Venus observation in the next few months, which you can already mark red in the calendar after reading SuW 2/20.
Hush into the magazine! Yours
Andreas Müller
