Story by And¸elika

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NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
With all of the worrying things happening here, on earth, one way to take your mind off them is to look at the beauty of the cosmos. Luckily, NASA is still out there exploring outer space and providing us with the latest wonders. Recently The National Aeronautics and Space Administration released the brand new imagery of Jupiter. The captivating display of the stormy southern hemisphere of the planet which exists 484 million miles away from us, prompted us to share a list of most fascinating photos NASA has taken of the planet.
Nasa's Juno spacecraft has been taking snaps of the planet since it's first close pass by Jupiter in 2016. Since then, Juno took stunning images of and it, helping scientists learn the important information about the gas giant.

©NASA

#1 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
NASA’s Juno spacecraft was a little more than one Earth diameter from Jupiter when it captured this mind-bending, color-enhanced view of the planet’s tumultuous atmosphere.

©NASA

#2 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
A multitude of swirling clouds in Jupiter's dynamic North North Temperate Belt is captured in this image from NASA's Juno spacecraft. Appearing in the scene are several bright-white “pop-up” clouds as well as an anticyclonic storm, known as a white oval.

©NASA

#3 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
This image captures the swirling cloud formations around the south pole of Jupiter, looking up toward the equatorial region.

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#4 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
See Jovian clouds in striking shades of blue in this new view taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft.

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#5 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
During its 24th close flyby of Jupiter, NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured this view of a chaotic, stormy area of the planet’s northern hemisphere known as a folded filamentary region. Jupiter has no solid surface in the same way Earth does. Data collected by Juno indicate that some of the giant planet’s winds run deeper and last longer than similar atmospheric processes on Earth.

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#6 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
Jupiter’s volcanically active moon Io casts its shadow on the planet in this dramatic image from NASA’s Juno spacecraft. As with solar eclipses on the Earth, within the dark circle racing across Jupiter’s cloud tops one would witness a full solar eclipse as Io passes in front of the Sun.

©NASA

#7 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
NASA’s Juno mission captured this look at Jupiter’s tumultuous northern regions during the spacecraft’s close approach to the planet on Feb. 17, 2020.

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#8 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
This striking view of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and turbulent southern hemisphere was captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft as it performed a close pass of the gas giant planet.

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#9 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
This image of Jupiter’s turbulent southern hemisphere was captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft as it performed its most recent close flyby of the gas giant planet on Dec. 21, 2018

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#10 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
Thick white clouds are present in this JunoCam image of Jupiter's equatorial zone. These clouds complicate the interpretation of infrared measurements of water. At microwave frequencies, the same clouds are transparent, allowing Juno's Microwave Radiometer to measure water deep into Jupiter's atmosphere. The image was acquired during Juno's flyby of the gas giant on Dec. 16, 2017.

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#11 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
This image captures swirling cloud belts and tumultuous vortices within Jupiter’s northern hemisphere.

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#12 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
This image shows Jupiter’s south pole, as seen by NASA’s Juno spacecraft from an altitude of 32,000 miles (52,000 kilometers). The oval features are cyclones, up to 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) in diameter. Multiple images taken with the JunoCam instrument on three separate orbits were combined to show all areas in daylight, enhanced color, and stereographic projection.

 

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#13 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
This view from NASA's Juno spacecraft captures colorful, intricate patterns in a jet stream region of Jupiter's northern hemisphere known as "Jet N3."

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#14 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured this view of an area within a Jovian jet stream showing a vortex that has an intensely dark center. Nearby, other features display bright, high altitude clouds that have puffed up into the sunlight.

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#15 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
A dynamic storm at the southern edge of Jupiter’s northern polar region dominates this Jovian cloudscape, courtesy of NASA’s Juno spacecraft.

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#16 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
This image of Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot and surrounding turbulent zones was captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft.

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#17 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
This image of Jupiter’s swirling south polar region was captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft as it neared completion of its tenth close flyby of the gas giant planet.

©NASA

#18 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
See Jupiter’s southern hemisphere in beautiful detail in this new image taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The color-enhanced view captures one of the white ovals in the “String of Pearls,” one of eight massive rotating storms at 40 degrees south latitude on the gas giant planet.

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#19 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
This view of Jupiter’s atmosphere from NASA’s Juno spacecraft includes something remarkable: two storms caught in the act of merging.

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#20 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
Colorful swirling cloud belts dominate Jupiter’s southern hemisphere in this image captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft.

 

©NASA

#21 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
This color-enhanced image of a massive, raging storm in Jupiter’s northern hemisphere was captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft during its ninth close flyby of the gas giant planet.

©NASA

#22 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
See intricate cloud patterns in the northern hemisphere of Jupiter in this new view taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft.

©NASA

#23 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
Dramatic atmospheric features in Jupiter’s northern hemisphere are captured in this view from NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The new perspective shows swirling clouds that surround a circular feature within a jet stream region called "Jet N6."

©NASA

#24 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
This image captures the intensity of the jets and vortices in Jupiter’s North North Temperate Belt.

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#25 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
Small bright clouds dot Jupiter’s entire south tropical zone in this image acquired by JunoCam on NASA’s Juno spacecraft on May 19, 2017, at an altitude of 7,990 miles (12,858 kilometers). Although the bright clouds appear tiny in this vast Jovian cloudscape, they actually are cloud towers roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers) wide and 30 miles (50 kilometers) high that cast shadows on the clouds below. On Jupiter, clouds this high are almost certainly composed of water and/or ammonia ice, and they may be sources of lightning. This is the first time so many cloud towers have been visible, possibly because the late-afternoon lighting is particularly good at this

©NASA

#26 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
Colorful swirling clouds in Jupiter's North Equatorial Belt practically fill this image from NASA's Juno spacecraft. This is the closest image captured of the Jovian clouds during this recent flyby of the gas giant planet.

©NASA

#27 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
See swirling cloud formations in the northern area of Jupiter's north temperate belt in this new view taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft.

©NASA

#28 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
NASA’s Juno mission captured this look at the southern hemisphere of Jupiter on Feb. 17, 2020, during the spacecraft’s most recent close approach to the giant planet.

©NASA

#29 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
This extraordinary view of Jupiter was captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft on the outbound leg of its 12th close flyby of the gas giant planet.

©NASA

#30 NASA Released 30 Amazing High-Def Photos Of The Largest Planet In Our Solar System—Jupiter
A swirling, oval white cloud in Jupiter’s South South Temperate Belt is captured in this image from NASA's Juno spacecraft. Known as White Oval A5, the feature is an anticyclonic storm. An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon where winds around the storm flow in the direction opposite to those of the flow around a region of low pressure.

{ https://www.msn.com/en-us/ }

27-09-2024 om 23:15 geschreven door peter  

Early Martian Atmosphere Could Be Locked Up in Planet’s Clay Surface

Geological observations of Mars indicate a dense early atmosphere ranging from 0.25 to 4 bar of carbon dioxide. But 3.5 billion years ago, the Martian atmosphere thinned rapidly to approximately 0.054 bar, suggesting a substantial loss of atmospheric carbon dioxide, either to space or the lithosphere. The mechanism by which Mars lost its carbon dioxide remains poorly understood. For MIT geologists Joshua Murray and Oliver Jagoutz, the answer may lie in the planet’s clay-covered crust. The researchers used their knowledge of interactions between rocks and gases on Earth and applied that to how similar processes could play out on Mars. They found that, given how much clay is estimated to cover the Martian surface, the planet’s clay could hold up to 1.7 bar of carbon dioxide, which would be equivalent to around 80% of the planet’s initial, early atmosphere. It’s possible that this sequestered Martian carbon could one day be recovered and converted into propellant to fuel future missions between Mars and Earth, the researchers propose.

This schematic illustrates the progressive alteration of iron-rich rocks on Mars as the rocks interact with water containing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Image credit: Joshua Murray & Oliver Jagoutz, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adm8443.

“Based on our findings on Earth, we show that similar processes likely operated on Mars, and that copious amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide could have transformed to methane and been sequestered in clays,” Professor Jagoutz said.

“This methane could still be present and maybe even used as an energy source on Mars in the future.”

Professor Jagoutz and Murray seek to identify the geologic processes and interactions that drive the evolution of Earth’s lithosphere — the hard and brittle outer layer that includes the crust and upper mantle, where tectonic plates lie.

In 2023, they focused on a type of surface clay mineral called smectite, which is known to be a highly effective trap for carbon.

Within a single grain of smectite are a multitude of folds, within which carbon can sit undisturbed for billions of years.

They showed that smectite on Earth was likely a product of tectonic activity, and that, once exposed at the surface, the clay minerals acted to draw down and store enough carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to cool the planet over millions of years.

Soon after they reported their results, Professor Jagoutz happened to look at a map of the surface of Mars and realized that much of that planet’s surface was covered in the same smectite clays.

An illustration shows an misty atmosphere around the Red Planet Mars. Could this envelop of gas have "gone to ground" billions of years ago?

 (Image credit: Robert Lea (created with Canva)/NASA)

Could the clays have had a similar carbon-trapping effect on Mars, and if so, how much carbon could the clays hold?

Unlike on Earth, where smectite is a consequence of continental plates shifting and uplifting to bring rocks from the mantle to the surface, there is no such tectonic activity on Mars.

The scientists looked for ways in which the clays could have formed on Mars, based on what they know of the planet’s history and composition.

For instance, some remote measurements of Mars’ surface suggest that at least part of the planet’s crust contains ultramafic igneous rocks, similar to those that produce smectites through weathering on Earth.

Other observations reveal geologic patterns similar to terrestrial rivers and tributaries, where water could have flowed and reacted with the underlying rock.

The authors wondered whether water could have reacted with Mars’ deep ultramafic rocks in a way that would produce the clays that cover the surface today.

They developed a simple model of rock chemistry, based on what is known of how igneous rocks interact with their environment on Earth.

They applied this model to Mars, where scientists believe the crust is mostly made up of igneous rock that is rich in the mineral olivine.

The team used the model to estimate the changes that olivine-rich rock might undergo, assuming that water existed on the surface for at least a billion years, and the atmosphere was thick with carbon dioxide.

“At this time in Mars’ history, we think carbon dioxide is everywhere, in every nook and cranny, and water percolating through the rocks is full of carbon dioxide too,” Murray said.

Over about a billion years, water trickling through the crust would have slowly reacted with olivine — a mineral that is rich in a reduced form of iron.

Oxygen molecules in water would have bound to the iron, releasing hydrogen as a result and forming the red oxidized iron which gives the planet its iconic color.

An image of a dust devil sweeping over Mars captured by the Opportunity Rover in March 2016 as the robot investigated smectites in Marathon Valley. 

(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

This free hydrogen would then have combined with carbon dioxide in the water, to form methane.

As this reaction progressed over time, olivine would have slowly transformed into another type of iron-rich rock known as serpentine, which then continued to react with water to form smectite.

“These smectite clays have so much capacity to store carbon,” Murray said.

“So then we used existing knowledge of how these minerals are stored in clays on Earth, and extrapolate to say, if the Martian surface has this much clay in it, how much methane can you store in those clays?”

The researchers found that if Mars is covered in a layer of smectite that is 1,100 m deep, this amount of clay could store a huge amount of methane, equivalent to most of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that is thought to have disappeared since the planet dried up.

“We find that estimates of global clay volumes on Mars are consistent with a significant fraction of Mars’ initial carbon dioxide being sequestered as organic compounds within the clay-rich crust,” Murray said.

“In some ways, Mars’ missing atmosphere could be hiding in plain sight.”

• The results appear in the journal Science Advances.
• Joshua Murray & Oliver Jagoutz. 2024. Olivine alteration and the loss of Mars’ early atmospheric carbon. Science Advances 10 (39); doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adm8443
• This article is based on a press-release provided by MIT.

{ https://www.sci.news/ }

27-09-2024 om 21:24 geschreven door peter  

New map of Mars reveals hidden 'structures' below the Martian surface

• READ MORE:  Scientists discover smiley-face on Mars that may hold signs of life

By Ellyn Lapointe For Dailymail.Com

A new map of Mars has revealed mysterious structures hiding beneath the sediment layers of a lost ocean.

The researchers detected about 20 features scattered around the planet's north polar cap that are significantly denser than their surroundings. 

The structures vary in shape and size, with one resembling the shape of a dog, leaving the team puzzled because they do not know exactly what the formations are or where they came from. But they do have some theories.

One idea is that the structures were compacted by ancient meteor strikes, or  formed by volcanic activity, but more research is needed to get to the bottom of these underground anomalies. 

A new analysis of Mars' gravitational field has revealed mysterious structures lurking beneath the planet's surface

The team of researchers from Denmark's TU Delft and Utrecht University presented their findings at the Europlanetary Science Conference in Berlin this week.

The team used tiny deviations in satellite orbits to create a picture of Mars' gravitational field, or the region of space around a planet where its gravitational force can be felt. 

They did this to look for clues about how mass is distributed throughout the planet's subsurface. 

The team then combined these observations with data on the thickness and flexibility of the Mars' crust, as well as the dynamics of the planet's mantle and deep interior. 

These observations were collected by NASA's InSIGHT lander, which completed its study of Mars' crust, mantle and core in 2022.

This allowed the researchers to create a global density map of Mars that revealed the existence of 20 previously unknown underground structures scattered around the planet's north polar cap.

The structures are about 19 to 25 pounds per cubic foot denser than their surroundings, and vary in shape and size. 

Additionally, they are covered by a thick, smooth layer of sediment that may have once been a seabed. 

The researchers used tiny deviations in satellite orbits and data from NASA's InSIGHT lander to create a global density map of Mars

Their analysis revealed 20 previously unknown underground structures scattered around the planet's north polar cap

Billions of years ago, Mars was not the desert planet we know today. It was once covered in oceans and rivers, but water dried up in an extreme climactic shift. 

Now, the only evidence of these bodies of water lies in Mars' geologic record - like this sediment layer. 

As for the structures that lie beneath, 'there seems to be no trace of them at the surface,' lead author Bart Root, an assistant professor at TU Delft, said. 

'However, through gravity data, we have a tantalizing glimpse into the older history of the northern hemisphere of Mars.' 

This isn't the first time that scientists have uncovered oddities beneath the surface of Mars. 

In December 2023, China's Zhurong found large honeycomb-shaped crevasses buried dozens of meters beneath Mars' equator that likely formed when drastic temperature dips contract and fracture the ground.

But Root and his team are having a harder time figuring out what these most recently structures are, and where they came from. Right now, they have two main theories. 

Either the structures were compacted by ancient impact events, like meteor strikes, or they were formed by some kind of volcanic activity. This latter idea challenges scientists' longstanding view of Mars as a geologically inactive planet. 

But while studies have shown that Mars does not have as much geological activity as Earth, a growing body of evidence suggests that it isn't completely 'dead.'

Root's study adds to this evidence not just by discovering structures that may be volcanically formed, but through a totally separate finding. 

In addition to finding the mysterious structures, the team's analysis revealed that Mars' mantle may still host active geological processes that could be feeding Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in the solar system.

Olympus Mons is located in the Tharsis Montes region near Mars' equator. Scientists estimate that it hasn't erupted for 25 million years.

The subterranean geology of the Tharsis region is incredibly dense, but Root and his team detected a much lighter mass lying 700 miles beneath the surface. 

He believes this mass is an enormous plume of magma that stretches 1,000 miles across in Mars' mantle. What's more, this plume might be in the process of bubbling to the surface.

'This means we need to rethink how we understand the support for the Olympus Mons volcano and its surroundings,' Root said. 

'It shows that Mars might still have active movements happening inside it, affecting and possibly making new volcanic features on the surface.' 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

27-09-2024 om 20:50 geschreven door peter  

We spent 45 days in a simulated Mars habitat built by NASA - this is the brutal reality of life on Red Planet

• READ MORE: New map of Mars reveals hidden 'structures' below the surface

By Ellyn Lapointe For Dailymail.Com

Four volunteer scientists have just emerged from a 45-day stay inside NASA's most realistic Mars simulation yet.

The crew remained completely isolated inside the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) - a 650-square-foot habitat at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas - until Monday, when the hatch opened and they finally 'returned to Earth.'

While inside, they completed 18 different studies that will help NASA and other space agencies learn how humans respond to the confinement, demanding work-life conditions and remote environments of deep-space missions, according to NASA.

NASA has set a goal to get humans to Mars by the 2030s. With that deadline fast approaching, simulated missions like HERA provide key insights into how astronauts might survive the farthest crewed space mission ever attempted. 

The four person crew - comprised of Sergii Iakymov, Sarah Elizabeth McCandless, Erin Anderson, and Brandon Kent (L to R) - was the third to enter the HERA habitat

The four person crew - comprised of Erin Anderson, Sergii Iakymov, Sarah Elizabeth McCandless and Brandon Kent - was the third to enter the HERA habitat.

Their mission was unique in that it included the more detailed assignments designed to closely replicate the living and working experience on Mars.

During the month-and-a-half-long simulation, the crew performed a wide range of tasks.

Their assignments included harvesting plants from a hydroponic garden, growing shrimp, deploying a small satellite, conducting a virtual 'walk' across the surface of Mars and flying simulated drones over Martian terrain. 

'These activities are designed to immerse the crew in the task-focused mindset of astronauts,' NASA wrote in a statement.

NASA even simulated the communication delays that real astronauts could one day face on Mars. During a real Mars mission, communications from Earth could take up to 20 minutes to reach astronauts on the red planet, and vice versa. 

All the while, the crew was being monitored by NASA scientists to assess how their day-to-day tasks, routine, and the isolation and confinement of their habitat affected their behavior and performance. 

When they weren't hard at work, the crew read books, played cards, built Legos and listened to music. 

The HERA mission three crew entered the habitat on August 9

Their mission was unique in that it included the more detailed assignments designed to closely replicate the living and working experience on Mars, including growing hydroponic plants

The volunteers also grew shrimp, deployed a small satellite, conducted a virtual 'walk' across the surface of Mars and flew simulated drones over Martian terrain

On Monday afternoon, the crew finally emerged from their tiny habitat, marking the end of their mission. 

'Following our safe passage to Mars, and our safe return to Earth, as the crew of Campaign 7, Mission 3, we hereby officially transfer this exploration vessel to the flight analogs operations team,' said Kent upon exiting HERA.

'We hope this vessel continues to serve as a safe home for future HERA crews,' he added. 

NASA also runs another, bigger simulated Mars habitat called the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, or CHAPEA. This 1,700-square-foot is large enough to sustain volunteers for up to a year. 

The first CHAPEA volunteer crew emerged from their habitat in July. 

If you think you have what it takes to spend weeks inside cramped Mars simulation, NASA is actively seeking non-smoking volunteers between the ages of 30 and 55 for the next HERA mission. 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

27-09-2024 om 20:01 geschreven door peter  

Met behulp van de VISTA-telescoop van de Europese Zuidelijke Sterrenwacht heeft een team van astronomen meer dan 13 jaar lang de centrale delen van ons Melkwegstelsel waargenomen.

De eerste waarneming dateert al van 2010. Het hele project resulteerde in 500 terabytes aan gegevens. Daarmee is het het grootste waarnemingsproject dat ooit is uitgevoerd met een telescoop van ESO, de organisatie van 16 EU-landen die het heelal afspeurt vanuit een observatorium in Chili.

De hele kaart is zo groot dat ze niet in één beeld weergegeven kan worden. Hij omvat een resem hemellichamen, van nieuwe sterren in hun "stof-cocons" tot zogenaamde bolvormige sterrenhopen, een cluster van sterren rond een sterrenstelsel. 

Doordat het team verschillende keren dezelfde hoekjes van het heelal afspeurde, kon het niet alleen de objecten zelf in kaart brengen, maar ook hoe ze bewegen en mogelijke schommelingen in helderheid.

Verschillenden kaarten van onze Melkweg: van chemische samenstelling over interstellair stof tot de snelheid waarmee objecten bewegen

Langverwacht

"Dit is een project waar we al jaren naar uitkijken", zegt Leen Decin, hoogleraar Sterrenkunde aan de KU Leuven in De Wereld Vandaag. "De kaarten die we nu hebben binnengekregen, zijn ongelofelijk gedetailleerd, met miljoenen sterren."

"In 2012 hadden we al eens een voorlopige kaart gekregen van het Melkwegstelsel (het sterrenstelsel waar ons zonnestelsel, en dus ook de aarde, zich in bevindt, red.). Maar nu hebben ze gedurende 420 nachten waarnemingen gedaan. Al dat licht hebben ze gebundeld om één gedetailleerde kaart te maken. Dat geeft ons heel wat nieuwe informatie over ons eigen Melkwegstelsel."

Deze kaart, die door hetzelfde team is gemaakt, bevat 10 keer meer informatie dan die uit 2012.

"De Melkweg is enkele honderdduizenden lichtjaren groot. Het is gigantisch. Maar het is niet het enige. Wij wonen in één zo'n melkwegstelsel, maar er zijn nog honderdduizenden andere. Wij hebben nu ons eigen huisje wat beter in kaart gebracht, en niet door gewoon te kijken in het optische licht, dat dat we zien met onze eigen ogen. De VISTA-telescoop kijkt in infraroodlicht, zoals de infrarode stralen in een microgolfoven."

Dwars door ruimtestof heen

Zonder dat infrarood licht zou dat niet gelukt zijn. "Infrarode stralen zijn veel langer dan ons optisch licht. Het is veel gevoeliger voor koude objecten, waardoor we veel meer planeten kunnen ontdekken."

"Het kan ook gemakkelijk door stof heen kijken. Als je thuis niet poetst, krijg je stofwolkjes. Dat ligt er, maar we kunnen er niet doorheen kijken. Wel, als we met een infraroodcamera zouden kijken, dan zou het lijken alsof dat stof niet aanwezig is. Zo zitten er in het melkwegstelsel ook veel stofdeeltjes. En ook daar kijkt de VISTA-telescoop los door. Je kan dus veel dieper kijken in ons melkwegstelsel." 

Die kaart moeten we ons trouwens vooral niet voorstellen als een klassieke kaart. "Je ziet kleine en grote sterren en heel veel planeten. Maar je ziet ook bruine dwergen. Dat zijn mislukte sterren, sterren die net niet zwaar genoeg zijn geweest om binnenin hun eigen kernreactor op te starten."

"Je ziet ook sterren die heel dicht in de buurt zijn gekomen van het zwarte gat in het midden van ons eigen Melkwegstelsel. Als sterren daar heel dichtbij komen, kunnen ze worden opgeslorpt of weggeslingerd. Als ze worden weggeslingerd, hebben ze een heel grote snelheid. Die hebben we ook in groten getale ontdekt op de kaart."

Een zogenaamde bolvormige sterrenhoop, een cluster van sterren rond een sterrenstelsel, op de nieuwe kaart.

Foto: ESO

"Op die kaart gaan we nu nog jaren werken. Als je waarnemingen binnen krijgt, zijn die heel ruw. Die moeten gekalibreerd worden, de oneffenheden moeten eruit worden gehaald. Nu is alles echter mooi. Daarop zullen we nu beginnen werken. De volgende jaren zal je op tijd en stond nieuwigheden van ons horen."

Iedereen kan meehelpen

"We zullen bijvoorbeeld veel beter begrijpen wat er vlakbij het zwart gat in ons melkwegstelsel gebeurt. Daar zitten sterren tussen die pulseren: het licht wordt afwisselend helderder en minder helder. Als je weet hoe dat werkt, kan je een techniek toepassen om afstanden te meten. We zullen de afstanden in ons melkwegstelsel dus veel beter kunnen meten."

"Wat we ook willen weten, is hoeveel zware en minder zware sterren er zijn. Dat vertelt ons immers iets over de geschiedenis van ons eigen melkwegstelsel. Beetje bij beetje zullen we onze kennis kunnen verbreden of verdiepen."

Er is immers nog heel veel dat we nog niet weten over onze eigen melkweg. "Het is ook maar één bouwsteen van het universum. We hebben honderden miljarden andere melkwegstelsels. Wanneer we het onze beter begrijpen, zullen we ook beter begrijpen wat er bij de buren gebeurt. Eerst moet je je eigen huis kennen. Daarom is het zo cruciaal dat we nu een ongelofelijk accuraat beeld krijgen van ons eigen melkwegstelsel."

Iedereen kan daar trouwens aan meewerken in zogenaamde burgerprojecten. "Iedereen die interesse heeft in sterrenkunde kan aan de slag met onze waarnemingen. Die worden binnen de 6 maanden tot een jaar publiek gemaakt. Je kan meehelpen om die data te analyseren en nieuwe ontdekkingen te doen."

{ https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/ }

27-09-2024 om 00:42 geschreven door peter  

Two images of the Moon from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper. The top is a black and white view of the north polar region while the bottom is a spectral map of water and hydroxyls seen in the south polar region.

Credit: NASA/ISRO/M3 Team/PSI/R. Clark

When you look at the Moon, you don’t see any water on its surface. That doesn’t mean there isn’t any. In fact, there’s a lot of “wetness” on the Moon, but it’s in places and forms we can’t see. Understanding where all those resources are is the subject of a study based on NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) data taken from aboard the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft.

The analysis performed by a team led by Planetary Science Institute senior scientist Roger Clark shows that there are many sources of water and a group of chemicals called “hydroxyls” (OH). Water lies hidden in ice deposits in shaded areas, and inside enriched rocks.

Hydroxyls are interesting. They form as solar protons interact with electrons on the Moon’s surface. That creates hydrogen atoms which hook up with oxygen atoms found in silicates and other oxygen-bearing molecules in the lunar regolith. Together, the hydrogen and oxygen make hydroxyl molecules, which are a component of water. While it would take some work, mining those “raw materials” for water on the Moon could be a huge boost for future crewed missions, according to Clark.

“Future astronauts may be able to find water even near the equator by exploiting these water-rich areas. Previously, it was thought that only the polar region, and in particular, the deeply shadowed craters at the poles were where water could be found in abundance,” said Clark. “Knowing where water is located not only helps to understand lunar geologic history but also where astronauts may find water in the future.”

How They Identified Lunar Water Sources

Searching out sources of lunar water requires special instruments. This is where the Chandrayaan mission and NASA’s mineralogy mapper data came in handy. Clark and his team zeroed in on a set of data taken by the lander’s imaging spectrometer from 2008-2009. This infrared spectroscopy data contains the spectral fingerprints of both water and hydroxyl in sunlight reflected from the Moon’s surface. The M3 instrument dissected the light into 85 different visible and infrared “colors”. That’s how they were able to spot the distinctive hints of water and hydroxyls across much of the Moon.

The team also looked at the location and geologic contexts of water and hydroxyl distribution. They also had to take into account the “lifetime” of these resources on the Moon. Interestingly, water gets slowly destroyed over time. Hydroxyl, however, lasts much longer. So, for example, if a crater smacks into the lunar surface, the “wet” rocks it “digs up” will lose that content over time through the action of the solar wind. The result is a diffuse layer or “aura” of hydroxyls that remain behind. In other places, solar wind protons that collide with the surface contribute to a thin layer or “patina” of hydroxyls on the surface. The hydroxyls last much longer and exist on the Moon up to millions of years.

“Putting all the evidence together, we see a lunar surface with complex geology with significant water in the sub-surface and a surface layer of hydroxyl. Both cratering and volcanic activity bring water-rich materials to the surface, and both are observed in the lunar data,” Clark said.

Using Precious Lunar Resources

Lunar rocks may well help supply water to future visitors to the Moon. There are two kinds of rocks there. The dark mare rocks are mainly basaltic (like Hawaiian lava). The other type is the anorthosite rock. It exists in various places, including the lunar highlands. The anorthosites are relatively “wet” while the basalts remain very dry. The two rock types also contain hydroxyls bonded to different minerals.

The water-rich anorthosites should be a target for harvesting by lunar astronauts. To get a good supply, you have to heat the rocks and soils. The result of that process could be a long-lasting water supply. You could also get it by using methods to create chemical reactions that liberate hydroxyl and combine four hydroxyls to create oxygen and water.

Of course, a more immediate source lies at the poles. That’s where ice lies hidden inside shaded crater walls or under the surface, preserved for millions of years. That source is likely more easily harvested, but you still have to transport the water to other lunar regions. The downsides of getting water from rocks are the expense and the energy required to heat them for extraction. NASA and other agencies (such as the Chinese space agency) are looking at all the methods of producing supplies for upcoming missions. Studying the locations of ice deposits and hydroxyls is just one part of a larger “search for water” that will benefit future lunar bases.

For More Information

• Sources of Water and Hydroxyl are Widespread on the Moon
• The Global Distribution of Water and Hydroxyl on the Moon as Seen by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

26-09-2024 om 23:39 geschreven door peter  

Researchers have developed a set of hexagon-shaped robotic components that can be snapped together into larger and larger structures. Each one of the component hexagons is made of rigid plates that serve as its exoskeleton. Driven by electricity, the plates can change their shape, shifting from long and narrow to wide and flat at high speed. The combined structures are capable of jumping four times their own body height, then can shape-shift to roll extremely fast, or use multimodal actuation to crawl through confined spaces.

The robotic components were developed at the Max-Planck-Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS). The modules are made of six lightweight rigid plates made from glass fiber that form a hexagon. Magnets embedded into the plates allows for quick connection to other components as well as providing a shared electrical ground between the modules.

The design team integrated artificial “muscles” into the inner joints of the hexagons, called hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatic (HASEL) muscles. Applying a high voltage to the module causes the muscle to activate, rotating the joints of the hexagon and changing its shape from long and narrow to wide and flat.

“Combining soft and rigid components in this way enables high strokes and high speeds. By connecting several modules, we can create new robot geometries and repurpose them for changing needs,” said  Ellen Rumley, a visiting researcher from the University of Colorado Boulder, in a press release from MPI-IS. Rumley and Zachary Yoder, who are both Ph.D. students working in the Robotic Materials Department, are co-first authors of a new paper, “Hexagonal electrohydraulic modules for rapidly reconfigurable high-speed robots,” published in Science Robotics.

The modules are reconfigurable, with an easy process of attaching or detaching the modules. Chains of modules can be rapidly connected and can operate from one voltage source. The modules can each have their own behaviors, which allows for various operations.

The team created a video to show the various configurations and behaviors that can be created with HEXEL modules. The modules can be seen rolling, dancing, jumping, crawling, and many other motions.  

“In general, it makes a lot of sense to develop robots with reconfigurable capabilities,” said Yoder. “It’s a sustainable design option – instead of buying five different robots for five different purposes, we can build many different robots by using the same components. Robots made from reconfigurable modules could be rearranged on demand to provide more versatility than specialized systems, which could be beneficial in resource-limited environments.”

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

26-09-2024 om 22:27 geschreven door peter  

We have known that water ice exists on the Moon since 1998. These large deposits are found in the permanently shadowed craters around the polar region. The challenge is how to get it since shadowed craters are not the best place for solar powered vehicles to operate. A team of engineers have identified a design for an ice-mining vehicle powered by americium-241. With a half-life of 432 years, this element is an ideal power source for a vehicle to operate in the dark for several decades. 

Ice in the polar regions of the Moon is of vital importance for our future space explorations, not just lunar visits but as we stretch our legs in the Solar System. Its thought to be ancient material deposited by comets or formed by interactions with solar wind. It is expensive to take materials to the Moon so harvesting on site is far more efficient. Ice on the Moon can provide drinking water, oxygen for breaking and even hydrogen for rocket fuel. Surveys suggest something in the region of 600 billion kilograms of ice deposited at the lunar poles. 

The challenge facing future lunar harvesting missions is that operations in the permanently  shadowed regions (or PSRs as they have been called) cannot be powered by solar panels as is often the case. The environment is cold too, in the region of 40K, that’s -233?C and at those temperatures special power considerations are required. 

A team of researchers have been exploring the use of Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) to provide thermal and electrical power systems. These power systems have been used before during deep space missions for example Voyager and New Horizons. They work by generating electricity using the heat that is released from the natural decay of a radioactive isotope usually plutonium-238.

The team led by Marzio Mazzotti from the University of Leicester have explored an ice-mining rover using power generated by the radio activate decay fo Americium-241. It has a half-life of 432 years which means it takes 432 years for half of a sample of Americium to decay. During this time, half of the atoms in the substance will transform into a different element. Using this power source will provide a stable power supply for an ice-mining rover in the darkness of the lunar polar craters for decades.

Using a radioisotope power system is not new however the team came upon the idea that the excess heat that is not used can be used to thermally mine ice from samples of lunar material. The rover would be fitted with a sublimation plate that would turn any ice deposits into a gas which would be collected in a cold trap.

The team developed a model of its Thermal Management System and tested it for icy regolith (the fine dusty lunar surface) material with a water ice content of 0-10 vol %. Their simulations showed that it is possible to mine ice using thermal techniques in the PSR of the Moon using an RPS (I had to really concentrate writing that sentence!) powered lunar rover. 

Source : 

• Ice-Mining Lunar Rover using Americium-241 Radioisotope Power Systems

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

26-09-2024 om 22:12 geschreven door peter  

• This new map of the Milky Way contains 10 times more objects than ever before 
• It reveals details of our galaxy's core which had been previously hidden 

By Wiliam Hunter

From the violent births of newborn stars to the hidden mysteries of the galactic core, these new images show the Milky Way as you've never seen it before.

After 13 years of observations, scientists have now revealed the most detailed map of our galaxy ever made.

Using infrared light, astronomers from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) peered through the dust and gas which normally hides the centre of the galaxy.

Their vast survey shows 1.5 billion moons, stars, and planets and covers an area of sky equivalent to 8,600 full moons.

Lead researcher Dante Minniti, of the Universidad Andrés Bello in Chile, says: 'We made so many discoveries, we have changed the view of our Galaxy forever.'

Researchers have created the most detailed map of the Milky Way ever created, capturing stunning images of the 1.5 billion stars, planets, and moons captured by the survey

This latest map covers an area equivalent to 8,600 full moons. This diagram shows the area covered by the latest survey covered by the map. The red regions show areas covered by the previous largest observation project 

Over 420 nights of observation, the ESO's VISTA telescope scanned the same regions of the sky to build up an enormously detailed map of the faintest objects.

The researchers' efforts have resulted in the largest map of our galaxy ever made.

This new map, known as the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea extended (VVVX), is composed of over 200,000 individual images taken between 2010 and 2023.

With 1.5 billion objects recorded, the VVVX contains about 10 times more objects than the previous biggest map released in 2012.

The resulting dataset is so vast that it contains 500 terabytes of data - roughly equivalent to 124,000 high-definition movies.

Images released by the researchers reveal bright glowing nebulas and vast clusters of stars.

Using an infrared telescope, the researchers were able to observe features such formation of new stars. This image shows a stellar nursery called NGC 6357 where hot young stars are formed out of gas 

Since infrared light passes through gas and dust these images reveal more details of galactic processes. This image shows a pair of newly forming stars 22,000 and 9,000 lightyears away from us

In one image, the VVVX captures a pair of stunning nebulas, called NGC 3603 and NGC 3576, which are 22,000 and 9,000 lightyears from Earth respectively.

Inside these distant clouds of gas, researchers can see the intense forces which give birth to new stars.

At the other end of the cosmic spectrum, another image shows Messier 22, a cluster of extremely old stars located 10,000 lightyears from Earth.

These distant groups of stars are among some of the oldest objects in the galaxy.

Dr Minniti told MailOnline that the survey also revealed a number of unknown objects known by the researchers as WIT - standing for 'What is this?'

While these images are beautiful, the depth and detail of this new map also give researchers a window into the inner workings of the Milky Way.

The map also reveals some of the oldest objects in the Galaxy such as the globular cluster Messier 22 (pictured) which is 10,000 lightyears from Earth 

These images are not just pretty but also provide astronomers with the basis for future research into the most difficult-to-observe regions of the Milky Way. Pictured: The NGC 6188 Firebird Nebula 

Dr Minniti says: 'We have a much clearer picture of the inner and far regions of the Milky Way disk now, that help us to understand how our Galaxy was assembled and how it evolved with time.'

The dataset is so large that the researchers have not yet finished inspecting all of the new discoveries.

However, the team hope that their observations will lay the basis for the work of future astronomers.

Co-lead author Dr Philip Lucas, an astronomer at the University of Hertfordshire, told MailOnline: 'The map will become the international standard for studying the southern Milky Way in decades to come.'

The new map's biggest advantage is that it allows astronomers to look into regions of the galaxy normally hidden by most telescopes.

Infrared light lets the researchers look into the core of the galaxy which is normally obscured by gas and dust. Pictured: The Omega Nebula, 5,5000 lightyears from Earth 

This photo compares an image of the Carina Nebula from the new map (top) with an image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope 

Light in the visible spectrum is blocked by the clouds of gas and dust which populate the Milky Way but infrared light passes through these obstructions.

By tracking these objects in the core over such a long time, the researchers were able to chart how they moved and build up a 3D map of the galaxy's innermost regions.

Dr Lucas says that this allows researchers to observe objects such as a new type of elderly giant star nicknamed an 'old smoker' in ways that have not been possible before.

These ancient stars can sit quietly for decades before unexpectedly producing clouds of smoke.

Dr Lucas says: 'Their strange behaviour is a good old fashioned astrophysical mystery.'

However, the infrared imaging from VVVX map can provide new data about these elusive objects.

Infrared imaging also allowed the researchers to spot extremely cold objects like free-floating planets which don't orbit any star or burned-out stars called brown dwarfs.

The researchers are now preparing to upgrade the VISTA telescope with new instruments so they can gather more spectral data about the 1.5 billion objects surveyed.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

26-09-2024 om 21:06 geschreven door peter  

Key takeaways

Wetenschappers hebben onlangs een laboratoriumexperiment uitgevoerd waarbij het gebruik van kernwapens om een asteroïde af te buigen werd gesimuleerd. Ze bombardeerden een kleine “schijnasteroïde” ter grootte van een knikker met röntgenstralen die werden gegenereerd door ’s werelds krachtigste röntgenapparaat in Sandia National Laboratories.

De röntgenstralen verdampten het oppervlak van de nagebouwde asteroïde en stuwden hem de andere kant op, waardoor hij in feite een raketmotor werd. De namaakasteroïde bereikte snelheden van 250 kilometer per uur, vergelijkbaar met een hogesnelheidstrein. Dit experiment was het eerste dat voorspellingen bevestigde over hoe röntgenstraling een asteroïde zou beïnvloeden.

Begrijpen van de afbuiging van een asteroïde

Dit concept bouwt voort op het succes van NASA’s DART-missie in 2022, waarbij een ruimtevaartuig met succes een grote asteroïde uit koers bracht. Voor grotere asteroïden, zoals asteroïden die massale uitsterving kunnen veroorzaken, is het misschien niet voldoende om er gewoon een ruimtevaartuig tegenaan te laten knallen.

De theorie suggereert dat een kernexplosie het oppervlak van een asteroïde zou kunnen verdampen, waardoor het van de baan van de aarde wordt geduwd. Deze methode is gebaseerd op het feit dat een groot deel van de energie van een kernexplosie vrijkomt in de vorm van röntgenstraling, die zeer effectief is in het verdampen van materie in de ruimte.

Uitdagingen en implicaties

Hoewel dit concept veelbelovend is, zijn er nog steeds belangrijke uitdagingen te overwinnen. Wetenschappers moeten de verschillende samenstellingen van asteroïden begrijpen en strategieën ontwikkelen om een kernwapen effectief in te zetten zonder de aarde in gevaar te brengen. Het succes van zo’n missie is afhankelijk van het ruim van tevoren detecteren van potentiële bedreigingen, zodat er voldoende tijd is voor planning en uitvoering.

De onderzoekers schatten dat röntgenstraling van een kernwapen van één megaton een asteroïde tot vier kilometer breed zou kunnen afbuigen, ervan uitgaande dat er voldoende voorbereidingstijd is. Hoewel de schaal van een echte missie met een nucleair apparaat ontmoedigend is, biedt dit onderzoek waardevolle inzichten in de potentiële effectiviteit van het gebruik van kernenergie om de aarde te beschermen tegen verwoestende inslagen van asteroïden.

{ https://www.msn.com/nl-be/ }

26-09-2024 om 17:31 geschreven door peter  

De Aarde had ook zijn planetaire ringen, net als Saturnus: dat stelt een onderzoek

door Janine

Kevin M. Gill/Wikimedia Commons - CC BY 2.0

We kennen allemaal Saturnus, een van de meest iconische planeten in het zonnestelsel vanwege zijn spectaculaire planetaire ringen. Natuurlijk hebben Uranus en Neptunus ook iets dergelijks, en hetzelfde kan gezegd worden van Jupiter, maar deze structuren hebben niet dezelfde charme. Onlangs is er echter een onderzoek gedaan dat suggereert dat ook de aarde zo'n 460 miljoen jaar geleden haar eigen ringenstelsel kan hebben gehad. Laten we eens kijken hoe dit mogelijk is!

Had de Aarde ook planetaire ringen?

Een team onderzoekers van de Monash University in Melbourne stelt deze hypothese voor in een studie die is gepubliceerd in het tijdschrift Earth and Planetary Science Letters. De wetenschappers analyseerden inslagkraters die werden gecreëerd door asteroïden tijdens het Ordovicium, tussen 485 en 443 miljoen jaar geleden. Het probleem is dit: er werden 21 kraters geïdentificeerd die zich binnen 30 graden van de evenaar bevonden, maar de verdeling is te afwijkend om in traditionele theorieën te passen. Kortom, waarom zijn alle kraters geconcentreerd in deze gordel als meer dan tweederde van de aardkorst daarbuiten ligt?

Volgens de onderzoekers is het antwoord duidelijk: zo'n 460 miljoen jaar geleden zou een grote asteroïde de aarde hebben benaderd tot hij de limiet van Roche passeerde, waarna hij werd beïnvloed door getijdenkrachten. Als gevolg daarvan zou de asteroïde zijn gaan fragmenteren en deze fragmenten zouden hebben geholpen bij het vormen van een ring van puin rond de aarde. Net als bij Saturnus en andere gasreuzen.

Planeetringen en ijstijden

Oliver Hull/Monash University

Wat is het verband tussen de vorming van planetaire ringen en de concentratie inslagkraters die Australische onderzoekers hebben ontdekt? Simpel: na de vorming zouden de brokstukken die de ring vormden in de loop van miljoenen jaren beetje bij beetje op de aarde zijn gevallen en zo de piek in kraters hebben veroorzaakt. Maar dat is nog niet alles, want de studie probeerde ook bewijs te vinden voor de klimatologische gevolgen die een ringsysteem zeker zou hebben gehad op de aarde.

Vanuit dit perspectief zouden de planetaire ringen een deel van het zonlicht hebben kunnen tegenhouden en hebben bijgedragen aan de wereldwijde afkoeling. En in feite vindt precies aan het einde van het Ordovicium de Hirnatien-ijstijd plaats, die wordt beschouwd als een van de koudste periodes van de afgelopen 500 miljoen jaar. Bovendien is het deze ijstijd die de massa-uitsterving in het Ordovicium veroorzaakte, de eerste van de vijf grote massa-uitstervingen in de geschiedenis van de aarde. Gebeurde dit allemaal door 'onze' planeetringen?

Perspectieven van het onderzoek

De ontdekking door Australische onderzoekers kan veel bredere gevolgen hebben dan verwacht. In de praktijk gaat het niet alleen om het idee dat de Aarde ook een eigen planetair ringenstelsel kan hebben gehad, maar om overwegingen van complexere aard:

•  ten eerste, wat er in het laatste deel van het Ordovicium gebeurde, zou ook gebeurd kunnen zijn in de 4 miljard jaar van de vorige geschiedenis van de Aarde;
• ten tweede kan de vorming en het daaropvolgende verval van een planetaire ring belangrijke gevolgen hebben gehad voor het klimaat op aarde;
• ten slotte spelen astronomische gebeurtenissen, waaronder de vorming van planeetringen, een veel belangrijkere rol in de geschiedenis van een planeet dan verwacht.

Kortom, als de hypothese van het onderzoek gegrond blijkt te zijn, staan we mogelijk aan het begin van een geheel nieuw onderzoeksgebied over de interactie tussen de aarde en de kosmos. Met gevolgen voor de hele evolutionaire geschiedenis van onze planeet.

{ https://www.curioctopus.nl/ }

25-09-2024 om 22:44 geschreven door peter  

Earth will be blasted by a geomagnetic storm TOMORROW - here's what to brace for

• READ MORE: NASA discovers invisible electric field surrounding Earth

By Ellyn Lapointe For Dailymail.Com

A geomagnetic storm is expected to blast Earth tomorrow after the sun fired a plume of plasma and high-energy particles toward our planet.

The incoming coronal mass ejection (CME) was unleashed on Sunday at 5.40pm ET when an enormous sunspot spontaneously erupted.

The spout of solar plasma is currently rocketing toward our planet at over 650,000 miles per hour and expected to reach Earth by midday Eastern Time on Wednesday (5pm UK, 2am AEST).

Earth could experience a minor geomagnetic storm by midday Wednesday

But the CME will only glance off the planet's magnetosphere, or the region of space around a planet dominated by its magnetic field. 

Normally, this slight blow wouldn't trigger a geomagnetic storm. But because it will arrive so close to the fall equinox - which occurred on Sunday - NOAA has forecasted a minor G1 storm for tomorrow.

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center classifies geomagnetic storms on a scale that ranges from G1 to G5 - with G1 being 'minor' and G5 being 'extreme.'

A G5 storm can significantly disrupt infrastructure, causing power and communication blackouts across wide areas.

We won't have to worry about that with this upcoming G1 storm, however. This type of storm only has a slight risk of impacting infrastructure at high latitudes, including cellphone towers and satellites.

But it could trigger dazzling auroras along the horizon of US states on the northern border and upper Midwest states, according to NOAA. 

The G1 storm could trigger dazzling aurora in northern states on Tuesday and Wednesday night

Aurora are typically most active between 10pm and 2am, and you will want to get as far away from light pollution as possible to get a clear view

The fact that this storm is set to occur just days after the fall equinox is no coincidence.

During the weeks before and after Earth's two equinoxes, geomagnetic storms are more common.

That's because during equinoxes, the sun sits directly above Earth's equator and our planet's magnetosphere becomes aligned with the sun's magnetic field. 

During the rest of the year, they are misaligned, which means that CMEs are partially deflected by the magnetosphere and we do not experience their full impact.

But if a CME occurs while the Earth is experiencing equinox, it clashes more directly with the planet's magnetosphere and causes geomagnetic activity, even if the CME is weak or an indirect hit.

Conversely, geomagnetic storms are much less likely around the time of the solstices - when the Earth's vertical tilt toward or away from the sun is at maximum. 

Geomagnetic storms are about twice as likely around the time of equinoxes than they are around the time of solstices. 

Residents of northern states should keep an eye out for aurora Tuesday and Wednesday night. They are typically most active between 10pm and 2am, and you will want to get as far away from light pollution as possible to get a clear view. 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

25-09-2024 om 21:46 geschreven door peter  

NASA discovers mysterious 'zebra rock' on Mars that's unlike anything the space agency has seen

• READ MORE:  New map reveals hidden 'structures' below the Martian surface

By Ellyn Lapointe For Dailymail.Com

NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover has spotted a strange 'zebra rock' on the red planet. 

The black-and-white striped rock is unlike any rock seen on Mars before, standing out against the planet's reddish-brown surface - NASA says it could be a sign of exciting discoveries to come.

While the rover was driving across some 'unremarkable pebbly terrain,' a team of NASA scientists noticed a rock in the distance with 'hints of unusual texture,' the space agency said.

'Freya Castle' is an unusual, 'zebra-striped' rock that was recently discovered on the surface of Mars. Scientists still aren't sure exactly what it is or where it came from. 

The rover snapped photos of the rock, now dubbed 'Freya Castle,' and beamed them back to Earth a couple days later. 

'Since Freya Castle is a loose stone that is clearly different from the underlying bedrock, it has likely arrived here from someplace else,' NASA said. 

Read More

• Scientists discover a 'smiley face' on Mars - and it could contain signs of life 

Freya Castle measures roughly eight inches across, and early interpretations of its unique texture suggest that igneous and/or metamorphic processes could have created its stripes, NASA wrote in a statement.

Igneous processes are geological activities that are related to the melting, movement and cooling of magma and lava. 

Magma is molten rock that lies below the planetary surface, while lava is molten rock that is above the earth's surface. 

For a billion years, Mars was a highly volcanically active planet, which could have created the conditions necessary for the zebra rock to form.

NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover snapped photos of this strange rock while driving across some 'unremarkable pebbly terrain' (Illustration) 

Metamorphic processes are changes in the composition of rocks due to high heat and pressure. 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

24-09-2024 om 21:54 geschreven door peter  

Nieuw onderzoek onthult eindelijk hoe El Niño 252.000 jaar geleden de grootste massa-uitsterving ter wereld veroorzaakte

door Janine

Freepik - Maddox1/Wikimedia commons - Public domain

Heel lang geleden veroorzaakte een klimaatfenomeen de grootste massale uitsterving op onze planeet. Nu heeft een nieuwe studie ontdekt hoe en waarom.

Massale uitsterving 252 miljoen jaar geleden: El Niño

Ongeveer 252 miljoen jaar geleden, in het Perm-Trias-tijdperk, veroorzaakte het klimaatfenomeen dat bekend staat als El Niño de grootste massa-uitsterving die ooit op onze planeet heeft plaatsgevonden, dat stelt een nieuwe studie, waarin werd onderzocht waarom dit gebeurde en vooral met zulke effecten.

El Niño veroorzaakt periodiek een aanzienlijke opwarming aan de oppervlakte van de Stille Oceaan in de centraal-zuidelijke en oostelijke delen. Dit gebeurt in december en januari, meestal om de vijf jaar, wat kan variëren tussen drie en zeven jaar. Toen de mens echter nog niet op aarde was verschenen, speelde dit fenomeen een sleutelrol bij het veroorzaken van een ongekende uitsterving, die de hele aardbol en bijna al zijn levensvormen trof.

Waarom het leven op het land verdween door El Niño

University of Bristol and China University of Geosciences (Wuhan)

De wetenschap heeft al geruime tijd een verband gevonden tussen de verdwijning van leven op aarde 252 miljoen jaar geleden en krachtige vulkaanuitbarstingen in wat nu Siberië is, die aanleiding gaven tot de uitstoot van kooldioxide die tot een snelle opwarming van het klimaat leidde. Hierdoor stortten terrestrische en mariene ecosystemen onvermijdelijk in.

Het is echter nooit begrepen waarom het leven buiten de zee deze situatie niet kon weerstaan: insecten zijn, net als sommige planten, behoorlijk veelzijdig en bestand tegen verandering, maar desondanks zijn ze uitgestorven. Alexander Farnsworth van de Universiteit van Bristol legde uit dat de opwarming van het klimaat op zichzelf deze gevolgen niet kan veroorzaken: zoals nu het geval is: “wanneer de tropen te warm worden, migreren soorten naar koelere en hogere breedtegraden. Ons onderzoek heeft aangetoond dat toegenomen broeikasgassen niet alleen het grootste deel van de planeet warmer maken, maar ook de weer- klimaatvariabiliteit vergroten, waardoor het nog ‘wilder’ wordt en moeilijker voor het leven om te overleven”.

“Veel intensere en langdurige El Niño-gebeurtenissen” 252.000 jaar geleden

Volgens Yadong Sun van de China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, co-hoofdauteur van het onderzoek, “slaagde het meeste leven er niet in om zich aan deze omstandigheden aan te passen, maar gelukkig overleefden sommigen, zonder welke we hier vandaag niet zouden zijn. Het was bijna, maar niet helemaal, het einde van het leven op aarde.”

Het niveau van de opwarming van het Perm-Trias werd geschat door zuurstofisotopen te analyseren die werden gedetecteerd in de gefossiliseerde tandresten van conodonten, zeer kleine organismen. “Eigenlijk was het overal te warm”, legt Farnsworth uit. “De veranderingen die verantwoordelijk waren voor de vastgestelde klimaatpatronen waren ingrijpend omdat er veel intensere en langduriger El Niño-gebeurtenissen waren dan die vandaag de dag worden waargenomen. De soorten waren simpelweg niet in staat om zich snel genoeg aan te passen of te evolueren.”

Tegenwoordig duren deze fenomenen slechts één of twee jaar, terwijl El Niño 252 miljoen jaar geleden veel langer duurde, met ongeveer tien jaar ononderbroken wereldwijde droogte. Dit verklaart ook de grote hoeveelheid plantaardige koolstof in de rotsen in die tijd. Het verdwijnen van planten verhinderde ook de opname van CO 2 uit de atmosfeer. Als mariene soorten langer overleefden, konden op het land “alleen soorten overleven die snel konden migreren, en er waren niet veel planten of dieren die daartoe in staat waren.”

{ https://www.curioctopus.nl/ }

22-09-2024 om 21:47 geschreven door peter  

22-09-2024 om 01:14 geschreven door peter  

22-09-2024 om 00:20 geschreven door peter  

De aarde staat op het punt een nieuwe maan te krijgen, maar slechts voor even: dit is wanneer het zal gebeuren

door Janine

Freepik

De Aarde zal voor korte tijd een nieuwe Maan krijgen, net alsof het een tweede satelliet van onze planeet is. Maar wat is het en hoe lang zal het duren?

De aarde zal twee maanden lang een mini-maan hebben

De enige natuurlijke satelliet van de aarde is de maan, maar binnenkort krijgt onze planeet er nog een kleinere bij. Dat zal eind september gebeuren, gedurende ongeveer twee maanden. Maar hoe is dit mogelijk?

Het zal een tijdelijke new entry zijn, maar wel een die in alle opzichten een mini-maan voor onze planeet zal zijn. Concreet zal het fenomeen plaatsvinden tussen 29 september en 24 november 2024. Het zal echter niet eenvoudig zijn om het met het blote oog waar te nemen.

Het is namelijk een kleine asteroïde met de naam 2024 PT5, die op 7 augustus voor het eerst werd gedetecteerd door ATLAS, het Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System. Mini-manen zijn in feite hemellichamen die voor kortstondige perioden worden gevangen door de zwaartekracht van de aarde, en het is precies dit dat de nabije toekomst van 2024 PT5 zal zijn.

Asteroïde 2024 PT5, onze nieuwe mini-maan

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Wikimedia commons - Public domain

Het ruimtegesteente in kwestie is slechts tien meter breed, waardoor het observeren ervan zonder speciale telescopen een nogal moeilijke onderneming is. Hoe dan ook zal 2024 PT5 eind deze maand onze Maan gezelschap houden, die al zo'n vier miljard jaar een satelliet van onze planeet is, totdat hij terugkeert naar zijn thuisbasis, een asteroïdengordel die rond de zon draait en de aarde volgt.

Deze verschijnselen zijn niet zo zeldzaam, aangezien er niet veel decennia verstrijken tussen het verschijnen van de ene mini-maan en de andere. Een nieuwe studie heeft echter de komst van de volgende dergelijke gebeurtenis aangekondigd door interessante informatie te verstrekken. Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, professor aan de Universidad Complutense en hoofdauteur van het werk, legde uit dat het kleine hemellichaam tot de secundaire Arjuna-asteroïdengordel behoort, die bestaat uit ruimtegesteenten die banen volgen die vergelijkbaar zijn met die van de aarde, met een afstand tot de zon van ongeveer 150 miljoen kilometer.

Mini-maan 2024 PT5: zal het te zien zijn?

Planetoïden en kometen uit de Arjuna-gordel kunnen ons langzaam naderen met een snelheid van ongeveer 3.540 km per uur, waarbij ze zich op een afstand van 4,5 miljoen km bevinden. Op dat punt kan de geocentrische energie van het ruimteobject negatief worden, waardoor het in alle opzichten een tijdelijke aardse mini-maan wordt.

2024 PT5 zal geen volledige baan om onze planeet maken, maar zoals gezegd na twee maanden terugkeren naar de basis. Bij andere soortgelijke fenomenen kunnen mini-manen langer blijven, één of meer volledige banen maken en dan meerdere jaren blijven. Zodra zijn werk is voltooid, zal PT5 uit 2024 uit de baan van de aarde worden verdreven en teruggebracht naar die van de zon, waardoor deze door verstoringen van de zwaartekracht zal verdwijnen.

Hij is niet alleen niet met het blote oog te zien, maar zelfs amateurtelescopen zullen hem waarschijnlijk niet kunnen waarnemen vanwege zijn kleine formaat. Professionele astronomische instrumenten met een minimale diameter van 76 cm, uitgerust met een CCD- of CMOS-detector, zullen het echter wel mogelijk maken om het magische schouwspel van de tijdelijke mini-maan vast te leggen.

{ https://www.curioctopus.nl/ }

21-09-2024 om 23:33 geschreven door peter  

By Stacy Liberatore For Dailymail.com

An amateur astronomer believes he has captured the first image of an ultra-secretive US spacecraft.

Felix Schöfbänker, from Austria, claims to have photographed a classified fleet of spy satellites operated by a shadowy DoD agency to hunt international terrorists, drug dealers and crime lords for the US government.

The (Future Imagery Architecture) FIA-Radars, also called Topaz, are five craft made by Boeing which are powerful enough to provide high definition imaging of targets on the ground 24 hours of the day.

Using a telescope built to track and photograph satellites, Schöfbänker observed 'things that either were not known or only were speculated before' - including their size, shape and position in the sky.

The space watcher shared what could be the only images of America's secretive spy satellites Pictured is a a Future Imagery Architecture satellite (FIA-Radars), nicknamed Topaz

The (Future Imagery Architecture) FIA-Radars, also called Topaz, are five craft made by Boeing which are powerful enough to provide high definition imaging of targets on the ground 24 hours of the day (a mock up is pictured)

The US launched its first spy satellite, CORONA, in 1960 to photograph adversaries in China and the Soviet Union with a focus on how rapidly the latter was producing long-range bombers and ballistic missiles and where they were being deployed.

The satellite imagery captured all Soviet medium-range, intermediate-range, and intercontinental ballistic missile launching complexes.

'Without CORONA, the US may well have been misguidedly pressured into a World War III,' the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) shared in a statement.

The US leads the world with more than 200 in space and Schöfbänker has observed several in the past few months.

Read More

• Top secret China spaceplane releases a mystery object into Earth's orbit - and no one knows what it is 

The sky watcher recently shared his discoveries with Space.com, detailing mechanics and technologies he observed.

His telescope, a Dobsonian, spotted several FIA-Radars fitted with a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), which enables the US to beam radar through clouds, foliage and shallow soil.

The images are taken by sending microwave pulses to the Earth's surface and measuring the reflected signals.

Topaz is a series of five satellites developed by Boeing, with the first launching in 2010 and the last in 2018.

The US government has been secretive about the capabilities, only sharing details that Topaz 1 had a nuclear power system, an attitude control system and a cylindrical monocoque aluminum structure.

While it is unclear which model Schöfbänker observed, he was able to make out other details.

'From my images, I conclude that these satellites have a parabolic mesh antenna which is roughly 12 meters [39 feet] in diameter, and two solar panels with roughly 10 meters [33 feet] of wingspan,' he told Space.com.

Topaz, developed by Boeing, includes a series of five satellites used to collect intelligence on the ground. Felix Schöfbänker, from Austria, spotted all five orbiting in space

The satellites capture  by sending microwave pulses to the Earth's surface and measuring the reflected signals

'There also is another bright object between the solar panels that I interpret as an up-and down-link antenna, though this also might be something else.'

Schöfbänker continued to explain that the satellite's antenna moved six times to the left and 22 times to the right during his observations.

Also in his sights was a few KH-11 satellites, which convert light into electronic signals.

Another satellite, the KH-11, was also snapped, which was the first to provide real-time intelligence of officials

Donald Trump shared a declassified image of an Iranian rocket launch site captured by a KH-11 that launched in 2011 while he was president in 2019

The KH-11, developed by Lockheed Martin, is believed to use a seven-foot prime mirror that allows the satellite to identify objects as small as three inches across.

The first KH-11 launched in December 1976, allowing the first real-time collection of intelligence as it previously took days or even weeks for photos.

The need for real-time observations was often stated by officials during key events like the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Six-Day War or the invasion of Czechoslovakia.

In 2019, Donald Trump, president at the time, shared a declassified image of an Iranian rocket launch site captured by a KH-11 that launched in 2011.

There are four of these satellites in orbit.

'The oldest one currently up there was launched in 2005. It is a third-generation KH-11 with the name USA 186. The next two are called USA 224 and USA 245, and these are the fourth generation from 2011 and 2013,' Schöfbänker said.

'The newest one is a fifth-generation spacecraft from 2021 and is called USA 314.'

His observations suggested that they were about 36 feet long, with mirrors ranging in size depending on the generation.

Another satellite, however, is the unknown type. Schöfbänker suggested it was a USA 290, which officials have kept under wraps 

The space watcher determined there were three generations of KH-11 orbiting above, with the fourth's mirror measuring nearly 10 feet across.

On July 20, Schöfbänker uploaded a timelapse of a satellite on his website, which may be one of the most secretive in America's arsenal.

Schöfbänker suggested it was a USA 290 or another KH-11, but noted that images did not match up with the latter and the two were launched into different orbits.

Based on the observations, he determined that the spacecraft featured a 16-foot-long panel and had a total size of around 31 feet.

The USA 290 also captures intelligence in real-time, but that is all that is known about America's secretive spy satellite.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

21-09-2024 om 23:06 geschreven door peter  

Planetary Scientists Create Global Map of Volcanic Hotspots on Io

Io is the most volcanically active body in the Solar System. Io’s volcanoes are powered by both the extreme tides from Jupiter and the gravitational interactions between it and Jupiter’s other moons. These tides generate friction inside Io. Using data from an infrared camera on NASA’s Juno orbiter called the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM), planetary researchers at Cornell University have mapped where Io’s volcanoes are producing the most power and compared that to where scientists expect higher heat flow from the interior models. They found that Io has active volcanoes at its poles that may help to regulate tidal heating in its magma interior.

These are maps of the global volcanic flux on Io in an equirectangular projection, showing the averaged volcanic flux in milliwatts per square meter per steradian (the most common units for volcanic flux on Io). The top is on a linear scale while the bottom is on a logarithmic color scale. The colored bars and the line plots beside each map show the average flux projected horizontally (to the right of each map) and the average flux projected vertically (below each map) to show trends in flux by latitude and longitude.

Image credit: Pettine et al., doi: 10.1029/2023GL105782.

Io, the innermost Galilean moon of Jupiter and the most volcanically active body in the Solar System, is a unique resource for studying volcanism outside Earth and tidally-generated volcanism.

Despite its importance in the development of the worlds of the outer Solar System (and beyond), tidal heating remains relatively unconstrained.

In fact, the existence of volcanism powered entirely through extreme tidal forces and strong orbital resonances was only proposed and discovered in the last five decades.

“Tidal heating plays an important role in the heating and orbital evolution of celestial bodies,” said Cornell University’s Professor Alex Hayes.

“It provides the warmth necessary to form and sustain subsurface oceans in the moons around giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn.”

“Studying the inhospitable landscape of Io’s volcanoes actually inspires science to look for life,” said Madeline Pettine, a doctoral student at Cornell University.

By examining the JIRAM data from 11 Juno orbits, the authors found that Io has active volcanoes at its poles that may help to regulate tidal heating in its magma interior.

“I’m trying to match the pattern of volcanoes on Io and the heat flow that they’re producing with the heat flow we expected from theoretical models,” Pettine said.

This image from NASA’s Galileo spacecraft shows a volcanic explosion on Io.

Image credit: NASA / JPL / University of Arizon.

Using a mathematical equation called spherical harmonic decomposition, a way of understanding round objects, the researchers broke down Juno’s flyby maps to establish complex volcanic surface patterns.

They found a surprising number of active volcanoes at Io’s poles, as opposed to the more-common equatorial regions.

“I’m not solving tidal heating with this one paper. However, if you think about icy moons in the outer Solar System, other moons like Jupiter’s Europa, or Saturn’s Titan and Enceladus, they’re the places that if we’re going to find life in the Solar System, it will be one of those places,” Pettine said.

“The interior liquid water oceans in the icy moons may be kept liquefied by tidal heating.”

“We need to know how the heat is being generated. It’s easier to study tidal heating on a volcanic world rather than peering through a kilometers-thick ice shell that’s keeping the heat covered up.”

According to the scientists, both pole regions of Io have active volcanoes.

In the north, a cluster of four volcanoes — Asis, Zal, Tonatiuh, one unnamed and an independent one named Loki — were highly active and persistent with a long history of space mission and ground-based observations.

A southern group, the volcanoes Kanehekili, Uta and Laki-Oi demonstrated strong activity.

The long-lived quartet of northern volcanoes concurrently became bright and seemed to respond to one another.

“They all got bright and then dim at a comparable pace,” Pettine said.

“It’s interesting to see volcanoes and seeing how they respond to each other.”

• The study was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
• M. Pettine et al. 2024. JIRAM Observations of Volcanic Flux on Io: Distribution and Comparison to Tidal Heat Flow Models. Geophysical Research Letters 51 (17): e2023GL105782; doi: 10.1029/2023GL105782
• https://youtu.be/oHpxCGeXU3c
  
• https://youtu.be/keGIesBlsFI

{ https://www.sci.news/ }

20-09-2024 om 23:29 geschreven door peter  

Artikel door Jeannette Kras

earth, planet, world

© Scientias.nl

Een nieuwe ontdekking zet onze opvattingen over de geschiedenis van de aarde op zijn kop. Onderzoekers hebben namelijk bewijs gevonden voor een ringsysteem dat 466 miljoen jaar geleden is gevormd.

Deze ring is ontstaan aan het begin van een periode met uitzonderlijk hevige en langdurige meteorietinslagen. Dat blijkt uit reconstructies van de plaattektoniek in het Ordovicium, een geologische periode die duurde van 485 tot 443 miljoen jaar geleden. De onderzoekers ontdekten dat 21 inslagkraters van asteroïden uit die tijd zich binnen 30 graden van de evenaar bevonden, terwijl meer dan 70 procent van de aarde daarbuiten ligt.

Een ring rond de aarde

Dat is eigenlijk te toevallig. Er moest daarom een andere verklaring zijn. Die lijkt nu gevonden. Waarschijnlijk is een hele grote asteroïde zo dicht langs de aarde gescheerd dat hij de Rochelimiet passeerde en door getijdenkrachten uiteenviel. De Rochelimiet is de afstand waarbinnen een hemellichaam dat door zijn eigen zwaartekracht bijeen blijft, uit elkaar valt door de getijdenkrachten. Dat is dus vermoedelijk gebeurd met een enorme asteroïde, waardoor een ring van puin ontstond rond onze planeet, vergelijkbaar met de ringen die we tegenwoordig kennen van gasreuzen als Saturnus.

“Gedurende miljoenen jaren viel materiaal uit deze ring geleidelijk op aarde, wat de piek in meteorietinslagen verklaart die in het geologische archief zijn waargenomen”, legt hoofdonderzoeker professor Andy Tomkins uit van de Monash University. “We zien ook dat lagen in sedimentaire gesteenten uit deze periode abnormale hoeveelheden meteorietpuin bevatten.”

Impact op klimaat

Het interessante is dat deze ring van puin mogelijk impact heeft gehad op het klimaat in die tijd. De ring wierp vermoedelijk een schaduw over de aarde, waardoor zonlicht werd geblokkeerd. Dat heeft wellicht bijgedragen aan de wereldwijde afkoeling, die bekendstaat als de Hirnantiene ijstijd.

Deze periode tegen het eind van het Ordovocium was een van de koudste in de afgelopen 500 miljoen jaar. “Het idee dat een ringsysteem de mondiale temperaturen heeft beïnvloed, maakt het nog complexer om te begrijpen hoe buitenaardse gebeurtenissen mogelijk het klimaat van de aarde hebben gevormd”, reageert professor Tomkins.

Gelijkmatig verdeeld

Normaal gesproken slaan asteroïden op willekeurige locaties in, dus zien we inslagkraters die gelijkmatig zijn verdeeld over bijvoorbeeld de maan en Mars. Om te onderzoeken of de verdeling van de Ordovicium-inslagkraters niet-willekeurig is en ze dus allemaal dichter bij de evenaar liggen dan je op basis van toeval zou verwachten, berekenden de onderzoekers het continentale oppervlak waarop kraters uit die tijd nog terug te vinden zijn.

Ze richtten zich op stabiele, onverstoorde kratons (zeer oude stukken aardkorst, die al heel lang tektonisch stabiel zijn) met gesteenten die ouder zijn dan het midden van de Ordoviciumperiode. Gebieden die onder sedimenten of ijs begraven zijn, geërodeerd zijn of zijn aangetast door tektonische activiteit, werden uitgesloten. Zo identificeerden de onderzoekers uiteindelijk geologisch geschikte regio’s op verschillende continenten.

Geen toeval

Gebieden in West-Australië, Afrika, het Noord-Amerikaanse kraton en kleine delen van Europa werden goedgekeurd als mogelijke plekken waar dergelijke kraters behouden zijn. Slechts 30 procent van dit geschikte landoppervlak lag dicht bij de evenaar, maar toch werden alle inslagkraters uit die periode in dit gebied gevonden. De kans dat dit toeval is, is uiterst klein.

Het is dus heel aannemelijk dat er miljoenen jaren lang een ring met puin voor meteorietinslagen zorgde. Dat is een grote ontdekking die leidt tot de heroverweging van de impact van grote gebeurtenissen in de ruimte op de evolutionaire geschiedenis van de aarde. Het roept ook vragen op over andere ringsystemen, die misschien invloed hebben gehad op de ontwikkeling van het leven op onze planeet. Zulke ringen kunnen op andere momenten in de geschiedenis invloed hebben gehad op vrijwel alles, van het klimaat tot het ontstaan en de verspreiding van leven.

• Meer wetenschap? Lees de nieuwste artikelen op Scientias.nl .

{ https://scientias.nl/ }

20-09-2024 om 00:42 geschreven door peter