Highlights from AAS Nova: 30 August - 12 September 2015

AAS Nova is a new website that provides brief highlights of recently published articles from the AAS journals. Its intent is to gain broader exposure for AAS authors and to provide astronomy researchers and enthusiasts with summaries of recent, interesting research across a wide range of astronomical fields.

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The following are the AAS Nova highlights from the past two weeks; follow the links to read more, or visit the AAS Nova webpage for more posts.

11 September 2015
Water Vapor in an Unexpected Location
A recent study has found that the transitional disk DoAr 44 contains water vapor in its inner regions.

9 September 2015
Explaining the Kuiper Belt with a Jumping Planet
Neptune’s unusual migration in the early years of our solar system might have created features we now observe in the Kuiper Belt.

7 September 2015
Featured Image: A Supernova Remnant in X-Rays
Chandra X-ray images of RCW 103 provide an updated picture of what’s happening in this puzzling supernova remnant.

4 September 2015
Don’t Cross the (Tidal) Streams
When an unfortunate star passes too close to a dormant supermassive black hole it gets torn apart by tidal forces, feeding the black hole for a short time. A recent study of the streams of stellar material in these events explains why we might be missing many of them.

2 September 2015
Witnessing Solar Rejuvenation
At the end of last year, the Sun’s large-scale magnetic field suddenly strengthened, reaching its highest value in over two decades. Here, researchers explain why this happened and what it predicts for the next solar cycle.

31 August 2015
Which Galaxies Are the Most Habitable?
Which type of galaxy is most likely to host complex life in the universe? A team of researchers from the UK has the answer.