On Wednesday, astronomy buffs witnessed what experts regard as a rare astronomical event where all the planets in the solar system were visible in the night sky.&nbsp;

In the Northern Hemisphere, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars could be seen with the naked eye. While, the two outermost planets, Uranus and Neptune could be seen using binoculars or telescopes and would be visible until the end of the year.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/china-develops-lobster-eye-telescope-to-scan-the-murky-depths-of-the-universe-547044">China develops 'lobster eye' telescope to scan the murky depths of the universe</a>

Such "grand tours" as per Space happen roughly once every one or two years.&nbsp;

As per Guardian, all eight planets appeared only 1.5 degrees apart on Wednesday night and will reach their closest point or conjunction today (Thursday, December 29) at 2100 GMT (0230 IST).

Watch |&nbsp;NASA's Dart mission: The world's first planetary defence

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Talking to Newsweek, Gianluca Masi, an astronomer with the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy, said "These nights, we can see all the planets of our solar system at a glance, soon after sunset. It happens from time to time, but it is always a spectacular sight."

In June, skywatchers were treated to a similar but rarer alignment of five planets, where Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were arranged in an alignment the likes of which hadn't occurred in about 150 years, or since 1864.

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On Wednesday, astronomy buffs witnessed what experts regard as a rare astronomical event where all the planets in the solar system were visible in the night sky.

On Wednesday, astronomy buffs witnessed what experts regard as a rare astronomical event where all the planets in the solar system were visible in the night sky. In the Northern Hemisphere, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars could be seen with the naked eye. While, the two outermost planets, Uranus and Neptune could be seen using binoculars or telescopes and would be visible until the end of the year. Also read | China develops 'lobster eye' telescope to scan the murky depths of the universe Such "grand tours" as per Space happen roughly once every one or two years. As per Guardian, all eight planets appeared only 1.5 degrees apart on Wednesday night and will reach their closest point or conjunction today (Thursday, December 29) at 2100 GMT (0230 IST). Watch | NASA's Dart mission: The world's first planetary defence Talking to Newsweek, Gianluca Masi, an astronomer with the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy, said "These nights, we can see all the planets of our solar system at a glance, soon after sunset. It happens from time to time, but it is always a spectacular sight." In June, skywatchers were treated to a similar but rarer alignment of five planets, where Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were arranged in an alignment the likes of which hadn't occurred in about 150 years, or since 1864. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Rare 'treat' for skywatchers: All solar system planets visible to the naked eye

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite from NASA has been sent into the orbit to survey the water on Earth and assist researchers in understanding how it influences&nbsp;the planet's climate. At 5:16 p.m. IST on December 16, the satellite launched atop SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from the Californian Vanderberg Space Force Station. The second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket kept launching the satellite into orbit as the first stage booster of the rocket touched down at Vanderberg Space Force's landing zone-4 about nine minutes after launch.&nbsp;

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🚀 LIFTOFF! 
 
Kennedy’s <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA_LSP</a> managed SWOT mission launched aboard a <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a> Falcon 9 rocket at 6:46am ET from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. <a href="https://t.co/XbjI4LNuRh">pic.twitter.com/XbjI4LNuRh</a>
— NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy/status/1603719421033213954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite has separated from its <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a> Falcon 9 rocket. SWOT begins <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrackingWorldWater?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TrackingWorldWater</a> now and will cover the Earth's surface worldwide at least twice every 21 days for at least three years. <a href="https://t.co/OJfAifkl8R">pic.twitter.com/OJfAifkl8R</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1603732655417147392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
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NASA announced the successful deployment of the SWOT satellite at 6:10 IST. Now, for a minimum of three years, it will cover the entire surface of the Earth at least twice every 21 days.

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/india-isro-launched-177-satellites-from-19-nations-in-last-5-years-earned-millions-543749">India: ISRO launched 177 satellites from 19 nations in last 5 years &amp; earned millions</a>

This specific Falcon 9 launcher, which has previously supported the NROL-87, NROL-85, SARah-1, and two Starlink missions, successfully launched for the sixth time, according to SpaceX.

The French Space Agency (CNES) and the Canadian and UK space agencies both played a significant role in the satellite's development, which was helmed&nbsp;by NASA. According to a statement from NASA,&nbsp;"The satellite will measure the height of water in Earth’s freshwater bodies and the ocean, providing insights into how the ocean influences climate change; how a warming world affects lakes, rivers, and reservoirs; and how communities can better prepare for disasters, like floods."

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The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite from NASA has been sent into the orbit to survey the water on Earth and assist researchers in understanding how it influences the planet's climate.

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite from NASA has been sent into the orbit to survey the water on Earth and assist researchers in understanding how it influences the planet's climate. At 5:16 p.m. IST on December 16, the satellite launched atop SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from the Californian Vanderberg Space Force Station. The second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket kept launching the satellite into orbit as the first stage booster of the rocket touched down at Vanderberg Space Force's landing zone-4 about nine minutes after launch. 🚀 LIFTOFF! Kennedy’s @NASA_LSP managed SWOT mission launched aboard a @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 6:46am ET from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. pic.twitter.com/XbjI4LNuRh — NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) December 16, 2022 × The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite has separated from its @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. SWOT begins #TrackingWorldWater now and will cover the Earth's surface worldwide at least twice every 21 days for at least three years. pic.twitter.com/OJfAifkl8R — NASA (@NASA) December 16, 2022 × NASA announced the successful deployment of the SWOT satellite at 6:10 IST. Now, for a minimum of three years, it will cover the entire surface of the Earth at least twice every 21 days. Also read | India: ISRO launched 177 satellites from 19 nations in last 5 years & earned millions This specific Falcon 9 launcher, which has previously supported the NROL-87, NROL-85, SARah-1, and two Starlink missions, successfully launched for the sixth time, according to SpaceX. The French Space Agency (CNES) and the Canadian and UK space agencies both played a significant role in the satellite's development, which was helmed by NASA. According to a statement from NASA, "The satellite will measure the height of water in Earth’s freshwater bodies and the ocean, providing insights into how the ocean influences climate change; how a warming world affects lakes, rivers, and reservoirs; and how communities can better prepare for disasters, like floods." WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

WATCH | SpaceX Falcon 9 launches NASA's water topography satellite into orbit

The first lunar rover from the United Arab Emirates and a toy-like Japanese robot that is designed to roll around in space&nbsp;in the grey dust were launched on board a SpaceX rocket by a Tokyo business on Sunday. The lander's journey to the moon, together with its associated experiments, will take about five months. For financial reasons and to provide greater capacity for freight, the company&nbsp;ispace Inc. built its craft to utilise less fuel. Therefore, it is travelling 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometres) from Earth before turning around and colliding with the moon at the end of April.

In contrast, it took five days for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasas-orion-spacecraft-slingshots-around-moon-on-way-back-home-540390">NASA's Orion crew</a> capsule and test dummies to reach the moon last month. The Pacific splashdown on Sunday marks the end of the lunar flyby mission.

The Atlas crater, measuring more than 50 miles (87 kilometres) broad and little over one mile (two kilometres) deep, is located in the northeastern region of the moon's near side and will be the target of the ispace lander. The lander stands taller than 7 feet (2.3 metres) when all four of its legs are extended.

The UAE plans to study the moon in addition to Mars, where a science satellite is already in orbit. Just like everything else on the project, the rover, dubbed Rashid after the royal family of Dubai, weighs only 22 pounds (10 kilogrammes) and will function on the surface for roughly 10 days.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-find-unusual-intense-blast-of-energy-from-nearby-galaxy-541802">Scientists find ‘unusual, intense blast of energy’ from nearby galaxy</a>

Additionally, a Japanese Space Agency orange-sized sphere that will change into a wheeled robot on the moon is aboard the lander. A solid state battery from a Japanese spark plug firm, a flight computer with artificial intelligence from an Ottawa, Ontario, company, and 360-degree cameras from a Toronto-area company are also in flight.

A small NASA laser experiment that was transported by the rocket is currently travelling independently to the moon to look for ice in the permanently shadowed craters of the lunar south pole.

Hakuto, which is Japanese for white rabbit, is the name of the space mission. A white rabbit is rumoured to reside on the moon in Asian legend. The private business intends to conduct a second lunar landing in 2024 and a third in 2025.

Also WATCH |&nbsp;Japan: Country passes funds law amid 'cult-like' Church controversy

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ispace Inc., which was established in 2010, placed among the top three in the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition, which called for a successful moon landing by 2018. Its lunar rover was never launched. 
 
2019 saw the moon landing of a different candidate, an Israeli nonprofit organisation called SpaceIL. However, the Beresheet spacecraft crashed into the moon and was obliterated rather than making a soft landing.

Since the former Soviet Union's Luna 9 in 1966, only Russia, the U.S., and China have accomplished so-called "soft landings" on the moon. With 12 men across six landings, the U.S. is the only country to have sent astronauts to the moon.

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The first lunar rover from the United Arab Emirates and a toy-like Japanese robot that is designed to roll around in space in the grey dust were launched on board a SpaceX rocket by a Tokyo business on Sunday.

The first lunar rover from the United Arab Emirates and a toy-like Japanese robot that is designed to roll around in space in the grey dust were launched on board a SpaceX rocket by a Tokyo business on Sunday. The lander's journey to the moon, together with its associated experiments, will take about five months. For financial reasons and to provide greater capacity for freight, the company ispace Inc. built its craft to utilise less fuel. Therefore, it is travelling 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometres) from Earth before turning around and colliding with the moon at the end of April. In contrast, it took five days for NASA's Orion crew capsule and test dummies to reach the moon last month. The Pacific splashdown on Sunday marks the end of the lunar flyby mission. The Atlas crater, measuring more than 50 miles (87 kilometres) broad and little over one mile (two kilometres) deep, is located in the northeastern region of the moon's near side and will be the target of the ispace lander. The lander stands taller than 7 feet (2.3 metres) when all four of its legs are extended. The UAE plans to study the moon in addition to Mars, where a science satellite is already in orbit. Just like everything else on the project, the rover, dubbed Rashid after the royal family of Dubai, weighs only 22 pounds (10 kilogrammes) and will function on the surface for roughly 10 days. Also read | Scientists find ‘unusual, intense blast of energy’ from nearby galaxy Additionally, a Japanese Space Agency orange-sized sphere that will change into a wheeled robot on the moon is aboard the lander. A solid state battery from a Japanese spark plug firm, a flight computer with artificial intelligence from an Ottawa, Ontario, company, and 360-degree cameras from a Toronto-area company are also in flight. A small NASA laser experiment that was transported by the rocket is currently travelling independently to the moon to look for ice in the permanently shadowed craters of the lunar south pole. Hakuto, which is Japanese for white rabbit, is the name of the space mission. A white rabbit is rumoured to reside on the moon in Asian legend. The private business intends to conduct a second lunar landing in 2024 and a third in 2025. Also WATCH | Japan: Country passes funds law amid 'cult-like' Church controversy ispace Inc., which was established in 2010, placed among the top three in the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition, which called for a successful moon landing by 2018. Its lunar rover was never launched. 2019 saw the moon landing of a different candidate, an Israeli nonprofit organisation called SpaceIL. However, the Beresheet spacecraft crashed into the moon and was obliterated rather than making a soft landing. Since the former Soviet Union's Luna 9 in 1966, only Russia, the U.S., and China have accomplished so-called "soft landings" on the moon. With 12 men across six landings, the U.S. is the only country to have sent astronauts to the moon. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Japanese company's lander heads for the moon with UAE rover on SpaceX rocket

Last partial solar eclipse of 2022: Here are some mesmerising images of the rare celestial spectacle

Search for alien life is a favourite topic of scientists and commoners alike. For a long time, we have been trying to find answer to the question of whether life exists elsewhere.

Water is an important indication of presence of alien life. Now, an exoplanet with oceans deeper than those on Earth has been found.

The planet has been designated as TOI-1452 b. It is 100 light years away from our planet. The planet is 70 per cent larger than Earth. It also five times more massive.

Interesting fact about the planet is that it revolves around two stars as opposed to Earth which revolves around a single star —&nbsp;the Sun.

The planet is reportedly located in the 'Goldilocks Zone' in the star system in which it is present.

The planet was discovered by a team led by University of Montreal researcher Dr. Charles Cadieux. The findings were reported in the Astronomical Journal.

The researchers found the exoplanet using NASA's TESS space telescope which surveys the entire sky in search of planets similar to Earth. The signal obtained from TESS showed slight decrease in brightness every 11 days. Based on this, the astronomers predicted that the planet is 70 per cent larger than Earth.&nbsp;

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Search for alien life is a favourite topic of scientists and commoners alike. For a long time, we have been trying to find answer to the question of whether life exists elsewhere.

Search for alien life is a favourite topic of scientists and commoners alike. For a long time, we have been trying to find answer to the question of whether life exists elsewhere. Water is an important indication of presence of alien life. Now, an exoplanet with oceans deeper than those on Earth has been found. The planet has been designated as TOI-1452 b. It is 100 light years away from our planet. The planet is 70 per cent larger than Earth. It also five times more massive. Interesting fact about the planet is that it revolves around two stars as opposed to Earth which revolves around a single star — the Sun. The planet is reportedly located in the 'Goldilocks Zone' in the star system in which it is present. The planet was discovered by a team led by University of Montreal researcher Dr. Charles Cadieux. The findings were reported in the Astronomical Journal. The researchers found the exoplanet using NASA's TESS space telescope which surveys the entire sky in search of planets similar to Earth. The signal obtained from TESS showed slight decrease in brightness every 11 days. Based on this, the astronomers predicted that the planet is 70 per cent larger than Earth. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Astronomers have found exoplanet with oceans deeper than Earth's

Most of us think of our Solar system as a nice little cozy cocoon inside which planets are safely embedded and we are doing what we do on Earth with complete safety. Little do we realise that Solar System is revolving around centre of the Milky Way Galaxy at huge speed and other celestial bodies are very much present around the solar system.

Another star may thus fly by the solar system. And if it does it while being a little too close for comfort, it may also result in collapse of the Solar System.

The passing star may exert its gravitational pull on planets in the Solar System and may alter their orbits, thus sending them colliding into each other.

Garret Brown and Hanno Rein, two researchers at University of Toronto have studied this possibility. They've found that gravity of the foreign star nudges orbits of some of the planets even by 0.1 per cent, it may wreak havoc.

So how close is too close for comfort?

The study has found that a distance of 23 billion miles between the Sun and the other star may make things a bit uncomfortable. This may appear a huge distance but just to put into perspective, Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Siolar System is 24.8 trillion miles away. So 23 billion miles is much less of a distance.

Fortunately, the destruction of Solar System, if at all it happens, may not happen instantly. The process may take billions of years.

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Most of us think of our Solar system as a nice little cozy cocoon inside which planets are safely embedded and we are doing what we do on Earth with complete safety.

Most of us think of our Solar system as a nice little cozy cocoon inside which planets are safely embedded and we are doing what we do on Earth with complete safety. Little do we realise that Solar System is revolving around centre of the Milky Way Galaxy at huge speed and other celestial bodies are very much present around the solar system. Another star may thus fly by the solar system. And if it does it while being a little too close for comfort, it may also result in collapse of the Solar System. The passing star may exert its gravitational pull on planets in the Solar System and may alter their orbits, thus sending them colliding into each other. Garret Brown and Hanno Rein, two researchers at University of Toronto have studied this possibility. They've found that gravity of the foreign star nudges orbits of some of the planets even by 0.1 per cent, it may wreak havoc. So how close is too close for comfort? The study has found that a distance of 23 billion miles between the Sun and the other star may make things a bit uncomfortable. This may appear a huge distance but just to put into perspective, Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Siolar System is 24.8 trillion miles away. So 23 billion miles is much less of a distance. Fortunately, the destruction of Solar System, if at all it happens, may not happen instantly. The process may take billions of years. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Our Solar System may collapse if a passing star came too close

Solar eclipse is a wonder to behold when viewed from Earth in first. Not everyone of us has been lucky enough to experience this wonder of nature. If the celestial event is so impressive from our planet, imagine how it must enthral those who view it from space!&nbsp;

For those of us not having chosen being&nbsp;an astronaut as a career option, NASA comes to rescue.

In a solar eclipse, Moon is situated between the Earth and the Sun in a way that its shadow falls on Earth. Depending upon extent to which the Moon obstructs the Sun, there are three types of solar eclipses.

The one clicked by NASA is a partial solar eclipse. It has been clicked by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The SDO is NASA's observatory in the sky. It was launched in the year 2010.

The SDO recorded the 35-minute partial solar eclipse from space on Wednesday (June 29).

Over the last 12 years, observations made SDO have been extremely useful to understand the Sun

"SDO observations start in the interior of the Sun with the solar dynamo -- the churning of the Sun’s interior that creates its magnetic field and drives space weather. Further out, SDO observes the solar surface to directly measure the magnetic field and the solar atmosphere to understand how magnetic energy is linked to the interior and converted to space weather-causing events. Finally, SDO measures the extreme ultraviolet irradiance of the Sun that is a key driver to the structure and composition of the Earth’s upper atmosphere," says NASA on its website.

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Solar eclipse is a wonder to behold when viewed from Earth in first. Not everyone of us has been lucky enough to experience this wonder of nature. If the celestial event is so impressive from our planet, imagine how it must enthral those who view it from space!

Solar eclipse is a wonder to behold when viewed from Earth in first. Not everyone of us has been lucky enough to experience this wonder of nature. If the celestial event is so impressive from our planet, imagine how it must enthral those who view it from space! For those of us not having chosen being an astronaut as a career option, NASA comes to rescue. In a solar eclipse, Moon is situated between the Earth and the Sun in a way that its shadow falls on Earth. Depending upon extent to which the Moon obstructs the Sun, there are three types of solar eclipses. The one clicked by NASA is a partial solar eclipse. It has been clicked by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The SDO is NASA's observatory in the sky. It was launched in the year 2010. The SDO recorded the 35-minute partial solar eclipse from space on Wednesday (June 29). Over the last 12 years, observations made SDO have been extremely useful to understand the Sun "SDO observations start in the interior of the Sun with the solar dynamo -- the churning of the Sun’s interior that creates its magnetic field and drives space weather. Further out, SDO observes the solar surface to directly measure the magnetic field and the solar atmosphere to understand how magnetic energy is linked to the interior and converted to space weather-causing events. Finally, SDO measures the extreme ultraviolet irradiance of the Sun that is a key driver to the structure and composition of the Earth’s upper atmosphere," says NASA on its website. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

NASA captures breathtaking image of an eclipse from space

Supernovas are some of the biggest explosions in the Universe. These supergiant blasts represent death of a star. Very small percentage of stars in the Universe sign off in this spectacular way.

After a supernova, almost nothing of the 'star stuff' remains behind. Therefore it is logical that brightness of the star decreases after supernova.

But scientists are puzzled because of remnants of a star are burning even brighter after a supernova. This supernova has been designated SN 2012Z. The findings have been published in The Astrophysical Journal. These findings have also been reported in 240th meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

The puzzling fate of the star has given researchers new insights into origins of explosions in the Universe.

The supernova that has seen the dead star shining brightly is called thermonuclear supernova.&nbsp;

Such type of supernovas are an important tool for measuring cosmic distances. Observations of these supernovas began in 1998. These observations since then have revealed that the Universe is expanding at an accelerating pace. This expansion has been attributed to Dark Energy. The true nature of the Dark Energy is still unknown. The discovery of Dark Energy, inspite of its unknown properties had bagged Nobel Prize of the year 2011.

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Supernovas are some of the biggest explosions in the Universe. These supergiant blasts represent death of a star. Very small percentage of stars in the Universe sign off in this spectacular way.

Supernovas are some of the biggest explosions in the Universe. These supergiant blasts represent death of a star. Very small percentage of stars in the Universe sign off in this spectacular way. After a supernova, almost nothing of the 'star stuff' remains behind. Therefore it is logical that brightness of the star decreases after supernova. But scientists are puzzled because of remnants of a star are burning even brighter after a supernova. This supernova has been designated SN 2012Z. The findings have been published in The Astrophysical Journal. These findings have also been reported in 240th meeting of the American Astronomical Society. The puzzling fate of the star has given researchers new insights into origins of explosions in the Universe. The supernova that has seen the dead star shining brightly is called thermonuclear supernova. Such type of supernovas are an important tool for measuring cosmic distances. Observations of these supernovas began in 1998. These observations since then have revealed that the Universe is expanding at an accelerating pace. This expansion has been attributed to Dark Energy. The true nature of the Dark Energy is still unknown. The discovery of Dark Energy, inspite of its unknown properties had bagged Nobel Prize of the year 2011. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Star burns brighter even after supernova explosion

Pluto may have been stripped of his status as a planet but the distant icy world, and its satellite Charon are surely objects of study. Pluto is more than 5 billion years away from Earth.&nbsp;

Till recently the best image we had of Pluto was a fuzzy blob reflecting sunlight. It was due to its enormous distance from Earth that we couldn't click clearer picture.&nbsp;

This changed when NASA's New Horizons flew past Pluto and Charon. The interplanetary probe captured never before seen images with unprecedented clarity. Pluto's satellite Charon was seen to have a 'red cap'.

The colour red often represents iron and rust for us. But for worlds like Pluto, so far away from the Sun, iron may not always be the right answer for such a phenomenon.

Now, a group of researchers has put forth their conclusion which may help us know why Charon has that red cap.

The research was published in journals Science and Geophysical Research Letters.

The researchers say that red cap on Charon is likely to be due to chemicals known as tholins. These compounds absorbed a specific colour of ultraviolet rays from the Sun to become red and get deposited around north pole of Charon.

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Pluto may have been stripped of his status as a planet but the distant icy world, and its satellite Charon are surely objects of study. Pluto is more than 5 billion years away from Earth.

Pluto may have been stripped of his status as a planet but the distant icy world, and its satellite Charon are surely objects of study. Pluto is more than 5 billion years away from Earth. Till recently the best image we had of Pluto was a fuzzy blob reflecting sunlight. It was due to its enormous distance from Earth that we couldn't click clearer picture. This changed when NASA's New Horizons flew past Pluto and Charon. The interplanetary probe captured never before seen images with unprecedented clarity. Pluto's satellite Charon was seen to have a 'red cap'. The colour red often represents iron and rust for us. But for worlds like Pluto, so far away from the Sun, iron may not always be the right answer for such a phenomenon. Now, a group of researchers has put forth their conclusion which may help us know why Charon has that red cap. The research was published in journals Science and Geophysical Research Letters. The researchers say that red cap on Charon is likely to be due to chemicals known as tholins. These compounds absorbed a specific colour of ultraviolet rays from the Sun to become red and get deposited around north pole of Charon. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Mystery of 'red cap' on Pluto's moon finally solved

A star when alive and kicking, can literally be life-giver in its planetary system. Take for example the Solar System. The Sun created the planetary system, and endowed Earth with life itself. The planets peacefully revolve around the star and everything is somewhat alright.

But astronomers have now observed a dead star who is involved in what is being called 'cosmic cannibalism. The dead star is ripping apart its own planetary system.

The star is called G238-44. It is a White Dwarf star. Normal star the size of our Sun, on completion of its life, becomes a White Dwarf.

However, prior to becoming a White Dwarf, such star becomes Red Giant. In this phase, it expands rapidly and disrupts orbits of the planets revolving around it. This sends them on a haywire path.

What's happening, in this case, is that the planets are disintegrating due to the tidal forces of the White Dwarf. The result is total chaos with planetary material falling onto the White Dwarf star.

We may get to witness this cosmic process from afar but 5 billion years in future when&nbsp;the Solar System will meet the same fate.

"When a star like our Sun expands into a bloated red giant late in its life, it will shed mass by puffing off its outer layers. One consequence of this can be the gravitational scattering of small objects like asteroids, comets, and moons by any remaining large planets. Like pinballs in an arcade game, the surviving objects can be thrown into highly eccentric orbits," says NASA on its website.

"...5 billion years from now. Earth might be completely vaporized along with the inner planets. But the orbits of many of the asteroids in the main asteroid belt will be gravitationally perturbed by Jupiter and will eventually fall onto the white dwarf that the remnant Sun will become."

A star when alive and kicking, can literally be life-giver in its planetary system. Take for example the Solar System. The Sun created the planetary system, and endowed Earth with life itself.

A star when alive and kicking, can literally be life-giver in its planetary system. Take for example the Solar System. The Sun created the planetary system, and endowed Earth with life itself. The planets peacefully revolve around the star and everything is somewhat alright. But astronomers have now observed a dead star who is involved in what is being called 'cosmic cannibalism. The dead star is ripping apart its own planetary system. The star is called G238-44. It is a White Dwarf star. Normal star the size of our Sun, on completion of its life, becomes a White Dwarf. However, prior to becoming a White Dwarf, such star becomes Red Giant. In this phase, it expands rapidly and disrupts orbits of the planets revolving around it. This sends them on a haywire path. What's happening, in this case, is that the planets are disintegrating due to the tidal forces of the White Dwarf. The result is total chaos with planetary material falling onto the White Dwarf star. We may get to witness this cosmic process from afar but 5 billion years in future when the Solar System will meet the same fate. "When a star like our Sun expands into a bloated red giant late in its life, it will shed mass by puffing off its outer layers. One consequence of this can be the gravitational scattering of small objects like asteroids, comets, and moons by any remaining large planets. Like pinballs in an arcade game, the surviving objects can be thrown into highly eccentric orbits," says NASA on its website. "...5 billion years from now. Earth might be completely vaporized along with the inner planets. But the orbits of many of the asteroids in the main asteroid belt will be gravitationally perturbed by Jupiter and will eventually fall onto the white dwarf that the remnant Sun will become."

A dead star is ripping apart its planets in 'cosmic cannibalism'

Mars has been favourite candidate of humankind to search for life just next door in our solar system. Martians attacking Earth has been a recurrent theme in movies and books. The theme is so popular that it almost appears that we secretly wish our planet to be invaded by Martians.

So how about an idea that someone is staring at us from the surface of the red planet? The idea sure sends a chill down our spine as it suggests that while we were busy understanding our neighbour by sending spacecrafts, someone (or something!) on the planet instead had its eyes at us.

Latest photograph clicked by European Space Agency (ESA) orbitter sure looks like it!

But thrill seekers among us need to hold their horses for a bit as this photo is of a massive crater on the surface of Mars.

That does not mean it doesn't look scary.

The crater is almost the shape of an eye and complete with a blackened region at the centre. The crater is 30 kilometres across and is located in a region in southern hemisphere of Mars. The region is named Aonia Terra.

This region on Mars features many craters formed due to massive impacts 4 billion years ago. At that time, the solar system was in its infancy and planets were being formed. These infant planets were being battered by huge space rocks that were roaming around in the newly forming solar system.

Earth was battered as well. But much of the evidence of such 'bombardment' was erased to to various natural processes that have been going on for billions of years.

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Mars has been favourite candidate of humankind to search for life just next door in our solar system. Martians attacking Earth has been a recurrent theme in movies and books.

Mars has been favourite candidate of humankind to search for life just next door in our solar system. Martians attacking Earth has been a recurrent theme in movies and books. The theme is so popular that it almost appears that we secretly wish our planet to be invaded by Martians. So how about an idea that someone is staring at us from the surface of the red planet? The idea sure sends a chill down our spine as it suggests that while we were busy understanding our neighbour by sending spacecrafts, someone (or something!) on the planet instead had its eyes at us. Latest photograph clicked by European Space Agency (ESA) orbitter sure looks like it! But thrill seekers among us need to hold their horses for a bit as this photo is of a massive crater on the surface of Mars. That does not mean it doesn't look scary. The crater is almost the shape of an eye and complete with a blackened region at the centre. The crater is 30 kilometres across and is located in a region in southern hemisphere of Mars. The region is named Aonia Terra. This region on Mars features many craters formed due to massive impacts 4 billion years ago. At that time, the solar system was in its infancy and planets were being formed. These infant planets were being battered by huge space rocks that were roaming around in the newly forming solar system. Earth was battered as well. But much of the evidence of such 'bombardment' was erased to to various natural processes that have been going on for billions of years. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Is someone looking at us from Mars? This creepy photo sure looks like it

For the first time in 18 years, five planets will line up in order from their distance from the Sun and can be spotted with the naked eye. Astronomers are preparing for this amazing heavenly treat. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will line up for those who are willing to get up early on 3-4 June.&nbsp;As per Guardian while It's not unusual to see two or three planets close together, the five visible with the naked eye haven't appeared in sequence since December 2004, as seen from the northern hemisphere.

Speaking to the Guardian, professor Beth Biller, personal chair of exoplanet characterisation at Edinburgh University's Institute of astronomy called it 'really cool'.

She said that this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to view the same thing closer to home, with all five of our solar system's 'naked eye' planets visible at the same time.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-selects-two-companies-to-build-next-generation-lunar-spacesuits-484421" hreflang="en">NASA selects two companies to build next-generation lunar spacesuits</a>

The five planets will rise above the horizon in the early hours of Friday. Mercury will be the faintest and very close to the horizon, but is expected to vanish in the sunlight.

‘Your only chance to see all five planets at the same time is during a very narrow window after Mercury has risen but before the sun has,’ Dr Greg Brown of Royal Museums Greenwich told the Guardian.

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He said that Venus and Jupiter will be the easiest to see, with Venus being visible around 4 am GMT and Mars, Jupiter showing in the horizon from about 2:45 am GMT.

Saturn will rise above the horizon around 1:30 am GMT but would become difficult to see at Twilight.

(With inputs from agencies)

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For the first time in 18 years, five planets will line up in order from their distance from the Sun and can be spotted with the naked eye. Astronomers are preparing for this amazing heavenly treat.

For the first time in 18 years, five planets will line up in order from their distance from the Sun and can be spotted with the naked eye. Astronomers are preparing for this amazing heavenly treat. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will line up for those who are willing to get up early on 3-4 June. As per Guardian while It's not unusual to see two or three planets close together, the five visible with the naked eye haven't appeared in sequence since December 2004, as seen from the northern hemisphere. Speaking to the Guardian, professor Beth Biller, personal chair of exoplanet characterisation at Edinburgh University's Institute of astronomy called it 'really cool'. She said that this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to view the same thing closer to home, with all five of our solar system's 'naked eye' planets visible at the same time. Also read | NASA selects two companies to build next-generation lunar spacesuits The five planets will rise above the horizon in the early hours of Friday. Mercury will be the faintest and very close to the horizon, but is expected to vanish in the sunlight. ‘Your only chance to see all five planets at the same time is during a very narrow window after Mercury has risen but before the sun has,’ Dr Greg Brown of Royal Museums Greenwich told the Guardian. Watch | Greenhouse effect is causing rise in temperatures He said that Venus and Jupiter will be the easiest to see, with Venus being visible around 4 am GMT and Mars, Jupiter showing in the horizon from about 2:45 am GMT. Saturn will rise above the horizon around 1:30 am GMT but would become difficult to see at Twilight. (With inputs from agencies) Watch WION LIVE HERE: You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Get ready for a 'heavenly treat' as 5 planets line up. You don't need any equipment to see it. Here's how

James Webb Space Space Telescope may be humanity's future 'eye in the sky' but good ol' Hubble telescope still has a place in our hearts. Hubble has faithfuly relayed images of distant stars and galaxies to Earth for three decades. The space telescope does not cease to make us awestruck, amused and appreciate the endless beauty of the cosmos.

Latest image clicked by Hubble is such. While it may not be as exciting as a colliding galaxy, exploding star but this image tells us about our future.

The photo shows an elliptical galaxy called NGC 474. It is 100 million light-years away from Earth. It is about two and a half times larger than Milky Way Galaxy. The galaxy may not have a beautiful spiral structure like our own galaxy. It just looks like a wisp or smokey haze. But studying NGC 474 galaxy is vital because it gives us glimpses of our on future.

As much as we love our Milky Way Galaxy, it is on collision course with an even bigger galaxy. Andromeda galaxy is racing towards Milky Way&nbsp;at an unimaginable speed.

We can breathe a little sigh of relief though because the galactic collision will take place billions of years from now. This collision of galaxies may not be as apocalyptic as movies have us believe. But immense gravities of Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies will tear material out from the cosmic dance partners. After a merger process that will last billions of years still, both galaxies will lose their spiral shapes and the resulting 'Milkdromeda' galaxy will have an elliptical shape just like NGC 474 which Hubble has clicked! &nbsp;

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James Webb Space Space Telescope may be humanity's future 'eye in the sky' but good ol' Hubble telescope still has a place in our hearts. Hubble has faithfuly relayed images of distant stars and galaxies to Earth for three decades.

James Webb Space Space Telescope may be humanity's future 'eye in the sky' but good ol' Hubble telescope still has a place in our hearts. Hubble has faithfuly relayed images of distant stars and galaxies to Earth for three decades. The space telescope does not cease to make us awestruck, amused and appreciate the endless beauty of the cosmos. Latest image clicked by Hubble is such. While it may not be as exciting as a colliding galaxy, exploding star but this image tells us about our future. The photo shows an elliptical galaxy called NGC 474. It is 100 million light-years away from Earth. It is about two and a half times larger than Milky Way Galaxy. The galaxy may not have a beautiful spiral structure like our own galaxy. It just looks like a wisp or smokey haze. But studying NGC 474 galaxy is vital because it gives us glimpses of our on future. As much as we love our Milky Way Galaxy, it is on collision course with an even bigger galaxy. Andromeda galaxy is racing towards Milky Way at an unimaginable speed. We can breathe a little sigh of relief though because the galactic collision will take place billions of years from now. This collision of galaxies may not be as apocalyptic as movies have us believe. But immense gravities of Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies will tear material out from the cosmic dance partners. After a merger process that will last billions of years still, both galaxies will lose their spiral shapes and the resulting 'Milkdromeda' galaxy will have an elliptical shape just like NGC 474 which Hubble has clicked! WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Hubble clicks photo that shows future of Milky Way Galaxy

Aurora borealis is a beautiful dance of light across the sky. If you want to observe this brilliant natural wonder, you have to go to countries near the North Pole, Scandinavian countries preferably.

But do you know that as the aurora dances across the sky it produces a ghostly sound. An investigation into this suggests that this eerie sound is produced even aurora isn't visible in the sky.

This sound associated with the aurora has been mentioned in regional folktales and accounts shared by the local population.

Unto Laine, ac acoustics engineer from Alto University in Finland has been able to record these ghostly sounds. At EUROREGIO/BNAM2022 Joint Acoustics Conference in Denmark, Laine presented his findings.

"This cancels the argument that auroral sounds are extremely rare and that the aurora borealis should be exceptionally bright and lively," Laine says.

These sounds are apparently produced even when aurora isn't visible.

Listen to the mysterious, eerie sound of the aurora borealis

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Researchers have also identified where exactly these sounds come from in the atmosphere. It was found that these sounds are produced at the altitude of about 70 to 100 metres. Such a low altitude has surprised scientists since aurora results from interaction of solar particles with Earth's magnetic field very high up.

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Aurora borealis is a beautiful dance of light across the sky. If you want to observe this brilliant natural wonder, you have to go to countries near the North Pole, Scandinavian countries preferably.

Aurora borealis is a beautiful dance of light across the sky. If you want to observe this brilliant natural wonder, you have to go to countries near the North Pole, Scandinavian countries preferably. But do you know that as the aurora dances across the sky it produces a ghostly sound. An investigation into this suggests that this eerie sound is produced even aurora isn't visible in the sky. This sound associated with the aurora has been mentioned in regional folktales and accounts shared by the local population. Unto Laine, ac acoustics engineer from Alto University in Finland has been able to record these ghostly sounds. At EUROREGIO/BNAM2022 Joint Acoustics Conference in Denmark, Laine presented his findings. "This cancels the argument that auroral sounds are extremely rare and that the aurora borealis should be exceptionally bright and lively," Laine says. These sounds are apparently produced even when aurora isn't visible. Listen to the mysterious, eerie sound of the aurora borealis × Researchers have also identified where exactly these sounds come from in the atmosphere. It was found that these sounds are produced at the altitude of about 70 to 100 metres. Such a low altitude has surprised scientists since aurora results from interaction of solar particles with Earth's magnetic field very high up. WATCH WION LIVE HERE × You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Want to hear mysterious, ghostly sound aurora borealis makes? Check it out here

Earth will soon witness a 'Blood Moon'. From parts of Antarctica, the Americas, as well as western Europe, Africa and parts of the eastern Pacific, the eclipse will be visible late May 15th and early May 16th.

This is the first Blood Moon of 2022 and the astronomical event is happening after almost a year. The last one was on 25-26 May 2021.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-find-proof-of-extraterrestrial-photosynthesis-heres-what-it-is-how-it-can-help-us-476821" hreflang="en">Scientists find proof of 'extraterrestrial photosynthesis'. Here's what it is, how it can help us</a>

Do you know what is a Blood Moon?

Its name is because of its reddish glow. It occurs during a total lunar eclipse and the red colour is generated by the sun's light passing through the Earth's shadow.

During it the Earth blocks the moon's view of the sun, i.e., the Earth is positioned between the Moon and the Sun.

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The Moon can also appear crimson in the sky due to dust, smoke, or haze, the amount of pollution, cloud cover, and debris in the atmosphere. If an eclipse occurs soon after a volcanic eruption, for example, the particles in the atmosphere will cause the moon to appear darker than usual.

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It might also be one of the fall full moons when the leaves are turning red.&nbsp;A full moon in the month of May is also called a Flower Moon. Other names for it include the Hare Moon, the Planting Moon, and the Milk Moon.

Do you know that this phenomenon was both feared and worshipped by the ancient people?

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Some ancient tribes were perplexed as to why the moon turned red, frightening them. Ancient civilisations would actually undertake rituals to prevent the blood moon's "evil influence".

Spanish colonist stories tell of the Inca and their belief that a heavenly jaguar was attacking and attempting to eat the moon. To stop this from happening, they would shake their spears, making a ruckus to scare the jaguar away.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-posts-amazing-photo-of-recent-solar-flare-was-it-harmful-for-us-on-earth-476584" hreflang="en">NASA posts amazing photo of recent solar flare. Was this release harmful for us on Earth?</a>

In ancient Mesopotamia, this was thought to be an indication of an upcoming cosmic attack on the King. To save their king they would then appoint a surrogate king.

Other legends tell of some tribes believing that the sun and moon are in a quarrel and trying to resolve their differences, while others thought the moon was sick and sang chants to heal it.

You can watch the phenomenon Live online. For information on how to see the super blood moon, follow the link below:

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/a-super-long-blood-moon-is-gonna-grace-the-skies-soon-heres-how-you-can-see-it-478343">A super-long blood moon is gonna grace the skies soon. Here's how you can see it</a>

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Earth will soon witness a 'Blood Moon'. From parts of Antarctica, the Americas, as well as western Europe, Africa and parts of the eastern Pacific, the eclipse will be visible late May 15th and early May 16th.

Earth will soon witness a 'Blood Moon'. From parts of Antarctica, the Americas, as well as western Europe, Africa and parts of the eastern Pacific, the eclipse will be visible late May 15th and early May 16th. This is the first Blood Moon of 2022 and the astronomical event is happening after almost a year. The last one was on 25-26 May 2021. Also read | Scientists find proof of 'extraterrestrial photosynthesis'. Here's what it is, how it can help us Do you know what is a Blood Moon? Its name is because of its reddish glow. It occurs during a total lunar eclipse and the red colour is generated by the sun's light passing through the Earth's shadow. During it the Earth blocks the moon's view of the sun, i.e., the Earth is positioned between the Moon and the Sun. The Moon can also appear crimson in the sky due to dust, smoke, or haze, the amount of pollution, cloud cover, and debris in the atmosphere. If an eclipse occurs soon after a volcanic eruption, for example, the particles in the atmosphere will cause the moon to appear darker than usual. Watch | Universe: After 13.8 billion years, it's time to slow down It might also be one of the fall full moons when the leaves are turning red. A full moon in the month of May is also called a Flower Moon. Other names for it include the Hare Moon, the Planting Moon, and the Milk Moon. Do you know that this phenomenon was both feared and worshipped by the ancient people? Some ancient tribes were perplexed as to why the moon turned red, frightening them. Ancient civilisations would actually undertake rituals to prevent the blood moon's "evil influence". Spanish colonist stories tell of the Inca and their belief that a heavenly jaguar was attacking and attempting to eat the moon. To stop this from happening, they would shake their spears, making a ruckus to scare the jaguar away. Also read | NASA posts amazing photo of recent solar flare. Was this release harmful for us on Earth? In ancient Mesopotamia, this was thought to be an indication of an upcoming cosmic attack on the King. To save their king they would then appoint a surrogate king. Other legends tell of some tribes believing that the sun and moon are in a quarrel and trying to resolve their differences, while others thought the moon was sick and sang chants to heal it. You can watch the phenomenon Live online. For information on how to see the super blood moon, follow the link below: Also read | A super-long blood moon is gonna grace the skies soon. Here's how you can see it Watch WION LIVE HERE:

First Blood Moon of 2022: What is it and why ancient civilisations feared it

The Universe is filled with millions of galaxies of various shape, types and sizes. These galaxies are not fixed in one place. They are travelling through space. Like two vehicles zooming past each other, galaxies meet other galaxies, big or small.

And sometimes they collide!

The collision of galaxies may not be a catastrophic event as movie would have us believe. The collision can be a beautiful cosmic dance!.

Photo of such a cosmic dance has been captured. It is a collision between a barred spiral galaxy and a lenticular galaxy. These two galaxies are merging to form a single galaxy. As they swirl around each other, both of them are affecting one another.

NGC 1512, the galaxy in the middle&nbsp;of the picture, is larger of the two galaxies. It is a barred spiral type of galaxy. NGC 1510, is a smaller lenticular (lens-like) galaxy which can be seen in lower right part of the image.&nbsp;

Both of these galaxies are located in the direction of the constellation Horologium. The pair is about 60 million light-years away from Earth.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/watch-how-does-a-black-hole-sounds-like-find-out-here-477140">Watch: What does a black hole sounds like? Find out here</a> &nbsp;

The photo of these two colliding galaxies and their cosmic dance has been taken by Victor M Blanco 4-meter telescope in Chile in South America.

Decode the geostrategy, diplomacy, and ideologies of the world’s unending wars. Catch our special series ‘World at War’ every Saturday at 8:30 PM IST and Sunday at 10:30 PM IST only on WION.

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The Universe is filled with millions of galaxies of various shape, types and sizes. These galaxies are not fixed in one place. They are travelling through space.

The Universe is filled with millions of galaxies of various shape, types and sizes. These galaxies are not fixed in one place. They are travelling through space. Like two vehicles zooming past each other, galaxies meet other galaxies, big or small. And sometimes they collide! The collision of galaxies may not be a catastrophic event as movie would have us believe. The collision can be a beautiful cosmic dance!. Photo of such a cosmic dance has been captured. It is a collision between a barred spiral galaxy and a lenticular galaxy. These two galaxies are merging to form a single galaxy. As they swirl around each other, both of them are affecting one another. NGC 1512, the galaxy in the middle of the picture, is larger of the two galaxies. It is a barred spiral type of galaxy. NGC 1510, is a smaller lenticular (lens-like) galaxy which can be seen in lower right part of the image. Both of these galaxies are located in the direction of the constellation Horologium. The pair is about 60 million light-years away from Earth. Watch: What does a black hole sounds like? Find out here The photo of these two colliding galaxies and their cosmic dance has been taken by Victor M Blanco 4-meter telescope in Chile in South America. Decode the geostrategy, diplomacy, and ideologies of the world’s unending wars. Catch our special series ‘World at War’ every Saturday at 8:30 PM IST and Sunday at 10:30 PM IST only on WION. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Check out the cosmic dance of these colliding galaxies

There are many strange things in the Universe. From galaxies to black holes and whatnot. But pulsars are perhaps the most interesting. Pulsars from dead stars. And black widow pulsars are still an interesting sub-category.

Pulsars have high magnetism and they spin around themselves very very rapidly. In addition to this they emit powerful beams of X-rays and gamma rays into the space. When these emissions are in Earth's line of sight we can detect the 'pulse' which can even be of a millisecond.

Black widow pulsars are a rare find. These are pulsar with which companion stars are associated. Although they are called 'companion' stars, the pulsar live off them, blasting them with radiation and devouring their stellar material.

The pulsar and the binary system in question is named ZTF J1406+1222. This binary system has the shortest orbital period. This brings the companion star right into the line of fire of the rapidly revolving pulsar.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-find-proof-of-extraterrestrial-photosynthesis-heres-what-it-is-how-it-can-help-us-476821">Scientists find proof of 'extraterrestrial photosynthesis'. Here's what it is, how it can help us</a>

Moreover the 'black widow' pulsar and its prey, the companion star are circling each other every 62 minutes.

The name of category of black widow pulsars has been derived from Black Widow Spiders. In this spider species, the mating game is most often fatal for the male spider. The female spider, after mating, eats her male companion.

Decode the geostrategy, diplomacy, and ideologies of the world’s unending wars. Catch our special series ‘World at War’ every Saturday at 8:30 PM IST and Sunday at 10:30 PM IST only on WION.

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There are many strange things in the Universe. From galaxies to black holes and whatnot. But pulsars are perhaps the most interesting. Pulsars from dead stars. And black widow pulsars are still an interesting sub-category.

There are many strange things in the Universe. From galaxies to black holes and whatnot. But pulsars are perhaps the most interesting. Pulsars from dead stars. And black widow pulsars are still an interesting sub-category. Pulsars have high magnetism and they spin around themselves very very rapidly. In addition to this they emit powerful beams of X-rays and gamma rays into the space. When these emissions are in Earth's line of sight we can detect the 'pulse' which can even be of a millisecond. Black widow pulsars are a rare find. These are pulsar with which companion stars are associated. Although they are called 'companion' stars, the pulsar live off them, blasting them with radiation and devouring their stellar material. The pulsar and the binary system in question is named ZTF J1406+1222. This binary system has the shortest orbital period. This brings the companion star right into the line of fire of the rapidly revolving pulsar. Also Read | Scientists find proof of 'extraterrestrial photosynthesis'. Here's what it is, how it can help us Moreover the 'black widow' pulsar and its prey, the companion star are circling each other every 62 minutes. The name of category of black widow pulsars has been derived from Black Widow Spiders. In this spider species, the mating game is most often fatal for the male spider. The female spider, after mating, eats her male companion. Decode the geostrategy, diplomacy, and ideologies of the world’s unending wars. Catch our special series ‘World at War’ every Saturday at 8:30 PM IST and Sunday at 10:30 PM IST only on WION. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Scientists find 'black widow' pulsar that's eating a star

For early birds among us, sunrise is a sight to behold. Well yes, the event occurs daily but there is something undeniably refreshing about it. We don't need anyone's help to witness the beauty of a sunrise.&nbsp;But how about if it is on Mars?

The interesting and enthralling idea of sunrise on Mars is no longer confined to imagination courtesy NASA.

A few days ago, NASA's InSight lander captured a marvelous video of sunrise from Martian surface. The space agency posted the footage in form of a GIF on Twitter.

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I’ll never tire of sunrise on Mars. ☀️ Each morning, that distant dot climbs higher in the sky, giving me energy for another round of listening to the rumbles beneath my feet. <a href="https://t.co/QB4uVOBLAP">https://t.co/QB4uVOBLAP</a> <a href="https://t.co/61dZe75k2I">pic.twitter.com/61dZe75k2I</a>
— NASA InSight (@NASAInSight) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAInSight/status/1514282311528841220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
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InSight lander captured this beautiful Martian dawn on April 10, 2022. It was 1198th Martian day of the mission.

InSight is NASA's first mission to study Mars' interior (crust, mantle and core). InSight is short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport

InSight landed on the Martian surface in November 2018. It touched down in a region of Mars called Elysium Planitia. Objectives of the preliminary mission during the first Martian year have already been met.

A Martian year is longer than a year on Earth. Since Mars is located further away from Sun than Earth, the planet takes more time to complete one revolution around the Sun than Earth.

One Martian year consists of 687 Earth days.

For early birds among us, sunrise is a sight to behold. Well yes, the event occurs daily but there is something undeniably refreshing about it. We don't need anyone's help to witness the beauty of a sunrise.

For early birds among us, sunrise is a sight to behold. Well yes, the event occurs daily but there is something undeniably refreshing about it. We don't need anyone's help to witness the beauty of a sunrise. But how about if it is on Mars? The interesting and enthralling idea of sunrise on Mars is no longer confined to imagination courtesy NASA. A few days ago, NASA's InSight lander captured a marvelous video of sunrise from Martian surface. The space agency posted the footage in form of a GIF on Twitter. I’ll never tire of sunrise on Mars. ☀️ Each morning, that distant dot climbs higher in the sky, giving me energy for another round of listening to the rumbles beneath my feet. https://t.co/QB4uVOBLAP pic.twitter.com/61dZe75k2I — NASA InSight (@NASAInSight) April 13, 2022 × InSight lander captured this beautiful Martian dawn on April 10, 2022. It was 1198th Martian day of the mission. InSight is NASA's first mission to study Mars' interior (crust, mantle and core). InSight is short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport InSight landed on the Martian surface in November 2018. It touched down in a region of Mars called Elysium Planitia. Objectives of the preliminary mission during the first Martian year have already been met. A Martian year is longer than a year on Earth. Since Mars is located further away from Sun than Earth, the planet takes more time to complete one revolution around the Sun than Earth. One Martian year consists of 687 Earth days.

NASA InSight lander captures images of sunrise on Mars

Although James Webb Space Telescope is soon to open entirely new vista of space research for us, good ol' Hubble deserves its due. Humanity's very firt eye in the sky has been steadfast in sending pictures of far corners of space for last three decades. And to commemorate its 32nd year of operation, a unique image has been released.

The image shows five galaxies that are eventually going to collide. The galaxies are so closely situated (well in galactic terms) that it in itself is a thing of wonder.

This group of galaxies is called Hickson Compact Group 40. These galaxies are situated unusually close.

These galaxies are on a collision course, about a billion years from now, all five galaxies would collide to form a single elliptical galaxy.

So what are the types of galaxies present in the photo?

We can see three spiral galaxies, marked by orange colour visible due to space dust. The one in the middle is an elliptical galaxy. The one in the bottom right corner is a lenticular (lens-like) galaxy.

This galactic huddle is sitting somewhere in the direction of constellation Hydra.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/breakthrough-in-search-for-aliens-what-does-a-habitable-ice-shell-on-jupiters-moon-europa-mean-472318">Breakthrough in search for aliens? What does a habitable ice shell on Jupiter's moon Europa mean?</a>

How big is this huddle? Well all five of these galaxies would fit inside two Milky Ways.

Scientists think Dark Matter is playing part in merger of these galaxies. They think that the Dark Matter is forming a cloud around the group and slowing individual galaxies down.

Although James Webb Space Telescope is soon to open entirely new vista of space research for us, good ol' Hubble deserves its due. Humanity's very firt eye in the sky has been steadfast in sending pictures of far corners of space for last three decades.

Although James Webb Space Telescope is soon to open entirely new vista of space research for us, good ol' Hubble deserves its due. Humanity's very firt eye in the sky has been steadfast in sending pictures of far corners of space for last three decades. And to commemorate its 32nd year of operation, a unique image has been released. The image shows five galaxies that are eventually going to collide. The galaxies are so closely situated (well in galactic terms) that it in itself is a thing of wonder. This group of galaxies is called Hickson Compact Group 40. These galaxies are situated unusually close. These galaxies are on a collision course, about a billion years from now, all five galaxies would collide to form a single elliptical galaxy. So what are the types of galaxies present in the photo? We can see three spiral galaxies, marked by orange colour visible due to space dust. The one in the middle is an elliptical galaxy. The one in the bottom right corner is a lenticular (lens-like) galaxy. This galactic huddle is sitting somewhere in the direction of constellation Hydra. Also Read | Breakthrough in search for aliens? What does a habitable ice shell on Jupiter's moon Europa mean? How big is this huddle? Well all five of these galaxies would fit inside two Milky Ways. Scientists think Dark Matter is playing part in merger of these galaxies. They think that the Dark Matter is forming a cloud around the group and slowing individual galaxies down.

Check out this fantastic Hubble image of five colliding galaxies

NASA keeps sending brilliant pictures our way. These range from those of distant galaxies to our own backyard in the solar system, and everything in between. Sometimes these pics resemble 'Hand of God' or anything our perception allows us to see. This time, NASA has clicked a space butterfly!

This cosmic butterfly has been captured by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. It is a nebula. Nebulas are huge masses of gas and space dust in which new stars form. The infrared image of this 'space butterfly' shows two 'wings'.

In its Instagram post, NASA explains that these 'wings' are giant bubbles of hot, interstellar gas blowing from the hottest, most massive stars that are in the process of getting formed.&nbsp;

"...Besides being beautiful, this nebula demonstrates how the formation of stars results in the destruction of the very clouds that helped create them. Inside giant clouds of gas and dust in space, the force of gravity pulls material together into dense clumps. Sometimes these clumps reach a critical density that allows stars to form at their cores. Radiation and winds coming from the most massive stars in those clouds—combined with the material spewed into space when those stars eventually explode—sometimes form bubbles like those pictured here. But these processes also disperse the gas and dust, breaking up dense clumps and reducing or halting further new star formation. In fact, the material that forms this nebula’s wings was ejected from a dense cluster of stars that lies between them..." says NASA in the Instagram post.

The beautiful image was posted on April 15 and within a day, it has garnered more than 700,000 likes.

"I wanna get lost in that Space Butterfly, can I please?" comments a user.

NASA keeps sending brilliant pictures our way. These range from those of distant galaxies to our own backyard in the solar system, and everything in between. Sometimes these pics resemble 'Hand of God' or anything our perception allows us to see.

NASA keeps sending brilliant pictures our way. These range from those of distant galaxies to our own backyard in the solar system, and everything in between. Sometimes these pics resemble 'Hand of God' or anything our perception allows us to see. This time, NASA has clicked a space butterfly! This cosmic butterfly has been captured by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. It is a nebula. Nebulas are huge masses of gas and space dust in which new stars form. The infrared image of this 'space butterfly' shows two 'wings'. In its Instagram post, NASA explains that these 'wings' are giant bubbles of hot, interstellar gas blowing from the hottest, most massive stars that are in the process of getting formed. "...Besides being beautiful, this nebula demonstrates how the formation of stars results in the destruction of the very clouds that helped create them. Inside giant clouds of gas and dust in space, the force of gravity pulls material together into dense clumps. Sometimes these clumps reach a critical density that allows stars to form at their cores. Radiation and winds coming from the most massive stars in those clouds—combined with the material spewed into space when those stars eventually explode—sometimes form bubbles like those pictured here. But these processes also disperse the gas and dust, breaking up dense clumps and reducing or halting further new star formation. In fact, the material that forms this nebula’s wings was ejected from a dense cluster of stars that lies between them..." says NASA in the Instagram post. The beautiful image was posted on April 15 and within a day, it has garnered more than 700,000 likes. "I wanna get lost in that Space Butterfly, can I please?" comments a user.

NASA clicks photo of a 'space butterfly'

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) never fails to amaze us. Not only the US space agency is at the forefront of space exploration and research, but its social media feeds are also widely admired for brearthtaking images and interesting chunks of space info. And it never fails to enthral us.

So what's on the menu this time? An image of Earth, but with a twist.

As the new month dawned, NASA tweeted a pic taken by its Cassini probe that is studying Saturn. The image show Saturn in all its glory with the majestic rings. But also depicts a curious blue dot.

"You are here. 
&nbsp; 
In 2013, the Cassini spacecraft captured this wide-angle view of Saturn and a chunk of its rings. That pale blue dot just below the rings? That’s Earth from about 898 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers) away," says NASA in its tweet.

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You are here. 
 
In 2013, the Cassini spacecraft captured this wide-angle view of Saturn and a chunk of its rings. That pale blue dot just below the rings? That’s Earth from about 898 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers) away. Explore <a href="https://twitter.com/NASASolarSystem?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASASolarSystem</a>: <a href="https://t.co/9sLPATJHaE">https://t.co/9sLPATJHaE</a> <a href="https://t.co/NlTxVXRANR">pic.twitter.com/NlTxVXRANR</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1497734089692135428?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The image is perhaps a lesson for the self-centred human race which probably thinks it is the centre of the universe. As you go away from the planet, other celestial bodies dwarf us. And all conflicts appear fruitless. This is the only planet we've got. No other space rock has been found to harbour life just like ours&nbsp;Peaceful co-existence is that tough, eh?

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) never fails to amaze us. Not only the US space agency is at the forefront of space exploration and research, but its social media feeds are also widely admired for brearthtaking images and interesting chunks of space info.

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) never fails to amaze us. Not only the US space agency is at the forefront of space exploration and research, but its social media feeds are also widely admired for brearthtaking images and interesting chunks of space info. And it never fails to enthral us. So what's on the menu this time? An image of Earth, but with a twist. As the new month dawned, NASA tweeted a pic taken by its Cassini probe that is studying Saturn. The image show Saturn in all its glory with the majestic rings. But also depicts a curious blue dot. "You are here. In 2013, the Cassini spacecraft captured this wide-angle view of Saturn and a chunk of its rings. That pale blue dot just below the rings? That’s Earth from about 898 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers) away," says NASA in its tweet. You are here. In 2013, the Cassini spacecraft captured this wide-angle view of Saturn and a chunk of its rings. That pale blue dot just below the rings? That’s Earth from about 898 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers) away. Explore @NASASolarSystem: https://t.co/9sLPATJHaE pic.twitter.com/NlTxVXRANR — NASA (@NASA) February 27, 2022 × The image is perhaps a lesson for the self-centred human race which probably thinks it is the centre of the universe. As you go away from the planet, other celestial bodies dwarf us. And all conflicts appear fruitless. This is the only planet we've got. No other space rock has been found to harbour life just like ours Peaceful co-existence is that tough, eh?

NASA tweets brilliant image that may make you a bit introspective

We know that black holes in space devour material around them. Even light can't escape from them. We also know that black holes are also found at the centre of galaxies just like Milky Way Galaxy has.

But new images from a corner of space have thrown up 14 black holes hungrily eating material in the space around them.

These 14 black holes (and the galaxies associated with them) are located in what is called Spiderweb protocluster.

The hungry feast of the black holes means that these black holes are growing.

The Spiderweb protocluster is named after Spiderweb galaxy that is at the center of the protocluster. The protocluster was observed over 8 days using Chandra X-Ray observatory. The hungry black holes were discovered thus.

The Spiderweb protocluster is a growing cluster of galaxies. It is 10.6 billion light-years away from us. This means that what we are seeing today happened 10.6 billion light years ago. So this protocluster was behaving like it was observed now 10.6 billion years ago.

This period is known as 'Cosmic Noon' during which star-formation was taking place at a furious rate.

It is held that Spiderweb protocluster will by today have evolved into a stable, massive cluster of galaxies that are gravitationally bound.

Study of Spiderweb protocluster and it development may give scientists opportunity to gain insight into how massive structures are formed in space.

We know that black holes in space devour material around them. Even light can't escape from them. We also know that black holes are also found at the centre of galaxies just like Milky Way Galaxy has.

We know that black holes in space devour material around them. Even light can't escape from them. We also know that black holes are also found at the centre of galaxies just like Milky Way Galaxy has. But new images from a corner of space have thrown up 14 black holes hungrily eating material in the space around them. These 14 black holes (and the galaxies associated with them) are located in what is called Spiderweb protocluster. The hungry feast of the black holes means that these black holes are growing. The Spiderweb protocluster is named after Spiderweb galaxy that is at the center of the protocluster. The protocluster was observed over 8 days using Chandra X-Ray observatory. The hungry black holes were discovered thus. The Spiderweb protocluster is a growing cluster of galaxies. It is 10.6 billion light-years away from us. This means that what we are seeing today happened 10.6 billion light years ago. So this protocluster was behaving like it was observed now 10.6 billion years ago. This period is known as 'Cosmic Noon' during which star-formation was taking place at a furious rate. It is held that Spiderweb protocluster will by today have evolved into a stable, massive cluster of galaxies that are gravitationally bound. Study of Spiderweb protocluster and it development may give scientists opportunity to gain insight into how massive structures are formed in space.

Astronomers find 14 black holes feasting on surrounding space matter

Indian astronomers in collaboration with their French counterpart, have found a galaxy that has a 'ghost-like' appearance. Stars are very much being formed in this galaxy. This faint galaxy was previously unseen due to the presence of a bright galaxy.

The galaxy was found by a team of researchers the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru and a French astronomer from College de France, Paris. The team consisted of Jyoti Yadav, Mousumi Das and Sudhanshu Barway and Francoise Combes.

India's Ministry of Science and Technology has made announcement about the discovery.

Faint galaxies form about 15 per cent of the mass of the universe. Faint galaxies are also called low surface brightness galaxies or ultra-diffuse galaxies. These galaxies are at least ten times fainter than the night sky around them. The galaxies are faint in their appearance because of low disc density.

The newly discovered galaxy is around 136 light-years away from Earth.

"The researchers measured the distance of NGC6902A, a previously known galaxy and the faint star-forming regions using emission lines in the spectra. They found that these star-forming regions are at a distance of around 136 million light-years, whereas the distance of NGC 6902A is around 825 million light-years. This means that the diffuse blue emission was from a foreground galaxy," said India's Ministry of Science and Technology.

The research has been published in the journal ‘Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics’.

Indian astronomers in collaboration with their French counterpart, have found a galaxy that has a 'ghost-like' appearance. Stars are very much being formed in this galaxy.

Indian astronomers in collaboration with their French counterpart, have found a galaxy that has a 'ghost-like' appearance. Stars are very much being formed in this galaxy. This faint galaxy was previously unseen due to the presence of a bright galaxy. The galaxy was found by a team of researchers the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru and a French astronomer from College de France, Paris. The team consisted of Jyoti Yadav, Mousumi Das and Sudhanshu Barway and Francoise Combes. India's Ministry of Science and Technology has made announcement about the discovery. Faint galaxies form about 15 per cent of the mass of the universe. Faint galaxies are also called low surface brightness galaxies or ultra-diffuse galaxies. These galaxies are at least ten times fainter than the night sky around them. The galaxies are faint in their appearance because of low disc density. The newly discovered galaxy is around 136 light-years away from Earth. "The researchers measured the distance of NGC6902A, a previously known galaxy and the faint star-forming regions using emission lines in the spectra. They found that these star-forming regions are at a distance of around 136 million light-years, whereas the distance of NGC 6902A is around 825 million light-years. This means that the diffuse blue emission was from a foreground galaxy," said India's Ministry of Science and Technology. The research has been published in the journal ‘Astronomy & Astrophysics’.

Indian astronomers find galaxy having 'ghost-like' appearance

Saturn sure makes for a grand view in the night sky. After all, it is the only planet in our solar system with easily visible majestic rings. If you have seen Saturn through an everyday telescope, it's hard to miss the mesmerising beauty of the planet.

Saturn's rings are made of rock, ice and dust. It is estimated that the rings are 10 to 100 million years old. That might sound a lot but not much when we know&nbsp;dinosaurs roamed the Earth just 66 million years ago.

Saturn may flaunt its distinct look in the night sky today but the planet is losing its rings.

Imagine pointing your telescope at the sky and finding no difference between Saturn and other planets! Yes, that sounds sad.

Saturn is losing its rings due to what is being called 'ring rain'. No, there is no mysterious rain chipping away at the rings. Saturn is itself attracting the 'ring matter' which is falling towards it from the ring and vapourising. In other words, Saturn is eating away its own rings!

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/an-astronomer-has-created-video-on-saturns-spinning-rings-375558">An astronomer has created video on Saturn's spinning rings</a>

This destructive process was revealed to The Atlantic by astronomers. It is estimated that 10 tonnes of ring matter are falling into Saturn every second!

NASA's Cassini Mission has studied Saturn extensively.

We can heave a sigh of relief though. Saturn is unlikely to lose its grandeur during our lifetimes. At the current rate of degradation, it is estimated that the core of the ring would disappear in 100 million years and the rings will completely disappear in 300 million years. But it will be a sad moment indeed, whenever it comes.

Saturn sure makes for a grand view in the night sky. After all, it is the only planet in our solar system with easily visible majestic rings. If you have seen Saturn through an everyday telescope, it's hard to miss the mesmerising beauty of the planet.

Saturn sure makes for a grand view in the night sky. After all, it is the only planet in our solar system with easily visible majestic rings. If you have seen Saturn through an everyday telescope, it's hard to miss the mesmerising beauty of the planet. Saturn's rings are made of rock, ice and dust. It is estimated that the rings are 10 to 100 million years old. That might sound a lot but not much when we know dinosaurs roamed the Earth just 66 million years ago. Saturn may flaunt its distinct look in the night sky today but the planet is losing its rings. Imagine pointing your telescope at the sky and finding no difference between Saturn and other planets! Yes, that sounds sad. Saturn is losing its rings due to what is being called 'ring rain'. No, there is no mysterious rain chipping away at the rings. Saturn is itself attracting the 'ring matter' which is falling towards it from the ring and vapourising. In other words, Saturn is eating away its own rings! Also Read: An astronomer has created video on Saturn's spinning rings This destructive process was revealed to The Atlantic by astronomers. It is estimated that 10 tonnes of ring matter are falling into Saturn every second! NASA's Cassini Mission has studied Saturn extensively. We can heave a sigh of relief though. Saturn is unlikely to lose its grandeur during our lifetimes. At the current rate of degradation, it is estimated that the core of the ring would disappear in 100 million years and the rings will completely disappear in 300 million years. But it will be a sad moment indeed, whenever it comes.

Saturn is 'eating' its own rings, they may disappear altogether

The word 'supernova' means blast of a star. It occurs as the star dies. The process is quite violent. But a particular star is confusing scientists because it is literally forming rings around itself. The star is dying and its behaviour has made scientists question their own knowledge about death of a star.

The star in question is V Hydrae (V Hya). It is a carbon-rich red giant star. V hya is located in Hydra constellation about 1300 light years away from Earth.&nbsp;

This star is classified in the category of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Scientists are often curious about V Hydrae as it emits plasma in space every eight years.

In addition to this, the star is emitting stellar material every few hundred years and this is forming rings around the star.

A group of scientists have studied the star and published the study in the Astrophysical Journal.

"This is the first and only time that a series of expanding rings has been seen around a star that is in its death throes — a series of expanding 'smoke rings' that we have calculated are being blown every few hundred years. We have caught this dying star in the process of shedding its atmosphere — ultimately most of its mass — which is something that most late-stage red giant stars do. But much to our surprise, we have found that the matter, in this case, is being expelled as a series of rings," says Mark Morris, co-author of the study.

The researchers made use of Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Hubble Space Telescope.

The word 'supernova' means blast of a star. It occurs as the star dies. The process is quite violent. But a particular star is confusing scientists because it is literally forming rings around itself.

The word 'supernova' means blast of a star. It occurs as the star dies. The process is quite violent. But a particular star is confusing scientists because it is literally forming rings around itself. The star is dying and its behaviour has made scientists question their own knowledge about death of a star. The star in question is V Hydrae (V Hya). It is a carbon-rich red giant star. V hya is located in Hydra constellation about 1300 light years away from Earth. This star is classified in the category of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Scientists are often curious about V Hydrae as it emits plasma in space every eight years. In addition to this, the star is emitting stellar material every few hundred years and this is forming rings around the star. A group of scientists have studied the star and published the study in the Astrophysical Journal. "This is the first and only time that a series of expanding rings has been seen around a star that is in its death throes — a series of expanding 'smoke rings' that we have calculated are being blown every few hundred years. We have caught this dying star in the process of shedding its atmosphere — ultimately most of its mass — which is something that most late-stage red giant stars do. But much to our surprise, we have found that the matter, in this case, is being expelled as a series of rings," says Mark Morris, co-author of the study. The researchers made use of Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Hubble Space Telescope.

A dying star is forming rings around itself, confusing scientists

The concept of the spacewalk is fascinating, to say the least. Yes, its less of a walk and more of 'space-floating'. The idea of being outside the protective spacecraft with almost nothing between you and the stars is surreal to imagine. There is an element of thrill as well. There have been enough movies showing the tether connecting the astronaut and the spacecraft snapping and the hapless bro (or sis) doing all they can to prevent being drifted into unending space.

Till now we had to rely on videos shot by space agencies of astronauts as they spacewalked. It's almost unimaginable to look up from Earth and see astronauts doing their thing.

But a fascinating new development has enabled us to take a 'human's-eye view' of the recently concluded spacewalk.

On March 23, NASA astronaut Raja Chari and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer conducted a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS). The spacewalk lasted for 7 hours during which the astronauts performed maintenance work at the ISS.

An astrophotographer has captured what he says is a "once in a lifetime" photo of this spacewalk. He was on Earth, and incidentally in Maurer's hometown in Germany.

"Yesterday I witnessed the #spacewalk shortly after sunset. Here comes a first photo. #ESA #astronaut Matthias Maurer was just 'climbing' at this moment. The rod-shaped structure (Canadarm2) is the robot arm. Greetings from Matthias Maurer's hometown — it was very exciting. #iss," Dr Sebastian Voltmer, the astrophotographer tweeted.

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Yesterday I witnessed the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacewalk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#spacewalk</a> shortly after sunset. Here comes a first photo. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ESA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ESA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/astronaut?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#astronaut</a> Matthias Maurer was just "climbing" at this moment. 
The rod-shaped structure (Canadarm2) is the robot arm. 
Greetings from Matthias Maurers hometown - it was very exciting. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iss?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#iss</a> <a href="https://t.co/39Q7YlG64u">pic.twitter.com/39Q7YlG64u</a>
— Dr. Sebastian Voltmer (@SeVoSpace) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeVoSpace/status/1506912147737088002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Voltmer used Celestron 11-inch EdgeHD telescope on a GM2000 HPS mount and an ASI290 planetary camera to get the shot, as per his e-mail to Space.com

Voltmer analysed the photo and in an updated, indicated the positions of both astronauts.

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Update: 2 Spacewalkers Imaged From The Ground 
 
During the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacewalk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#spacewalk</a> of the two astronauts <a href="https://twitter.com/Astro_Raja?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Astro_Raja</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/astro_matthias?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@astro_matthias</a> the International Space Station appeared shortly after sunset in the bright evening sky over Germany. This image of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISS</a> was taken on March 23, 2022. <a href="https://t.co/xkKJtSoZFc">pic.twitter.com/xkKJtSoZFc</a>
— Dr. Sebastian Voltmer (@SeVoSpace) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeVoSpace/status/1508239974893768712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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"It's probably the first ground-based picture showing two spacewalkers on the ISS at the same time." he told spaceweather.com

The photos certainly don't show both astronauts discernibly but to point you camera at the sky and clicking image of spacewalking astronauts with clarity of this degree is a feat indeed! 
&nbsp;

The concept of the spacewalk is fascinating, to say the least. Yes, its less of a walk and more of 'space-floating'. The idea of being outside the protective spacecraft with almost nothing between you and the stars is surreal to imagine.

The concept of the spacewalk is fascinating, to say the least. Yes, its less of a walk and more of 'space-floating'. The idea of being outside the protective spacecraft with almost nothing between you and the stars is surreal to imagine. There is an element of thrill as well. There have been enough movies showing the tether connecting the astronaut and the spacecraft snapping and the hapless bro (or sis) doing all they can to prevent being drifted into unending space. Till now we had to rely on videos shot by space agencies of astronauts as they spacewalked. It's almost unimaginable to look up from Earth and see astronauts doing their thing. But a fascinating new development has enabled us to take a 'human's-eye view' of the recently concluded spacewalk. On March 23, NASA astronaut Raja Chari and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer conducted a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS). The spacewalk lasted for 7 hours during which the astronauts performed maintenance work at the ISS. An astrophotographer has captured what he says is a "once in a lifetime" photo of this spacewalk. He was on Earth, and incidentally in Maurer's hometown in Germany. "Yesterday I witnessed the #spacewalk shortly after sunset. Here comes a first photo. #ESA #astronaut Matthias Maurer was just 'climbing' at this moment. The rod-shaped structure (Canadarm2) is the robot arm. Greetings from Matthias Maurer's hometown — it was very exciting. #iss," Dr Sebastian Voltmer, the astrophotographer tweeted. Yesterday I witnessed the #spacewalk shortly after sunset. Here comes a first photo. #ESA #astronaut Matthias Maurer was just "climbing" at this moment. The rod-shaped structure (Canadarm2) is the robot arm. Greetings from Matthias Maurers hometown - it was very exciting. #iss pic.twitter.com/39Q7YlG64u — Dr. Sebastian Voltmer (@SeVoSpace) March 24, 2022 × Voltmer used Celestron 11-inch EdgeHD telescope on a GM2000 HPS mount and an ASI290 planetary camera to get the shot, as per his e-mail to Space.com Voltmer analysed the photo and in an updated, indicated the positions of both astronauts. Update: 2 Spacewalkers Imaged From The Ground During the #spacewalk of the two astronauts @Astro_Raja and @astro_matthias the International Space Station appeared shortly after sunset in the bright evening sky over Germany. This image of the #ISS was taken on March 23, 2022. pic.twitter.com/xkKJtSoZFc — Dr. Sebastian Voltmer (@SeVoSpace) March 28, 2022 × "It's probably the first ground-based picture showing two spacewalkers on the ISS at the same time." he told spaceweather.com The photos certainly don't show both astronauts discernibly but to point you camera at the sky and clicking image of spacewalking astronauts with clarity of this degree is a feat indeed!

Astrophotographer takes photo of spacewalking astronauts, from Earth

Comet Leonard, which was easily visible from Earth in the month of December last year has disintegrated on its close approach to the Sun, say media reports. What remains of the comet is now moving away from the Sun.&nbsp;

Comet Leonard had its closest approach to the Sun on January 3, 2022. What has made astronomers confirm that Comet Leonard has disintegrated is the observation that remnants of the comet moving away from the Sun no longer show the existence of two important parts of any comet: NUcleus and Coma.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-potentially-hazardous-asteroid-is-coming-near-earth-on-thursday-nasa-464865">A 'potentially hazardous' asteroid is coming near Earth on Thursday: NASA</a>

Nucleus of a comet is its core while Coma is the temporary envelope of atmosphere the comet develops when it approaches the Sun.

Comet Leonard was discovered by Gregory Leonard on January 3 last year.

The comet made closest approach to Earth on December 12 last year. Around that time, the comet had garnered attention for being the brightest comet of the year 2021.

Watching Comet Leonard was hailed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as its huge orbit brought it close to Earth once every 80,000 years.

Comet Leonard's orbit was so huge that it was 3500 times the distance between Earth and the Sun. Its disintegration means that the icy body will no longer be able to orbit the Sun as we knew it previously.

Comet Leonard, which was easily visible from Earth in the month of December last year has disintegrated on its close approach to the Sun, say media reports. What remains of the comet is now moving away from the Sun.

Comet Leonard, which was easily visible from Earth in the month of December last year has disintegrated on its close approach to the Sun, say media reports. What remains of the comet is now moving away from the Sun. Comet Leonard had its closest approach to the Sun on January 3, 2022. What has made astronomers confirm that Comet Leonard has disintegrated is the observation that remnants of the comet moving away from the Sun no longer show the existence of two important parts of any comet: NUcleus and Coma. Also Read | A 'potentially hazardous' asteroid is coming near Earth on Thursday: NASA Nucleus of a comet is its core while Coma is the temporary envelope of atmosphere the comet develops when it approaches the Sun. Comet Leonard was discovered by Gregory Leonard on January 3 last year. The comet made closest approach to Earth on December 12 last year. Around that time, the comet had garnered attention for being the brightest comet of the year 2021. Watching Comet Leonard was hailed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as its huge orbit brought it close to Earth once every 80,000 years. Comet Leonard's orbit was so huge that it was 3500 times the distance between Earth and the Sun. Its disintegration means that the icy body will no longer be able to orbit the Sun as we knew it previously.

Comet Leonard disintegrates as it goes around the Sun

A 'potentially hazardous'&nbsp;asteroid is on its way to come near Earth. The asteroid isn't exactly small. It is comparable to Empire State Building. If this asteroid hits the Earth, it packs more than enough punch to cause widespread destruction.

Asteroid 2013 BO76, as it has been named is 450 metres (Nearly a half kilometre) across. The size may seem small but the high speed with which it is travelling gives it enough potential to cause major damage on Earth if it hits. The asteroid is flying at a staggering speed of 49513.45 kilometres per hour.&nbsp;

NASA has categorised the asteroid to be 'potentially hazardous'. It is then perhaps a good thing that it will fly past Earth at a distance of 51,11,759 kilometres. It will zoom past Earth on Thursday (March 24).

This is not the first time this asteroid has come into our neighbourhood to say Hi.&nbsp;

In 2013, it zoomed past the Earth at a distance of 78,88,295 kilometres. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has said that after Thursday's flyby, the same asteroid will visit Earth on July 14, 2033. At that time, it is expected to be at a distance of 1,91,85,926 kilometres from the Earth.

NASA's JPL has also orbital parameters of the asteroid along with its orbital diagram around Earth.

<img alt="NASA asteroid" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="56a74fd6-049b-44f3-828d-40b0bcb93980" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/asteroid.png" />

The intersecting orbits of the planets and the asteroid can clearly be seen in the picture above. Earth's orbit is visible in light blue colour while that of the asteroid has been depicted in white.

A 'potentially hazardous' asteroid is on its way to come near Earth. The asteroid isn't exactly small. It is comparable to Empire State Building. If this asteroid hits the Earth, it packs more than enough punch to cause widespread destruction.

A 'potentially hazardous' asteroid is on its way to come near Earth. The asteroid isn't exactly small. It is comparable to Empire State Building. If this asteroid hits the Earth, it packs more than enough punch to cause widespread destruction. Asteroid 2013 BO76, as it has been named is 450 metres (Nearly a half kilometre) across. The size may seem small but the high speed with which it is travelling gives it enough potential to cause major damage on Earth if it hits. The asteroid is flying at a staggering speed of 49513.45 kilometres per hour. NASA has categorised the asteroid to be 'potentially hazardous'. It is then perhaps a good thing that it will fly past Earth at a distance of 51,11,759 kilometres. It will zoom past Earth on Thursday (March 24). This is not the first time this asteroid has come into our neighbourhood to say Hi. In 2013, it zoomed past the Earth at a distance of 78,88,295 kilometres. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has said that after Thursday's flyby, the same asteroid will visit Earth on July 14, 2033. At that time, it is expected to be at a distance of 1,91,85,926 kilometres from the Earth. NASA's JPL has also orbital parameters of the asteroid along with its orbital diagram around Earth. The intersecting orbits of the planets and the asteroid can clearly be seen in the picture above. Earth's orbit is visible in light blue colour while that of the asteroid has been depicted in white.

A 'potentially hazardous' asteroid is coming near Earth on Thursday: NASA

The number of confirmed exoplanets just surpassed 5,000, marking the culmination of a 30-year journey. In a milestone celebration, NASA announced that its space telescopes helped confirm thousands of new exoplanets.&nbsp;

In the not-so-distant past, there were only a few known planets. However, a flurry of recent discoveries has marked a scientific high point: more than 5,000 planets are now confirmed to exist beyond our solar system.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/what-slows-down-star-formation-in-a-galaxy-this-is-the-answer-464620" hreflang="en">What slows down star-formation in a galaxy? This is the answer</a>

In March, the NASA Exoplanet Archive added 65 new exoplanets - planets outside our solar system - to the planetary odometer. The archive contains exoplanet discoveries that appeared in peer-reviewed scientific papers and have been confirmed through multiple detection methods or analytical methods.

Planets found to date range from small, rocky worlds like Earth to gas giants much larger than Jupiter and “hot Jupiters” that orbit in scorchingly close orbits around their stars. Additionally, there are "super-Earths," giant rocky worlds that might be larger than our own. As well as "mini-Neptunes" which are smaller versions of our solar system's Neptune.&nbsp;

<img alt="Exoplanets" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="84fef865-f32c-4d6a-8661-1a548e7fea27" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design_181.jpg" />

(Illustration Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

As far as we know, our galaxy likely contains hundreds of billions of such planets.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-galaxy-with-split-personality-heres-what-we-mean-by-this-464411" hreflang="en">A galaxy with split personality? Here's what we mean by this</a>

Jessie Christiansen, science lead for the archive and a research scientist at Caltech's NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, explained that it is more than just a number.

“Each one of them is a new world, a brand-new planet. I get excited about every one because we don’t know anything about them.”

Alexander Wolszczan, a professor at Penn State who searches for exoplanets, believes we are entering a period of discovery that will go beyond simply adding new planets to the list.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;A new frontier in space exploration

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/a-new-frontier-in-space-exploration-439824/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

“To my thinking, it is inevitable that we’ll find some kind of life somewhere – most likely of some primitive kind,” Wolszczan said.

He pointed out the close relationship between the chemistry of life on Earth and chemistry found in the universe, together with widespread organic molecules, makes the discovery of the existence of life elsewhere only a matter of time.

(With inputs from agencies)

The number of confirmed exoplanets just surpassed 5,000, marking the culmination of a 30-year journey. In a milestone celebration, NASA announced that its space telescopes helped confirm thousands of new exoplanets.

The number of confirmed exoplanets just surpassed 5,000, marking the culmination of a 30-year journey. In a milestone celebration, NASA announced that its space telescopes helped confirm thousands of new exoplanets. In the not-so-distant past, there were only a few known planets. However, a flurry of recent discoveries has marked a scientific high point: more than 5,000 planets are now confirmed to exist beyond our solar system. Also read | What slows down star-formation in a galaxy? This is the answer In March, the NASA Exoplanet Archive added 65 new exoplanets - planets outside our solar system - to the planetary odometer. The archive contains exoplanet discoveries that appeared in peer-reviewed scientific papers and have been confirmed through multiple detection methods or analytical methods. Planets found to date range from small, rocky worlds like Earth to gas giants much larger than Jupiter and “hot Jupiters” that orbit in scorchingly close orbits around their stars. Additionally, there are "super-Earths," giant rocky worlds that might be larger than our own. As well as "mini-Neptunes" which are smaller versions of our solar system's Neptune. (Illustration Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech) As far as we know, our galaxy likely contains hundreds of billions of such planets. Also read | A galaxy with split personality? Here's what we mean by this Jessie Christiansen, science lead for the archive and a research scientist at Caltech's NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, explained that it is more than just a number. “Each one of them is a new world, a brand-new planet. I get excited about every one because we don’t know anything about them.” Alexander Wolszczan, a professor at Penn State who searches for exoplanets, believes we are entering a period of discovery that will go beyond simply adding new planets to the list. Watch | A new frontier in space exploration “To my thinking, it is inevitable that we’ll find some kind of life somewhere – most likely of some primitive kind,” Wolszczan said. He pointed out the close relationship between the chemistry of life on Earth and chemistry found in the universe, together with widespread organic molecules, makes the discovery of the existence of life elsewhere only a matter of time. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA confirms a 'celestial milestone', 5000 exoplanets confirmed so far

Space images are mesmerising. There is no doubt about that. Though we know a lot about what's out there, there's lot that is still to be found. But sometimes old images reveal something astoundingly whacky that our eyes go on a different trip altogether.

We know that various wavelengths mean that space looks in a particular way in 'visible' wavelengths of light. But a lot is hidden in wavelengths that are invisible to the naked eye and we have to make use of specialised telescopes to see the other wavelengths.

But its not often that a picture including invisible wavelengths opens a box of colours amazingly distinct from one that includes only visible wavelengths.

For example, check this image taken by Hubble telescope. This image contains wavelengths visible to the naked eye.

<img alt="Hubble" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="acb2abba-0294-4f03-948b-30fb101c3563" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Hubble.png" />

(Image: NASA)

And here's the same galaxy with inclusion of wavelengths that are invisible to the naked eye

<img alt="Galaxy" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8dac84dc-6722-4e24-8ae4-37e8d89edcc5" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/galaxy.png" />

(Image: ESO)

It's almost like the galaxy was hiding a personality, like that of a person seemingly introvert but who's a party freak on the inside.

The galaxy in the photo is called GC 4254, or Messier 99. The recent image of this galaxy has been clicked using Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on European Southern Obervatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope. The ESO is located in Chile.

The galaxy is 50 lightyears away from us.

Space images are mesmerising. There is no doubt about that. Though we know a lot about what's out there, there's lot that is still to be found. But sometimes old images reveal something astoundingly whacky that our eyes go on a different trip altogether.

Space images are mesmerising. There is no doubt about that. Though we know a lot about what's out there, there's lot that is still to be found. But sometimes old images reveal something astoundingly whacky that our eyes go on a different trip altogether. We know that various wavelengths mean that space looks in a particular way in 'visible' wavelengths of light. But a lot is hidden in wavelengths that are invisible to the naked eye and we have to make use of specialised telescopes to see the other wavelengths. But its not often that a picture including invisible wavelengths opens a box of colours amazingly distinct from one that includes only visible wavelengths. For example, check this image taken by Hubble telescope. This image contains wavelengths visible to the naked eye. (Image: NASA) And here's the same galaxy with inclusion of wavelengths that are invisible to the naked eye (Image: ESO) It's almost like the galaxy was hiding a personality, like that of a person seemingly introvert but who's a party freak on the inside. The galaxy in the photo is called GC 4254, or Messier 99. The recent image of this galaxy has been clicked using Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on European Southern Obervatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope. The ESO is located in Chile. The galaxy is 50 lightyears away from us.

A galaxy with split personality? Here's what we mean by this

Even before we had sophisticated technology at hand, we have been keen to look at the skies to uncover its secrets. As tech developed, we realised that what we could see was just a fraction of what was out there. We continued to gaze into the space nonetheless.

One of main thrusts of our skywatching has been to find exoplanets, and some that would possibly harbour life! But everything doesn't always go according to plan and our observations sometimes are not that accurate. That's life we suppose.

Astronomers have 'lost' three exoplanets. This means that these three space objects, previously considered to be exoplanets are not planets at all.&nbsp;

The objects Kepler-854b, Kepler-840b, and Kepler-699b have appeared to be too big to be exoplanets. So what are they?&nbsp;

Scientists think that they are stars!

Another object, Kepler-747b is considered to be a borderline case to qualify as a planet.

How are exoplanets discovered?

Planets may be notoriously hard to spot as, unlike stars, they do not emit their own light. So how are they found?

We can spot the light coming from a star. When a planet comes in between the star and us, there is a slight decrease or 'dip' in the light caught by our sophisticated lenses pointed at the sky.

As the tech is advancing, we are making use of newer techniques to accurately find exoplanets.

Even before we had sophisticated technology at hand, we have been keen to look at the skies to uncover its secrets. As tech developed, we realised that what we could see was just a fraction of what was out there.

Even before we had sophisticated technology at hand, we have been keen to look at the skies to uncover its secrets. As tech developed, we realised that what we could see was just a fraction of what was out there. We continued to gaze into the space nonetheless. One of main thrusts of our skywatching has been to find exoplanets, and some that would possibly harbour life! But everything doesn't always go according to plan and our observations sometimes are not that accurate. That's life we suppose. Astronomers have 'lost' three exoplanets. This means that these three space objects, previously considered to be exoplanets are not planets at all. The objects Kepler-854b, Kepler-840b, and Kepler-699b have appeared to be too big to be exoplanets. So what are they? Scientists think that they are stars! Another object, Kepler-747b is considered to be a borderline case to qualify as a planet. How are exoplanets discovered? Planets may be notoriously hard to spot as, unlike stars, they do not emit their own light. So how are they found? We can spot the light coming from a star. When a planet comes in between the star and us, there is a slight decrease or 'dip' in the light caught by our sophisticated lenses pointed at the sky. As the tech is advancing, we are making use of newer techniques to accurately find exoplanets.

Three exoplanets have been 'lost', here's what's the deal

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