NASA spots mysterious object moving 1million mph through space

• READ MORE: Massive rogue planet glowing aurora spotted wandering the galaxy

By Matthew Phelan Senior Science Reporter For Dailymail.Com

A rogue, hyper-speed object — over 27,306 times the size of Earth — is hurtling so fast through our galaxy that it might break free of the Milky Way, according to NASA.

Scientists determined the mysterious object was cruising at a breakneck one million miles per hour when they spotted it more than 400 light years from Earth - one light-year is equal to six trillion miles.

While experts have not determined what the newfound celestial body is, they speculated it is a 'brown dwarf,' a star which is larger than a planet but lacks the mass to sustain long-term nuclear fusion in its core like Earth's sun.

If the object confirmed as a brown dwarf, it would be first-ever to be documented in a chaotic, hyper-speed orbit capable of breaking free from our home galaxy. 

A rogue, hyper-speed object - over 27,306 times the size of Earth - is hurtling so fast through our galaxy that it might break free of the Milky Way, according to NASA. The fast-moving object (NASA artist's image above, right) is estimated to be cruising at  1 million miles-per hour

A coalition of citizen-scientists with NASA's 'Backyard Worlds: Planet 9' project were the first to spot the celestial body, the US space agency confirmed this week.

'I can't describe the level of excitement,' German citizen-scientist Martin Kabatnik, a long-time member of NASA's Backyard Worlds program, said in statement. 

'When I first saw how fast it was moving,' the Nuremberg-based researcher confessed, 'I was convinced it must have been reported already.' 

Backyard Worlds citizen-scientists Martin Kabatnik, Thomas P. Bickle and Dan Caselden were the first to spot this million mph object a few years ago, earning the hyper-speed object the catalogued name CWISE J124909.08+362116.0.

According to astronomer Dr Kyle Kremer, who has collaborated with them on better understanding the object, several astrophysics theories could explain how the object, CWISE J1249 for short, could have gotten to its incredible speed. 

In one theory, CWISE J1249 rocketed out of a two star or binary star system after its 'white dwarf' sister star died off — collapsing in an explosive runaway nuclear fusion reaction called a supernova.

Another viable theory has it that CWISE J1249 originated inside a tight cluster of starts called a 'globular cluster' where it was flung free via the pull of a black hole. 

'When a star encounters a black hole binary,' Dr Kremer said in a NASA statement on the discovery, 'the complex dynamics of this three-body interaction can toss that star right out of the globular cluster.'

The volunteers who make up NASA's 'Backyard Worlds' work with interstellar image data taken by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) - a huge 'all sky' survey that ran from 2009-2011 and again from 2013-2024. Above, the WISE telescope (artist's concept)

NASA's WISE telescope scans led to the discovery of thousands of minor planets in our galaxy and the first Earth 'trojan asteroid,' a rock that orbits the same ring around the sun as our own planet. Above, a WISE mosaic 'the Heart and Soul nebulae' about 6,000 light-years from Earth

A host of university academics and government scientists, including members of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, have now drafted up a report on these volunteer citizen-scientists' observations, awaiting peer review at Cornell's arXiv site. 

Read More

EXCLUSIVE

Extraordinary row breaks out between Harvard, Johns Hopkins scientists over origin of mystery object that came from outer space 

These experts, including an astronomer from the University of Leicester and an astrophysicist with the American Museum of Natural History, have made their own case that the object is a 'hypervelocity L subdwarf.' 

That would make it among the smallest objects to qualify as a brown dwarf ever documented.

The international group of volunteers who make up NASA's 'Backyard Worlds' work with interstellar image data taken by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) — a huge 'all sky' survey that ran from 2009-2011 and again from 2013-2024.

NASA's WISE telescope scans led to the discovery of thousands of minor planets in our galaxy, multiple star clusters and the first Earth 'trojan asteroid,' meaning a rock that orbits the same ring around the sun as our own planet.

It has been NASA's hope that members of the general public, like Backyard Worlds' team, will make even more discoveries with this vast haul of outer space data.

The researchers tested 100 scenarios to see where high-speed CWISE J1249 might go next. The team found multiple scenarios (straight grey lines above) where this L subdwarf is likely to fling itself out of the Milky Way (the blue-dotted circle is the boundary of our Milky Way)

According to NASA, scientists plan to train further equipment on CWISE J1249 in an effort to get a better sense of its chemical make-up or 'elemental composition.'

The chemistry of this high-speed object could hold 'clues about which of these scenarios is more likely,' whether it was flung by a black hole or a collapsing white dwarf, whether it is a gas giant or a burning brown dwarf. 

Using open source software for modeling galactic orbits of celestial bodies, called galpy, these researchers tested '100 random initial conditions' alongside the identifying data they already know about CWISE J1249 to see where it might go next.

As published in their arXiv paper, which is awaiting peer-review with the Astrophysical Journal Letters, the team found multiple scenarios where this suspected 'hypervelocity L subdwarf' is likely to fling itself out of the Milky Way.

'Given the uncertainties in the inferred velocities and potential models,' the team wrote in their study, 'we find that [WISE] J1249+3621 has a significant probability of being unbound to the Milky Way.' 

'17 percent of our simulated orbits are unbound over 10 gigayears,' they added, meaning that the object could eject itself into the unknown in about 10 billion years.

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20-08-2024 om 21:48 geschreven door peter  

Astronomers Just Discovered A Low-Mass Object Flying At a Million Miles Per Hour

A team of citizen scientists first discovered the object while they were working on NASA’s Backyard Worlds Planet 9 project.

by Doris Elín Urrutia

 

W.M. Keck Observatory/Adam Makarenko

What is the object?

Right now, researchers at NASA believe the fast-flung object, which they’ve called CWISE J124909.08+362116.0, once lived alongside another celestial body, as binary pairs are common in the Milky Way. The object also likely has a low-mass and could be a small star or a brown dwarf, an object larger than a gas giant planet, but lacking the necessary nuclear fusion to be a certifiable star. It’s possible that it was a partner to a white dwarf that went supernova. If it finally teetered over the edge towards self-annihilation and exploded, the resulting force could have given the runaway object its extraordinary speed.

Where did it come from?

Another explanation places CWISE J124909.08+362116.0 in a sea of many more companions.

Data obtained with the W. M. Keck Observatory in Maunakea, Hawaii showed that the fast-flying object is very old. NASA officials write it is “likely from one of the first generations of stars in our galaxy.”

This fits the description of a globular cluster, a spherical collection of hundreds of thousands to millions of stars that can be very old. Perhaps CWISE J124909.08+362116.0 lived in such a packed community, only separated by an average distance of just one light-year apart. A “chance meeting” with a pair of black holes, NASA says, may have been enough to send it on a one-way trip into intergalactic space.

“When a star encounters a black hole binary, the complex dynamics of this three-body interaction can toss that star right out of the globular cluster,” Kyle Kremer, a member of the research team and incoming assistant professor in UC San Diego’s Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, said in NASA’s statement.

More data on the runaway’s elemental composition could finally answer why it’s so out of this world.

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20-08-2024 om 21:34 geschreven door peter  

Firsts for ESA

JUICE marks several firsts for space exploration and ESA. JUICE is the first non-NASA solo mission to the outer solar system, as well as the first ESA mission to Jupiter. The mission also follows in the footsteps of NASA’s Juno mission, utilizing enormous solar panels instead of a nuclear-powered MMRTG for power.

In another first, JUICE will perform the first-ever twin Earth-Moon flyby for this upcoming boost. This is a challenging ‘thread the needle,’ sort of maneuver, as the Moon flyby sets up the spacecraft for the Earth flyby. The maneuver is termed a ‘LEGA,’ or Lunar-Earth Gravitational Assist. JUICE fired its engines for 43 minutes last year to set it up for this month’s Earth-Moon flyby. A series of four smaller course correction burns were recently carried out, starting with a 31-second maneuver on July 22^nd.

The big test for the spacecraft will come in 2031, when JUICE fires up its main engines for orbital insertion around Jupiter. The trick during any engine burn for the spacecraft is to not induce any unwanted wobbles in the enormous cruciform-shaped solar panels.

The double flyby is the fortuitous result of the launch window back in 2023. The first Moon flyby gives engineers a chance to tweak the Earth pass shortly before closest approach if needed. The total delta-V maximum for the spacecraft is 2,700 meters per second or 6,000 miles per hour.

JUICE was even briefly mistaken for an incoming Potentially Hazardous Asteroid early this month. The spacecraft poses no hazard to the Earth-Moon system.

Previewing the Flyby

Here are the specifics for the encounter:

The closest Moon approach occurs on Monday, August 19^th at 21:16 Universal Time (UT), 700 kilometers from the lunar surface.

Closest Earth approach occurs about 24 hours later on Tuesday, August 20^th at 21:57 UT. At its closest, JUICE will pass 6,807 kilometers from the surface of Earth over northeastern Asia and the Pacific. This encounter happens in the daytime. Australia and southeast Asia have the best shot at seeing JUICE inbound just before closest approach in the pre-dawn sky.

For Europe and North America, the circumstances are less favorable. These locales will see the spacecraft farther out when it’s highest in the sky. For example, Paris will see the spacecraft at around 23:20 UT at a range of 220,000 miles/354,000 kilometers out. Boston will see JUICE at a range of 150,000 miles/241,000 kilometers away around 6:20 UT in the predawn sky.

The southeastern U.S. gets another shot around 1:00 UT on August 21^st (9:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time August 20^th). This low to the horizon opportunity occurs at dusk, as the spacecraft is then about 30,000 miles distant.

ESA’s ESOC (European Space Operations Centre) and the worldwide Estrack network will track JUICE throughout the flyby. This will also give mission controllers a chance to test key instruments, which will be switched on during the pass. Of special concern is the RIME (Radar for Icy Moons Exploration) instrument. RIME seems to be getting interference from other spacecraft instruments. Controllers will operate it in both solo and tandem mode along with other onboard instruments during the lunar flyby, in an effort to troubleshoot RIME. RIME is crucial to probing the interior of Jupiter’s icy moons.

Spotting JUICE

The key to spotting JUICE is knowing just where and when to look. JUICE is 27 meters across from the tip of one solar panel to another, and will pass Earth within range of the ring of geostationary satellites. A good specular glint of the Sun off of one of the large solar panels could temporarily raise JUICE in range of naked eye brightness.

Getting a precise position on JUICE is tricky, as most planetarium programs won’t include the deflection of the spacecraft due to the gravity of the Earth and the Moon. Generating ephemerides with JPL Horizons is your best bet, as it’ll give you a precise position in the sky in Right Ascension (RA) and Declination to point and conduct a search. Simply watch at the appointed time, and attempt to ‘ambush’ JUICE as it glides past. Much like a satellite, JUICE will look like a moving ‘star’ drifting across the field of fixed background stars.

JUICE is spacecraft ID -28 in the JPL Horizons System.

Astronomer Gianluca Masi caught sight of JUICE during a Virtual Telescope session on August 9^th:

Heavens-Above may post tracking maps for JUICE. They’ve done so in the past… we’ll note these here this weekend if they turn up.

Next up, JUICE will flyby Venus next August. It will then make two more Earth flybys, one in 2026 and a final one in 2029.

Good luck and clear skies, on your quest to nab JUICE on this historic Earth-Moon flyby.

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

20-08-2024 om 21:26 geschreven door peter  

Humans have always been captivated by the star-studded skies. Much like an orchestra thrills its audience with each instrument, our universe continues to astound us with each new revelation, including this recent discovery of CWISE J1249 by NASA citizen scientists of an unknown object moving at incredible speed.

One such incredible discovery was recently made by an exceptional group of astronomical enthusiasts, the citizen scientists of NASA's Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project.

Their keen eyes spotted an object moving at an astonishing speed of 1 million miles per hour, a rarity in the tranquil orbits of the Milky Way. This sensational find marks the first detection of such a fast and compact celestial object.

Understanding the Backyard Worlds project

NASA's "Backyard Worlds" is a fun citizen science project that invites everyone to help find new celestial objects.

This initiative aids in the analysis of huge amounts of data from NASA's NEOWISE mission to spot elusive brown dwarfs, rogue planets, and other cosmic gems that might have slipped past automated searches.

• https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x94btmk

• https://youtu.be/4jbDHeG1M5Q

Participants, called "citizen scientists," get to analyze images online, hunting for moving objects that could lead to exciting discoveries.

It's a fantastic opportunity for people from all walks of life -- no matter their scientific background -- to pitch in on real astronomical research.

Those involved in Backyard Worlds have played a key role in spotting several brown dwarfs -- objects that are too big to be planets but not quite large enough to become stars.

CWISE J1249 and the NEOWISE mission

The Backyard Worlds

From 2009 to 2011, WISE diligently mapped the sky, capturing images in infrared light, before being reactivated as NEOWISE in 2013.

This project, which was retired in 2024, played a crucial role in this discovery.

A few years back, dedicated citizen scientists, Martin Kabatnik, Thomas P. Bickle, and Dan Caselden, noticed a faint and fast-moving object on their screens, which was later titled CWISE J124909.08+362116.0.

Follow-up observations confirmed the discovery and allowed the scientists to characterize the object, earning these citizen scientists co-authorship in the study documenting this discovery.

Mysteries of CWISE J1249

• https://youtu.be/wNFsdBh7wrs

"I can't describe the level of excitement. When I first saw how fast it was moving, I was convinced it must have been reported already," said Kabatnik, hailing from Nuremberg, Germany.

Yet, the unique attributes of this object didn't stop at its extraordinary speed.

The low mass of CWISE J1249 makes it a difficult object to categorize -- it could either be a low-mass star or a brown dwarf, a celestial body somewhere between a gas giant planet and a star.

Despite being rare, planet-searching volunteers have already identified over 4000 brown dwarfs. However, none of these objects are on a galactic getaway like CWISE J1249.

Secrets of an ancient star

The intrigue doesn't end there.

Data from the W. M. Keck Observatory shows that CWISE J1249 possesses a different composition, with markedly less iron and other metals than other stars and brown dwarfs.

This unique composition indicates that CWISE J1249 might be quite ancient, possibly from one of the first generations of stars.

The object's breakneck speed has led to theories about its origin. Some speculate that it was part of a binary system with a white dwarf, which exploded as a supernova.

Alternatively, it might have been part of a globular cluster, a tightly bound cluster of stars, and a fortuitous encounter with a pair of black holes could have flung it off its path.

Collective effort in discovering fast-moving star

To further investigate these theories, scientists plan to examine the elemental composition of CWISE J1249 more closely.

The discovery was a collective endeavor, involving a medley of participants-volunteers, professionals, and students.

Kabatnik mentions Melina Thévenot and Frank Kiwy, whose efforts significantly contributed to this finding.

This study was led by Adam Burgasser, a professor at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), along with co-authors Hunter Brooks and Austin Rothermich, who both commenced their astronomical careers as citizen scientists.

These scientific triumphs demonstrate how the collective power of curious minds can unravel the most profound mysteries hiding in the depths of our fascinating universe.

Future of citizen science

The discovery of CWISE J1249 is not just a remarkable achievement for those involved, but also a testament to the growing potential of citizen science in modern astronomy.

With access to ever-expanding data from missions like WISE and NEOWISE, citizen scientists are increasingly contributing to groundbreaking discoveries.

Projects like Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 demonstrate how the collaborative efforts of enthusiastic volunteers, armed with the right tools and guidance, can lead to significant scientific advancements.

As technology continues to evolve, the future holds even greater possibilities for citizen scientists to play an active role in unraveling the mysteries of our universe.

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20-08-2024 om 21:05 geschreven door peter  

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20-08-2024 om 17:47 geschreven door peter  

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20-08-2024 om 17:39 geschreven door peter  

Posted by Evan Gough

Ancient Rocks in Mars’ Jezero Crater Confirm Habitability

According to NASA’s Perseverance rover, ancient rocks in Jezero Crater formed in the presence of water. These sedimentary rocks are more than 3.5 billion years old and may predate the appearance of life on Earth. When and if these samples are returned to Earth, scientists hope to determine if they hold evidence of ancient Martian life.

In 2022, the Perseverance Rover worked its way along Jezero Crater’s western slope and sampled rocks from a feature called the ‘fan front.’ Scientists hypothesized that some of the rocks in this region were formed in the ancient lakebed when the crater was filled with water. Perseverance analyzed the rocks’ chemistry and captured images of their surroundings. Members of the Perseverance science team studied this data and have published their results.

“These rocks confirm the presence, at least temporarily, of habitable environments on Mars.”

Professor Tanja Bosak, MIT

Their work is titled “Astrobiological Potential of Rocks Acquired by the Perseverance Rover at a Sedimentary Fan Front in Jezero Crater, Mars.” It’s published in the journal AGU Advances, and the lead author is Tanja Bosak, professor of geobiology in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS).

“These rocks confirm the presence, at least temporarily, of habitable environments on Mars,” said lead author Bosak. “What we’ve found is that indeed there was a lot of water activity. For how long, we don’t know, but certainly for long enough to create these big sedimentary deposits.”

Perseverance collected seven samples from the fan front. Each of the samples is of a sedimentary rock, and some of them may predate life on Earth. “The samples include a sulphate- and clay-bearing mudstone and sandstone, a fluvial sandstone from a stratigraphically low position at the fan front, and a carbonate-bearing sandstone deposited above the sulphate-bearing strata,” the authors explain.

Sulphates and clays typically form in the presence of water, and so do carbonates. Depending on the types of sulphates, it reveals clues about the ancient water’s chemistry, temperature, and acidity. Carbonates are similar and can also reveal things about Mars’ atmosphere when they formed, like how much carbon dioxide it contained.

“The hydrated, sulphate-bearing mudstone has the highest potential to preserve organic matter and biosignatures, whereas the carbonate-bearing sandstones can be used to constrain when and for how long Jezero crater contained liquid water,” the authors explain.

While the samples were placed in sealed tubes for eventual return to Earth, Perseverance also abraded the rock next to each sample location, allowing the rover to analyze the mineral content of the rocks.

Mars rovers have found other rocks that were deposited by water, but none this old. These ancient Martian rocks are the oldest sedimentary rocks ever studied, and they likely formed when the Jezero Crater was a habitable lake. Because they’re sedimentary rocks, they could hold ancient organic matter. But that determination will have to wait until they make it safely to labs on Earth.

“These are the oldest rocks that may have been deposited by water, that we’ve ever laid hands or rover arms on,” said co-author Benjamin Weiss, the Robert R. Shrock Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at MIT. “That’s exciting, because it means these are the most promising rocks that may have preserved fossils, and signatures of life.”

Most sedimentary rock has two components: grains, which are like the building blocks for sedimentary rock, and cement, which are mineral deposits that come along later and bind the grains together. Over time, pressure forces cement into the rock pores, filling them and creating solid rock in a process called lithification. The researchers think that both the grains and the cement in the fan front sedimentary rocks likely formed in aqueous environments. During lithification, organic matter from ancient life could’ve been trapped in the rock.

The fan front is a prime place to search for evidence of ancient life. “We found lots of minerals like carbonates, which are what make reefs on Earth,” Bosak says. “And it’s really an ideal material that can preserve fossils of microbial life.”

Though sulphates form in the presence of water, the water tends to be very salty, which isn’t necessarily great for life. But it could work out for the best because of salt’s preservative effect. If the brine was restricted to the lake bottom, life could’ve persisted in the upper portions of the ancient lake. When lifeforms died, they could’ve sunk to the bottom. In this case, the brine would’ve acted to preserve signs of ancient life.

“However salty it was, if there were any organics present, it’s like pickling something in salt,” Bosak says. “If there was life that fell into the salty layer, it would be very well-preserved.”

It’s fairly well-established that Mars was once warm and wet. The next question is, did life ever exist there? To answer that, we need to find organic matter. But even that can be tricky since some organic matter can be produced geologically without life. The Curiosity Rover found organic carbon in Gale Crater, but scientists showed that UV fractionation is responsible.

Previously, Perseverance also found evidence of organic matter on the floor of Jezero Crater. Subsequent analysis showed that it could be matter that had no connection to life. This is a cautious reminder of the rovers’ limitations. Though they’re powerful, and it’s an amazing feat to have them roam around on another planet studying rocks, they can’t do the same science that’s possible in labs here on Earth.

That’s why the Mars Sample Return is so critical. Only by finally bringing pieces of Mars back to Earth can we fully understand the evidence that Perseverance is collecting.

“On Earth, once we have microscopes with nanometer-scale resolution, and various types of instruments that we cannot staff on one rover, then we can actually attempt to look for life,” Bosak says.

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20-08-2024 om 17:32 geschreven door peter  

De rode planeet: prachtige foto's van Mars, genomen vanuit de ruimte

Foto: Justin Cowart - Tharsis and Valles Marineris - Mars Orbiter Mission / Wikimedia

De rode planeet
Mars is de planeet in ons zonnestelsel die de eigenschappen van de aarde het dichtst benadert. Daarom is het de favoriete bestemming van NASA-ruimtemissies. Kijk met ons mee naar de mooiste beelden van deze fascinerende planeet!

Foto: NASA/JPL/Universiteit van Arizona

Foto: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Universiteit van Arizona

Danielson-krater
Danielson is een inslagkrater met een diameter van ongeveer 67 kilometer, gelegen in het zuidwesten van de regio Arabia Terra. Deze foto, die gemaakt is door het ruimtevaartuig Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, toont het zand en de sedimentaire rotsen die de krater vormen.

Foto: NASA/JPL/Universiteit van Arizona

Een prachtig kleurencontrast
Op deze foto zien we geulen die gevuld zijn met glimmend ijs, dat in contrast staat met de rode aarde van Mars. De foto is genomen bij de seizoensgebonden poolkappen van de planeet.

Foto: NASA/JPL/LaRC

Een zonsopgang op Mars
Deze indrukwekkende zonsopgang op Mars is vastgelegd op 14 juni 1978 door de verkenningssonde Viking 2.

Foto: NASA/JPL/Universiteit van Arizona

Foto: NASA/JPL/Universiteit van Arizona

Een lentelawine
Hier zie je een lawine die is vastgelegd door de HiRISE-camera, vlak bij de noordpool van Mars. Elke lente schijnt de zon op dit deel van de planeet. Door de hitte van de zonnestralen vallen er blokken ijs naar beneden. Als de ijsblokken de bodem van de klif bereiken, die meer dan 500 meter hoog is, veroorzaken ze een stofwolk bij het neerkomen op de grond.

Foto: NASA/JPL/Universiteit van Arizona

Rotsformaties
Deze foto is in december 2018 gemaakt door de Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. De rimpels die te zien zijn in het zand vertellen ons in welke richting de wind om deze rotsformaties heeft bewogen.

Foto: NASA, ESA, en Z. Levay (STScI)

Phobos
Phobos is een van de twee natuurlijke satellieten van Mars. Deze kleine maan staat ten westen van Mars en cirkelt in de loop van een Marsdag, die ongeveer 24 uur en 40 minuten duurt, drie keer om de rode planeet.

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Universiteit van Arizona

Een zeer jonge inslagkrater
Dit opmerkelijke beeld toont ons een inslagkrater die is gevormd tussen juli en september 2018. Deze inslag vond plaats in de seizoensgebonden zuidelijke ijskap en heeft deze zichtbaar doorboord, waardoor een ongelooflijk inslagpatroon ontstond.

Foto: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/JHUAPL

Krater Jezero
De Jezero-krater is een inslagkrater met een doorsnede van 49 kilometer waarvan wordt aangenomen dat hij ongeveer 3,7 miljard jaar geleden is ontstaan. Hij ligt ten westen van Isidis Planitia, een reusachtig inslagbekken dat zeer oude landschappen laat zien en interessant is voor wetenschappelijke studie. De Jezero-krater is door NASA uitgekozen als landingsplaats voor de Mars 2020-missie, die op 30 juli 2020 van start ging en momenteel bezig is.

Foto: NASA/JPL/Universiteit van Arizona

Steile duinen
Hier zijn duinen gefotografeerd op de hellingen van Nectaris Montes, in de kloven van Valles Marineris. De zandduinen die deze reusachtige kloven vormen kunnen indrukwekkend groot zijn, met schijnbaar zeer steile hellingen, zoals op deze foto te zien is.

Foto: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Mount Sharp
Deze foto is gemaakt door de ruimterover Curiosity die sinds 2012 op Mars staat, op Mount Sharp, een berg die midden in de Gale-krater staat. In het midden van de afbeelding zie je kleirotsen die NASA-wetenschappers graag willen bestuderen.

Foto: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Selfie van Curiosity
Curiosity nam een kleine selfie op Mars! Deze machine van 899 kg werd in 2012 gelanceerd voor de verkenningsmissie Mars Science Laboratory. Een van zijn doelen is het verkennen van de Gale-krater, waarop hij is geland. De missie Mars Science Laboratory is nog steeds gaande.

Foto: NASA/JPL-Caltech

De ravijnen van Valles Marineris
In het midden van dit mozaïek, dat een compilatie is van beelden die zijn gemaakt door het ruimtevaartuig Viking Orbiter 1, is een breder beeld te zien van de ravijnen van Valles Marineris. Ze zijn meer dan 3000 kilometer lang en 600 kilometer breed.

Foto: NASA/JPL/Universiteit van Arizona

Aram Chaos-krater
Op deze afbeelding zijn blokken lichtgekleurde lagen te zien die grotendeels bestaan uit hematiet en door water verweerde silicaten. Deze elementen vertellen ons dat de Aram Chaos-krater ooit een meer bevatte. De diameter is ongeveer 284 kilometer.

Foto: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Universiteit van Arizona

Crisp-krater
De Crisp-krater ligt in de Sirenum Fossae. Volgens NASA-wetenschappers zou deze krater relatief recent zijn, omdat de rand nog erg scherp is en omdat blijkbaar de ejecta nog bewaard zijn gebleven.

Foto: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Universiteit van Arizona

Spinvormige scheuren
Deze spinvormige scheuren bevinden zich in het oppervlak van het zuidpoolgebied van Mars. Ze zijn veroorzaakt door de verdamping van koolstofdioxide in de atmosfeer.

Foto: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Een zonsondergang op Mars
Deze zonsondergang is vastgelegd door InSight-lander van NASA op 25 april 2019 om 18:30 uur lokale Marstijd.

Foto: NASA, ESA, J.-Y. Li (PSI), CM Lisse (JHU/APL), en het Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Het passeren van een komeet bij Mars
De Hubble-ruimtetelescoop heeft de Siding Spring-komeet en de planeet Mars vastgelegd toen ze elkaar passeerden op 19 oktober 2014. Op die dag bewoog de komeet op ongeveer 140.000 kilometer van de rode planeet. Dit is een compositiefoto, omdat de komeet en Mars ten opzichte van elkaar bewogen en daarom niet gelijktijdig in één opname konden worden gefotografeerd.

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20-08-2024 om 17:23 geschreven door peter  

Three different technologies would enable this weight and cost to drop. First would be the solar electric propulsion (SEP) system initially designed for use on DART. The second would be a micro in-situ resource utilization (µISRU) system, and the third would be a power-beaming system between the lander and an orbiter.

Let’s first look at the overall mission architecture to understand how each contributes. In NIMPH, a combined orbiter lander will use an Atlas V rocket to get into Earth orbit. Then, a solar electric propulsion system (SEP) was initially designed for use on the DART asteroid redirect test. Although it was not used during the DART mission, the NEXT ion thruster was part of the spacecraft that launched, and, despite suffering from some technical challenges, it could have allowed the spacecraft to reach its destination. A similar, lightweight SEP system could get NIMPH to the Jupiter system, but it could also get the sample back to Earth after the lander collected it.

Just how the lander can get that sample back off the icy moon is the focus of the next major technological step – the µISRU system. NIMPH’s architecture would require using the local ice as a propellant. A lander would literally sublimate the ice under its feet, suck up the resultant water vapor, electrolyze it to split it into oxygen and hydrogen, and then liquefy it to store it for use in getting a 1 kg ice core sample back into orbit.

To do all of this requires power, though, and a lander with a radioisotope thermal generator or similar commonly used power generation system would be prohibitively heavy. So, why not utilize the massive solar array required for the SEP system and beam some of that power down to the lander? That is the concept behind the power beaming system, estimated to produce around 2 kW of power in the Jovian system, about 1.8  kW of which could be beamed directly to a lander. 

After the core has been collected and safely launched back into space using a specially designed LOx-LH2 engine that uses the water collected by the µISRU system, the lander meets up with the orbiter. The SEP system kicks back on and delivers the lander back to Earth orbit, where it once again detaches and rides back to Earth’s surface inside a standard reentry module.

There are some nuances to this entire mission architecture. For example, the SEP system wouldn’t work at full capacity in the Jovian system, so a much smaller LOx / Methane propulsion system is needed to maneuver the orbiter into position. Additionally, the lander would likely have to leave its legs embedded in the Europan ice, as the sublimation process it uses to collect fuel would likely embed them in place. 

Plenty of development work on all these systems must be completed before any such mission is ready for launch. And most likely, some of the need for the scientific understanding would be met by the Europa Clipper mission set to launch later this year for $4.25 billion – not far off the 10x times expense that was the original impetus for the more capable NIMPH mission design. And while NIMPH did receive a Phase II NIAC grant, it hasn’t been selected for further development as far as we have found. So, as of now, this novel combination of mass-saving technologies will not be delivering an icy Europan sample any time soon – but maybe someday it will.

Learn More:

• ExoTerra Resource / Michael VanWoerkom – Nano Icy Moons Propellant Harvester Final Report
• UT – Europa Might Not Be Able to Support Life in its Oceans
• UT – We Might Find Life Just Under the Surface on Europa
• UT – Europa Clipper Could Help Discover if Jupiter’s Moon is Habitable

Lead Image:

• Depiction of the NIMPH mission architecture.
  Credit – Michael VanWoerkom

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

20-08-2024 om 16:31 geschreven door peter  

Nieuw onderzoek helpt het mysterie op te lossen van de asteroïde die leidde tot het uitsterven van de dinosauriërs

door Janine

Freepik

Nieuwe informatie over het hemellichaam dat 66 miljoen jaar geleden op onze planeet neerstortte en het uitsterven van de dinosauriërs veroorzaakte. Een studie heeft ontdekt wat het werkelijk is.

Artistic representation of the impact 

(Image: Dona Jalufka / Universität Wien)

Chicxulub impactor, de ware oorsprong

Wat het uitsterven van de dinosauriërs veroorzaakte, was een ruimtesteen die op de aarde viel, maar waarover altijd een groot mysterie heeft geheerst. Het hemellichaam, de Chicxulub impactor genaamd, heeft al langer twijfels doen rijzen onder wetenschappers, die altijd hebben geloofd dat het een asteroïde of een komeet was. Recent onderzoek heeft echter de hypothese bevestigd dat het rotsblok van meer dan 9 kilometer breed deel uitmaakte van een familie van asteroïden die hun oorsprong vonden na de baan van Jupiter en die zeer zelden in contact komen met de aarde.

Een nieuwe studie, geleid door onderzoeker Mario Fischer-Gödde van de Universiteit van Keulen, Duitsland, heeft in dit opzicht verder bewijs opgeleverd, waarbij ruthenium werd aangetroffen in de geologische overblijfselen van de oude inslag. Dit is een element dat in zeer kleine hoeveelheden in de aardkorst voorkomt, maar juist zeer aanwezig is in asteroïden.

Een koolstofhoudende asteroïde veroorzaakte het uitsterven van de dinosauriërs

Pixabay

Op zoek naar soorten ruthenium in de Chicxulub-inslag onderzochten wetenschappers de wereldwijd verspreide laag puin na de inslag, de zogenaamde “Krijt-Paleogeen grens”, waarbij uniform elementen werden gevonden die behoren tot koolstofhoudende asteroïden, die grote hoeveelheden koolstof bevatten. Zoals Fischer-Gödde uitlegde: "de isotopische signatuur van ruthenium die we meten kan niets anders zijn dan een koolstofhoudende asteroïde."

Hoewel eerdere studies chemische kenmerken hebben ontdekt die verband houden met een koolstofhoudende asteroïde van het C-type, concentreerde het team zich op ruthenium. Omdat het zo zeldzaam is op aarde, zijn kleine hoeveelheden voldoende om dit soort ruimtegesteente te traceren. Wetenschappers hebben dit element gemeten bij vijf verschillende inslagen veroorzaakt door asteroïden van 541 miljoen jaar geleden tot nu: in alle gevallen werden de gebeurtenissen in verband gebracht met kiezelhoudende asteroïden, een groep hemellichamen die hun oorsprong vinden tussen Mars en Jupiter. Veel dichterbij dus dan koolstofachtigen. Dat is de reden waarom, zo merkte Fischer-Gödde op, "Chixulub tot nu toe een uniek en zeldzaam geval lijkt te zijn van een asteroïde van het koolstofhoudende type die de aarde raakt. Het ruthenium dat we in deze laag vinden, is voor bijna 100% afkomstig van de asteroïde."

De monsters van de onderzochte laag zijn afkomstig uit Spanje, Italië en Denemarken en hebben allemaal dezelfde samenstelling ruthenium, die verschilt van die van de aarde en daarom niet, zoals eerder werd aangenomen, afkomstig is van de uitbarstingen van de vulkanen van de Deccan Trappus. Bovendien verschillen de rutheniumisotopen in de onderzochte monsters van die in komeetfragmenten.

The 66-million-year-old Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary layer at Stevns Klint in Denmark. This boundary layer contains the globally distributed fallout produced by the asteroid impact at Chicxulub.

Credit...Philippe Claeys

Asteroïde die het tijdperk van de dinosauriërs beëindigde: meer vragen

Maar hoe stortte een koolstofhoudende asteroïde van deze omvang op de aarde? Het antwoord op deze vraag is nog steeds twijfelachtig, hoewel er wordt getheoretiseerd dat het, hoewel het zich na de baan van Jupiter heeft gevormd, mogelijk naar de buitenrand van de asteroïdengordel tussen Mars en Jupiter is geduwd, waar zich nu een groep koolstofhoudende asteroïden bevindt. Destijds kan de instabiliteit van de zwaartekracht van een jong zonnestelsel deze verplaatsing hebben veroorzaakt.

Hoe dan ook zijn er nog steeds veel open vragen over de impact van Chicxulub: een voorbeeld is hoe het de opkomst van nieuw leven kan hebben bevorderd, door sleutelelementen naar de bodem van de aarde te brengen voor de vorming van nieuwe levende wezens. Maar hoe zou de aarde er vandaag de dag uitzien als deze nooit was gevallen? “We moeten waarschijnlijk wat meer waarde hechten aan het feit dat we hier zijn en dat dit wellicht een gelukkig toeval is”, was het antwoord van Fischer-Gödde.

• https://youtu.be/OEGS1ONFc6E

{ https://www.curioctopus.nl/ }

19-08-2024 om 21:46 geschreven door peter  

Meet Oumuamua: the interstellar object some astronomers thought might have been an alien spaceship

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A history-making discovery
“This history-making discovery is opening a new window to study [the] formation of solar systems beyond our own,” Zurbuchen added, and he was more right than he knew.

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Photo Credit: NASA

Odd data indicated abnormalities
Scientists quickly realized that at the speed the comet was traveling, it had to have accelerated in the latter half of its journey, a fact that shocked the scientific community according to Kluger since the speed increase couldn’t be explained by our sun's gravitational pull or any other scientific theory.

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A possible alien craft?
“That left even sober scientists to speculate that the object might actually be an alien spacecraft,” Kluger wrote, “speeding up under its own power during its barnstorming of our solar system.”

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Photo: By Original: ESO/M. Kornmesser Derivative: nagualdesign, CC BY-SA 4.0

The comet Oumuamua
The comet was later named Oumuamua—which means “a messenger from afar” in Hawaiian according to Kluger—and while media speculation ran rampant about the possible discovery of aliens, scientists got to work figuring out a less fantastical explanation for Oumuamua.

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The Oumuamua's mysteries have been revealed
Some researchers theorized that what was found could have been an alien spacecraft, but roughly half a decade after the discovery, astronomers finally figured out the mysteries behind the comet and published their findings in March 2023.

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We might have an explanation
Hard work into the origins of our solar system's first interstellar visitor eventually paid off and two scientists believe they’ve finally found an explanation for Oumuamua’s unexplained speed increase halfway through its journey.

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Trapped hydrogen fueled Oumuamua's speed increase
Professors Jennifer Bergner and Darryl Seligman were able to show that Oumuamua’s speed increase was due to the release of what they said was “trapped molecular hydrogen” that had formed through an “energetic processing” of the comet’s icy body.

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An explanation from Bergner and Seligman
“In this model, Oumuamua began as an icy planetesimal that was irradiated at low temperatures by cosmic rays during its interstellar journey, and experienced warming during its passage through the Solar System,” the professors explained.

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The comet melted and hydrogen emerged
As Oumuamua warmed, the trapped hydrogen in its body was allowed to escape, which fueled the comet and allowed it to increase its speed to levels that baffled scientists.

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Photo Credit: NASA

Published in Nature
Bergner and Seligman published their work in the peer-reviewed journal Nature, and if it proves true, it would explain how Oumuamua was able to speed up in the latter half of its journey to our solar system.

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"A very interesting explination"
Karen Meech is a leading expert on comets at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy, and she told the New York Times via email at the time the study was published that Bergner and Seligman's explanation for Oumuamua’s speed was a “very interesting” one.

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Plausible but not a solved
“I’m not willing to say it ‘solves’ things,” Meech continued in her email to the New York Times, “the smoking gun there would be to have detected hydrogen spectroscopically.”

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Oumuamua isn't solved
“But it is very plausible, and if another object is discovered that looks like Oumuamua, then all these models and explanations provide a lot of guidance for the observations,” Meech added.

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Debate will rage on
Controversy over Oumuamua raged on, however, since many astronomers at the time didn't agree with Bergner and Seligman’s assessment of Oumuamua’s icy body fueling the comet's speed increase.

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There was no evidence Oumuamua had an icy body
“The authors of the new paper claim that it was a water ice comet even though we did not see the cometary tail,” Harvard astronomer Dr. Avi Loeb told the New York Times. “This is like saying an elephant is a zebra without stripes.”

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The other possibility
In 2021, Alan Jackson and Steve Desch of Arizona State University proposed that Oumuamua could be a giant chunk of nitrogen that was blasted off of a Pluto-like celestial body according to Space.com.

{ https://www.msn.com/en-us/ }

19-08-2024 om 21:16 geschreven door peter  

3 Burning Questions We All Have About Boeing Starliner’s Epic Debacle

Starliner and its first crewed mission remain in limbo.

by Doris Elín Urrutia

 

Nasa/UPI/ShutterstockBoeing’s Starliner, which has been stuck in space since June 6 for what was meant to be an eight day long mission, is at a standstill.

NASA gave Boeing a contract a decade ago to build a commercial system to fly astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit. The aerospace giant’s first trial run with astronauts launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center up towards the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5. The mission, called Crew Flight Test, was slated to last eight days. Friday marked mission day 72.

Boeing Starliner’s inaugural crew flight carried NASA veteran astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. They’re still in space. The duo’s delay to come home stems from issues that first arose as Starliner sought to rendezvous with the ISS.

A key problem with Starliner is that five of its thrusters, which are part of the propulsion system, failed and turned off during the flight to the ISS. Over the past several weeks, NASA and Boeing have performed a number of tests to both the Starliner ship currently stuck at the ISS as well as a test unit in New Mexico to evaluate whether the thrusters are working and the spaceship can safely take astronauts home.

Specifically, on the Starliner docked at the ISS, scientists have performed what they call "hot fire tests" where they ignite all but one of Starliner's thrusters for a very short period of time to test that the thrusters are working. On a test thruster in New Mexico, Boeing engineers attempted to replicate what the thrusters in space would go through by putting them through the same thermal conditions and sequences that they'd feel during the flight.

The tests revealed that the thrusters were likely overheating, and that a teflon seal on the thruster’s oxidizer line poppet was swelling and causing fuel to get blocked.

When will NASA decide if Starliner will return to Earth with astronauts?

The Flight Readiness Review, in which officials are polled for go or no-go, could happen as early as next week. It could potentially get pushed to the beginning of the week beginning with Monday August 26, Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, told reporters at a teleconference NASA held on Wednesday. “It's a fairly major discussion to decide about whether or not we're going to have crew on board Starliner for return,” Bowersox said.

Could NASA delay the decision again?

At the press conference, Bowersox said that “it’s getting a lot harder,” to delay the decision. He cited consumables, and the need to use the ISS ports for cargo missions, as reasons to avoid postponing the decision of whether or not Starliner returns crewed or empty much longer. “We’re reaching a point where that last week in August we really should be making a call, if not sooner,” Bowersox added.

If Starliner returns with no astronauts, would it mean the end to NASA’s quest for a backup plan in space?

NASA spearheaded its Commercial Crew Program so that it could pay more than one company to fly its astronauts to space. Boeing and SpaceX are meant to be dissimilar contingencies, or different options, in case one company cannot provide astronauts with a lift to space, or return them in case of an emergency.

In fact, although many details haven’t yet been ironed out, NASA has already reached out to SpaceX to bring Wilmore and Williams home on their Crew-9 mission’s Dragon capsule if Starliner is deemed too dangerous to bring the duo home.

“All I can say is that our intent is to keep pressing to have two providers,” Bowersox said.

“We've got two very good companies, and we want to develop two strong and capable spacecraft. We think we still have a very good chance of doing that. But the answer is always in the data, right? That's why we're doing this mission.”

{ https://www.inverse.com/ }

19-08-2024 om 18:15 geschreven door peter  

Saturn's Moon Mimas May Be Way More Inhabitable Than We First Thought

The existence of another watery world in the outer solar system may offer clues to how such seas form.

by Shannon Hall and Knowable Magazine

 

NASA/JPL

Now, another moon appears to be secretly flooded. Saturn’s moon Mimas, known for its uncanny resemblance to the Star Wars Death Star, might harbor liquid water beneath its icy shell. If true, similar seas could be hiding in plain sight, and the outer solar system may be far more habitable than previously thought.

In 2014, scientists first published evidence that Mimas might be a watery world — submerging the community in a decade-long debate. Many, including Alyssa Rhoden, a planetary scientist now at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, were highly skeptical of the possibility. Their reasoning was simple: Mimas’ heavily cratered surface showed no signs of an internal ocean. As with Enceladus, Saturn’s gravity should churn the ocean waters within Mimas, causing large cracks to appear in the surface ice. No such fractures have been seen.

The tides might now have turned. Two studies, one by Rhoden and colleagues and another by Valéry Lainey of the Paris Observatory and colleagues make a stronger case for an ocean and even explain the conundrum at the surface. Together, the research suggests that Mimas may have a young and changing ocean. If so, it raises the prospect of an outer solar system rife with activity. That possibility is what most excites Rhoden, who spoke with Knowable Magazine about the potential ocean and why it could be such a boon for scientists.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

What do we know about these hidden oceans?

In many ways, they look like our own — at least in that they’re likely made up of saltwater.

We know that these ocean worlds have icy surfaces from their overall bright appearance, as confirmed by telescopic and spacecraft measurements that detect signatures of water ice. Some ocean moons even have low enough densities that they probably have water ice mixed into the rock in their interiors. With heat, that water ice melts into liquid water, which will erode rock to create saltwater. On Enceladus, saltwater is conveniently spewing out into space.

Given how cold it is in the outer solar system, what generates the heat?

Distant oceans might at first seem out of the question. Heat to melt ice is hard to come by, so far from the Sun. But thanks to a gravitational quirk, the outer solar system can be quite balmy.

Consider Jupiter and its Moon Europa. Jupiter exerts a strong gravitational force on Europa, elongating Europa in the direction of Jupiter. Because Europa’s orbit is eccentric — it swings close to Jupiter before swinging farther away — Europa gets stretched and released over time. This creates friction in the interior that provides the heat necessary to sustain a liquid ocean.

We first saw hints that Europa might host a subsurface ocean when the Voyager mission swung past Jupiter in 1979. Europa doesn’t look like our Moon or even most bodies in the inner solar system. Its icy surface doesn’t have a lot of craters but is instead covered with crisscrossing lines and broken pieces that have shifted around. You don’t have to look at it very hard to imagine that something different is going on there.

You mention surface features. What other evidence do we rely on to detect a hidden ocean?

One way is to look at magnetic fields. Because saltwater is electrically conductive, it can create a magnetic field around the Moon that disrupts the planet’s magnetic field. That is a leading piece of evidence for Europa’s subsurface ocean.

But that alone is not enough. It’s the combination of evidence that leads us to conclude there’s an ocean. We might also consider, for example, measurements of salt on the surface and how the Moon’s gravity tugs on a spacecraft. Since the densities of rock or liquid metal differ from the density of liquid water, the size of those tugs offers clues to the material, as well as where within the Moon it is concentrated.

Or we might simply imagine how the Moon’s face changes direction throughout its orbit. Generally, these small moons always show the same face as their parent planet, much like our Moon. But as a moon moves through its orbit, the direction it points can shift a bit back and forth — creating a shimmy in the visible portion. The extent of that shimmy depends on the interior. An ice shell over an ocean can move more freely than an ice shell on top of rock, so the changes tend to be larger. That’s how the ocean was detected at Enceladus. And it’s one of the best lines of evidence for an ocean at Mimas.

Let’s talk about Mimas. How did you end up studying the Moon?

I had spent a decade or so working on Europa and other icy moons when the 2014 Mimas paper came out. That paper measured that shimmy, or libration, as the visible portion of the moon shifts, suggesting Mimas either hosted a subsurface ocean or an oddly shaped core.

But an ocean seemed impossible. Mimas look much like our Moon, with a heavily cratered surface. It didn’t host any crisscrossing lines or broken pieces like Europa. And it certainly wasn’t spewing geysers like Enceladus. So I took one look at Mimas, and I said, “There’s no way that is an ocean moon.” Yet I realized I couldn’t refute the idea.

I kept Mimas in my mind over the years, eventually putting together a paper for the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences in 2023. That paper ruled out several ocean scenarios and left only one option, an ocean that formed recently, well after Mimas itself. A young ocean could be stealthy. But it was still just a hypothesis.

How has the most recent work changed the picture?

Early in 2024, Valéry Lainey and his group reported new observational evidence in favor of an ocean on Mimas. They looked not at the libration but at changes in Mimas’ orbit through time — changes that depend on the interior structure. They found that those changes could not be explained by an oddly shaped core, leaving an ocean as the most viable option.

My team’s research, published in June, has gone on to explain the lack of visible surface fractures. We argue that the ocean is so young — merely 10 million years old — that it has only recently stopped growing. We think that the tidal stresses of a young churning ocean may not be enough to crack the ice above. Instead, what’s needed is the stress that comes when the ocean eventually refreezes. Because Mimas is losing heat as its orbit becomes less eccentric over time, refreezing — which is only just beginning on Mimas — will cause the overlying ice to crack.

The research suggests that eventually, Mimas is probably going to lose its ocean, which is a little sad since it is just being recognized. But on the flip side, Mimas may become the new Enceladus — the new coolest moon of Saturn — with deep cracks and maybe even jets of water.

What are the big-picture implications of this research?

I’m interested in this from a geophysical standpoint. We think of the earliest epochs in our solar system as the hot times when all the activity happens; then, everything evolves toward a quieter state. Pluto’s moon, Charon, might have lost an ocean. And Europa’s and Ganymede’s oceans are pretty old. That a moon could form a new ocean well into its history and that we could watch? That’s exciting! It opens up the possibility that any world, including one with an old, cratered surface, may be going through a similar transition.

There’s also interest in habitability — whether these oceans are suitable for supporting life. We don’t currently know whether any of the solar system’s oceans, other than our own, are habitable, have been inhabited or are currently inhabited. But if Mimas truly has an ocean, we could have a window into how these worlds develop and even how habitats are created and lost. It is exciting to be able to see these processes as they occur — instead of always viewing the end states of things that happened long ago.

What upcoming missions could tell us more?

The European Space Agency has already launched the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or Juice, which will make detailed observations of Europa, and the moons Ganymede and Callisto, which show hints of oceans. And in the fall of 2024, NASA will send the Europa Clipper into orbit around Jupiter to determine if Europa has conditions suitable for life.

The Uranus system, which is high on NASA’s agenda for a future mission, is where I see the most implications for this recent work. It’s surprisingly similar to the Saturn system, including hosting ice-rich, mid-sized moons similar to Mimas and Enceladus. If there’s a young ocean on Mimas, it is not a huge leap to consider that water worlds might exist among the Uranian moons, too.

• This article originally appeared in Knowable Magazine, an independent journalistic endeavor from Annual Reviews. Sign up for the newsletter.

{ https://www.inverse.com/ }

19-08-2024 om 18:03 geschreven door peter  

Asteroids safely fly by Earth all the time. Here’s why scientists are watching Apophis.

Story Summary

• Apophis is projected to pass within 20,000 miles of our planet’s surface on April 13 2029. The menacing asteroid will harmlessly pass by, astronomers say.
• Apophis measures nearly a quarter of a mile long – about the size of a cruise ship – making it large enough to be visible to the naked eye when it shoots past Earth.
• Space agencies and scientific institutes around the world are planning to use the rare flyby to explore Apophis from the ground with telescopes and even spacecraft.

Among astronomers both professional and amateur, perhaps no asteroid is more notorious than Apophis.

If you've heard of Apophis, then you're likely aware of the reputation it gained upon its discovery two decades ago as a potentially very dangerous space rock hurtling too close for comfort toward Earth. It was initially believed that the asteroid could one day pose a serious threat to our planet.

And one day, it just might.

But that day won't come for at least 100 years, astronomers say. No, not even in 2029, when Apophis makes the closest approach to Earth that any asteroid of its size ever has – at least, one that scientists have known about in advance.

Additional observations of Apophis have allowed astronomers to long rule out the risk of an impact in 2029 when Apophis is predicted to come within a distance of Earth 10 times closer than the moon, according to NASA. The asteroid also won't hit our planet when it makes another close approach in 2036.

While we and our children are safe from Apophis' wrath, scientists still see a valuable opportunity to study the asteroid as it whizzes by Earth to learn what they can of other space rocks that actually could hit our planet.

Here's what to know about Apophis and how space agencies hope to protect Earth from other asteroids like it.

Apophis to make 2029 flyby to Earth

Apophis is projected to pass within 20,000 miles of our planet’s surface on April 13, 2029.

For the superstitious lot, yes, that's a Friday, no less.

On that day, Apophis will come closer than telecommunications satellites in geostationary orbit, the ESA says.

The close encounter with Earth will make the asteroid visible in the Eastern hemisphere, including in Europe, Africa, and western Asia. It should look somewhat like a bright star streaking across the sky.

Earth's gravity will significantly influence Apophis – squeezing and distorting the asteroid as one side is pulled toward our planet more than the other. While no affects will be felt on Earth, Apophis may experience some quakes and even landslides, the ESA said.

Will Apophis hit earth?

In short, no. Not during our lifetimes, anyway.

While Apophis is classified as a near-Earth asteroid because its orbit bring it within 30 million miles of Earth, you have nothing to fear from it.

Apophis was initially identified as one of the most hazardous asteroids that could impact Earth after its 2004 discovery, but that assessment has since changed as astronomers tracked it and learned more about its orbit.

While the risk of it impacting Earth during its 2029 flyby rose as high as 2.7%, Apophis has since been removed from NASA’s Sentry Impact Risk Table. That's thanks to a radar observation campaign in March 2021 during a distant flyby that – combined with precise orbit analysis – allowed astronomers to determine that the asteroid poses no risk of crashing into Earth for at least a century.

How big is the Apophis asteroid?

Apophis measures nearly a quarter of a mile long – about the size of a cruise ship – making it large enough to be visible to the naked eye when it shoots past Earth.

The Planetary Society compares its size to the equivalent of about five football fields and taller than the Empire State Building in New York City.

It's hard to know just exactly what Apophis looks like, as scientists do not yet have images of it. But radar observations have suggested that Apophis is shaped roughly like a peanut – a relatively common shape among near-Earth asteroids larger than 660 feet in diameter, according to NASA.

Apophis is believed to be stony, made up of silicate (or rocky) materials and a mixture of metallic nickel and iron.

What would happen if Apophis hit Earth?

Though not as big or catastrophic as the asteroid theorized to have wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, Apophis would cause widespread destruction up to several hundred kilometers from its impact site.

The energy released would be equal more than 1,000 megatons of TNT, or tens to hundreds of nuclear weapons, according to the Planetary Society, a nonprofit organization promoting space exploration.

View |49 Photos

Space photos: Stunning images you have to see

Space photos: Stunning images you have to see

What does 'Apophis' mean?

Apophis is no different from other asteroids in that it is a remnant from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. It originated in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and spent millions of years being altered by the gravitational influence of large planets such as Jupiter, NASA said.

Now, Apophis's orbit around the sun brings it startlingly close to Earth.

It's partly due to its proximity, as well as the sheer devastation its impact with Earth would bring, that astronomers named the asteroid after an ancient Egyptian god of disorder.

Specifically, Apophis is named for the demon serpent who personified evil and chaos.

ESA, NASA hope to study Apophis

The NASA spacecraft OSIRIS-APEX hovers over the surface of the near-Earth asteroid Apophis, using its thrusters to disturb the asteroid's surface to reveal what lies beneath, as shown in an undated NASA artist's video rendering, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video.  

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Handout via Reuters

Space agencies and scientific institutes around the world are planning to use the rare flyby to explore Apophis from the ground with telescopes and even spacecraft.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx, which gathered and returned a sample of asteroid Bennu in September, has been renamed OSIRIS-APophis EXplorer (OSIRIS-APEX) and sent on a trajectory that would allow it to cross paths with the asteroid in 2029. When it has its rendezvous with Apophis in June that year, OSIRIS-APEX will spend 18 months mapping the asteroid’s surface and analyzing its chemical makeup, according to NASA.

Earth-based telescopes will observe Apophis as well, but they won't be able to detect as much as the spacecraft will when the asteroid gets near the sun, NASA said. But unlike with the Bennu mission, OSIRIS-APEX will not collect a sample from Apophis.

The European Space Agency, NASA's counterpart across the pond, plans to launch a spacecraft of its own called Ramses.

An art visualization shows how the European Space Agency's "Ramses" mission will approach the massive asteroid Apophis.  

ESA-Science Office

The Ramses spacecraft, which must be ready to launch a year ahead of time, will meet Apophis before it passes by Earth and accompany it on its way out of our orbit. During that time, the mission will observe how the surface of the asteroid changes from being in such close proximity to Earth, the European Space Agency said in July.

NASA takes on dangerous asteroids

The expedition is all part of the steps NASA and other space agencies have taken in recent years to protect humanity from threats posed by asteroids and other inbound space rocks, such as comets.

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft prior to impact at the Didymos binary asteroid system shown in this undated illustration handout.  

NASA/Johns Hopkins/Handout via Reuters

In September 2022, NASA intentionally slammed a spacecraft into the small asteroid Dimorphos at roughly 14,000 mph.

Though Dimorphos posed no threat to Earth, the mission served as the first demonstration of NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART. If an incoming asteroid is ever on a collision course with our planet, the space agency has said that the DART method could prove crucial for deflecting and changing the object's orbital path.

A placard hangs on the wall during the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Technology Media Workshop Telecon Briefing and tour at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, on September 12, 2022, ahead of the September 26 project test mission. The DART mission shifted an asteroid's orbit through kinetic impact specifically, by smashing a spacecraft into the smaller member of the binary asteroid system Didymos.   

Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

And to gauge whether authorities are prepared to defend Earth from space objects, NASA has hosted a series of exercises, the fifth and most recent of which occurred in April, with findings announced in June. It was the first such exercise to include about 100 international government representatives who gathered to work through a hypothetical scenario about an inbound asteroid.

The exercise was organized by the U.S. space agency's Planetary Defense Coordination Office, which was established in 2016 to catalog near-Earth objects that could crash into the planet.

NASA is also working on an asteroid-hunting telescope known as the NEO Surveyor to find near-Earth objects capable of causing significant damage. Set to launch no earlier than June 2028, the telescope is designed to discover 90% of asteroids and comets that are 460 feet in size or larger and come within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit. 

• Contributing: Claire Thornton, USA TODAY
• Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

{ https://eu.usatoday.com/news/ }

18-08-2024 om 22:13 geschreven door peter  

Apophis, ‘God of Destruction’ is set to skim Earth's orbit; Why scientists are watching closely

What is Apophis?

Apophis is a remnant from the early solar system, formed around 4.6 billion years ago in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It has been significantly influenced by the gravitational forces of large planets like Jupiter. Its name derives from the ancient Egyptian god of disorder and chaos, reflecting the potential havoc such an asteroid could wreak. Apophis is named after the demon serpent who personified evil and chaos, symbolizing the potential danger posed by its impact.

Apophis' Safety Assessment

Despite its close proximity, Apophis poses no threat to Earth. Initially identified as a hazardous asteroid after its discovery in 2004, recent observations have ruled out any risk of impact in 2029. "While the risk of it impacting Earth during its 2029 flyby rose as high as 2.7%, Apophis has since been removed from NASA’s Sentry Impact Risk Table," thanks to precise orbit analysis and radar observations in March 2021, NASA confirmed.

What would happen if Apophis hits Earth?

If the asteroid Apophis were to strike Earth, the impact would result in severe destruction, although not as catastrophic as the asteroid believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. The devastation from Apophis would extend up to several hundred kilometers from the impact site. The energy released would exceed 1,000 megatons of TNT, a magnitude comparable to tens to hundreds of nuclear weapons, as noted by the Planetary Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to space exploration.

Physical Characteristics of Apophis

Apophis measures nearly a quarter of a mile long, roughly equivalent to five football fields or taller than the Empire State Building. Radar data suggests that the asteroid is shaped somewhat like a peanut. It is primarily composed of stony silicate materials and a mixture of metallic nickel and iron. Although scientists do not have direct images of Apophis, its shape and size have been inferred from observations.

Potential Impact Consequences

If Apophis were to collide with Earth, the impact would cause significant damage, with effects extending several hundred kilometers from the impact site. The energy released would be equivalent to more than 1,000 megatons of TNT. While not as catastrophic as the asteroid that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs, it would still result in widespread destruction.

Scientific Missions and Observations

The upcoming flyby offers a valuable opportunity for scientific study. NASA's OSIRIS-APEX mission, a renamed version of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, is set to rendezvous with Apophis in June 2029. The spacecraft will map the asteroid’s surface and analyze its chemical composition over an 18-month period. The European Space Agency is also preparing a mission called Ramses, which will observe how Earth's gravity affects Apophis during its close approach.

Asteroid Defense and Future Missions

NASA and other space agencies are actively working to enhance planetary defense capabilities. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which successfully altered the orbit of the asteroid Dimorphos in 2022, demonstrates potential methods for deflecting hazardous asteroids. "NASA’s mission to Apophis is a chance to practice how to characterize and potentially defend against future threats," said Terik Daly, a planetary scientist involved with both the DART and OSIRIS-APEX missions.

Challenges and Future Plans

As the 2029 flyby approaches, scientists face the challenge of developing and funding additional missions to study Apophis before and during its closest approach. "We’re running out of time," said Jason Kalirai from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. The need for funding and mission planning is critical, with several proposed missions awaiting approval and support.

Planetary Defense and Future Preparations

The impending close flyby of Apophis in 2029 presents a rare opportunity for detailed scientific study. NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which previously returned samples from asteroid Bennu, has been repurposed as OSIRIS-APEX for this mission. Scheduled to rendezvous with Apophis in June 2029, OSIRIS-APEX will spend 18 months mapping the asteroid and analyzing its chemical composition. "The mission will provide critical data on Apophis's surface and structure," said Daniella DellaGiustina, lead scientist on OSIRIS-APEX.

In addition, the European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing the Ramses spacecraft, which will observe Apophis before and after its close encounter with Earth. Ramses aims to study how Earth's gravity affects the asteroid's surface and rotation. "Ramses will help us understand the changes Apophis undergoes due to its proximity to Earth," explained ESA representatives.

NASA has been actively working on planetary defense strategies. In September 2022, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) demonstrated a method for altering an asteroid's trajectory. This mission successfully redirected the small asteroid Dimorphos by crashing a spacecraft into it. "The DART mission showed that we can deflect an asteroid's orbit, which is crucial for future planetary defense," noted Terik Daly, a planetary scientist involved in DART.

NASA is also developing the NEO Surveyor telescope, set to launch in June 2028. This telescope will search for near-Earth objects larger than 460 feet, aiming to discover 90% of such objects within 30 million miles of Earth's orbit.

For more news like this visit The Economic Times.

{ https://www.msn.com/en-us/ }

18-08-2024 om 21:56 geschreven door peter  

Asteroid Apophis will visit Earth in 2029, and this European satellite will be along for the ride

This is a big deal because large asteroids don't come this close to Earth very often. It is thus scientifically precious that, on April 13, 2029, Apophis will pass within 19,794 miles (31,860 kilometers) of Earth. For comparison, geosynchronous orbit is 22,236 miles (35,786 km) above Earth's surface. Such close fly-bys by asteroids hundreds of meters across (Apophis is about 1,230 feet, or 375 meters, across) only occur on average once every 5,000 to 10,000 years. Miss this one, and we've got a long time to wait for the next.

Related: 

• 2 asteroids just zipped by Earth, and NASA caught footage of the action

When Apophis was discovered in 2004, it was for a short time the most dangerous asteroid known, being classified as having the potential to impact with Earth possibly in 2029, 2036, or 2068. Should an asteroid of its size strike Earth, it could gouge out a crater several kilometers across and devastate a country with shock waves, flash heating and earth tremors. If it crashed down in the ocean, it could send a towering tsunami to devastate coastlines in multiple countries.

Over time, as our knowledge of Apophis' orbit became more refined, however, the risk of impact  greatly went down. Radar observations of the asteroid in March of 2021 reduced the uncertainty in Apophis' orbit from hundreds of kilometers to just a few kilometers, finally removing any lingering worries about an impact — at least for the next 100 years. (Beyond 100 years, asteroid orbits can become too unpredictable to plot with any accuracy, but there's currently no suggestion that an impact will occur after 100 years.) So, Earth is expected to be perfectly safe in 2029 when Apophis comes through. Still, scientists want to see how Apophis responds by coming so close to Earth and entering our planet's gravitational field.

"There is still so much we have yet to learn about asteroids but, until now, we have had to travel deep into the solar system to study them and perform experiments ourselves to interact with their surface," said Patrick Michel, who is the Director of Research at CNRS at Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur in Nice, France, in a statement. "Nature is bringing one to us and conducting the experiment itself. All we need to do is watch as Apophis is stretched and squeezed by strong tidal forces that may trigger landslides and other disturbances and reveal new material from beneath the surface."

By arriving at Apophis before the asteroid's close encounter with Earth, and sticking with it throughout the flyby and beyond, Ramses will be in prime position to conduct before-and-after surveys to see how Apophis reacts to Earth. By looking for disturbances Earth's gravitational tidal forces trigger on the asteroid's surface, Ramses will be able to learn about Apophis' internal structure, density, porosity and composition, all of which are characteristics that we would need to first understand before considering how best to deflect a similar asteroid were one ever found to be on a collision course with our world.

Besides assisting in protecting Earth, learning about Apophis will give scientists further insights into how similar asteroids formed in the early solar system, and, in the process, how  planets (including Earth) formed out of the same material.

One way we already know Earth will affect Apophis is by changing its orbit. Currently, Apophis is categorized as an Aten-type asteroid, which is what we call the class of near-Earth objects that have a shorter orbit around the sun than Earth does. Apophis currently gets as far as 0.92 astronomical units (137.6 million km, or 85.5 million miles) from the sun. However, our planet will give Apophis a gravitational nudge that will enlarge its orbit to 1.1 astronomical units (164.6 million km, or 102 million miles), such that its orbital period becomes longer than Earth's. 

It will then be classed as an Apollo-type asteroid. 

Ramses won't be alone in tracking Apophis. NASA has repurposed their OSIRIS-REx mission, which returned a sample from another near-Earth asteroid, 101955 Bennu, in 2023. However, the spacecraft, renamed OSIRIS-APEX (Apophis Explorer), won't arrive at the asteroid until April 23, 2029, ten days after the close encounter with Earth. OSIRIS-APEX will initially perform a flyby of Apophis at a distance of about 2,500 miles (4,000 km) from the object, then return in June that year to settle into orbit around Apophis for an 18-month mission.

Furthermore, the European Space Agency still plans on launching its Hera spacecraft in October 2024 to follow-up on the DART mission to the double asteroid Didymos and Dimorphos. DART impacted the latter in a test of kinetic impactor capabilities for potentially changing a hazardous asteroid's orbit around our planet. Hera will survey the binary asteroid system and observe the crater made by DART's sacrifice to gain a better understanding of Dimorphos' structure and composition post-impact, so that we can place the results in context.

The more near-Earth asteroids like Dimorphos and Apophis that we study, the greater that context becomes. Perhaps, one day, the understanding that we have gained from these missions will indeed save our planet.

{ https://www.space.com/ }

18-08-2024 om 21:40 geschreven door peter  

Now, according to the findings of an international team of researchers led by the University of Trento in Italy, the existence of a subsurface tunnel-like lava tube cave beneath the Mare Plain has been confirmed.

A new study published in the journal Nature Astronomy revealed the discovery, which relied on data obtained with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).

The discovery of the tunnel-like feature has been called a significant milestone toward understanding the Moon’s various geological components more fully. It also offers a potential shelter area that could be used by astronauts during future crewed missions.

Lorenzo Bruzzone, a professor at the University of Trento, said the existence of such underground features had long been suspected, although the team’s discovery is the first confirmation that they exist.

“These caves have been theorized for over 50 years,” Bruzzone said in a statement, “but it is the first time ever that we have demonstrated their existence.”

Data originally obtained in 2010 by the Miniature Radio-Frequency (Mini-RF) instrument aboard the LRO, which included radar reflections from a pit discovered in the Mare Tranquilitatis, were reexamined by the research team.

{ https://thedebrief.org/ }

18-08-2024 om 21:04 geschreven door peter  

Story by Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

A full moon shines in the night sky in Surprise, Ariz., on Aug. 1, 2023.

© Diannie Chavez, The Arizona Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK

A rare sky spectacle will occur Monday night that (probably) won't happen again for years: A full moon that can be called both a supermoon and blue moon will grace the night skies over the U.S.

Dubbed a "super blue moon," the rare combination occurs when the different cycles of blue and supermoons happen to align on the calendar, said NASA's Noah Petro, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project scientist.

If that's not confusing enough, astronomers also have varying definitions for what counts as a supermoon and what counts as a blue moon. (Just last year a full moon met the criteria for both, by some definitions.)

Here's why Monday's full moon is so special:

What is a supermoon?

When the moon’s orbit brings it closer to Earth than usual, this cosmic combo is called a supermoon. A supermoon occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth at the same time the moon is full. The term was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979.

"Different publications use slightly different thresholds for deciding when a full moon is close enough to the Earth to qualify as a supermoon," NASA said. "Because the orbit of the moon is not a perfect circle, the moon is sometimes closer to the Earth than at other times during its orbit."

Related video: 

• Tarantula warning for Texas, rare super blue moon (FOX 26 Houston)

When the moon reaches its closest point to Earth, about 226,000 miles away, full moons appears larger and brighter than at other times. A supermoon will appear 30% brighter and 14% larger than a typical full moon.

What is a blue moon?

There are two types of blue moons: seasonal and monthly. The one Monday will be of the seasonal variety.

A seasonal blue moon occurs when there are four full moons in a single season (on this occasion, summer). When this happens, the third of the four is considered a blue moon.

The second definition – which arose from a misunderstanding of the original – is the monthly blue moon, referring to the second full moon in a single calendar month.

In either case, blue moons earn their reputation for being rare because of a quirk in the typical rhythm of one full moon per month.

The moon's cycle takes 29.5 days. But, as Missouri State University professor of astrophysics Mike Reed notes, months can have 28, 29, 30 or 31 days.

The two cycles create odd mismatches resulting in one more moon in a season or month than is typical – that's a blue moon.

Months usually have one full moon – unless there's a (monthly) blue moon. And seasons typically have three full moons – unless there's a (seasonal) blue moon.

In addition, Monday's full moon is unlikely to appear blue, however: Blue-colored moons in photos are usually made using special blue camera filters or photo editing apps.

How rare is a super blue moon? When will the next one occur?

"It's tricky to answer, because it depends on your definition of a supermoon and a blue moon," Edward Bloomer, senior astronomy manager at the U.K.'s Royal Observatory Greenwich told USA TODAY via e-mail.

The answer is different depending on whether you're talking about a seasonal blue moon or a monthly blue moon. If you tweak what counts as a supermoon, the answer also changes.

In general, a blue moon happens once every two or three years on average, according to NASA. The time between super blue moons can be as much as 20 years – but in general, 10 years is the average.

So when will the next super blue moon actually occur?

A safe bet is January 2037, according to NASA.

However, depending on what you count as a super blue moon, you may hear of another one rising before then.

• This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Monday's rare super blue moon is a confounding statistical marvel

{https://www.msn.com/en-us/ }

18-08-2024 om 20:34 geschreven door peter  

"Momenteel kennen we enkel ons eigen leven. We zijn druk aan het zoeken, samen met veel sterrenkundigen, maar tot nu toe is er geen enkele bevestiging van leven elders", zegt Decin in #weetikveel op Radio 1.

"We slagen er al niet in om met de mensheid op 1 aardkluit samen te leven, laat staan als er nog iets anders bestaat waarmee we niet kunnen communiceren", zegt ze. "De ene zouden blij reageren, maar anderen zouden misschien naar wapens grijpen om zich te verdedigen tegen het onbekende."

Zo ver zijn we echter nog niet. "Of we met meerderen zijn, hangt af van hoe je het leven definieert. Daar zit het struikelpunt: wat zien wij als leven?"

‘Leven’ definiëren

Er bestaat geen wetenschappelijke consensus over wat ‘leven’ precies inhoudt. Sterker nog, er zijn volgens Decin 300 tot 400 wetenschappelijke definities.

"Veel mensen denken dat leven gebaseerd is op de Darwiniaanse revolutie: jezelf kunnen reproduceren, natuurlijke selectie… maar dat is maar 1 manier van leven definiëren." Andere stromingen baseren zich niet op de processen zoals Darwin, maar zien leven als een "biochemische soep van kleine elementen". "Die kunnen interageren en hebben een laag energieniveau."

"Er zijn veel definities, maar een van de zaken die je vaak naar voren ziet komen, is interactie met de omgeving." Waar alle definities toch op blijven botsen, zijn de grensgevallen. Is een amoebe (een eencellig organisme, red.) ‘leven’? En wat met een mechanisch hondje, dat in principe ook met de mens kan interageren?

"De overgang van niet-leven naar leven, kennen we niet", zegt Decin. "Zet een hoop moleculen samen, en die zullen interageren met elkaar. Sommige interacties gaan snel, anderen gaan traag. Maar het is niet omdat ze dan beginnen te groeien en grotere deeltjes vormen, dat dat leven moet zijn."

"Misschien moeten we het anders zien. Moeten we een verschil maken tussen leven en niet-leven? Misschien is het gewoon een heel stomme vraag." De vraag die we dan wel moeten stellen? Of er buitenaards leven bestaat waarmee we kunnen communiceren.

De hordes van het menselijke leven

"Onze aarde is ongeveer 4,5 miljard jaar geleden gevormd. Na een paar 100 miljoenen jaren zou er al leven geweest zijn." Dat lijkt misschien een gigantisch getal, in sterrenkundige termen is dat snel.

"Er zijn bepaalde omstandigheden die bevorderen dat er levensvormen interageren." Warmte en stabiliteit: dat zijn alvast 2 noodzakelijke basisingrediënten. "Om menselijk leven te creëren, heb je nog veel meer nodig. Het is bijvoorbeeld van belang dat we op een aardkluit leven, een vaste ondergrond. Ook het feit dat we vulkanisme hebben, was van belang."

"Er zijn veel hordes om te nemen om ons leven te krijgen. Stel dat elk van die hordes maar 1 kans op de 1.000 heeft om te slagen, dan heb je na enkele hordes nog maar een minuscule kans om leven te krijgen."

"Maar er is een tegenvoorbeeld: jij en ik. Dat maakt het bijzonder, het feit dat je niet 0 maar minstens 1 hebt, vertelt ons iets. Die hordes mogen er zijn, maar misschien moet je niet over die hordes, maar kan je errond. Je moet misschien niet de snelste manier hebben, maar een tragere manier die je ook over de finish brengt", besluit Decin. En daarin zou wel eens een kans kunnen schuilen.

En daarbuiten?

"We hebben bijzonder veel sterren. Rond elk van die sterren, of een grote fractie ervan, draaien 1 tot meerdere planeten. Ergens is er misschien wel een kans, die niet optimaal maar wel goed genoeg is, om toch een alternatieve vorm van leven te krijgen."

"We hebben al duizenden planeten ontdekt, maar slechts enkele zijn de tweelingzus van onze eigen aarde", zegt Decin. "Er zijn veel planeten die we kunnen uitsluiten waar zich geen leven op kan vormen." Groot genoeg, warm of koud, en nog een hele hoop andere parameters, zijn van belang in dat verhaal.

Een grote sprong in kennis op dat vlak, kwam er dankzij de James Webb-ruimtetelescoop. "De telescoop is een kanteling van ons veld. Het is een goudmijn als het gaat over het ontdekken van nieuwe planeten, maar ook over nieuwe kennis die we krijgen over planeten die we al kenden. Hoe ziet de atmosfeer eruit, is die aardachtig of niet?"

Dat kan nu bijvoorbeeld achterhaald worden over de TRAPPIST-planeten. "Dat zijn 7 aardachtige planeten rondom een bepaalde ster. 2 of 3 ervan bevinden zich in wat we de 'bewoonbare zone' noemen. Daar krijgen we nu waarnemingen van binnen. We beginnen stap per stap genoeg signalen te krijgen, mondjesmaat."

Dat alles klinkt optimistisch. Maar er is nog een groot verschil tussen een bewoonbare of een effectief bewoonde planeet. Hoe groot de kans op een bewoonde planeet is, weten we (nog) niet. "Daarvoor kennen we de chemie te slecht", zegt Decin. Chemische reacties op aarde zijn immers verschillend van die in de ruimte.

Maar of we dan ook moederziel alleen zijn in dit gigantische universum? Decin sluit ander leven alvast niet uit.

{ https://www.msn.com/nl-be/ }

18-08-2024 om 20:18 geschreven door peter  

Multiple UFO Sightings Reported In Palmdale And Lancaster, California: Residents Share Eerie Encounters

Residents of Palmdale and Lancaster, California, are abuzz with reports of six UFO sightings, as multiple locals share eerie encounters of unexplained aerial phenomena. The mysterious sightings have sparked curiosity and concern, prompting an ongoing investigation by local authorities.

Locals Witness Unusual Aerial Sightings; Reports Of UFO Spread Across Social Media Photo: X

UFO sightings have been reported in California, particularly in the Palmdale and Lancaster areas, with residents detailing their experiences on the Ring Neighbors app. The reports of multiple UFO sightings on the app, stirring both curiosity and concern within the community, describe unusual aerial activity.

One person shared, "You guys.... You won't believe what I just saw. You guys I saw UFO, I was walking my dog in my backyard and saw a bright light up in the sky. At first I was like omg what a cool plane that Northrop assembled but to my dismay it was a hovercraft! Please tell me I'm not the only one who saw !!!"

 { https://www.outlookindia.com/ }

17-08-2024 om 22:04 geschreven door peter