Tag Archives: milestone

Vera C. Rubin Observatory Uncovers Over 11,000 New Asteroids: A Milestone Discovery

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Astronomers at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory have identified over 11,000 new asteroids, including hundreds of trans-Neptunian objects and 33 previously unknown near-Earth asteroids (NEOs).

A model of the solar system highlighting asteroids discovered by Rubin in bright blue-green, while known asteroids appear in dark blue. Image credits: NSF / DOE / Vera C. Rubin Observatory / NOIRLab / SLAC / AURA / R. Proctor / NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Science Visualization Studio / ESA / Gaia / DPAC / M. Zamani, NSF’s NOIRLab.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has compiled a groundbreaking dataset featuring nearly 1 million observations of over 11,000 newly discovered asteroids along with more than 80,000 known asteroids collected over a short period of six weeks.

This data has been submitted to the Minor Planet Center (MPC) as the observatory gears up for future discoveries.

Dr. Mario Juric, Rubin Solar System Principal Scientist and astronomer at the University of Washington, remarked, “This initial major submission following the Rubin First Look is just the beginning, demonstrating that the observatory is fully operational.”

“What once took years or even decades to discover, Rubin will unveil in mere months,” he added.

“We are on the path to fulfilling Rubin’s mission to revolutionize our understanding of the solar system and pave the way for groundbreaking discoveries yet to be anticipated.”

The newly cataloged objects include 33 previously unknown near-Earth objects (NEOs), which are classified as small asteroids or comets that come within 1.3 times the Earth-Sun distance.

Importantly, none of the newly found NEOs present any threat to Earth, with the largest measuring approximately 500 meters across.

This dataset also contains around 380 trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), which are icy bodies orbiting far beyond Neptune.

Among these TNOs, two (tentatively designated 2025 LS2 and 2025 MX348) were observed in extensive and elongated orbits.

At their furthest points, these objects are nearly 1,000 times further from the Sun than Earth, ranking them among the 30 most distant known asteroids.

Dr. Matthew Holman, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, explained, “Searching for TNOs resembles looking for a needle in a haystack. We required innovative algorithms to assist computers in sifting through billions of combinations from millions of flickering light sources in the night sky to identify potential distant worlds in our solar system.”

“Such discoveries provide exciting insights into the outermost realms of the solar system, including how planets migrated during the early solar system’s formation and the lingering possibility of a still undiscovered ninth large planet,” Dr. Kevin Napier, also from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, added.

Source: www.sci.news

First Fluorescent Ruby-Like Gemstone Discovered on Mars: A Milestone in Martian Geology

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NASA's Perseverance rover exploring Mars

NASA’s Perseverance rover is on a gem hunt

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

The Perseverance rover has uncovered a precious gemstone among the rocky terrain of Mars. These intriguing gemstone grains are primarily composed of corundum and may be classified as rubies or sapphires based on their specific metal content.

Ann Orilla and her team at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico first detected traces of corundum using the Perseverance rover’s SuperCam instrument while analyzing a rock formation known as Hampden River. The SuperCam employs various techniques—including two lasers—to ignite the rock’s surface and capture emitted light with dual cameras, confirming the presence of corundum grains matching laboratory ruby measurements.

As the rover traversed Jezero Crater, leaving Hampden River behind, researchers also discovered a pebble named Coffee Cove, which exhibited similar corundum characteristics. Another rock, Smith Harbor, displayed the same mineral presence. Orilla shared these exciting findings at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held in Texas on March 16.

These gemstones are unprecedented on Mars and likely did not form as they do on Earth. “Corundum on Earth is typically associated with tectonic activity. This requires specific conditions—low silica and high aluminum content,” Orilla explained. Mars lacks plate tectonics, making the discovery of corundum there particularly surprising. Researchers suggest that Martian corundum likely formed from a meteorite impact that heated and compressed the surrounding dust.

Alan Treiman, a conference participant not affiliated with Orilla’s team, remarked, “I was quite surprised. However, there are aluminum-rich formations on Earth resulting from meteorite impacts.” The findings definitely sparked curiosity and further inquiries.

These corundum grains are extremely tiny—less than 0.2 millimeters in diameter—making visual identification of their type, ruby or sapphire, impossible through images alone.

“I wish I could collect one of these grains for analysis to determine if it’s red. It’s somewhat disappointing to only see this white pebble,” Orilla expressed. Nevertheless, shining the SuperCam laser on it revealed a brilliant glow.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

First all-female spaceflight milestone accomplished by Blue Origin

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Women are often underestimated in the aerospace industry globally, despite their frequent journeys beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Since Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983, over 100 individuals have ventured into space. The concept of an all-female spaceflight organized by NASA could symbolize the culmination of years of investment in female astronauts, showcasing their capabilities and achievements. (In 2019, NASA faced criticism for lacking enough suits to accommodate all women astronauts during a planned mission.) Blue Origin’s all-women spaceflight has provided several women with the opportunity to build social capital and connect with individuals like Lauren Sanchez.

Blue Origin, among other private space flight companies like Virgin Galactic, Space Adventures, and SpaceX, introduced the New Shepard Rocket with a crew of six women, none of whom had technical roles on the flight. While two participants had previous aerospace experience, Sanchez curated the crew based on their storytelling abilities to share their experiences through various media platforms like journalism, film, and music. Value in this mission lies in embracing amateurism, offering a fresh perspective compared to the traditional image of astronauts as white male military test pilots. This shift in astronaut representation signifies progress towards a more inclusive and diverse space exploration community.

Sanchez’s initiative to collaborate with fashion designers for the crew’s mission suits served as a branding opportunity, further enhancing their public image. Flight souvenirs available on Blue Origin’s website featured a unique Yassified Shuttle Patch Design, incorporating personalized elements for each crew member. Each woman had the chance to utilize the 4 minutes of weightlessness during the flight for individual activities tailored to their interests, demonstrating a blend of personal passions and scientific curiosity. The mission aimed to inspire young girls by showing that they can pursue their dreams, whether it be in rocket science, entertainment, journalism, or beyond, while also highlighting the importance of family and support networks back on Earth.

The mission’s narrative resonates with the message of empowerment and ambition, emphasizing that individuals, especially women, can aspire to varied career paths and accomplishments. The story echoes the advice from Cheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In,” encouraging women to seize opportunities and pursue their goals without hesitation. The analogy of a rocket ship seat reflects the idea of embracing challenges and taking risks to gain proximity to power and success, ultimately symbolizing the limitless potential of individuals to achieve their aspirations.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Gaia Announces Most Detailed Map of Milky Way to Date, Achieves Skyscan Milestone in Mission

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Released on December 19, 2013, ESA's star mapping satellite “Gaia” We are now nearing the sky, but this does not mean the mission is complete. Technical tests are scheduled in the weeks before Gaia moves into its “retirement” orbit, with two major data releases scheduled for around 2026 and the end of the century, respectively.

An artist's impression of the Milky Way galaxy based on data from ESA's Gaia Space Telescope. Image credit: ESA / Gaia / DPAC / Stefan Payne-Wardenaar.

ESA Director of Science Carol Mandel said: “Today, as the science observations conclude, we celebrate this amazing mission that has exceeded all our expectations, extending almost twice its original predicted lifetime.” said.

“The treasure trove of data collected by Gaia has given us unique insight into the origin and evolution of the Milky Way galaxy, and has also provided insight into astrophysics and the solar system in ways we still don't fully understand. It transformed science.”

“Gaia is built on Europe’s unique excellence in astronomical measurements and will leave a lasting legacy for future generations.”

“After 11 years in space, surviving micrometeorite impacts and solar storms along the way, Gaia has completed collecting scientific data,” said Gaia project scientist Johannes Sahlmann.

“All eyes are now on preparing for the next data release.”

“We are excited to carry out this incredible mission and are excited about the discoveries that await us.”

An annotated artist's impression of the Milky Way galaxy, based on data from ESA's Gaia Space Telescope. Image credit: ESA / Gaia / DPAC / Stefan Payne-Wardenaar.

Gaia has used the three instruments many times over the course of its mission to observe and chart the stars' positions, distances, movements, changes in brightness, compositions, and numerous other characteristics.

This will allow Gaia to achieve its primary goal of building the largest and most accurate map of the Milky Way, displaying our home galaxy like no other mission has been able to achieve to date. is completed.

“Gaia has changed our impression of the Milky Way, so it contains major changes from previous models,” said Stefan Payne Waldenaar, a science visualizer at the House of Astronomy and the IAU Directorate of Astronomy Education. said.

“Even basic ideas such as the rotation of the galaxy's central bar, the distortion of the disk, the detailed structure of the spiral arms, and the interstellar dust near the sun have been revised.”

“Still, we are still speculating about the distant parts of the Milky Way based on incomplete data.”

“As more Gaia data is released, our view of the Milky Way will become even more accurate.”

Gaia's science and engineering teams are already hard at work preparing for Gaia Data Release 4 (DR4), scheduled for 2026.

The amount and quality of data is increasing with each release, and Gaia DR4, with an expected 500 TB data product, is no exception.

Additionally, it will cover the first 5.5 years of the mission, which is the length of the mission as originally planned.

“This is the release of Gaia that the community has been waiting for, but it's exciting considering it only covers half of the data collected,” said Dr. Antonella Valenari, an astronomer at the National Institute of Astronomical Sciences. Ta.

“Although the mission is currently suspending data collection, it will be business as usual for many years to come as we continue to make these impressive datasets available.”

Over the past decade, Gaia has accumulated more than 3 trillion observations of nearly 2 billion stars and other astronomical objects, revolutionizing the way we see our home galaxy and neighboring universe, and advancing its mission. You have completed the empty scan stage. Image credit: ESA / Gaia / DPAC / Stefan Payne-Wardenaar.

After several weeks of testing, Gaia will leave its current orbit around Lagrangian Point 2, 1.5 million km from Earth, away from the Sun and be placed into a final heliocentric orbit far from Earth's sphere of influence. .

The spacecraft is scheduled to be passivated on March 27, 2025 to avoid harm or interference with other spacecraft.

During the technical test, Gaia's orientation is changed, temporarily making it several orders of magnitude brighter and making it much easier to observe with small telescopes.

Gaia mission manager Uwe Lammers said: “Gaia will shine among the stars before her sad retirement and will treat us with this final gift to bid her farewell.”

“This is a moment to celebrate this transformative mission and to thank all the teams who have worked hard for more than a decade to operate Gaia, plan observations, and ensure the smooth return of valuable data to Earth.”

Source: www.sci.news

“Bitcoin Dogs Set New Milestone as First ICO on Bitcoin Blockchain” – Blockchain News, Opinion, TV, Jobs

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London, UK, February 9, 2024, Chainwire

Bitcoin Dogs is set to become part of cryptocurrency history as the first ICO on the Bitcoin blockchain, launching on February 14, 2024.

The presale of the native token $0DOG will only last for 30 days and will end on March 15, 2024, at which point it will be available for trading.

The $0DOG coin comes with an immersive Metaverse GameFi experience and an NFT collection, both of which are exclusively available to token holders.

The sale will start from stage 1 with a price of $0.015 per token, after which the price will automatically increase every 72 hours. In the final stage of the presale, each $0DOG token will be sold for $0.0404, representing a price difference of 169.33% compared to early stage buyers.

The project begins a challenge Bitcoin Catswhich was also launched on the Bitcoin blockchain seven weeks ago, currently has a market capitalization of $24 million and daily trading volume of over $7 million.

Using the paradigm-shifting Ordinals protocol, players store their NFTs on the Bitcoin BRC-20 blockchain, providing a new level of security and trust when playing against competitors. Solana and Ethereum.

Press the foot button: Inside the Bitcoin Dogs game

Bitcoin Dogs allows users to raise, trade, and race pets in a Play-to-Ear (P2E) environment, drawing heavily on experiences like Tamagotchi and Axie Infinity.

In this game, players are asked to take care of dogs in order to level up. The in-game token BARK powers this process. These can be earned by sharing your activities on social media. This is a mechanism designed to bring new players on board.

Once your dog matures, you will start earning $0DOG. This is her BRC-20 presale token, which players can ultimately hold, sell, or stake. Dog owners can race for each other's $0DOG stash, creating a financial incentive for players to move up the leaderboard.

You can also stake $0DOG tokens to maximize your rewards. Pre-sale stakers will unlock her APR of 75% when they lock their tokens.

Retro game graphics bring the world of Bitcoin Dogs to life, and the dogs will be stored on the blockchain as 10,000 individual NFTs of varying rarity levels. This ecosystem is given an additional layer of interactivity with NFT owners having the option to buy, sell, and even breed their own dogs, creating a vibrant marketplace where dog lovers can interact with each other.

These NFTs are minted on the Bitcoin blockchain using the state-of-the-art Ordinals protocol, so there is something for multiple investor groups. Bitcoin maximalists can enjoy NFTs without leaving the BTC ecosystem, and experienced collectors can become early investors in the latest niche of the NFT market.

The future path for Bitcoin dogs

Bitcoin Dogs ICO is the easiest way to purchase $0DOG tokens. 90% of the total supply of 900 million will be available during the presale, and unsold tokens (stray dogs) will be “burned” to create deflationary pressure.

After the pre-sale, $0DOG will be available for trading on the secondary market. Then, in Q2, the Bitcoin Dogs NFT collection and the Bitcoin Dogs game beta will arrive.

The game continues to be developed with new P2E partnerships and is expected to be officially released in Q3. Contests and events will strengthen the project's marketing efforts, and a cross-chain bridge will also go live, bringing Bitcoin Dog to its largest audience to date.

The timing couldn’t be better for $0DOG

As many experts predict this is the perfect time for the Bitcoin dog to strike. The NFT boom is back. This is further exacerbated by various bull market indicators. Additionally, given the success of first-generation projects like Bitcoin Cats last year, the team expects Bitcoin Dogs to be great and have a vibrant community.

Bitcoin itself is off to a positive start heading into 2024 and looks set to continue. Bitcoin ETF was approved in January, Next halving is in April is coming. Bitcoin Dogs is looking to ride this wave as its roadmap is revealed throughout the year.

As the first ICO on the Bitcoin blockchain, NFTs, BRC-20 tokens, and Considering cross-chain interoperability, this project and its $0DOG token are a rare advancement in the cryptocurrency space.

About Bitcoin Dog

Bitcoin Dogs is breaking new ground in the Bitcoin ecosystem. For the first time ever, NFTs, gaming, and a new type of token come together to deliver the first ICO on the original Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin's true permissionless immutability has been leveraged to create the $0DOG token, with play-to-earn (P2E) gaming experiences and NFT collections developed exclusively for $0DOG holders.

$0DOG token is BitcoinDogs.club website February 14, 2024, 11:00 AM (GMT).

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The source of this content is Bitcoin Dogs. This press release is for informational purposes only. This information does not constitute investment advice or investment recommendations. Investing in cryptocurrencies can be volatile and risky.

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marketing@bitcoindogs.club

Source: the-blockchain.com