Tag Archives: closest

Saturn-Sized Planets Can Orbit the Closest Sun-Like Star

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What might the artistic concept of a gas giant in orbit around Alpha Centauri A resemble?

ESA/Webb Copyright: NASA, ESA, CSA, STSCI, R.

A massive planet comparable to Saturn is potentially identified orbiting a sun-like star in our nearest stellar system, Alpha Centauri.

Located just four light-years from Earth, Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to us, comprising three stars: Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, and the Red Dwarf Star Proxima Centauri. Scientists have long speculated that planets akin to those in our solar system could exist in such systems, and whether planets can reside at distances similar to our Sun’s “habitable zone” around binary stars has been a matter of intrigue. “These stars are very bright, relatively close, and move quickly across the sky,” mentions Charles Baichman from Caltech in a statement.

Recent observations gathered by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mid-infrared instrument suggest that a gas giant possibly as substantial as Saturn is orbiting the sun-like star, Alpha Centauri A. This discovery has come as a surprise. “Webb was specifically designed to identify the most distant galaxies, not exoplanets,” remarked Beichman, underscoring that such an identification must be meticulously coordinated through numerous observations, evaluations, and computer simulations, which “can yield remarkable insights.”

While previous methodologies for detecting planets relied on indirect measurements, the JWST executed a “more ambitious” approach by actually gathering light from potential planets, according to Alan Boss of Carnegie Science in Washington, DC, who was not involved in this particular study. Nevertheless, visibility of the potential planets was lost in subsequent observations.

“We’re encountering a case of a disappearing planet!” exclaimed Aniket Sanghi, also at Caltech, in a statement. The research team ran simulations of millions of possible trajectories to solve this conundrum, determining that “in half of the possible simulated orbits, the planet would have been too close to the star, making it undetectable by Webb in both February and April 2025,” he said.

As a gas giant, this planet wouldn’t support life as we know it. However, if this finding is validated, it could significantly enhance our understanding of planet formation around stars. “The mere existence of two closely situated stars within a stellar system will challenge our comprehension of how planets form, survive, and evolve under such chaotic circumstances,” Sangi pointed out. “This is also crucial for Earth, as it is our closest neighbor, beside the giant planets in our solar system, with a temperature and age somewhat akin to Earth.”

This revelation has been documented in two accepted papers for publication in Astrophysics Letters.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

These Two Signals Are Our Closest Link to Alien Contact

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In 2019, the Australian radio telescope detected a fascinating signal emanating from the vicinity of Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to Earth.

This signal, designated as breakthrough listen candidate 1 (BLC1), exhibited all the characteristics of a “technosignature,” which may suggest the presence of intelligent life.

The signal comprised a single discernible narrowband wavelength and displayed a Doppler shift (indicating movement), was precisely localized in the sky, and persisted for several hours, capturing the attention of researchers.

These features imply that the signals are unlikely to be attributed to natural phenomena.

Nonetheless, some complications have surfaced regarding the extraterrestrial explanation. It was discovered that the signal was present in other observations of Proxima Centauri during the same timeframe, and notably, even when the telescope was not aimed at the star.

A subsequent observation the following year failed to detect the signal. An analysis of all the data collected by the Breakthrough Listening Project later identified similar signals from various other targets, including blank sky. This strongly indicates that the source of the signal was probably radio interference.

The BLC1 mirrors another narrowband radio signal detected in August 1977, famously referred to as “Wow!”

This potential “technosignature” lasted a full 72 seconds and could not be readily explained by natural occurrences.

However, the precise location of the signal in the sky was never identified, and follow-up searches of the area yielded no further signals.

There is ongoing debate regarding the origins of “Wow!”, but no clear evidence exists yet to confirm it as a product of extraterrestrial civilizations.

However, scientists are not solely focused on alien signals.

NASA describes Oumuamua as “the first confirmed object from another star to visit our solar system.” Its name means “the first messenger to arrive from afar” in Hawaiian – Illustration Credit: Science Photography Library

Discovered in 2017, ‘Oumuamua (depicted above) was identified as an elongated, reddish rocky object traveling through the solar system at extraordinary speed.

Its peculiar shape and trajectory led some astronomers to speculate that it might be a “solar sail” from a distant alien civilization.

However, this theory is considered improbable, as its unusual characteristics can also be explained without resorting to alien hypothesis.

Still, scientists have yet to intercept or discover anything that definitively indicates an exciting “alien” origin.

This article addresses the query posed by Lester to Daniel Howell: “Have we ever intercepted anything from an alien?”

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

The incredible picture captures the closest Einstein ring ever seen

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The closest Einstein ring ever picked up by the European Space Agency's Euclidean Space Telescope

ESA

Astronomers have identified the closest Einstein ring ever. This is a rare phenomenon in which light from even more off-the-sea galaxies bend due to the gravity of galaxies near Earth. The ring was previously thought to be one galaxy, and was identified over 100 years ago.

Such a galaxy lens, the closest astronomer to date, was predicted by Albert Einstein in 1936 from his general theory of relativity. At the time, he thought it was impossible to observe such an effect. In fact, if he had a strong enough telescope, he would have seen it. “It was there all along, but we didn't know.” Thomas Collett At the University of Portsmouth, UK.

Colette and his team are about 600 million light years from Earth, and the oval galaxy NGC 6505, first discovered in 1884, is actually the second galaxy behind about 600 million light years from Earth. I noticed that the light was bent.

Close-up of Einstein Ring

ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, J.-C. Image processing by Cuillandre, T. Li

Team Members Bruno Artieri We observed Einstein rings at the European Space Agency while verifying early test data from the Euclidean telescope. “There was this abundant and obvious Einstein ring. There aren't many in the universe that can produce rings like this,” says Colette.

“We would have expected about one of three opportunities to find something as spectacular as this throughout the research,” he says. “It's essentially a great fortune to find it in the first data. This is probably the most beautiful lens we find on a mission.”

The ring itself is very bright compared to most Einstein rings we know, Colette says. This is not only very close to us, but also due to the Euclidean imaging capabilities. “I'm like someone with poor eyesight,” says Colette. This makes it easy to see four images of distant galaxies. The faint orange lights surrounding the bright ring are the galaxy of Rensing.

Bringing the Einstein ring closer to Earth allows us to test relativity in ways that we cannot do with other distant lenses, says Colette. This is because galaxies can be measured in two ways. , often too far to measure accurately. Einstein's general theory of relativity states that these masses should be the same, so if there are differences it may suggest that the theory of gravity should be revised.

When Colette and his colleagues measured the mass of the lensed galaxy, they also found a slightly higher number than possible from the galaxy's estimated number of stars. This could be due to the dark matter aggregation together at Galaxy's Center. Frédéric Dux He says observatory in southern Europe needs to find more Einstein lenses to check.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Parker Solar Probe successfully completes record-breaking closest approach to the sun

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On December 24, 2024, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will soar just 6.1 million km (3.8 million miles) above the surface of our home planet and hurtle through the solar atmosphere at 692,000 km (430,000 miles) per hour. I did. This is the fastest speed the spacecraft has ever achieved. An object made by humans. A signal received two days later confirmed that the spacecraft had safely passed the encounter and was operating normally.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe approaches the Sun. Image credit: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

Near the Sun, the Parker Solar Probe relies on a carbon foam shield to protect the probe from the extreme heat in the upper part of the Sun’s atmosphere, called the corona, which can exceed 500,000 degrees Celsius (1 million degrees Fahrenheit).

The shield is designed to reach temperatures of 1,427 degrees Celsius (2,600 degrees Fahrenheit) while keeping the instruments behind it shaded at a comfortable room temperature.

In the hot but low-density corona, the spacecraft’s shield is expected to warm up to 982 degrees Celsius (1,800 degrees Fahrenheit).

“Flying this close to the Sun is a historic moment in humanity’s first mission to the stars,” said Dr. Nikki Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

“Studying the Sun up close will allow us to better understand its impact on the entire solar system, including the technologies we use every day on Earth and in space, and will also help us understand the workings of stars throughout the universe. We can learn about and help us explore habitable worlds beyond our home planet.

“Parker Solar Probe will venture into one of the most extreme environments in the universe,” said Dr. Noor Rawafi, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and project scientist for the Parker Solar Probe. It has exceeded all expectations.”

“This mission ushered in a new golden age of space exploration and brings us closer than ever to solving the sun’s deepest and most enduring mysteries.”

Parker Solar Probe’s record-breaking distance of 6.1 million kilometers (3.8 million miles) may seem far away, but on a cosmic scale it’s incredibly close. Image credit: NASA/APL.

“Being able to get a spacecraft this close to the sun is monumental,” said John Wurtzberger, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and Parker Solar Probe mission systems engineer. .

“This is a challenge the space science community has wanted to address since 1958, and we’ve spent decades advancing technology to make it possible.”

The Parker Solar Probe will fly through the solar corona to help scientists better understand how the region gets hot, track the origins of the solar wind, and discover how energetic particles We can make measurements that will help us discover how it accelerates to half the speed of light.

“This data is extremely important to the scientific community because it gives us new advantages,” said Dr. Kelly Kolek, a program scientist at NASA Headquarters.

“Parker Solar Probe revolutionizes our understanding of the Sun by providing first-hand knowledge of what is happening in the Sun’s atmosphere.”

So far, the rover is only transmitting that it is safe, but it will soon arrive at a location where it can downlink the data it collects on this latest solar pass.

“The data coming down from the spacecraft will provide fresh information about places we humans have never been before. This is an amazing accomplishment,” said Joe, director of NASA’s Heliophysics Division. Dr. Westlake said.

The spacecraft’s next planned solar approaches will take place on March 22, 2025 and June 19, 2025.

Source: www.sci.news

NASA’s solar probe achieves closest approach to the sun of any artificial object

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overview

  • NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is expected to dive extremely close to the sun’s surface on December 24th.
  • The spacecraft will have to fly closer to the Sun than any other man-made object in history, less than 3.86 million miles away.
  • The mission was designed to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere and help researchers learn how solar storms erupt into space.

NASA is preparing to “taste” the sun on Christmas Eve.

The bureau’s Parker Solar Probe is just days away from making its closest approach ever to the Sun on Tuesday, when it will fly closer to our star than any other man-made object in history.

The spacecraft, about the size of a small car, is scheduled to dive to within 3.86 million miles of the sun’s surface at 6:40 a.m. ET on Tuesday. It passes by at approximately 430,000 miles per hour. According to NASA.

“If you think about it, it’s like going 96 percent of the way to the surface of the sun,” said Kelly Kolek, a program scientist in NASA’s heliophysics division.

Because mission controllers cannot communicate with the spacecraft during maneuvers, NASA will have to wait about three days before receiving a signal that the spacecraft has survived its rendezvous with the sun.

The first images of the close encounter will then likely be transmitted to Earth sometime in January, the agency said.

As the Parker Solar Probe swoops toward the Sun, it will likely fly through a plume of solar plasma and potentially fly into the star’s active regions, Kolek said.

The mission was designed to study the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere, an extremely hot region known as the corona. Scientists are keen to look at the corona up close because researchers have long puzzled over why the outer layer of the sun’s atmosphere is hundreds of times hotter than the star’s surface.

Observations of the corona will also help researchers study how storms that form on the sun’s surface erupt into space. For example, the spacecraft will be able to observe streams of the most energetic solar particles coming from the Sun and exploding into space at supersonic speeds.

“This is the birthplace of space weather,” Kolek said. “While we have observed space weather from afar, Parker is now living space weather. In the future, we will be able to better understand how space weather forms.” , when we look at solar storms through a telescope, we can understand what they mean for us here on Earth.”

During periods of intense space weather, the Sun can emit huge solar flares and streams of charged particles known as solar wind directly to Earth. When these explosions interact with Earth’s magnetic field, they could not only supercharge the aurora, but also damage satellites and take out power grids.

Kolek said the Parker Solar Probe mission will help researchers better predict space weather and its potential impacts, similar to the work meteorologists and atmospheric scientists do about weather on Earth. said it was helpful.

The Parker spacecraft launched into space in 2018 and has orbited the sun more than 20 times since then. The Christmas Eve flyby will be the first of three final flybys planned for the mission. The spacecraft is named after Eugene Parker, the pioneering astrophysicist at the University of Chicago who first theorized the existence of the solar wind. Mr. Parker passed away in 2022 at the age of 94.

Last month, the spacecraft flew near Venus in a maneuver intended to slingshot its way to the sun. The upcoming approach was timed to coincide with the sun’s most active period in its 11-year cycle. This busy phase is typically characterized by a flurry of solar storms and high magnetic activity and is known as solar maximum.

Scientists like Kolek are hoping the Parker Solar Probe will have a front-row seat if a storm hits the sun’s surface on Christmas Eve.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Stephen Hawking’s closest collaborator explains his final theory: The Universe as a hologram

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In 1998, Stephen Hawking accepted me as a doctoral student to “work on the quantum theory of the Big Bang.” This PhD project turned into a close collaboration that lasted almost 20 years, ending with his passing on March 14, 2018, five years ago. .

Our research focused on the mystery of how the Big Bang created conditions conducive to life. The intention behind this mysterious occurrence puzzled us.

These questions pushed the boundaries of physics, a realm Hawking enjoyed exploring. He was motivated by the possibility of unraveling the mysteries surrounding the universe’s design.

Our joint scientific endeavors brought us closer as collaborators. His determination and optimism towards solving cosmic mysteries were inspiring and influential.

He made us feel like we were crafting our own creation narrative, a shared journey we embarked on.

The concept of time initiating with the Big Bang was initially proposed by Georges Lemaître, which Einstein initially dismissed. Eventually, Hawking and Roger Penrose validated Lemaître’s theory.

The inception of time has remained a fundamental aspect of Big Bang cosmology, posing questions about its existence.

Hawking’s final theory on the Big Bang proposes a unique and bold perspective: the universe as a holographic projection.

His visualization of this idea involved a disc-shaped image, resembling the one depicted above. The holographic past cannot extend beyond the Big Bang.

Our theory points to the Big Bang as the origin of time, shedding light on the universe’s design mystery from a different angle.

Dr. Thomas Hertog, a Belgian cosmologist at the University of Leuven, is the author of the upcoming book “About ‘The Origin of Time’: Stephen Hawking’s final episode theory,” releasing on April 4, 2023. You can pre-order it at Penguin and Amazon UK.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com