Dead Planets Society is a podcast that explores wild ideas for manipulating the universe and tests their impact on the laws of physics, from splitting the moon to triggering doomsday events with gravitational waves. apple, Spotify Or visit our podcast page.
The thrilling adventure begins: In the season finale of Dead Planets Society, hosts Chelsea Whyte and Leah Crane propel Earth on a cosmic journey through our solar system.
Of course, sending Earth into space without its home planet would result in a dark, frigid voyage that would extinguish all life on Earth. And without anyone to witness the wonders of the universe, the journey would be meaningless. That’s why we need to bring the Sun along. The other planets are just a bonus.
Naturally, relocating the Sun is a monumental task, especially in terms of maintaining the orbits of the planets around it. This is where astrophysicists Jay Farihi and researchers from University College London come to the rescue in the episode.
One proposed solution is to construct a colossal warp drive, a self-contained space-time bubble that moves by distorting the space ahead of it. However, these theoretical devices are known for potentially enabling faster-than-light travel, and the key to keeping all planets tethered to the Sun is moving at a slow pace. Unfortunately, we have yet to figure out how to build such a device.
Another idea involves placing a black hole just ahead of the Sun to give it a slight boost – the black hole would then need to move along with the Sun, or alternatively, a series of black holes could traverse the Solar System in a cosmic relay race.
While these notions may seem far-fetched, there are more plausible concepts – though still improbable – such as deploying giant solar sails or inserting an unbreakable tube into the Sun to release high-pressure plasma jets.
The universe offers countless destinations that our hosts would love to explore with our now navigable solar system, ranging from star clusters to nebulae to supermassive black holes – all it requires is a few technological breakthroughs to make it a reality.
Beyond eating floating food and introducing curious Earthlings to vacuum toilets, the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) have some serious work to do as their time on the ISS nears its end.
Since the space station opened, astronauts have conducted more than 3,000 experiments in the microgravity and high radiation of low Earth orbit. Experiments range from making sure fertility levels remain unchanged (in mice, not in the crew) to testing the feasibility of using lunar soil to make concrete that will help build a future lunar base. Here are four of the most impressive aspects of ISS research.
Artificial retina
Millions of people suffer from a degenerative disease that affects the retina (the layer of light-sensitive cells at the back of the eye), and there is no cure, only treatments that slow its progression. But implants that mimic the function of the retina could be a solution, and US-based company Lambda Vision has successfully produced them by depositing layer after layer of a light-activated protein called bacteriorhodopsin. On Earth, solutions of bacteriorhodopsin tended to clot and deposit poorly, but much better results were achieved earlier this decade. In microgravity on the International Space Station Lambda Vision is currently seeking to scale up manufacturing of its artificial retinas in space, claiming that these are among the first technologies with potential clinical use to be evaluated on the ISS.
Invisible Flame
When you light a match, the wood burns and reacts with oxygen to produce heat, light, and other substances such as carbon…
Astronomers used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to capture this image of the barred spiral galaxy LEDA 857074.
This Hubble image shows the barred spiral galaxy LEDA 857074. The color image was created from observations in the near-infrared part of the spectrum with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). Four filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Color is produced by assigning a different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image courtesy of NASA / ESA / Hubble / RJ Foley.
LEDA857074 It is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Eridanus.
“Hubble has observed a wide range of celestial objects, from galaxies, nebulae and star clusters to planets in our solar system and beyond,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“Observing programs typically aim to collect data that will enable astronomers to answer specific questions.”
“Naturally, this means that most of the planned observations will be directed at objects that astronomers have already studied.”
“Some are well-known, such as the Crab Nebula and the globular cluster Omega Centauri, while others, such as the Spider Galaxy and NGC 4753, are less well known to the public but have been featured in hundreds of scientific papers.”
“This galaxy is not like that: LEDA 857074 has been named in fewer than five papers, one of which is the Lyon-Meudon extragalactic database itself.”
“Apart from its location, virtually no data has been recorded about this object. It has never been studied since it was discovered. So why did it attract the attention of the legendary Hubble telescope?”
In 2022, an automated survey observed a supernova event in LEDA 857074 called SN 2022ADQZ.
“Although astronomers have catalogued millions of galaxies and tens of thousands of supernovae are detected annually today, the probability of discovery in any particular galaxy is low,” the researchers said.
“We don’t know how actively LEDA 857074 is forming stars, and therefore how frequently it will undergo supernova explosions.”
“The spotlight from this supernova made this galaxy an unexpected and lucky target for Hubble!”
“This object joins the ranks of many other well-known celestial objects thanks to its unique imaging by the Hubble Space Telescope.”
Their ambitious mission was initially planned for just one week, but now, after 56 days on the International Space Station, the two NASA astronauts remain in orbit, awaiting a safe return journey in the Boeing spacecraft.
The troubled Starliner capsule is facing issues with its propulsion system, including a leak in its helium and failure of five thrusters. Despite the leak being detected before launch, mission managers believed it wouldn’t impact the safety of the astronauts or the flight.
Over the weekend, NASA and Boeing engineers conducted a crucial “hot fire test” of the Starliner, which is set to carry veteran astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore on its first crewed flight on June 5.
The test involved firing 27 of the capsule’s 28 jets in less than 1.2 seconds while evaluating their performance and checking for helium leaks. Preliminary results from the test were positive.
In a blog post published by NASA on Tuesday, it was stated that all thrusters performed well during the test.
NASA confirmed that the propulsion system of the Starliner remains stable, and the helium leak rate is not significant enough to endanger the return to Earth. The agency plans to recheck the system before the capsule separates from the space station.
A high-temperature burn test was also conducted with astronauts Wilmore and Williams inside the Starliner capsule as part of preparations for the return journey. The thrusters play a vital role in maneuvering the spacecraft during docking and undocking from the space station.
Overall, the progress made during the hot fire test is a positive sign for the upcoming crewed flight of the Starliner and the safe return of the astronauts.
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have obtained stunning new images of the dwarf elliptical galaxy IC 3430.
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows the dwarf galaxy IC 3430, located about 45 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. The color image includes both visible and near-infrared observations by the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The image is based on data obtained through two filters. The colors are obtained by assigning a different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / M. Sun.
IC3430 It is located in the constellation Virgo, about 45 million light years from Earth.
This dwarf galaxy discovered It was discovered on February 15, 1900 by German astronomer Arnold Schwassmann.
Also known as LEDA 41294, UGC 7643, and VCC 1273, it is just 25,000 light-years in diameter.
The IC 3430 is Virgo star cluster is rich in galaxies of all sizes, many of which are very similar in type to this dwarf galaxy.
“IC 3430 is a dwarf galaxy, well reflected in this Hubble Space Telescope image, more accurately known as a dwarf elliptical galaxy, or dE galaxy,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“Like its larger cousins, this galaxy has a smooth oval shape with no visible arm or bar features, and it lacks gas to form many new stars.”
“Intriguingly, IC 3430 contains a hot, massive, blue stellar core, a rare phenomenon in elliptical galaxies, indicating recent star formation activity.”
“We believe that shock pressure from a galaxy punching through the gas in the Virgo Cluster ignited remaining gas in IC 3430's core, forming several new stars.”
“Dwarf galaxies are actually galaxies with a small number of stars, typically fewer than a billion, but still often enough to replicate the same shapes as larger galaxies on a smaller scale,” the astronomers said.
“There are dwarf elliptical galaxies like IC 3430, dwarf irregular galaxies, dwarf spheroidal galaxies, and even dwarf spiral galaxies.”
“The so-called Magellanic spiral galaxies are also a type of dwarf galaxy, the best example of which is the well-known dwarf galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds.”
Gamma-ray bursts occur when massive stars collapse or collide.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/ A. Simonett, Sonoma State University
The most powerful explosion astronomers have ever seen contains a mysterious signal they thought couldn't exist. The signal provides the first detailed look inside a gamma-ray burst and suggests it involves the annihilation of matter and antimatter.
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful outbursts of radiation in the universe, produced by cosmic explosions and collisions. Physicists believe that the most energetic GRBs are produced when a star collapses to form a black hole. The black hole produces a jet of material traveling close to the speed of light, penetrating the collapsing star and emitting an explosion of radiation that can be observed on Earth. However, we still don't know how this radiation is produced or what is contained in the jet.
Much of this mystery arises from the spectrum of light we can see: while the light observed from other objects in the universe contains characteristic spikes that tell us about the specific atoms or other matter that produced this burst of energy, the spectrum of light from a gamma ray burst is always smooth and featureless.
In the 1990s, researchers became excited about the possibility that some GRBs might show distinct lines, but careful analysis showed that these were statistical errors and concluded that GRB spectra could not possibly be spike-like.
now, Maria Ravasio Researchers from Radboud University in the Netherlands and their colleagues have discovered that GRB221009A, discovered in 2022 and dubbed the most luminous explosion since the Big Bang, actually has an energy peak of about 10 megaelectronvolts.
“When I first saw the lines, I thought we'd done something wrong,” Ravasio says. But after detailed statistical analysis and ruling out any instrument problems, Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope Ravasio and his colleagues concluded that the spectral spike was real: “When I realized it wasn't a false alarm, I got goosebumps because I realized something big had happened.”
Nearly all GRBs exhibit a similar energy distribution, so astronomers analyze new GRB detections using the data analysis method that best suits this pattern. But Ravasio and her team instead used a method that allows for peaks, and found that this fit the data better. “That part of the GRB spectrum has been the same for years, and no one had looked at it,” Ravasio says. [GRB221009A] We can now look at that part of the spectrum better.”
This peak points to a specific physical process behind GRBs that is missing from the best models of GRBs.
To zero in on what this could be, Ravasio and his colleagues worked under the assumption that because the jet's energy was so high, there were no intact atoms in it. This left one plausible explanation: the annihilation of an electron and its antimatter counterpart, a positron. Such an annihilation produces gamma rays with a distinct peak at 511 kiloelectron volts. “This already tells us the composition of the jet, which is something we haven't understood since the first GRB,” Ravasio says.
The higher 10 MeV peak that the researchers observed was due to a shift in the energy spectrum caused by the high-speed jet producing the radiation, similar to how the siren of an approaching ambulance sounds higher-pitched.
This difference allowed them to calculate the speed of the jet that produced the burst, which was traveling at 99.99 percent of the speed of light.
The discovery of GRBs with their distinctive lines is “one of the biggest surprises in our field in more than a decade,” he said. Eric Burns At Louisiana State University.
Barnes, who helped analyze the original data that led to the discovery of GRB221009A, was presenting his results at a conference with his colleagues when he heard about Ravasio's findings. “Nobody thought the paper was right,” Barnes says. “We read the title and all thought, 'This is wrong. It can't be right.'”
But the analysis conducted by Ravasio and his colleagues appears to be correct, he says. “It's pretty surprising, because we were so sure that gamma-ray bursts don't have lines, that we didn't look for this, and so we missed this completely,” Burns says.
Other GRBs may have similar spectral peaks and be worth searching for, but the peak was only observed because it came from the most luminous GRB on record, Burns said.
The muscle cells briefly stayed with astronauts on the International Space Station
Shutterstock / Artsiom P
After a week in the microgravity of space, muscle cells age and their gene activity becomes similar to that of cells that have aged for years on Earth, a finding that may explain why muscle function is impaired during space travel.
We know that astronauts are at risk of losing bone density and muscle mass due to the extremely low gravity of space. Gun Fan Researchers from Stanford University in California and their colleagues analyzed the effects of microgravity on the genetics of muscle cells.
In celebration of our 25th anniversary NASA’s Chandra X-ray ObservatoryThe Chandra team has released 25 new images of cosmic objects and phenomena.
This collection of images was released to celebrate Chandra’s 25th anniversary. Image credit: NASA/CXC/SAO.
On July 23, 1999, the Space Shuttle Columbia launched into orbit carrying Chandra, the heaviest payload carried by the shuttle at the time.
Under the command of Commander Eileen Collins, the astronauts aboard Columbia successfully placed Chandra into a highly elliptical orbit roughly equivalent to one-third the distance to the Moon.
“For a quarter century, Chandra has made one amazing discovery after another,” said Dr. Pat Slane, director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center.
“Astronomers have used Chandra to explore mysteries that were unknown when the telescope was built, including exoplanets and dark energy.”
“Chandra is a great success story for humanity and its pursuit of knowledge,” said Dr. Andrew Schnell, acting Chandra project manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
“The telescope’s incredible achievements have been made possible through the hard work and dedication of the team.”
The new series of images is a sample of the roughly 25,000 observations Chandra has taken during its quarter-century in space.
In 1976, Riccardo Giacconi and Harvey Tananbaum first proposed the mission that would become Chandra to NASA.
Eventually, Chandra was selected as one of NASA’s great observatories, along with the Hubble Space Telescope, the now-retired Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope, each observing a different kind of light.
In 2002, Giacconi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his pioneering contributions to astrophysics that led to the discovery of cosmic X-ray sources and laid the foundation for the development and launch of Chandra.
Today, astronomers continue to use Chandra data in conjunction with other powerful telescopes, including the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope and NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE).
“On behalf of the STS-93 crew, we are incredibly proud of the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the talented team that built and launched this astronomical gem,” said Eileen Collins, commander of Space Shuttle Columbia, which launched Chandra into space in 1999.
“Chandra’s discoveries have continued to amaze and inspire us for the past 25 years.”
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This article is a version of a press release provided by NASA.
To prevent a fate similar to the dinosaurs, The European Space Agency (ESA) has initiated work on a groundbreaking planetary defense mission known as the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Security (RAMSES).
RAMSES is designed to rendezvous with 99942 Apophis, an asteroid the size of a cruise ship, and accompany it as it approaches Earth in April 2029.
Apophis, with a diameter of about 375 meters, will pass within 32,000 kilometers of Earth’s surface on April 13, 2029. This rare event will be visible to the naked eye in parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia, attracting global attention. An asteroid of this size only comes this close once every 5,000 to 10,000 years.
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Astronomers believe that Apophis is unlikely to collide with Earth in the next 100 years, but the 2029 flyby will provide scientists with a unique opportunity to observe a close encounter.
The ESA’s Ramses spacecraft is set to reach Apophis two months before the closest approach, allowing monitoring of any physical changes to the asteroid caused by Earth’s gravity.
Ramses is scheduled to launch in April 2028 and arrive at Apophis by February 2029. The mission aims to observe and study how Earth’s gravity affects Apophis, potential landslides, and any new material beneath the asteroid’s surface.
Patrick MichelGerry McClellan, CNRS Director of Research at the Observatory of the Côte d’Azur, emphasized the significance of the mission, stating: “There is much we still don’t know about asteroids, but now, nature is bringing one to us to conduct the experiment itself. All we need to do is watch as Apophis is stretched and compressed by powerful tidal forces.”
Ramses will utilize a variety of scientific instruments to comprehensively study Apophis, analyzing its shape, surface, orbit, rotation, and more.
The collected data will be closely examined by scientists to understand the asteroid’s composition, structure, and how to deflect potentially hazardous asteroids in the future.
Experts predict that Earth’s tidal forces could alter the asteroid’s rotation, potentially causing earthquakes and landslides. They hope that Ramses’ flyby will offer detailed observations of how Apophis is affected by the close encounter.
Additionally, NASA is redirecting its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft (now renamed OSIRIS-APEX) towards Apophis, set to arrive about a month after the 2029 flyby.
OSIRIS-REx was the first US mission to collect samples from an asteroid, returning material from Bennu to Earth in September 2023. After successfully delivering the sample, the spacecraft was renamed OSIRIS-APEX for its new mission to explore Apophis.
“Ramses will demonstrate humanity’s capability to deploy a reconnaissance mission to rendezvous with an approaching asteroid in just a few years,” said Richard Moisle, head of ESA’s Planetary Defence Division.
A decision on the full implementation of Ramses will be made at ESA’s Ministerial Council meeting in November 2025. If approved, Ramses will not only enhance knowledge of asteroid deflection but also provide valuable scientific insights into the solar system’s formation and evolution.
Astronomers have released a beautiful photo of the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 5238 taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 5238, 14.5 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici. The color image is composed of observations in the near-infrared and visible portions of the spectrum by the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). Two filters were used to sample different wavelengths. The colors are achieved by assigning a different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image courtesy of NASA / ESA / Hubble / F. Annibali.
NGC 5238 It is located in the constellation Canes Venatici, about 14.5 million light years from Earth.
Also known as Mrk 1479 or UGC 8565, the galaxy resembles an outsized star cluster rather than a galaxy due to its unremarkable, blob-like appearance.
“NGC 5238 is theorized to have had a close encounter with another galaxy recently, within the last billion years,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“The evidence for this is the tidal distortion of NGC 5238's shape, caused by the two galaxies interacting and tugging on each other.”
“Since there are no nearby galaxies that could have caused this disruption, it is hypothesized that the culprit is a small satellite galaxy that has been swallowed by NGC 5238.”
“By studying the stars of NGC 5238 closely, we may be able to find traces of an earlier galaxy. The Hubble Space Telescope gives astronomers the perfect tool for this purpose.”
“Two telltale signs are groups of stars with properties that seem out of place compared to most other stars in the galaxy, indicating that they originally formed in another galaxy; or stars that appear to have formed suddenly, almost simultaneously, occurring during the merger of galaxies.”
“Despite their small size and inconspicuous appearance, dwarf galaxies like NGC 5238 are not uncommon in advancing our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution,” the astronomers said.
“One of the leading theories about the evolution of galaxies is that they formed hierarchically, 'bottom-up'. Star clusters and small galaxies first formed from gas and dark matter, which then gradually gathered together through gravity into clusters and superclusters, explaining the shape of the largest structures in the Universe today.”
“The merger of a dwarf irregular galaxy like NGC 5238 with an even smaller companion galaxy is exactly the type of event that could have initiated the process of galaxy formation in the early universe.”
“This means that this tiny galaxy could help test some of the most fundamental predictions in astrophysics.”
More than 3,500 photos were submitted for the award, and Karina Leterrier Baeza's photo was among the 30 finalists. Arctic DragonThis photo taken at Arctic Henge in Iceland shows the aurora borealis, the result of a geomagnetic storm caused by a coronal mass ejection, resembling a rearing dragon.
The final candidates are The cry of a dying star (Below), photo by Jan Sainty. The “star” in question is actually the remnant of a supernova explosion, when a star dies and explodes, releasing a tremendous amount of light and energy. This explosion occurred about 10,000 years ago.
Sainty combined clear skies and a long exposure in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco to capture rarely seen details of this glowing remnant, called Cygnus Loop, named after the famous painting. scream Sainti said the painting symbolizes Edvard Munch's “The Scream,” but also the “scream” that reverberates through the universe after a star dies.
Below is a stunning photo of the sun's corona (the outermost layer of the atmosphere) over the Himalayan mountain ranges, taken by Geshuang Chen near the Tibetan city of Shigatse. Normally hidden by the brightness of the sun's surface, the corona can be glimpsed here because thin clouds are diffracting sunlight, producing a vibrant array of rainbow colors. Chen calls this image the “solar corona.” Himalayan Palette.
The winner of the competition, run by the Royal Observatory, will be announced on September 12th. The winning submission, along with the finalists' works, will be displayed in an exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in London from September 14th.
Astronauts on spacewalks may soon be able to drink their own urine, thanks to a water filtration and recycling system that could be ready in time for NASA's upcoming manned missions to the moon.
Urine and sweat wastewater is already recycled on the International Space Station, but the bulky equipment required to do so doesn't fit in a space suit. NASA's current solution is the Maximum Absorbency Garment, which, despite its technical name, is essentially just an adult diaper for collecting urine and feces. At the end of the spacewalk, these diapers are sent to the ISS's waste system and eventually burned in Earth's atmosphere, a frustrating waste of resources.
Chris Mason A researcher from Cornell University in New York says that current solutions are sufficient for spacewalks, which often last only a few hours, but that increased activity in space will require better solutions. He and his colleagues have developed a shoebox-sized, 8-kilogram device that can recycle urine collected through a unisex external catheter through a two-stage osmotic membrane filter with 87 percent efficiency.
The purified water is ready to drink and can be piped to a bag inside the spacesuit, which has the added benefit of providing a steady supply of drinking water. Current NASA spacesuits only provide a little less than a liter of drinking water, which is often not enough for long spacewalks. The remaining 13 percent of the water cannot be extracted and remains in the filter.
“I thought this had already been done, but it hasn't,” Mason said. “People who push the boundaries of humanity often trade discomfort for the opportunity to explore entirely new areas of science and medicine.”
The filtration technology is the same one already used on the ISS; however, unlike ISS wastewater, urine does not contain soap or chemicals, so it is easier to extract water from it, the team says. Extracting water from feces is not yet “fully solved,” but this is not as big a constraint, since astronauts often insist on just holding in their bowels during spacewalks, Mason says.
While many of NASA's current spacesuits have worked so far, change is needed because future astronauts will likely be more diverse in body shapes and sizes than their predecessors, he said. “The democratization of space brings new opportunities, but it also creates new challenges that we must address.”
Currently, the device is a prototype that is only being tested in a lab, but human trials involving collecting urine, recycling it, and drinking the water are expected to begin by November.
The researchers say the device could be incorporated into new versions of spacesuits planned for NASA's upcoming Artemis missions to the moon. NASA has contracted the private company Axiom Space to build the new suits, but the company declined to answer questions. New ScientistWhen asked how the spacecraft would deal with human waste, NASA declined to comment.
MaAsteroids hurtling at planet-destroying speeds, glowing spheres of hot gas, black holes from which even light cannot escape: outer space can be the stuff of nightmares, but for Celine Veltman, a 28-year-old Dutch game maker who spent her childhood stargazing, it’s the stuff of dreams. She’s channeling this cosmic wonder into a video game with the most ambitious ambition: the creation of a solar system. Rocks collide with each other, chemical reactions occur, and planets and life itself are born in the depths of space.
Curiosmos’s bright, easy-to-follow visuals, more children’s picture book than Terrence Malick, express Veltman’s objectives for the project and its inception: “I want to inspire more people to become as passionate about space as I am,” she says, speaking animatedly of supernovae and protoplanetary disks.
The idea came to Veltman while she was visiting a friend with two young children in 2018. The kids begged the developer for an iPad, so Veltman came up with what she wanted them to play: a “silly” game about astronomy, one that would “make them laugh” while also teaching a lesson about the very building blocks of life.
Speaking to a backdrop of sculptures on shelves in his artist studio in Utrecht, Netherlands, Veltman explains that this whimsical space adventure relies on solid physics and programming from his colleagues Guillaume Pauli and Robin de Paeppe. Curiosmos is a game of interlocking systems that produce unpredictable outcomes: an asteroid blows off parts of the planet to expose a molten core, drifting clouds create the perfect conditions for plant life, and strange, ungainly creatures begin to waddle around. There are touches of 2008’s Spore in this primitive life simulator, but Veltman specifically references the games of renowned designer Keita Takahashi (specifically Noby Noby Boy and Wattam) for working with “goofy, unconventional concepts.”
The task of translating the universe’s almost unfathomably complex secrets into gameplay proved to be a challenge. “Sometimes I almost regret it,” says Veltman, who relied on her instincts about what key information to include, leaving out magnetic fields and including rings of debris. Ultimately, she says with a wry smile, people need to understand that “planets are fragile, and can turn into big piles of dust.”
While the subject matter might evoke a touch of existential dread, Curiosmos is designed to feel good in the player’s hands. “That was a big part of the design,” Veltman says. Hurling asteroids makes satisfying noises, and terrain explodes with satisfying sounds. Veltman, a hobbyist potter, understands the power of touch; even Curiosmos’s transforming planets look like they’re made of clay.
Curiosmos also has personal meaning for Veltman: “During development, I realized I was saddened to be an artist instead of a scientist,” she says. The game is her attempt to ease this tension and “give meaning to science by creating art.”
Veltman hopes it will have the same kind of impact, if not the same scale, as educational YouTube channels. In a nutshell“The astronomy community is a huge part of our lives,” Veltman says. “They’re the foundation of our planet. They’re the cornerstone of our planet’s astronomy.” Veltman is a scientist who translates arcane scientific concepts into videos of “optimistic nihilism” for his 22.5 million subscribers. Curious Moss has a similar energy, seeking to make the universe’s most remote, strange, and unsettling mysteries “accessible to everyone.” Perhaps this, Veltman thinks, could pique the curiosity of many new astronomy enthusiasts.
Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to create a stunningly detailed image of NGC 3810, a spiral galaxy hosting a supernova.
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows NGC 3810, a spiral galaxy about 50 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. The color image is composed of infrared, visible, and ultraviolet observations from both the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instruments. Nine filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Color is achieved by assigning a different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / D. Sand / RJ Foley.
NGC 3810 It is located in the constellation Leo, about 50 million light years from Earth.
Also known as IRAS 11383+1144, LEDA 36243 and UGC 6644, the galaxy has a diameter of 60,000 light years.
NGC 3810 discovered It was discovered on March 15, 1784 by German-born British astronomer William Herschel.
The galaxy belongs to a small group of galaxies called the NGC 3810 group.
The bright central region of NGC 3810 thought Many new stars are forming and outshining the outer regions of the galaxy by a significant amount.
Even more distant galaxies show surprisingly abundant dust clouds along their spiral arms.
Far from the center, hot, young blue stars appear in huge clusters, with bright red giants scattered throughout the arms.
In 2022, a Type Ia supernova event called SN 2022zut was observed in NGC 3810.
“In early 2023, the Hubble Space Telescope will focus on this and several other galaxies to take a closer look at recent Type Ia supernovae,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“These types of supernovae are produced by the explosion of a white dwarf star, and all of them maintain a very stable brightness.”
“This allows us to measure distances. We know how bright a Type Ia supernova is, so we can tell from how faint it appears how far away it is.”
“One uncertainty with this method is that intergalactic dust between Earth and the supernova will block some of the light.”
“How do we know how much of the light reduction is due to distance and how much is due to dust?”
“With the help of Hubble, we have a clever workaround: we can image the same Type Ia supernova in ultraviolet light, which is almost completely blocked by the dust, and in infrared light, which passes through the dust almost unaffected.”
“By carefully recording how much light is transmitted at each wavelength, we can calibrate the relationship between the supernova's brightness and distance, and take dust into account.”
“Hubble can observe both of these wavelengths of light in incredible detail with the same instrument.”
“That makes it the perfect tool for this experiment. In fact, some of the data used to create this beautiful image of NGC 3810 was focused on the SN 2022zut supernova, which you can see as a point of light just below the galactic nucleus.”
The International Space Station (ISS) has been operational since 2000 and is continuously manned by astronauts, orbiting Earth every 90 minutes.
Throughout its operation, the ISS has served as a hub for scientific experiments, space travel research, and international cooperation. Over 280 astronauts from more than 23 countries have visited the space station.
However, as the decade nears its end, the ISS is reaching the end of its functional lifespan, prompting the need to address its future once it’s no longer in use.
Abandoning the craft is not an option due to its size and potential risk to other satellites in orbit. NASA has explored various options, including pushing the ISS higher, but ultimately determined that salvaging parts for historical preservation or technical analysis would be too complex and costly.
Therefore, the only viable solution is to deorbit the ISS. SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, has been awarded an $843 million contract by NASA to develop and deliver a deorbit vehicle for the ISS.
Plans are still being finalized, but the general idea is for the deorbit vehicle to guide the ISS into the atmosphere, where most of it will burn up upon re-entry. Careful considerations will be made to ensure any remaining parts land in uninhabited areas.
With the ISS’s days numbered, the future of space habitation is shifting towards private sector initiatives, such as NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development program and the Lunar Gateway project.
Despite the end of the ISS era, experts like Dr. Darren Baskill emphasize the station’s contributions to science, exploration, and international collaboration, paving the way for future advancements in space.
About our experts
Darren Baskill is an Outreach Officer and Lecturer at the University of Sussex, with a background in astronomy and science outreach.
The trunk, situated at the bottom of the Crew Dragon spacecraft beneath the astronauts’ seating area, typically carries cargo. It is equipped with solar panels for power supply “during flight and while on station,” as mentioned by the astronauts on the SpaceX website.
This part of the spacecraft will detach just before re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Despite expectations of complete incineration in the atmosphere, the discovery of this section and other parts suggests some components may survive the fiery descent.
SpaceX has not yet responded to inquiries for comments.
The debris Klontz found was charred and covered in woven carbon fiber, weighing approximately 90 pounds. Initially, it seemed too cumbersome for one person to handle, raising safety concerns.
“It’s a sight rarely seen by the general public,” said Klontz. “You’ve seen spaceships and such on TV, but witnessing it up close is a different experience.”
Several small pieces have also been discovered in local residents’ gardens in nearby towns, as reported by local news outlets.
“NASA has not reported any structural damage or injuries due to this finding,” stated the agency in an official release.
NASA verified that the debris originated from the fuselage of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule.Glamping Collective
According to NASA, the debris is from SpaceX’s Crew 7 mission, launched on August 26, 2023, and returned after six months of space station operation.
NASA also reported finding sections of a trunk believed to be from a previous SpaceX mission in a farmer’s field in Saskatchewan, Canada, last month.
In another incident, debris from an unmanned SpaceX mission delivering supplies to the space station landed in Saudi Arabia, NASA disclosed.
Instances of wreckage from the Crew Dragon fuselage falling in Colorado last year, as well as a similar occurrence in Australia in 2022, were also noted by NASA.
In March, a metallic space debris fragment (unrelated to SpaceX spacecraft) that collided with a home in Naples, Florida, came from a cargo pallet intentionally released from the International Space Station.
A metal object used to attach batteries for the International Space Station to a cargo pallet crashed into a home in Naples, Florida, on March 8.National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
The Florida family who owns the home is suing NASA, alleging damages and mental stress caused by the incident.
In regards to the lawsuit, NASA’s space operations spokesman Jimi Russell stated via email that “it is not appropriate for NASA to comment on pending litigation.”
While it is common for space agencies and companies to incinerate defunct equipment in the atmosphere, occasional parts do survive re-entry. With most of Earth covered by oceans, the risk of space debris falling in inhabited areas is low, but recent events have raised concerns about potential risks as space launches increase in frequency.
If anyone encounters what they suspect to be SpaceX debris, NASA encourages them to contact SpaceX’s debris hotline at 1-866-623-0234 or recovery@spacex.com.
The Crew Dragon capsule, still attached to its fuselage, is currently docked at the International Space Station and is set to return to Earth with its crew later this summer, according to NASA.
This unusual object was discovered on a mountain trail in North Carolina.Glamping Collective
NASA intends to collaborate with SpaceX to explore “further solutions in understanding the discovered debris.”
“NASA and SpaceX are committed to ensuring the safety of the public, astronauts, and ground crew,” NASA affirmed.
The space junk fragment is currently showcased in a glass case at The Glamping Collective; thus far, neither SpaceX nor NASA has requested its removal, according to Klontz.
“Every time I see it, I’m amazed,” shared Klontz. “To imagine that it was launched from Florida, journeyed into space, returned, and part of it flew over North Carolina is truly incredible.”
We tend to think of space-time as the underlying structure of the universe, but whether it’s truly fundamental, or whether it arises from something much deeper, is a question that keeps physicists up at night. “It’s not a philosophical question to debate over a beer,” physicists say. Marika Taylor “This is something that actually gets built into the calculations that people make,” say researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK.
A great place to start is quantum mechanics, which describes the behavior of elementary particles. One of the core tenets of this notoriously counterintuitive theory is that connections between particles can transcend our usual concepts of space and time. This happens through a phenomenon called quantum entanglement, in which particles can affect each other’s properties even when they’re half a universe apart.
Cosmologists now generally accept that quantum entanglement is intimately connected to the emergence of space. If we know the degree of quantum entanglement between two quantum particles, we can derive the distance between them. When we do this for a network of many particles, a geometry begins to form from which we can call space emerge. In other words, space may emerge from quantum entanglement.
Entanglement and space-time
Furthermore, advances in string theory, a candidate theory of everything, suggest that what happens in the universe can be explained entirely by data held at the exterior, or boundary, of that space — a phenomenon known as holographic duality. Combine this with quantum entanglement and you can build a universe that boasts a spatial fabric of distance and geometry.
Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to create two stunning images of NGC 5253, a dwarf starburst galaxy and a possible blue compact dwarf galaxy.
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows NGC 5253, a blue compact dwarf galaxy about 11 million light-years away in the constellation Centaurus. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / A. Zezas / D. Calzetti.
NGC 5253 It is located in the constellation Centaurus, about 11 million light years from Earth.
This galaxy, also known as ESO 445-4, IRAS 13370-3123, LEDA 48334, and UGCA 369, is discovered It was discovered on March 15, 1787 by German-born British astronomer William Herschel.
The galaxy is thought to be part of the Centaurus A/Messier 83 galaxy group, which also includes the well-known radio galaxy Centaurus A and the spiral galaxy Messier 83.
This Hubble image was taken with the High Resolution Channel (HRC) of Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) showing NGC 5253. Image courtesy of NASA / ESA / Hubble / WD Vacca.
“What was it about this galaxy that fascinated us so much that we studied it intensively for more than a decade using three of the Hubble Space Telescope’s instruments?” the Hubble astronomers said.
“It turns out that Hubble’s capabilities are the focus of several research areas that are essential.”
“Dwarf galaxies are thought to be important for understanding the evolution of stars and galaxies over time because they resemble ancient, distant galaxies.”
“NGC 5253 has been called both a starburst galaxy and a blue compact dwarf. These names refer to the fact that this galaxy is forming a population of bright, massive stars at an exceptional rate.”
“This Hubble Space Telescope image clearly shows the dense nebula that is being consumed to give birth to these stars, making NGC 5253 a laboratory for studying stellar composition, star formation and star clusters all at once.”
“Very high star formation rates are essential for the formation of star clusters, but NGC 5253 goes beyond that. Star formation is so active in a small region of the central core that the galaxy contains more than three superclusters.”
“Superclusters are extremely luminous, dense and massive open clusters that are thought to evolve into globular clusters,” the researchers said.
“Globular clusters themselves provide unique insights into how stars form and evolve, but their origins are poorly understood.”
“So we wanted to take advantage of the excellent resolution of HRC’s auxiliary instruments to zero in on these small, very dense clusters.”
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured its first images since changing to an alternate operating mode that uses just a single gyroscope to help control and orient the telescope.
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows NGC 1546, a spiral galaxy about 52.5 million light-years away in the constellation Doradus. Image courtesy of NASA / ESA / Hubblr / STScI / David Thilker, JHU.
Hubble I input it On May 24, 2024, we will pause science observations and go into safe mode due to ongoing gyroscope issues.
Over the past six months, the gyroscope has frequently returned inaccurate measurements, causing multiple interruptions to science operations.
This allowed Hubble astronomers to transition from a three-gyroscope operating mode to observing with only one gyroscope, allowing for more consistent science observations and preserving the other working gyroscope for future use.
“Hubble’s new images of the spectacular galaxy NGC 1546 prove that the telescope’s new, more stable pointing mode is a complete success,” said Dr. Jennifer Weissman, Hubble’s senior project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
“We’re poised for many years of discovery to come, looking at everything from our solar system to exoplanets to distant galaxies.”
“Hubble plays a vital role in NASA’s astronomy toolkit.”
Also known as ESO 157-12, IRAS 04134-5611, and LEDA 14723, the galaxy is approximately 50,000 light years Across.
It was discovered on December 5, 1834 by British astronomer John Herschel.
“The orientation of the galaxy makes a backlit dust band highly visible some distance above the galaxy’s nucleus,” said Dr Weissman and his colleagues.
“This dust absorbs light from the core, making the core red and the dust appear rusty brown.”
“The core itself glows brightly with a yellowish light, indicating that it is an old population of stars.”
“Bright blue regions of active star formation shine through the dust.”
“You can also see several background galaxies, including an edge-on spiral galaxy just to the left of NGC 1546.”
“The WCF3 instrument captured this image as part of a joint observing program between the Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope,” the astronomers said.
“The program also uses data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), which allows us to look at how stars form and evolve in great detail and at many wavelengths.”
“This image represents one of the first observations made with Hubble since transitioning to a new pointing mode that will allow for more consistent science observations.”
“We expect the Hubble Space Telescope will conduct most of its science observations in this new mode and continue its groundbreaking observations of the universe.”
RCW 7 is located in the constellation Puppis, about 5,300 light years from Earth.
This Hubble image shows the nebula RCW 7. Image courtesy of NASA/ESA/Hubble/J. Tan, Chalmers University, University of Virginia.
“Nebulae are regions of space that are rich in the raw materials needed to form new stars,” the Hubble astronomers said.
“Due to the effects of gravity, some of these molecular clouds collapse and merge into protostars surrounded by a rotating disk of remaining gas and dust.”
“In the case of RCW 7, the protostar forming here is particularly massive, emitting intense ionizing radiation and a powerful stellar wind that propelled the star into a “H II region“.
“The H II regions are filled with hydrogen ions. HI refers to regular hydrogen atoms, and H II is hydrogen that has lost an electron.”
“Ultraviolet rays from the massive protostar excite the hydrogen, which then emits light that gives the nebula its soft pink glow.”
“IRAS 07299-1651 still resides within a cocoon of glowing gas, in clouds swirling towards the top of the nebula,” the researchers said.
To expose this star and its sibling, the new image was created from separate exposures taken in the near-infrared region of the spectrum. Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).
“This massive protostar is most bright in ultraviolet light, but it also emits a lot of infrared light that penetrates much of the surrounding gas and dust and can be seen by the Hubble Telescope,” the scientists said.
“Many of the other large visible stars in this image are not part of the nebula, but are located between the nebula and the solar system.”
Assuming a circular orbit, IRAS 07299-1651 is estimated to have a minimum total mass of 18 times that of the Sun and a maximum period of 570 years.
“The formation of the H II region marks the beginning of the end of the molecular cloud,” the authors said.
“Over just a few million years, radiation and winds from the massive stars gradually disperse the gas, and this dispersion continues as the most massive stars end their lives in supernova explosions.”
“Only a small portion of this gas will be absorbed by new stars within the nebula, while the rest will spread throughout the galaxy and eventually form new molecular clouds.”
Astronauts Robert L. Curbeam Jr. (left) and Christer Fugelsang aboard the International Space Station
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
How spaceflight affects astronauts' health may be better understood thanks to the creation of the first “space-omics” biobank, a collection of thousands of blood and tissue samples and medical information taken on multiple space missions.
These include missions to the International Space Station as well as SpaceX's Inspiration 4, the first private spaceflight to send four non-government-trained astronauts into space for three days in 2021.
The resource, called the Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA), contains detailed medical data, collectively known as biomarkers, such as DNA damage and changes in people's gene activity and immune system function.
Space flight is known to pose certain health risks. For example, astronauts experience reduced bone density and muscle mass due to weightlessness, and high levels of radiation in space can damage cells and DNA, causing a variety of health effects on the body. Astronauts are more likely to develop heart disease Later years and Some people have experienced a decrease in vision After going into space.
By consistently collecting astronauts' medical data through the SOMA biobank, researchers may be able to better understand these changes and develop ways to mitigate them, the researchers say. Christopher Mason He is a professor at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York and helped establish the biobank.
“Biomarkers don't necessarily translate into anything clinically meaningful, but they're a good way to understand how this unique environment is affecting us.” Damien Bailey The researchers are from the University of South Wales in the UK, but were not involved in the study.
One of the findings from the Inspiration 4 mission was that although astronauts experienced changes in numerous biomarkers, most measurements returned to normal within a few months of returning to Earth.
This suggests that sending private citizens into space poses no greater health risks than sending professional astronauts, Mason said. “Instead of training them for decades, we can start opening up space to more people.”
Results from Inspiration 4, which had two men and two women on board, also suggested that changes in gene activity returned to normal more quickly in women. This may be because women's bodies have to be able to cope with the possibility of pregnancy, Mason says. “Being able to withstand big changes in physiology and fluid dynamics could be great for managing pregnancy, but it could also help manage the stresses of spaceflight.”
Timothy Etheridge A researcher from the University of Exeter in the UK says it would be beneficial to have a common resource that researchers around the world can use. “We need a consistent approach to collecting samples,” he says.
Thomas Smith The researcher, from King's College London, says understanding the health effects of spaceflight will become even more important if longer-term missions take place, such as trips to Mars. “Anything that leads to longer-term missions makes it even more important to know what's going on and, ideally, to be able to address it,” he says.
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope NGC 2005A globular cluster located in the constellation Dorado, 162,000 light years from Earth.
This Hubble image shows the globular cluster NGC 2005. The color composite was created from images taken in visible and near-infrared light by Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). It is based on data acquired through three filters. The colors are produced by assigning a different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / F. Niederhofer / L. Girardi.
Globular clusters are dense systems of very old stars bound by gravity into a single structure about 100-200 light years in diameter.
Star clusters contain hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of stars. A large mass at the center of the cluster pulls the stars inward, forming a sphere of stars. sphericalThese clusters are named after the Latin word ” ,” which means “little sphere.”
Globular clusters are among the oldest known objects in the universe, relics of early galaxy formation.
Of the Milky Way's 150 globular clusters, about 70 are located within 13,000 light-years of the galactic center, where their density tends to peak.
“Studying globular clusters in space is a bit like studying fossils on Earth: just as fossils give us insight into the characteristics of ancient plants and animals, globular clusters reveal the signature of ancient stars,” the Hubble astronomers said.
“Current theories of galactic evolution predict that galaxies will merge with each other.”
“The relatively large galaxies observed in the modern universe are widely thought to have formed by the merger of smaller galaxies.”
“If this is correct, astronomers will see evidence that the oldest stars in nearby galaxies originated in different galactic environments.”
“Globular clusters are known to contain ancient stars, and their stability makes them excellent laboratories to test this hypothesis.”
“NGC 2005 is just such a globular cluster, and its very existence provides evidence in support of the theory of galactic evolution by mergers.”
NGC 2005 is located about 750 light-years from the center of the Large Magellanic Cloud, the Milky Way's largest satellite galaxy.
Also known as ESO 56-138, this globular cluster is discovered It was discovered on September 24, 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop.
“The stars in NGC 2005 have a different chemical composition than the stars in the surrounding Large Magellanic Cloud,” the researchers said.
“This suggests that the Large Magellanic Cloud merged with another galaxy at some point in its history.”
“While other galaxies have long ago merged or dispersed, NGC 2005 remains as an ancient witness to a long-ago merger.”
Illustration of a protection bubble around the sun (yellow dot) and the earth (blue dot)
Harvard Radcliffe Institute
Two to three million years ago, the solar system encountered galactic-scale turbulence and collided with dense interstellar clouds, potentially altering both the Earth's climate and evolution.
Only recently have researchers been able to map the Sun's orbit through the Galaxy, particularly in relation to the relatively dense hydrogen clouds that pass through the interstellar medium, the vast expanse of space between star systems.
the current, Merab Offer A research team from Boston University in Massachusetts has found evidence that one of these clouds, a “local cold cloud ribbon” in Lynx, likely intersects with the Sun's heliosphere.
The heliosphere is a protective cocoon or bubble formed by the solar wind pushing out to the edge of the solar system. Within the heliosphere, the planet is protected from the worst gamma radiation in the galaxy.
The new study proposes that as the solar system passed through the interstellar cloud, the heliosphere retreated from it and moved inward toward the Sun. The researchers think that the heliosphere may have shrunk so much that Earth was outside the protective cocoon provided by the solar wind, perhaps for around 10,000 years.
Merab and his colleagues used the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite to map the location of the dense, cold clouds and the sun's past orbit.
Ofer says the heliosphere's encounter with the cold cloud coincides with deposits of the elements plutonium-244 and radioactive iron-60 in Antarctic ice, deep-sea cores and lunar samples. These elements, which originated from distant supernovae, would have been captured in interstellar clouds and deposited while Earth was outside the heliosphere.
“There are signs of an increase in these elements over the past two years. [million] “The solar cloud record going back 3 million years provides compelling evidence that the Sun did in fact pass through it around 2 million years ago,” Offer says. “The exposure of Earth to a cloud of cold interstellar material and the associated increase in atmospheric hydrogen and radiation almost certainly had a major impact on Earth and its climate.”
Sarah Spitzer The University of Michigan researcher says the paper provides “compelling” evidence that the heliosphere was exposed to a much denser interstellar cloud two to three million years ago. As the solar system passed through that dense, cold cloud, Earth would have been outside the heliosphere and directly exposed to the interstellar environment, she says.
“Understanding this can teach us about the impact interstellar material has had on life on Earth in the past,” Spitzer says, “but it also helps us better understand the impact the heliosphere has on life on Earth today, what would happen if Earth were exposed to interstellar material again in the future, and when that might happen.”
Evan Economo Researchers from Japan's Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology say it's intriguing to consider how encounters in “our nearby space” could have influenced the environment experienced by life on Earth.
“The heliosphere is part of the extended environment experienced by life on the Earth's surface, influencing climate and radiation from space,” he says. “If we had been outside the heliosphere for a period of time, it could have altered the evolutionary trajectory of a wide range of life, including humans. Such connections are highly speculative at this point, but they provide us with new research directions.”
Two NASA astronauts aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft successfully docked at the International Space Station on Thursday, despite issues with the spacecraft's thrusters.
NASA confirmed that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams docked with the space station at 1:34 p.m. ET.
“It's good to be connected to the great city of the sky,” Wilmore told mission controllers on the ground.
The docking attempt, originally scheduled for 12:15 p.m. ET, was postponed due to problems with five thrusters on the Starliner.
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft docked with the International Space Station at 1:34 p.m. ET on June 6. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
The hatch between the Starliner capsule and the space station was opened about two hours after docking.
Astronaut Williams was the first to enter the space station, greeted by the ISS crew members already on board.
Wilmore and Williams expressed their gratitude to the teams that worked to get them to the ISS and said they were ready to begin work in orbit.
Their arrival brings the International Space Station to full capacity.
Wilmore and Williams are expected to spend about a week on the ISS before potentially returning to Earth on June 14.
Flight controllers will continue to monitor the capsule's reaction control thrusters for further adjustments.
The Starliner capsule is capable of autonomous docking with the space station.
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft prepares to dock with the International Space Station. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is more than 24 hours away from its first crewed test flight to the space station.
The test flight aims to demonstrate the capsule's ability to safely transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.
Starliner launched on June 5th from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Joe Raedl/Getty Images
Boeing has successfully launched its Starliner spacecraft with a crew for the first time on its third attempt, a landmark launch that gives NASA two commercial options for sending astronauts into space: Boeing and SpaceX.
Starliner was launched on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. June 5th, 10:52 AM (local time) After several years of delays, the manned launch has finally come to fruition. Initially, the manned launch was expected to take place by the end of 2017, but the plans fell behind schedule. The mission was finally scheduled to launch in May, but a valve failure forced NASA to abort the mission. The second launch on June 1 was scheduled for Discarded Due to computer problems.
But the third launch just a few days later was successful, with the capsule reaching orbit as planned. Carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, they made the 24-hour journey to the International Space Station, where they will stay for about a week to test various systems before returning to Earth aboard the same spacecraft.
The capsule was named Calypso. Reportedly Named after Jacques Cousteau's oceanographic ship, the mission's goal is to verify that Starliner is safe to transport crew to the ISS. If these tests are successful and the two astronauts return safely to Earth aboard Starliner, similar ships could begin annual crewed flights to the space station.
Each Starliner is designed to last up to 10 round trips, carrying up to seven people per flight, though a standard operational flight will likely only carry three or four astronauts.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Two contracts won Ten years ago, there were bids for a shuttle ship to transport crew to the International Space Station. One bid was for Boeing's Starliner, the other was SpaceX's Dragon capsule. Dragon outdid Starliner with its first crewed flight in 2020.
Starliner will be the sixth manned orbital spacecraft launched by the United States, following Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle and Dragon.
The space telescope entered hibernation over a week ago due to the failure of one of its three remaining gyroscopes, which are part of its pointing system. This same gyro had been malfunctioning for months, affecting its scientific capabilities.
NASA confirmed on Tuesday that efforts to repair the gyro had been unsuccessful, leaving the spacecraft operating with just one gyroscope, limiting its scientific functions.
As a result, Hubble will be inactive until mid-June. The telescope will have reduced agility and slower target acquisition. Despite these limitations, officials believe that Hubble will still be able to make significant discoveries in the coming decade.
“We are optimistic about Hubble’s future,” said Patrick Close, NASA’s project manager.
Mark Crump, NASA’s astrophysics director, stated that there are currently no plans to launch a mission to extend Hubble’s life by raising it to a higher orbit.
A billionaire who has booked SpaceX flights for himself has offered to sponsor and perform the necessary repairs. However, Crumpen expressed concerns about the risks involved and the need for further analysis.
The Hubble Telescope was launched into orbit in 1990, initially facing challenges due to a misaligned mirror. After a successful repair mission, Hubble resumed its observations of the cosmos in remarkable detail.
During a visit in 2009, astronauts installed six new gyroscopes on Hubble. Unfortunately, three of them have stopped functioning. These gyroscopes are crucial for maintaining the telescope’s stability and orientation.
Currently, only two gyroscopes are operational, one for pointing and the other as a backup.
The Webb Space Telescope, a more advanced successor to Hubble, is set to launch in 2021.
Rivals Boeing and SpaceX are preparing for a busy week with upcoming key test flights of their rockets and spacecraft.
Boeing is set to launch two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station aboard its Starliner spacecraft for the third time on Wednesday. The liftoff is scheduled for 10:52 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Command Station in Florida.
The following day, SpaceX will conduct the fourth uncrewed test flight of its Starship megarocket. The launch will take place from SpaceX’s Starbase test site in Boca Chica, Texas, with a targeted liftoff time of 8 a.m. ET.
Despite being spaceflight competitors, this week’s launch serves a unique purpose: Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, developed in collaboration with NASA, will transport astronauts to the space station – a service SpaceX has been providing commercially for NASA since 2020.
Boeing’s third attempt to launch astronauts into space
Should Boeing’s initial crewed test flight succeed, it could pave the way for regular flights of its Starliner spacecraft to the space station for NASA, challenging SpaceX’s current dominance.
The Starliner will carry NASA astronauts Barry “Batch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who will spend approximately a week aboard the space station before returning to Earth and landing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Butch Wilmore (left) and Suni Williams put on their Boeing space suits at the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP – Getty Images
Starliner’s most recent launch attempt was halted on Saturday with less than four minutes to go due to an automatic abort triggered by a computer controlling the Atlas V rocket, created by United Launch Alliance, a collaboration between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
SpaceX’s Starship test flight on Thursday aims to demonstrate technologies critical for future moon missions.
Starship, the most powerful rocket ever developed and designed to be fully reusable, is expected to play a vital role in NASA’s plans to send astronauts back to the Moon. Additionally, SpaceX intends to use Starship for eventual missions to Mars.
NASA is also working on its own Space Launch System megarocket and Orion spacecraft for moon missions, part of the Artemis program which envisions establishing a base camp on the moon’s surface before exploring Mars.
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured this stunning image of a barred spiral galaxy called NGC 4731.
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows NGC 4731, a barred spiral galaxy about 43 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. Image courtesy of NASA / ESA / Hubble / D. Thilker.
NGC 4731 It is located in the constellation Virgo, about 43 million light years from Earth.
Also known as IRAS 12484-0607, LEDA 43507, and UGCA 302, it is classified as a barred spiral galaxy.
“Barred spiral galaxies outnumber regular spiral and elliptical galaxies combined, making up about 60 percent of all galaxies,” the Hubble astronomers said.
“The bar-like structure we see is the result of the orbits of stars and gas in our galaxy aligning, forming dense regions where individual stars move in and out over time.”
“This is the same process that maintains the spiral arms of our galaxy, but in the case of barred galaxies it's a bit more mysterious. As spiral galaxies mature they seem to form a bar at their centre, which explains the large number of bar structures we see today. But later on the bar can also be lost if the accumulated mass along it becomes unstable.”
“The orbital patterns and gravitational interactions of galaxies support the bar-like structure of the galaxy, transporting matter and energy and promoting star formation.”
“Indeed, the observing program studying NGC 4731 seeks to investigate this flow of matter within the galaxy,” they added.
beginning discovered Discovered on April 25, 1784 by German-born British astronomer William Herschel, NGC 4731 has a diameter of about 80,000 light years.
With LEDA 43526 Galaxy, Forms Holm 472, a pair of interacting galaxies.
NGC 4731 is also a member of the NGC 4697 galaxy group. Located Near the Virgo Supercluster.
“Beyond the bar, NGC 4731's spiral arms extend far beyond the scope of this close-up Hubble image,” the astronomers said.
“The galaxy's elongated arms are thought to be the result of gravitational interactions with other nearby galaxies in the Virgo Cluster.”
The color image of NGC 4731 includes ultraviolet, near-infrared, and optical observations. Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).
Six filters were used to sample different wavelengths, and color was generated by assigning a different hue to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.
“The richness of color reveals the galaxy's swirling gas clouds, dark dust bands, bright pink star-forming regions, and most notably, its long, luminous arms stretching out behind it,” the researchers said.
About 550 light-years away in the constellation Taurus, three dazzling stars, HP Tau, shine brightly from the cavity of a reflection nebula in a new Hubble image. Image credit: NASA / ESA / G. Duchene, University of Grenoble I / Gladys Kober, NASA and Catholic University of America.
HP Tau is a triple star system located approximately 550 light-years away in the constellation Taurus.
The system, also known as EPIC 247592463, TIC 118521708, or IRAS 04328+2248, consists of the variable stars HP Tau, HP Tau G2, and HP Tau G3.
HP Tau is one of the stars. T Taurus a type of young variable star that has not yet begun nuclear fusion but is beginning to evolve into a hydrogen-fueled star similar to the Sun.
“T Tauri stars tend to be less than 10 million years old, compared to our Sun, which is about 4.6 billion years old, but they formed when they were shrouded in clouds of dust and gas. “They are often discovered as they are,” Hubble astronomers said.
“Like other variable stars, HP Tau's brightness changes over time.”
“The T Tauri star is known to have periodic and random fluctuations in brightness.”
“Random fluctuations can be caused by chaotic conditions in a developing young star, such as instability in the accretion disk of dust and gas around the star, material from that disk falling into the star and being consumed, and flares on the star's surface. It may be due to the nature of
“The periodic changes may be due to giant sunspots rotating in and out of view.”
“Clouds of gas and dust glow with reflected light as they orbit the star.”
“Reflection nebulae do not themselves emit visible light, but they shine when light from nearby stars reflects off gas and dust, much like fog illuminated by a car's headlights.”
Hubble studied the HP-tau system as part of its study of protoplanetary disks, disks of material around stars that coalesce into planets over millions of years.
NGC 4753 is characterized by a bright white core and distinct dust lanes around the core.
This Hubble image shows part of the lenticular galaxy NGC 4753, about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / L. Kelsey.
NGC4753 It is located approximately 60 million light years away in the constellation Virgo.
Also known as LEDA 43671, UGC 8009, or IRAS 12498-0055, this lenticular galaxy was discovered by German-born British astronomer William Herschel on February 22, 1784.
NGC 4753 is a member of galaxy group NGC 4753 in the Virgo II cloud, a collection of at least 100 galaxy clusters and individual galaxies extending from the southern edge of the Virgo Supercluster.
“NGC 4753 is thought to be the result of a galaxy merger with a nearby dwarf galaxy about 1.3 billion years ago,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“The unique dust lanes around the galactic cores are thought to be formed by this merging event.”
“Most of the galaxy's mass is now thought to reside within a slightly flattened spherical halo of dark matter.”
“Dark matter is a type of matter that cannot currently be directly observed, but it is thought to make up about 85% of all matter in the universe,” the researchers said.
“It is called 'dark' because it does not appear to interact with electromagnetic fields and therefore does not appear to emit, reflect, or refract light.”
“This object is also of scientific interest for testing various theories about the formation of lenticular galaxies, given its low-density environment and complex structure.”
“Additionally, this galaxy has experienced two known Type Ia supernovae.”
“These types of supernovae are very important because they are caused by the explosion of a white dwarf star with a companion star and always peak at the same brightness, or 5 billion times brighter than the Sun.”
“Knowing the true brightness of these events and comparing it to their apparent brightness gives astronomers a unique opportunity to measure distances in the universe.”
This new image of NGC 4753 consists of observations from Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) found in the ultraviolet and optical parts of the spectrum.
Two filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Color is obtained by assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.
The Hubble team has released a beautiful new image of the dwarf galaxy IC 776 in the constellation Virgo.
This Hubble image shows IC 776, a dwarf galaxy about 100 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / M. Sun.
IC776 It is located in the constellation Virgo, about 100 million light years away from Earth.
This galaxy, also known as ALFALFA 3-210, LEDA 39613, and UGC 7352, discovered It was announced by French astronomer Stéphane Javert on May 4, 1893.
IC 776 is Virgo Clusterthe nearest and best-studied large galaxy cluster.
It is a dwarf galaxy and is also classified as a dwarf galaxy. SAB type One study calls this the “complex case” in morphology.
“This extremely detailed observation from Hubble illustrates its complexity,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“IC 776 has a ragged and disorganized disk, but it still appears to spiral around a central core, creating an arc of star-forming regions.”
The color image of IC 776 was created from separate exposures taken in the visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum. Hubble's advanced survey camera (ACS).
Two filters were used to sample different wavelengths. Color is obtained by assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.
“This image comes from an observational program dedicated to the study of dwarf galaxies in the Virgo cluster and searching for X-ray sources in such galaxies,” the researchers said.
“X-rays are often emitted from accretion disks, where matter pulled into a compact object by gravity collides, forming a hot, glowing disk.”
“This compact object could be a white dwarf or neutron star that steals material from its companion star, or it could be a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy that consumes its surroundings.”
“Dwarf galaxies like IC 776 passing through the Virgo cluster can experience pressure from intergalactic gas, stimulate star formation, and feed the black hole at the galaxy's center,” the study says. they added.
“It could produce a high-energy accretion disk that is hot enough to emit X-rays.”
“Hubble cannot see X-rays, but in conjunction with X-ray telescopes such as NASA's Chandra, it can use visible light to reveal the source of this radiation in high resolution.”
“Dwarf galaxies are thought to be of great importance for understanding cosmology and galaxy evolution.”
“As with many fields of astronomy, the ability to examine these galaxies across the electromagnetic spectrum is critical to research.”
This Hubble image shows a star-forming region containing giant young blue stars in the Tarantula Nebula. Image credits: NASA/ESA/STScI/Francesco Paresce, INAF-IASF Bologna/Robert O'Connell, UVA/SOC-WFC3/ESO.
“We believe the ULLYSES project is revolutionary and will have an impact across astrophysics, from exoplanets to the influence of massive stars on the evolution of galaxies, to understanding the early stages of the evolving universe. ” said Dr. Julia Roman-Duval, leader of the ULLYSES implementation team. She is an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute.
“Apart from the specific purpose of research, stellar data can also be used in the field of astrophysics in ways we cannot yet imagine.”
Dr. Romain Duval and her colleagues studied 220 stars and combined their observations with information on 275 stars from the Hubble archive.
The study also includes data from some of the world's largest and most powerful ground-based telescopes and X-ray space telescopes.
The ULLYSES dataset consists of stellar spectra and includes information about each star's temperature, chemical composition, and rotation.
One of the star types being studied under ULLYSES is an ultra-hot, massive blue star.
They are a million times brighter than the Sun and glow intensely in ultraviolet light that can be easily detected by Hubble. Their spectra contain important information for diagnosing the speed of powerful winds.
The wind drives the evolution of galaxies, producing galactic seeds with the elements necessary for life. These elements are cooked in the star's fusion reactor and injected into space as the star dies.
ULLYSES targeted blue stars in nearby galaxies that are deficient in elements heavier than helium and hydrogen.
“Observations of Ulises are a stepping stone to understanding the first stars and their winds in the universe and how they influence the evolution of young host galaxies,” said Dr. Romain Duval.
Another category of stars in the ULLYSES survey are young stars with less mass than the Sun.
Although it is cooler and redder than the Sun, during its formative years it emits large amounts of high-energy radiation, including bursts of ultraviolet and X-rays.
As they are still growing, they are collecting material from the surrounding planet-forming disks of dust and gas.
Hubble's spectra contain important diagnostic information about the mass-gaining process, including the amount of energy this process releases into the surrounding planet-forming disk and nearby environment.
Intense ultraviolet radiation from young stars influences the evolution of these disks as they form planets and the potential habitability of newborn planets.
The target star is located in a star-forming region near the Milky Way.
The ULLYSES concept was designed by a panel of experts with the aim of using Hubble to provide a conventional set of stellar observations.
“ULLYSES was originally conceived as an observation program using Hubble's high-sensitivity spectrometer,” said Dr. Roman Duval.
“However, this research was greatly enhanced by community-driven complementary observations in collaboration with other ground-based and space-based observatories.”
“By covering such a wide area, astronomers can study the lives of stars in unprecedented detail and develop a more comprehensive picture of the properties of these stars and how they affect their environments. It becomes possible to draw.”
A new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows a jet emerging from the cocoon of the multistar system FS Tau.
This Hubble image shows the multistar system FS Tau about 450 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. Image credit: NASA / ESA / K. Stapelfeldt, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Gladys Kober, NASA / Catholic University.
FS Tau It is located about 450 light years away in the constellation Taurus.
The system is part of the Taurus-Auriga region, a collection of dark molecular clouds that is home to many newly formed young stars.
FS Tau, also known as HH 157 or TIC 58437437, is only about 2.8 million years old, making it an extremely young star system.
FS Tau is a multi-star system consisting of FS Tau A, a bright star-like object near the center of the image, and FS Tau B, a bright object on the far right hidden by a dark vertical dust lane. ''' said the Hubble astronomer.
“The young object is surrounded by gently illuminated gas and dust in this stellar nursery.”
“FS Tau B is a protostar surrounded by a protoplanetary disk. A protoplanetary disk is a pancake-like collection of dust and gas left over from star formation that eventually coalesces to form a planet. It will be.”
“A thick lane of dust seen almost head-on separates what is believed to be the illuminated surface of the flared disk.”
“FS Tau B is probably T TauriAlthough nuclear fusion has not yet begun, it is a type of young variable star that is beginning to evolve into a hydrogen-fueled star similar to the Sun. ”
“Protostars glow because of the thermal energy released when the gas clouds from which they formed collapse, and from the accretion of material from nearby gas and dust.”
“Variable stars are a type of star whose brightness changes significantly over time.”
“FS Tau A itself is a Tauri T binary system, consisting of two stars orbiting each other,” the researchers added.
“Protostars are known to emit fast-moving columns of energetic material called jets, and FS Tau B provides a striking example of this phenomenon.”
“Protostars are the source of the unusual, asymmetric, double-sided jets that appear blue here.”
“Their asymmetric structure may be due to differences in the rate at which mass is ejected from the object.”
“Herbig halo objects form when jets of ionized gas emitted by young stars collide at high speed with nearby clouds of gas and dust, forming bright nebular patches.”
New research has implications for crew safety in space and could give clues about how aging affects the balance systems of people on Earth.
horges other. We addressed the question of whether body posture influences humans' perception of self-motion and distance. They found that the same amount of optical flow can elicit the sensation of traveling farther when lying on one's back and when sitting upright; that is, optical flow We found evidence that it is more effective in eliciting the sensation of movement. This constitutes evidence that visual and nonvisual cues are at least partially integrated, even when self-movement is presented only visually. However, we found no significant differences in performance in microgravity on Earth and on the ISS, suggesting that vestibular stimulation is not important, if any, in estimating visually presented self-motion.
The study's lead author, Professor Lawrence Harris from the University of York, said: “The perception of gravity has been repeatedly shown to influence perceptual abilities.”
“The most profound way to study the effects of gravity is to remove it. That's why we brought our research into space.”
“We have had a steady presence in space for nearly a quarter of a century, but our efforts in space are ever-increasing as we plan to return to the moon and beyond, ensuring health and safety. It is becoming increasingly important to answer questions about
“Based on our findings, it appears that humans are surprisingly able to use vision to adequately compensate for the lack of Earth's normal environment.
For the study, Professor Harris and his colleagues surveyed more than a dozen astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), which orbits about 400 kilometers above the Earth's surface.
“Here, Earth's gravity is almost canceled out by the centrifugal force generated by the station's orbit. In the resulting microgravity, the movement of people becomes close to flight,” Professor Harris said.
“People had previously reported anecdotally that they felt like they were traveling faster or farther than they were actually in space, so this actually motivated us to record this.”
The authors compared the performance of 12 astronauts (six men and six women) before, during, and after a year-long mission to the space station and found out how far they traveled. I discovered that my sense of what I had done was almost intact.
Space missions were hectic endeavors, and it took several days for researchers to make contact with the astronauts after arriving at the space station.
“Our study may not have captured early adaptations that may have occurred during the first few days. Because whatever adaptations occur, they occur very quickly. This remains a good news message,” Professor Harris said.
Space missions are not without risks. Because the ISS orbits around the Earth, small objects can occasionally collide with it and enter the ship, where astronauts must move to safety.
“During the experiment, the ISS had to take many evasive maneuvers,” Professor Harris said.
“Astronauts need to be able to get to safety or escape through a hatch on the ISS in an emergency. So to see that they were actually able to do this with great precision was very exciting. I felt relieved.”
“Our research shows that exposure to microgravity mimics the aging process primarily at a physiological level, including bone and muscle wasting, changes in hormonal function, and increased susceptibility to infections. However, this paper found that self-movement was largely unaffected, suggesting a balance problem.''The problem, which often comes from old age, may have nothing to do with the vestibular system. ”
“This suggests that the mechanisms of movement perception in older people should be relatively unaffected, and that the problems associated with falls are probably more to do with this than in terms of perception of distance traveled. How can they translate that into a balance reflex? ”
B. Horges other. 2024. Effects of long-term exposure to microgravity and body orientation relative to gravity on perceived distance traveled. NPJ microgravity 10, 28; doi: 10.1038/s41526-024-00376-6
In my family, we have developed a habit of ordering affordable DVDs whenever we discover a show or movie that we know we want to watch again (which is a trick in itself!).
Towards the end of 2020, when I relocated to a new apartment in another area of Seattle, I ended up disposing of a trash bag full of VHS tapes. While it was inevitable due to spatial constraints, I had a strong feeling that I might regret it. A sudden shift in the TV landscape where channels started charging viewers for access to old content (from Jaws to Airplanes to classic dramas) literally overnight caught us off guard. We hadn’t anticipated such a rapid change. mountain aspect
‘In the end, it will become a future landfill site.‘
I enjoy the concept of having a DVD collection and perusing its shelves like a rental store.
However, I can’t shake off the realization that most of the valuable possessions we accumulate will eventually end up in future landfills, left for future generations to grapple with. I am also keenly aware that at some point, I will either have to take on the responsibility of disposing of and redistributing my various interests, or pass the task on to a close relative. In that sense, the thought of owning even a modest DVD collection extensive enough to cover all bases fills me with dread. I think of my grandparents and the boxes they amassed over their lifetimes, destined for disposal in the dump, their parents’ attic, or the charity shop. TypeON negative
‘There’s a significant disparity in quality…‘
I may be considered a Luddite, but I’m not particularly captivated by this trend of streaming.
I recently watched a movie on Disney+. Newer movies often exhibit overly dark visuals (a complaint echoed by several acquaintances). Older films are frequently displayed in incorrect proportions or feature subpar soundtracks. My son has recently subscribed to Prime Video mainly for the TV shows but has yet to explore the movie offerings. For some reason, I harbor doubts about being able to find the movie I wish to watch.
Fortunately, we still have a local HMV store. Nothing beats the experience of strolling there, browsing around for an hour or so, and selecting a Blu-ray. The disparity in quality between watching movies via streaming and physical media is quite pronounced. “After Hours”, “Eraserhead”, “Boogie Nights”, “Naked”, “The Conversation”, “The Passengers”… While casual movie enthusiasts may indulge in a Netflix binge, more dedicated film fans prefer a shelf stocked with physical media. man without fear
A bustling video store in 2009. Photo: Bloomberg/Getty Images
‘This current phase is the worst‘
Rental spaces will once again thrive, though it may take time, bringing a sense of nostalgia for some and a fresh experience for others. As mentioned in the article, there is a resurgence fueled by the revival of vinyl records. The more enthusiasts of the original content and the younger generation realize that they can’t access the authentic material, the more the market will adapt. However, this phase is undoubtedly the most challenging, especially with streaming services pulling titles in multiple directions. Mr username 2014
‘the hype is real‘
I recently canceled my streaming subscription and started collecting “final format” 4K Blu-rays.
The hype is justified. The quality is exceptional, with no discernible drop in visual and audio quality that can happen with streaming. Some discs are particularly well-optimized for the format. Oppenheimer is a prime example (using high-quality headphones and viewing on a 4K disc makes for a very satisfying 3-hour experience). The advent of Villeneuve is also commendable.
As a gamer, I rarely have time to dedicate to playing for more than 20 hours nowadays, so having a PS5 gives me something to engage with. blue jay 2011
‘Household finances are stretched‘
Speaking personally, I believe the streaming industry will eventually rue its efforts to lock in customers. Unfortunately, household budgets are tight, and the cost of subscribing to streaming services adds up. And it’s not just me – there are numerous services vying for attention, leading to decision fatigue.
When movies and similar content are sold on DVD or Blu-ray, the consumer is committing to a one-time purchase. As a result, these companies, and the film industry as a whole, may end up forfeiting a significant portion of their downstream revenue while also being under pressure to ensure customer satisfaction. As this discussion underscores, many of us still yearn for the ability to purchase movies in physical formats. buzz 2023
‘I have reverted‘
Honestly, I shifted to streaming platforms for movies and music for a while, but I found myself reverting back. Not only did the platform remove content I desired (movies and shows), but (especially when it came to music) changing platforms essentially meant I was “purchasing” music when I wasn’t truly owning it. I decided to change my approach. I lost money and didn’t actually possess my music. Because I had never truly bought the music in the first place, my wallet disagreed with the arrangement. That realization made me uneasy about the entire situation. Additionally, DVDs turn out to be much more cost-effective to own. Beacon of Hope Discount
‘very cluttered‘
It’s quite cluttered. I keep the CDs in a disc folder and discard the cases. While some may consider it sacrilege, it’s a satisfying compromise for me. Seven Highter
‘I’m not fixated on the format‘
Having films in digital format is too convenient for me to go back to physical formats. I do, however, continue to buy DVDs and Blu-rays of movies that aren’t digitized, but it’s a hassle to remove the DVD from its case, go to the DVD player, and start it up. …With digital media, you can initiate a movie in moments, regardless of your location. I’m not hooked on any particular format or medium. The main desire is to be able to watch our favorite movies whenever and wherever we want, and digital media is the best option for that. bf_Silver Town
‘I wasn’t intrigued until DVDs were introduced‘
Collecting movies was never as popular as amassing books or music (CDs, records, tapes). I had no inclination toward it until DVDs made their debut.
What I miss about the rise of physical media is the ability to visit someone’s home, peruse their collection of books, records, and DVDs, and discover their diverse interests. It’s a conversation starter. Jifujiji
DVDs on display in HMV stores in London. Photo: David Levin/The Guardian
‘Biggest film loss since the fires in the old studio vaults‘
We are witnessing the greatest loss of films since the fires that ravaged the old studio vaults. While some may argue that inaccessible films still exist somewhere, what if no one is able to view them?
Furthermore, digital formats are subject to frequent changes. Eventually, all digital copies of films will become obsolete. Will Disney or any other entity go to the lengths and expense of transferring all their popular movies to a new format? Possibly.
But will they undertake the arduous and costly task of migrating thousands of potentially forgotten films that haven’t seen the light of day in years and are buried in long-unused databases? Highly unlikely. son of the desert
‘I no longer live like an obsessive hoarder‘
Two years ago, I donated thousands of DVDs and Blu-rays to charity shops. I’ve abandoned the life of an obsessive hoarder and now find more peace of mind. With numerous old and new titles to watch, there are discs in my possession that I’ve never viewed in decades, some of which I’ve even given away while still in their original shrink wrap. Had streaming been available 30 years ago, it might have paid off my mortgage. R Gouveia
‘Film production courses‘
One of the reasons I’ve bought and continue to purchase numerous DVDs over the years is for the bonus content such as director commentaries, behind-the-scenes features, and interviews with cast and crew. While David Fincher’s “Seven” may be available on some random streaming service, the DVD’s commentary track alone is a treasure trove for film enthusiasts. sagarmatha 1953
‘DVDs are delicate and not everlasting‘
I still retain all my DVDs and am actively acquiring new ones. Many movies are not consistently available on streaming services, if at all, hence retaining them as physical media is crucial. The only challenge is that DVDs are susceptible to damage and cannot stand the test of time. The same can be said for DVD players. I’ve contemplated buying a new DVD player as a backup. While I do utilize a streaming service, it often has limited offerings and I struggle to find what I’m looking for, particularly when it comes to “older” movies from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1970s. Recently, I revisited the original “Ladykillers” – the remakes just don’t compare. about
‘It’s not an either-or situation‘
For me, it’s not about choosing one over the other. Streaming (via the usual platforms) has its place. It allows for discovering new movies or trying something different. Physical media, on the other hand, enables me to build my collection of movies that I can’t stream or that I prefer to own while watching them again. iron moog 007
After spaceflight, astronauts often experience symptoms that affect their sensory systems, such as unsteadiness when walking or standing, blurred vision, and fatigue. These symptoms are called Bilateral vestibular disorder or BVP. Patients on Earth can also experience BVP, but they have different symptoms than astronauts who suffer from BVP. Scientists believe these differences occur in the part of the sensory system responsible for tracking head movement and body orientation in space. This includes the set of nerves in your ear. vestibular nerve.
Astronauts experience lower gravity than on Earth. Under these conditions, the organs in the inner ear that our brains use to sense head movement and spatial orientation don’t work properly. This makes it difficult for astronauts to determine their body’s actual position, movement, and altitude. After returning to Earth’s gravity, astronauts typically need to undergo rehabilitation to correct any resulting balance and coordination problems.
French researchers recently compared the symptoms of BVP experienced by astronauts during readjustment to Earth’s gravity with those of BVP patients on Earth. The team wanted to test strategies to help people on Earth adapt to BVP during rehabilitation, in hopes of establishing or improving rehabilitation strategies for astronauts returning from space.
The researchers recruited 28 astronauts, seven men and 11 women, with an average age of 48, all of whom lived on the spacecraft. international space station For 6 to 11 months. They also recruited 30 patients, including 13 men and 17 women with an average age of 61 years, all of whom had BVP but had never left Earth. They asked each participant to perform his five tests designed to examine mobility and reaction time.
To examine participants’ balance, we measured the time it took them to stand up from a sitting position and establish a stable posture.“Standing test”. They then measured how long it took them to walk around the cone. “Walk around test”. We then asked participants to: from heel to toe This is called the “tandem walk test” and is similar to walking a tightrope with your arms crossed in front of your chest. The researchers recorded each participant repeating this procedure twice and examined each recording to determine the correct number of steps taken during each trial.
The researchers also asked patients to track their progress for one minute while wearing the device. Virtual reality (VR) devices and earphones that mask external noise. The VR device instructed the patient to press the “run” button on the laptop mouse, wait 1 minute, and then press the “stop” button. They used this test, known as the “Duration Judgment Test,” to see how well each participant performed. I felt the passage of time. Finally, the participant who turned on the VR device was asked to respond as quickly as possible to a blue square that was displayed for 50 ms at random intervals.reaction time test. The researchers gave these tests to astronauts about three months before launch, once a month during spaceflight, two hours after returning to Earth, and 24 hours after returning to Earth. A test was conducted.
Researchers found that earthbound BVP patients walked around the cone more slowly than Astronauts did so during and after spaceflight. They also found that BVP patients took fewer correct tightrope steps than astronauts in the 24 hours after returning to Earth. However, the time it took for BVP patients on Earth to calm down during the sit-to-stand test fell between the day the astronauts landed and 24 hours later. Both BVP patients and astronauts who remained on Earth were unable to properly sense the passage of time and were slow to respond to blue squares.
The researchers concluded that problems with balance, sensing the passage of time, and reaction time experienced by astronauts after spaceflight are similar to those experienced by BVP patients on Earth. Therefore, they proposed that these problems, similar to those in earthbound patients, are caused by central nervous system dysfunction that affects the senses. To reduce these post-flight health problems, the researchers recommended that astronauts undergo training designed to improve their vision, hearing, and touch during orbit and after spaceflight.
The researchers cited two limitations of the study: the age difference between the astronauts and the Earth-bound group, and the fact that the BVP subjects on Earth received rehabilitation therapy, while the astronauts did not. I was warned that there was a point. They also were unable to test the astronauts post-flight to properly diagnose central nervous system conditions, so further research is needed to confirm whether the central nervous system is causing these symptoms. He pointed out that.
On February 21, a meter-wide space capsule landed in the Utah desert after eight months in orbit. The cargo is a batch of ritonavir, an antiviral drug used to treat HIV and COVID-19.
Carried out by a California startup Varda Space Industries, the mission aims to showcase the potential of automated drug manufacturing in space, potentially opening doors for more efficient ways to develop medications.
Varda’s W-1 mission was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in June 2023. The capsule itself weighs about 90 kg, capable of producing nearly 100 kg of product during several months in orbit.
However, the initial mission produced only a small amount of ritonavir during a 27-hour test run.
In-flight analysis indicates that the manufacturing process was executed as planned, and while final results are pending, Varda is gearing up for its second mission carrying its first commercial payload.
read more:
But why the focus on space?
Experiments in microgravity have shown that it’s possible to produce pharmaceuticals more efficiently in space compared to on Earth. The unique conditions in space enable the growth of crystals used in medications to be more perfect and uniform.
Pharmaceutical companies are leveraging insights from space experiments to enhance manufacturing processes on Earth. Crystals grown in space demonstrate exceptional properties that could lead to more effective drugs than those produced on Earth.
Varda and other companies are exploring the potential of harnessing microgravity to develop new drugs, ushering in a new era of pharmaceutical innovation.
Economics present a challenge in producing materials in space for Earth use, but advancements in reusable spacecraft and versatile space labs are driving costs down and opening up new possibilities for scientific discovery.
Experts like Dr. Ann Wilson and Dr. Katie King are at the forefront of research in crystal growth and pharmaceutical development in microgravity, shaping the future of space-based manufacturing.
About our experts
Dr. Ann Wilson, a professor at Butler University, has conducted groundbreaking research on crystal growth in microgravity, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Dr. Katie King, with expertise in nanomedicine, is leading research on pharmaceutical development in microgravity and is a key figure in advancing medical science through space-based experiments.
NASA stays in touch with its space probes, like Voyager 2, through the Deep Space Network (DSN), which consists of radio receiving antennas located in three different spots globally. These locations include Goldstone in California, Robredo near Madrid, and Tidbinbilla near Canberra.
Voyager 2 can only be observed from the southern hemisphere, making the DSS-43 antenna at the Australian site the sole antenna on Earth that can communicate with the spacecraft.
Currently positioned more than 20 billion kilometers from Earth, Voyager 2 has a transmitter that outputs approximately 23 watts (around eight times more powerful than a typical cell phone). By the time a radio signal reaches Earth, it has only about one-tenth of this power.
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To detect this extremely faint signal, DSS-43 and Voyager 2’s transmitters use narrowband, high-frequency signals that are highly directional and transmitted at slow bit rates.
Advanced signal processing techniques, minimal interference, and the fact that radio signals can travel through space with little obstruction allow DSS-43 to overcome long distances.
The antenna can transmit a signal to Voyager 2 at a much higher power level (up to about 400,000 watts) than it receives. This strong output can be easily picked up by the spacecraft even at far distances.
This piece (by Elouise Pace) addresses the question, “How can we communicate with Voyager 2, which is billions of miles away?”
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New photos from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope show nearby irregular galaxy UGC 5829, also known as the Spider Galaxy.
This Hubble image shows UGC 5829, an irregular galaxy located approximately 30 million light-years away in the constellation Sera. Image credits: NASA / ESA / Hubble / R. Tully / M. Messa.
UGC 5829 It is located approximately 30 million light-years away in the constellation Serra.
“Although this relatively faint galaxy has not been observed very often, it has the characteristic soubliquet of a spider galaxy,” Hubble astronomers said in a statement.
“Perhaps the distorted galactic arms with glowing tips that form stars remind us of the clawed legs of arachnids.”
“Somewhat confusingly, there is another galaxy known as the Spiderweb galaxy that has a very similar nickname but is otherwise completely separate.”
“Despite the fact that this galaxy is about 300 times further away from Earth than the Spider Galaxy, it has been imaged more extensively.”
“Fortunately, the ability to accurately identify galaxies does not depend on chance names.”
“Rather, known galaxies are recorded in at least one catalog, such as the Uppsala Galaxy Catalog, and are often recorded in multiple catalogs. It has been given a name.”
“This same galaxy has been given several different names in various other catalogs,” they added.
“For example, LEDA 31923 in the Lyon-Meudon Extragalactic Database; MCG+06-24-006 in the Galactic Morphology Catalog; and SDSS J104242.78+342657.3 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Catalog.
“Spiderweb galaxies are not all recorded in the same catalog; each catalog is necessarily limited in scope. However, they are included in the LEDA catalog as LEDA 2826829.”
“It's clearly easier to avoid confusing the boring but unique names LEDA 31923 and LEDA 2826829 than the interesting but easily confused names Spider and Spiderweb.”
This is based on data obtained through four filters. Color is obtained by assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.
The new Hubble images taken on January 5 and 6, 2024 show many large storms and small white clouds in Jupiter’s atmosphere, indicating a lot of activity.
Jupiter is revisited by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope in these images taken on January 5 and 6, 2024, capturing both sides of the giant planet. Image credit: NASA / ESA / STScI / Amy Simon, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Jupiter’s colorful clouds create a constantly changing display of shapes and colors in its atmosphere.
The planet experiences various stormy weather patterns, including low-pressure systems, high-pressure systems, wind shear, and the Great Red Spot, the largest storm in the solar system.
Jupiter is covered by a cloud of ammonia ice crystals, about 48 km thick in an atmosphere that is tens of thousands of kilometers deep, resulting in the planet’s distinctive stripes.
The banding effect is caused by air moving at different latitudes and speeds of up to 563 km per hour.
The zones, where the atmosphere rises, are brightly colored, while the belts, where the air falls, are darker. Storms and turbulence occur when these opposing flows interact.
“The left Hubble image shows the iconic Great Red Spot prominently in Jupiter’s atmosphere,” stated Hubble astronomers.
“To the lower right is a feature known as Red Spot Junior, a high-pressure system resulting from storms in previous years.”
“This year, it appears to be turning red again, possibly due to compounds like sulfur and phosphorus.”
“In the right image, storm activity is visible in the opposite hemisphere, with two distinct storm systems rotating in opposite directions.”
These storms are expected to pass each other as they repel through their rotations.
“The presence of many storms and clouds in Jupiter’s atmosphere indicates a high level of activity,” said Dr. Amy Simon, OPAL project leader and astronomer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
“Despite its small size, Jupiter’s moon Io shows volcanic activity, visible through Hubble’s sensitivity to blue and violet wavelengths.”
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