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In September 2022‚ an automated sky survey detected what seemed to be a supernova explosion about one billion light-years away. The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) spotted it and gave it the name AT2022tsd. But something was different about this supernova. Supernovae explode and shine brightly for months‚ while AT2022tsd exploded brightly and then faded within days. That’s when astronomers realized it wasn’t a regular supernova at all. It was a luminous fast blue optical transient (LFBOT)‚ a relatively new class of object that was only discovered a few years earlier and remains mysterious. Then something even stranger happened. AT2022tsd‚ given the nickname ‘Tasmanian Devil‚’ brightened again and again. This was both a surprise and a puzzle‚ two things that always attract the attention of astronomers. After its initial detection‚ follow-up observations in X-rays showed that the Tasmanian Devil was the brightest LFBOT ever detected. Not only that‚ but it rivalled the brightest gamma-ray bursts ever detected. These facts‚ along with the object’s repeated brightening‚ made it one of the strangest transients ever detected. A team of researchers led by Cornell Assistant Professor of Astronomy Anna Ho gathered all the data they could to determine what was behind the Tasmanian Devil’s unusual behaviour. Their results are in a new paper titled “Minutes-duration optical flares with supernova luminosities.” The paper was published in the journal Nature. “This settles years of debate about what powers this type of explosion and reveals an unusually direct method of studying the activity of stellar corpses.”Anna Ho‚ Cornell University “In recent years‚ certain luminous extragalactic optical transients have been observed to last only a few days‚” the authors write in their paper. “Their short observed duration implies a different powering mechanism from the most common luminous extragalactic transients (supernovae)‚ whose timescale is weeks.” “Here we report observations of minutes-duration optical flares in the aftermath of an AT2018cow-like transient‚ AT2022tsd.” AT 2018cow was a powerful explosion up to 100 times brighter than a supernova. It’s one of the few reported FBOTs. This image shows The Cow approximately 80 days after the explosion from the W.M. Keck Observatory in Maunakea‚ Hawaii. The Cow is nestled in the CGCG 137-068 galaxy‚ 200 million light years from Earth. Image Credit: Raffaella Margutti/Northwestern University The Tasmanian Devil’s repeated flashes were as short as a few minutes long. They were also as powerful as the initial explosion 100 days prior. These repeated flashes only deepened the mystery around LFBOTs. 15 telescopes around the world watched the flashes‚ and the research team combed through the observations to try to determine what type of object was behind this remarkable behaviour. In December‚ Ho was routinely monitoring the fading initial explosion and captured five new images of the object that each spanned a few minutes. The first image showed nothing‚ but the middle image showed an intense brightening that quickly vanished. Then nothing again. Ho shared the images with collaborators‚ and they were speechless. “We think these flares could be coming from one of these newly formed corpses‚”Anna Ho‚ Cornell University “No one really knew what to say‚” Ho recalled. “We had never seen anything like that before – something so fast‚ and the brightness as strong as the original explosion months later – in any supernova or FBOT. We’d never seen that‚ period‚ in astronomy.” The Thai National Telescope captured this flare from AT2022tsd. This flare was nearly as bright as the initial burst detected with the Zwicky Transient Facility. Time on the x-axis is in minutes. Image Credit: Ho et al. 2023. The team’s analysis showed 14 separate spikes in brightness over a 120-day period. According to Ho‚ that’s likely only a fraction of the total number. “Amazingly‚ instead of fading steadily as one would expect‚ the source briefly brightened again – and again‚ and again‚” she said. “LFBOTs are already a kind of weird‚ exotic event‚ so this was even weirder.” There are some events and objects out there in the cosmos that flash repeatedly‚ and the researchers worked to either confirm or eliminate them. The Devil wasn’t a supernova‚ but could it have been a tidal disruption event (TDE) where a black hole feeds on material and flares brightly? Does its light and frequency match any other type of astronomical transient? This figure from the research shows how the light from AT2022tsd compares to other bright transient objects. TDEs‚ shown in purple circles‚ are well outside the parameter space of the Tasmanian Devil. Other objects in the figure are Long Gamma-Ray Bursts (LGRBs) and their cousins‚ Long-Duration‚ Low-Luminosity Gamma-Ray Bursts. The figure also shows LFBOTs and CC SNs‚ which are Core-Collapse Supernovae. The signals from AT2022tsd don’t match those from gamma-ray bursts‚ tidal disruption events‚ or supernovae. Image Credit: Ho et al. 2023. The team detected a single optical and multiple x-ray flares from the Tasmanian Devil. But the optical flare didn’t coincide with any of the x-ray flares. Also‚ there was no detectable periodicity to any of the flaring. The fact that the team couldn’t find any optical flaring in the research into other LFBOTs was also confounding. “To our knowledge‚ this phenomenon—minute-timescale optical flares at supernova-like luminosities‚ with order-of-magnitude amplitude variations‚ persisting for 100+ days—has no precedent in the literature‚” the researchers write in their paper. For now‚ AT2022tsd is still a mystery. It could be a supergiant star collapsing as a supernova and then forming an accretion ring. It could be a black hole funnelling jets of material into space. Or it could be another LFBOT‚ but we could be seeing it from a strange angle. If we are‚ that could explain the Tasmanian Devil’s X-rays. “The lack of detected flares in other LFBOTs could be because of the viewing angle: AT2018cow is thought to have been observed close to the plane of the circumburst ‘disk’ rather than face-on‚ and a more on-axis viewing angle for AT2022tsd could also help explain the substantially more luminous X-ray emission‚” the authors explain in their research. Artist’s concept of one of the brightest explosions ever seen in space: a Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient (LFBOT). Credit: NASA The researchers came to a conclusion‚ but it’s an incomplete one. The Tasmanian Devil must be a dead star‚ either a black hole or a neutron star. “We don’t think anything else can make these kinds of flares‚” said Anna Y.Q. Ho‚ assistant professor of astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences. “This settles years of debate about what powers this type of explosion and reveals an unusually direct method of studying the activity of stellar corpses.” If the Tasmanian Devil is a type of dead star‚ it’s not behaving like the others. “We might be seeing a completely different channel for cosmic cataclysms‚” Ho said. Something unprecedented may be going on with the Devil. As a dead star‚ the light coming from it could signal its transition into a sort of stellar afterlife. It could be a new type of stellar corpse. “Because the corpse is not just sitting there‚ it’s active and doing things that we can detect‚” Ho said. “We think these flares could be coming from one of these newly formed corpses‚ which gives us a way to study their properties when they’ve just been formed.” The post Can a Dead Star Keep Exploding? appeared first on Universe Today.

Review by Craig Hammons Photos by Ron Lyon The legendary progressive rock band Yes refuses to say “no.” There have been several lineup changes over the last five decades‚ as well as the tragic loss of two key band members (drummer Alan White and bassist Chris Squire) in more recent years. But Yes still continues to tour and put out stellar work. Steve Howe has always been the foundation that Yes is built on and this is Steve Howe’s Yes. Howe says he is “absolutely resistant” to a Yes reunion with his former bandmates. For the Fall 2023 Classic Tales of Yes Tour in North America‚ they are promoting their 22nd brilliant latest studio album Mirror To The Sky. As a fan of Yes since I first saw them live in 1974 at the Long Beach Arena to today‚ they still deliver their songs live with the soul and spirit of the classic lineup. Yes has always been committed to reproducing  intricate and complex arrangements of their vast catalog of recordings in a live setting. Tonight‚ we would expect nothing less and are ready to take a mesmerizing journey into the world of progressive rock with our favorite prog rock band Yes. The evening started out with a on stage presentation and slide show by the legendary artist Roger Dean. Dean’s artwork has graced the Yes album covers and promotional material since the beginning of their recording career. Dean is also responsible for the Yes logo. An art gallery was set up in the lobby highlighting his work. Afterwards Dean hung out signing posters‚ artwork and album covers for his fans. After a brief intermission it was time for the show. Opening with a taped instrumental overture “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra‚” they all casually walked on stage and Steve Howe launched into the opening riff of “Going For The One” on his Fender pedal steel guitar. They went right into “It Will Be a Good Day (The River)‚” a deep track off The Ladder. The song accents Jon Davison’s angelic voice shows how well he fits in to Jon Anderson’s shoes. Next up was the 10-minute epic “Machine Messiah‚” which allowed each member to display their musical excellence while taking us on a sonic journey of sight and sound.  Just as we were all coming back to our senses‚ they played “I Have Seen All Good People.”  A round of applause rang out‚ the audience rose to their feet to sing along to this fan favorite that has stood the test of time.  Howe started the song playing a 12-string acoustic before switching over to his hollow body Gibson.  They then slid effortlessly into an instrumental version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “America.” Yes stepped back to 1970 and unearthed “Time and Word‚” the title track of their second album.  It’s a deep cut that hasn’t been in their set since 2018.  They ventured off to “South Side Of The Sky” from 1971’s Fragile. It opened with the sound of howling wind and burst into riff heavy rock song that mellowed out into a Geoff Downes piano solo with Howe‚ Davison and Sherwood engaging in a wordless three-part harmony.  Howe’s epic dazzling guitar riffs floated in before fading back out to the wind. “Turn Of The Century‚” another blast from the past‚ and “Don’t Kill the Whale” offered yet another live glimpse into their vast catalog of musical excellence. It was now time for a new song — “Cut From The Stars” off Mirror To The Sky. This was bassist Billy Sherwood’s time to shine. The bass carries the song from beginning to end and had Sherwood dancing around the stage while laying down some solid lines. Ending the night with excerpts from all four sides of their double-LP release from 1974‚ Tales From Topographic Oceans‚ they pulled out all the stops‚ pushing the boundaries of prog rock to the extremes in this grand closing masterpiece.  Jon Davison’s vocals sounded mystical and mesmerizing. Jay Schellen’s drumming throughout was spot on with Sherwood’s solid bass playing. Howe and keyboardist Geoff Downes created the lush soundscapes that showed live this band’s musicianship is one of prog rock’s finest. They came back out for the encore to play fan favorites “Roundabout” and “Starship Trooper‚” which again had this audience of happy hippies and purveyors of fine prog rock on their feet having some heavy flashbacks to the day they first heard these songs on a vinyl record. Tonight showed this is not Steve Howe’s band but a band of talented musicians that honor the legacy of Yes while paying homage to their past and bringing a fresh sound to the present.  This evening’s live performance was a testament to their legacy in the world of progressive rock. Their passion and technical brilliance made tonight’s show an unforgettable journey‚ leaving us all so satisfied we were on our way.

Photos by Joe Schaeffer Zebra‚ featuring Randy Jackson (guitar and vocals)‚ Felix Hanemann (bass‚ keyboards and vocals) and Guy Gelso (drums and vocals)‚ made a stop at the Coach House In San Juan Capistrano to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their self-titled debut album. VintageRock.com contributing photographer Joe Schaeffer was also there and generously offered to share a few photos he took.

By Shawn Perry The metrics surrounding Yes could confound even the savviest of analysts investigating the band’s history and its spiraling roster of members. Without playing favorites‚ in that analysis‚ you can’t ignore the vast contributions from Trevor Rabin‚ which came at a time when bands like Yes were edging toward extinction. Indeed‚ he was a tad younger than the other members of Yes. What he really brought to the band‚ however‚ was a keen ear and modern sensibility — as a guitarist‚ as a singer‚ as a songwriter‚ as a producer‚ as an all-around virtuoso whose capabilities exceeded the high standard of any progressive rock institution. Chances are if you’re reading this piece‚ you know what happened. On the strength of 90125 and Rabin’s “Owner Of A Lonely Heart‚” Yes sold millions of records and tore up the charts like never before. After 1994’s Talk — which he solely produced‚ mostly wrote‚ and played a multitude of instruments on — Rabin left the Yes fold. He released and toured behind his fourth solo record Can’t Look Away‚ then ventured off to Hollywood to become an in-demand film composer. As lucrative as film composing was and‚ in some respects‚ to continues to be‚ for Rabin‚ he was anxious to make another solo album. “I did an instrumental album (Jacaranda) in 2012‚” he told me during a lunchtime call. “I  really enjoyed it and it really got into my bones. I was so busy with film scoring I couldn’t breathe. Then the Hall of Fame thing happened‚ and Jon (Anderson) and Rick (Wakeman) and I said‚ ‘We should do some shows.’ I thought maybe we could do five or six shows and have some fun with it. Those five or six shows turned into 200 shows.” In the midst of forming a new band‚ Rabin would tell me‚ was the rather “silly idea” of changing the erstwhile name of “Anderson‚ Rabin‚ Wakeman” or‚ “ARW‚” if you’re into the whole brevity thing‚ to “Yes Featuring ARW”. It merely muddied the waters of an already tense situation between two camps attached to the Yes name. Without anything to move forward with‚ followed by the pandemic‚ the idea of continuing ARW in any form eventually faded away. For Rabin‚ it meant going onto the next big thing — making Rio‚ a solo album  with vocals. “I’d been promising myself for many decades that I’ve got to do another album after my last vocal album‚” he explains‚ adding that he was initially inspired by what he had started with ARW. “When that finished‚ which was great fun. I thought‚ ‘You know what? I’ve got to do an album. I’ve got all these ideas. It’s kind of bursting my pockets open. I need to get in the studio‚ I’ve got to do it. It just became clear that I needed to do a solo album.” During his time with ARW‚ Rabin was asked by Sony Inside Out Records to produce an album featuring the group. He wasn’t completely on board with the idea. “I was a little reluctant. I said with the most affection I can possibly say: ‘Yes is like a beached whale — It’s beautiful when it’s in the ocean but getting it in there is bloody hard.’” He kept his options open and sent a finished recording of Rio to Inside Out. Within days‚ he had a record deal. “It was just so simple and clean and peaceful.” Rabin remembers. “It was quite an amazing signing.” And quite an impressive package when you take view at all the working parts. Listening to Rio‚ you sense a culmination of everything there is to appreciate about Trevor Rabin’s talents. Songs like “Big Mistakes” and “Push” both have that big and no-holds-bar style Rabin brought to Yes in the 1980s. Yet there’s an even deeper dig on Rio‚ one that fleshes out Rabin’s gifts of musicality in full formation. His father was the first violinist with the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra‚ so naturally Rabin began his music lessons early‚ starting on piano at age 5‚ then graduating to guitar at 12. His achievements at such a young age placed him in a pantheon of prodigies. Even his father was impressed with his son’s musical development. “He used to make the joke that I could read music before I could read English‚” Rabin quips. “Oklahoma‚” the third single from Rio‚ showcases Rabin’s skills as a musician‚ producer‚ arranger‚ and songwriter. It’s a stark commentary around the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that lifts off with a classical acoustic guitar sequence before flowering into an orchestral mesh of electric guitars‚ keyboards‚ strings‚ and an impassioned vocal. Ornamented in multi-layered sonic lushness‚ the theme‚ both on a personal and multilateral front‚ is a reminder of how this one event sent a disarming chill down the nation’s spine. “I turned on the TV and I saw the federal building and it made me feel sick.” Rabin remarks. The South African native who had seen racism and political strife in his own country had become an American citizen with an optimistic worldview. This act of  domestic terrorism wasn’t quite the open-armed welcome he was expecting. “I had a pit in my stomach‚ like‚ ‘Oh my God‚ if this can happen here‚ where else can it happen?’ It just led me having some ideas. At the time I thought there’s no way I’m doing a song now. It would be so callous and crass‚ even if it’s meant in the right way. It would come across as being opportunistic. I didn’t do anything for years. When I started this album‚ I thought‚ now’s the time. It’ll be more of a  commentary and a tribute to the people that survived and to the people who didn’t.” Of course‚ South Africa is still very much on Rabin’s mind as well. The country vibe of “Goodbye” comes from his early years‚ doing sessions. “Country’s huge in South Africa‚” he says. “I did session work for years in South Africa when you might be on a session in the morning with a full orchestra and difficult charts to read; then the afternoon‚ it’s just chord symbols and it’s a country song‚ and they just want that twang‚ the Telly thing with the B-Bender — total country stuff.” Another one that touches closer to home is “Egoli‚” heralded as a celebration of when Apartheid ended in South Africa and Nelson Mandela became president of the country in 1994. “My uncle was Mandela’s lawyer for 27 years. In South Africa‚ I played at the Princess Trust‚ which was for Mandela‚ and was lucky enough to go and have lunch with him‚ Prince Charles and…believe it or not…the Spice Girls‚” he adds with a slight chuckle. “When Mandela was led free‚ it was like a celebration. He did the most incredible job. Then he died‚ and people started forgetting what it was all about. Sadly‚ the country’s become a bit of kleptocracy‚” he pauses before changing course. “‘Egoli’ in Zulu means ‘City of Gold‚’ which is Johannesburg. I’m talking about what joy and what hope there was. and don’t let it slip away. Keep remembering what Madiba said.” Despite the absence of a fully realized ARW album‚ there were some songs in the works‚ including “Fragile‚” which was re-recorded and added to the deluxe edition of Rio. There are radio takes of the song with Anderson and Wakeman floating around on YouTube‚ but as far as producing other songs or making an album‚ that’s about as far as it got. “We were having so much fun on the road‚ and there was always talk of ‘we’ve got to do an album’. There was some stuff going between us‚ but nothing that was even put on tape. A second leg of the American tour came about‚ and our manager said‚ ‘You really should have a single or something. Otherwise‚ you’re just coming out again.’ I pulled out ‘Fragile‚’ which was a song I was going to use. I did a TV series with Sharon Stone‚ and that was going be used there. So I thought‚ it’s kind of a charming song. Maybe if Jon sang on it‚ and Rick did his thing on it‚ it would be legitimate to do it as an ARW thing. We played it on the radio a couple of times‚ but nothing happened with it.” Eventually‚ Anderson‚ Rabin‚ and Wakeman all returned to their own solo endeavors‚ effectively ending their brief union and any further squabbling about the Yes legacy. When it comes to his relationship with other members of Yes‚ past or present‚ Rabin doesn’t mince words. “Put it this way‚ Rick and I are real firm friends…and I have no desire to do anything with Steve.” He maintained a friendship with bassist Chris Squire right up until his passing. Rabin says Squire teased him about working on computers and scoring movies. “Chris’s thought was‚ ‘When are you going to stop this desk job? And come back to the band?’” Squire may be happy to know that his old friend is now “back in the business of rock.” With Rio finished and released‚ the big question now is what happens next? “Starting this album was like‚ ‘Oh my God‚ I’ve just woken up.’ This is the first one in a long time. I intend to keep on promoting the album. And hopefully‚ we’ll get on the road.” Just before saying our goodbyes‚ he adds in no certain terms: “The next thing definitely is not going be a film — it’s going to be another album.”

Set to blaze the trail with their 17th studio album Sonic Mojo‚ Foghat is poised to release new music for their fans. Achieving eight gold records along with one platinum and one double platinum record‚ the band that burned up the airwaves in the 70s with the mega-hits “Slow Ride‚” “I Just Want to Make Love to You‚” and “Fool for the City” continues the spirit of the Foghat legacy. The current lineup features founding member Roger Earl on drums‚ guitarist Bryan Bassett‚ bassist and vocalist Rodney O’Quinn‚ and guitarist and lead vocalist Scott Holt. Sonic Mojo is a tasty mix of Texas boogie‚ country‚ and Delta blues. With the addition of rock-solid renditions of blues classics such as “Let Me Love You‚ Baby‚” and “How Many More Years‚” the album also showcases songs co-written by Savoy Brown founder‚ the late Kim Simmonds. From the launch‚ the posterior-shaking “She’s A Little Bit of Everything‚” (co-written with Simmonds) has an unpretentious attitude with breaks fit for a crowd rallying sing-along. A celebration of women‚ the song sets the pace making it a solid opener. The driving “I Don’t Appreciate You” keeps the album in full throttle. Written by all four members‚ the song departs from the usual Foghat blues style showing that after fifty years in the music business‚ the band isn’t afraid to try new things. “Drivin’ On‚” (also co- written by Simmonds) evokes an image filled with asphalt and revving engines à la ZZ Top. Bassett’s slide work is exquisite capturing Rod Price’s slide guitar style‚ which is an integral part of the Foghat sound. “Time Slips Away‚” marks the last contribution by Simmonds on the album. A hauntingly relatable song‚ it deals with the passage of time. As if Simmonds knew he would be leaving us‚ the song adds a mellow spot to the album — perhaps an area to shed a tear. Celebrating the Chess Records catalog with Willie Dixon’s “Let Me Love You Baby‚” Howlin Wolf’s “How Many More Years‚” and the Chuck Berry classic “Promise Land‚” Foghat pays homage to their heroes while putting their stamp on each song. Other highlights include “I Wish I’d Been There‚” a nod to Hank Williams written with Roger’s brother Colin Earl‚ and country singer Rodney Crowell’s “Song For The Life.” Throughout the record‚ the band is on fire. Bassett’s guitar work steadily weaves itself throughout each song while Holt’s soulful vocal delivery adds to each lyric. Holding down the rhythm section‚ Earl and O’Quinn are unstoppable‚ providing a solid backbeat.  Sonic Mojo is a testament to Foghat’s longevity delivering roots-driven rock n roll that satisfies. ~ Jason Young