In the wake of too many incidents of spacecraft and rockets crashing back to Earth and its debris falling in areas it shouldn't, scientists have warned that such incidents may cause someone's death in the years ahead.

Just in May, 56 'uncontrolled re-entries' were monitored by the UK Space Agency and the rate at which satellites and objects are falling back to Earth increased by 155 per cent in April.

Among these events, scientists have warned that there is a 10 per cent chance of someone getting killed in the next decade due to an out-of-control rocket or spacecraft.&nbsp;

Speaking to MailOnline, the UK Space Agency's spokesperson said, "Since January, the UK has monitored an average of 23 re-entering space objects per month."

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/musks-spacex-rocket-grounded-by-us-aviation-regulator-know-why-740446">Musk's SpaceX rocket grounded by US aviation regulator. Know why</a>

"Statistically, debris from re-entering objects presents a low risk to both life and property because most of the Earth is covered by water and the majority of land is unpopulated," the spokesperson added.

"There are no recorded instances of serious injuries caused by re-entering space debris," he explained.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich Jake Foster said, "The vast majority of space debris that falls to Earth is so small that it burns up entirely in the atmosphere on its way down, posing no threat to human life."

"Since around 70 per cent of the Earth's surface is covered in water, most larger pieces that do make it down to the surface usually end up splashing down into the oceans," he added.

<h2>Space debris rains in India and China</h2>

The first such space debris falling on Earth was recorded in 1978 when the &nbsp;Soviet spy satellite Kosmos 954 crashed and the latest incident happened when the Chinese rockets re-entered this June.&nbsp;

The re-entry of Chinese Long March rocket systems caused a series of crashes. These multistage rockets were the Chinese space programme's workhorse and have been used frequently to launch satellites for civilian and military purposes.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gaganyaan-mission-indian-astronaut-to-fly-to-space-station-by-2026-740296/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Some of these rockets undergo uncontrolled re-entry into the orbit of the Earth when the stages are jettisoned.&nbsp;

Although some of them burn up in the atmosphere, there have been reports of large pieces of rockets falling in areas around&nbsp;China&nbsp;and&nbsp;India.&nbsp;

In June, a piece of rocket had fallen on a populated village in rural China.

(With inputs from agencies)

In the wake of too many incidents of spacecraft and rockets crashing back to Earth and its debris falling in areas it shouldn't, scientists have warned that such incidents may cause someone's death in the years ahead.

In the wake of too many incidents of spacecraft and rockets crashing back to Earth and its debris falling in areas it shouldn't, scientists have warned that such incidents may cause someone's death in the years ahead. Just in May, 56 'uncontrolled re-entries' were monitored by the UK Space Agency and the rate at which satellites and objects are falling back to Earth increased by 155 per cent in April. Among these events, scientists have warned that there is a 10 per cent chance of someone getting killed in the next decade due to an out-of-control rocket or spacecraft. Speaking to MailOnline, the UK Space Agency's spokesperson said, "Since January, the UK has monitored an average of 23 re-entering space objects per month." Also Read: Musk's SpaceX rocket grounded by US aviation regulator. Know why "Statistically, debris from re-entering objects presents a low risk to both life and property because most of the Earth is covered by water and the majority of land is unpopulated," the spokesperson added. "There are no recorded instances of serious injuries caused by re-entering space debris," he explained. Meanwhile, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich Jake Foster said, "The vast majority of space debris that falls to Earth is so small that it burns up entirely in the atmosphere on its way down, posing no threat to human life." "Since around 70 per cent of the Earth's surface is covered in water, most larger pieces that do make it down to the surface usually end up splashing down into the oceans," he added. Space debris rains in India and China The first such space debris falling on Earth was recorded in 1978 when the Soviet spy satellite Kosmos 954 crashed and the latest incident happened when the Chinese rockets re-entered this June. The re-entry of Chinese Long March rocket systems caused a series of crashes. These multistage rockets were the Chinese space programme's workhorse and have been used frequently to launch satellites for civilian and military purposes. Watch: Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August Some of these rockets undergo uncontrolled re-entry into the orbit of the Earth when the stages are jettisoned. Although some of them burn up in the atmosphere, there have been reports of large pieces of rockets falling in areas around China and India. In June, a piece of rocket had fallen on a populated village in rural China. (With inputs from agencies)

Spacecraft and rockets falling back on Earth can prove catastrophic, scientists warn

The plate tectonics - which leads to splitting of the continents, creates mountains and leads to earthquakes - is likely to have started when Earth was very young, according to new research.&nbsp;

The new study states that plate tectonics began more than 4 billion years ago, which was not long before the planet got formed 4.5 billion years ago.&nbsp;

At this time, Earth was in the Hadean era when it was a fresh planet and very hot and had an ammonia-and-methane atmosphere. The atmosphere had enough water in it which later condensed into a planet-wide ocean.&nbsp;

In this era, Earth slowly cooled down and a solid outer crust was created. The crust was shaped by the tectonic plates' grinding movements.&nbsp;

Earlier, the researchers said that plate tectonics started in the Hadean, once the crust cooled down.

Also Read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/strictly-speaking-earth-is-not-revolving-around-the-sun-currently-heres-what-it-means-740359">&nbsp;Strictly speaking, Earth is not revolving around the Sun currently. Here's what it means</a>

Meanwhile, others believed that plate tectonics began around 3.2 billion years ago when some key changes took place in the makeup of the crust, as revealed by geochemistry.&nbsp;

However, some argue that the phenomenon is recent and its modern form evolved in the last couple of billion years.&nbsp;

<h2>Here's how crystals helped determine when plate tectonics started</h2>

Scientists have faced difficulty in deciding when plate tectonics started since there are no surviving rocks which are more than 4 billion years old.&nbsp;

The only way to determine this is by analysing tiny, tough crystals known as zircon, which date back to 4.4 billion years.&nbsp;

A subset of these crystals, which are known as S-type zircons, can help in understanding plate tectonics.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Earth slows down by 1.33 milliseconds

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/earth-slows-down-by-133-milliseconds-741345/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

These zircons are crystals and are formed in sedimentary rocks on land. They are pushed by tectonics into the mantle and re-emerge like metamorphic granites.&nbsp;

In the latest research which was published in the journal&nbsp;PNAS, a machine-learning model was used by the researchers to understand these S-type zircons. &nbsp;

The data collected from 300 zircons was first fed by the scientists and then the ability of the model was tested to determine whether 74 more zircons were S-type or not.&nbsp;

In the results, it was found that 35 per cent of the Jack Hills zircons were S-type. A few of these were found dating back to 4.2 billion years ago. This hinted that plate tectonics was moving rocks from the crust to the mantle and again back to the crust during the Hadean.

(With inputs from agencies)

The plate tectonics - which leads to splitting of the continents, creates mountains and leads to earthquakes - is likely to have started when Earth was very young, according to new research.

The plate tectonics - which leads to splitting of the continents, creates mountains and leads to earthquakes - is likely to have started when Earth was very young, according to new research. The new study states that plate tectonics began more than 4 billion years ago, which was not long before the planet got formed 4.5 billion years ago. At this time, Earth was in the Hadean era when it was a fresh planet and very hot and had an ammonia-and-methane atmosphere. The atmosphere had enough water in it which later condensed into a planet-wide ocean. In this era, Earth slowly cooled down and a solid outer crust was created. The crust was shaped by the tectonic plates' grinding movements. Earlier, the researchers said that plate tectonics started in the Hadean, once the crust cooled down. Also Read: Strictly speaking, Earth is not revolving around the Sun currently. Here's what it means Meanwhile, others believed that plate tectonics began around 3.2 billion years ago when some key changes took place in the makeup of the crust, as revealed by geochemistry. However, some argue that the phenomenon is recent and its modern form evolved in the last couple of billion years. Here's how crystals helped determine when plate tectonics started Scientists have faced difficulty in deciding when plate tectonics started since there are no surviving rocks which are more than 4 billion years old. The only way to determine this is by analysing tiny, tough crystals known as zircon, which date back to 4.4 billion years. A subset of these crystals, which are known as S-type zircons, can help in understanding plate tectonics. Watch: Earth slows down by 1.33 milliseconds These zircons are crystals and are formed in sedimentary rocks on land. They are pushed by tectonics into the mantle and re-emerge like metamorphic granites. In the latest research which was published in the journal PNAS, a machine-learning model was used by the researchers to understand these S-type zircons. The data collected from 300 zircons was first fed by the scientists and then the ability of the model was tested to determine whether 74 more zircons were S-type or not. In the results, it was found that 35 per cent of the Jack Hills zircons were S-type. A few of these were found dating back to 4.2 billion years ago. This hinted that plate tectonics was moving rocks from the crust to the mantle and again back to the crust during the Hadean. (With inputs from agencies)

Earth's crust took shape as plate tectonics started 4 billion years ago: study

Sky-gazers are set to witness the most marvellous celestial event of the year as the Earth will receive a Perseid meteor shower, filling the sky with its twinkling light.&nbsp;

<h2>What is the best time to watch the celestial event?</h2>

The splendid show will begin on July 14 and continue till September 1, 2024. It will reach its peak on the night of Sunday, August 11 and will last till Monday, August 12.&nbsp;

Anyone can witness the showers on any clear night till September 1.&nbsp;

<h2>When will shooting stars give their best performance?&nbsp;</h2>

The best time for the performance of the shooting stars will be around 04:00 UTC on August 12, according to the American Meteor Society.&nbsp;

Eight hours before and after the peak, the Perseid meteor shower performs beautifully in the sky.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/night-sky-to-dazzle-with-a-double-meteor-shower-in-july-heres-how-to-watch-this-celestial-event-738493">Night sky to dazzle with a double meteor shower in July. Here's how to watch this celestial event</a>

On the night when the Perseid meteor shower will peak, it is expected that a 43 percent-lit waxing crescent will recede into the southwestern horizon before the Northern Hemisphere's midnight.&nbsp;

The vast night sky will be devoid of moonlight because of this cosmic maneuvering which will make it an ideal canvas for the meteor shower show.&nbsp;

<h2>All you need to know about Perseid meteor shower</h2>

The Perseid meteor shower gets its name from the constellation Perseus and the meteors appear to radiate from it.&nbsp;

The Perseids are also famous for their fireballs, which are larger explosions of light and colour which have the ability to last longer than an average meteor streak.

Watch:&nbsp;Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gaganyaan-mission-indian-astronaut-to-fly-to-space-station-by-2026-740296/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

These meteors have fast and bright characteristics and are believed to leave persistent trails which are visible for several seconds.

<h2>What is the best way to watch it?</h2>

It is best to travel away from the city’s neon distractions and get a clear view of the night sky.&nbsp;

One can also bring a telescope or binoculars to make the most of this experience. One should be on the lookout for fireballs which are larger, brighter meteors which have a dramatic flair.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Sky-gazers are set to witness the most marvellous celestial event of the year as the Earth will receive a Perseid meteor shower, filling the sky with its twinkling light.

Sky-gazers are set to witness the most marvellous celestial event of the year as the Earth will receive a Perseid meteor shower, filling the sky with its twinkling light. What is the best time to watch the celestial event? The splendid show will begin on July 14 and continue till September 1, 2024. It will reach its peak on the night of Sunday, August 11 and will last till Monday, August 12. Anyone can witness the showers on any clear night till September 1. When will shooting stars give their best performance? The best time for the performance of the shooting stars will be around 04:00 UTC on August 12, according to the American Meteor Society. Eight hours before and after the peak, the Perseid meteor shower performs beautifully in the sky. Also Read: Night sky to dazzle with a double meteor shower in July. Here's how to watch this celestial event On the night when the Perseid meteor shower will peak, it is expected that a 43 percent-lit waxing crescent will recede into the southwestern horizon before the Northern Hemisphere's midnight. The vast night sky will be devoid of moonlight because of this cosmic maneuvering which will make it an ideal canvas for the meteor shower show. All you need to know about Perseid meteor shower The Perseid meteor shower gets its name from the constellation Perseus and the meteors appear to radiate from it. The Perseids are also famous for their fireballs, which are larger explosions of light and colour which have the ability to last longer than an average meteor streak. Watch: Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August These meteors have fast and bright characteristics and are believed to leave persistent trails which are visible for several seconds. What is the best way to watch it? It is best to travel away from the city’s neon distractions and get a clear view of the night sky. One can also bring a telescope or binoculars to make the most of this experience. One should be on the lookout for fireballs which are larger, brighter meteors which have a dramatic flair. (With inputs from agencies)

Earth to receive Perseid meteor shower this week. Here's how sky gazers can watch this marvel

Days are becoming longer because of the climate crisis, a new analysis has suggested. This has happened due to the mass melting of polar ice, which is reshaping the planet. Scientists have said that the phenomenon is a striking demonstration of how humanity's actions are transforming the Earth and even affecting its rotation speed and axis.&nbsp;

The Moon's gravitational pull and internal processes in the core and mantle were the main forces governing these motions. However, the melting of ice sheets is currently interfering with these natural processes.&nbsp;

The latest paper, published on Monday (Jul 15) in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), shows that water flowing from Greenland and Antarctica is resulting in more mass around the equator.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-warns-against-apollos-180-ft-asteroid-hurtling-towards-earth-at-scary-speed-741412">NASA warns against 180-ft asteroid hurtling towards Earth at scary speed</a>&nbsp;

According to the study, which was also published in Nature Geoscience on July 12, the underlying mechanics of the planet and climate change are causing Earth's spin axis to "shift".&nbsp;

The movement of the Earth's rotating axis with respect to the crust is known as polar motion. In the latest study, researchers at ETH Zurich have improved their basic understanding of the same by using state-of-the-art AI models.&nbsp;

They found that if greenhouse gas emissions keep rising, they will eventually become more powerful than the Moon's tidal force. The Moon has been regulating the constant lengthening of days for billions of years.&nbsp;

"We humans have a greater impact on our planet than we realize. And this naturally places great responsibility on us for the future of our planet," said Benedikt Soja, Professor of Space Geodesy at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering at ETH Zurich.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/sunspot-ar3738-releases-x-class-solar-flare-triggering-radio-blackouts-in-australia-and-japan-741344">Sunspot AR3738 releases X-class solar flare triggering radio blackouts in Australia and Japan</a>&nbsp;

Notably, the difference in the day's duration is only a few milliseconds, but it has the potential to interfere with GPS navigation, financial transactions and internet traffic—all of which depend on accurate timekeeping, Surendra Adhikari, who is the co-author of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory told news agency AFP.&nbsp;

"It's like when a figure skater does a pirouette, first holding her arms close to her body and then stretching them out," added Soja.&nbsp;

"The initially fast rotation becomes slower because the masses move away from the axis of rotation, increasing physical inertia," Soja said, further adding that Earth is commonly thought of as a sphere, but it's more accurate to call it an "oblate spheroid" that bulges somewhat around the equator, a bit like a satsuma.&nbsp;

"Ongoing climate change could therefore even be affecting processes deep inside the Earth and have a greater reach than previously assumed," added Kiani Shahvandi, lead author of the study and doctoral student, in the press release.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Days are becoming longer because of the climate crisis, a new analysis has suggested. This has happened due to the mass melting of polar ice, which is reshaping the planet.

Days are becoming longer because of the climate crisis, a new analysis has suggested. This has happened due to the mass melting of polar ice, which is reshaping the planet. Scientists have said that the phenomenon is a striking demonstration of how humanity's actions are transforming the Earth and even affecting its rotation speed and axis. The Moon's gravitational pull and internal processes in the core and mantle were the main forces governing these motions. However, the melting of ice sheets is currently interfering with these natural processes. The latest paper, published on Monday (Jul 15) in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), shows that water flowing from Greenland and Antarctica is resulting in more mass around the equator. Also read: NASA warns against 180-ft asteroid hurtling towards Earth at scary speed According to the study, which was also published in Nature Geoscience on July 12, the underlying mechanics of the planet and climate change are causing Earth's spin axis to "shift". The movement of the Earth's rotating axis with respect to the crust is known as polar motion. In the latest study, researchers at ETH Zurich have improved their basic understanding of the same by using state-of-the-art AI models. They found that if greenhouse gas emissions keep rising, they will eventually become more powerful than the Moon's tidal force. The Moon has been regulating the constant lengthening of days for billions of years. "We humans have a greater impact on our planet than we realize. And this naturally places great responsibility on us for the future of our planet," said Benedikt Soja, Professor of Space Geodesy at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering at ETH Zurich. Also read: Sunspot AR3738 releases X-class solar flare triggering radio blackouts in Australia and Japan Notably, the difference in the day's duration is only a few milliseconds, but it has the potential to interfere with GPS navigation, financial transactions and internet traffic—all of which depend on accurate timekeeping, Surendra Adhikari, who is the co-author of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory told news agency AFP. "It's like when a figure skater does a pirouette, first holding her arms close to her body and then stretching them out," added Soja. "The initially fast rotation becomes slower because the masses move away from the axis of rotation, increasing physical inertia," Soja said, further adding that Earth is commonly thought of as a sphere, but it's more accurate to call it an "oblate spheroid" that bulges somewhat around the equator, a bit like a satsuma. "Ongoing climate change could therefore even be affecting processes deep inside the Earth and have a greater reach than previously assumed," added Kiani Shahvandi, lead author of the study and doctoral student, in the press release. (With inputs from agencies)

Days are becoming longer as climate change is altering Earth's axis of rotation

NASA has issued an alert against asteroid 2024 MG1 - which belongs to a class of asteroids known as the Apollo group which have their Earth-crossing orbits - and has been hurtling towards our planet at a scary speed of 33,600 kilometres per hour.&nbsp;

The asteroid, which measures 180 feet (55 metres) in size, will be making its closest approach to Earth on July 21, 2024, at 21:31 UTC (3:01 AM IST on July 22). The asteroid is expected to come within the distance of 4.2 million kilometres.&nbsp;

In astronomical terms, there seems to be a significant distance between the asteroid and Earth, however, such close encounters always raise concerns regarding their potential impacts.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-issues-sudden-warning-as-100ft-asteroid-races-towards-earth-at-zooming-speed-740568">NASA issues sudden warning as 100ft asteroid races towards Earth at lightning speed</a>

<h2>What are Apollo asteroids?&nbsp;</h2>

Apollo asteroids are a group of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and their orbits intersect the orbit of Earth. The group was given a name after the scientists discovered the first asteroid of this group called 1862 Apollo.&nbsp;

Such asteroids carry the potential risks if their orbits intersect with the orbit of the Earth closely.&nbsp;

<h2>What will happen if the asteroid collides with Earth?</h2>

According to scientists, if an asteroid like 2024 MG1 collides with Earth, there will be various consequences depending on its size, speed, and composition.&nbsp;

Considering the asteroid's estimated size of 180 feet, its impact can lead to localised devastation, however, such occurrences are doubtful as the chances of 2024 MG1 colliding with Earth are very low.&nbsp;

Space agencies and scientists keep monitoring such asteroids to timely predict their movements and take the required action.

Watch:&nbsp;Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gaganyaan-mission-indian-astronaut-to-fly-to-space-station-by-2026-740296/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<h2>How NASA is monitoring asteroids?</h2>

NASA's Monitoring and Response NASA along with other space agencies has been tracking asteroids like 2024 MG1 with the use of telescopes and radar systems.&nbsp;

While monitoring the asteroids, scientists are able to predict their path and adopt various mitigation strategies which range from deflection missions to evacuation plans decided for potentially affected areas.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

NASA has issued an alert against asteroid 2024 MG1 - which belongs to a class of asteroids known as the Apollo group which have their Earth-crossing orbits - and has been hurtling towards our planet at a scary speed of 33,600 kilometres per hour.

NASA has issued an alert against asteroid 2024 MG1 - which belongs to a class of asteroids known as the Apollo group which have their Earth-crossing orbits - and has been hurtling towards our planet at a scary speed of 33,600 kilometres per hour. The asteroid, which measures 180 feet (55 metres) in size, will be making its closest approach to Earth on July 21, 2024, at 21:31 UTC (3:01 AM IST on July 22). The asteroid is expected to come within the distance of 4.2 million kilometres. In astronomical terms, there seems to be a significant distance between the asteroid and Earth, however, such close encounters always raise concerns regarding their potential impacts. Also Read: NASA issues sudden warning as 100ft asteroid races towards Earth at lightning speed What are Apollo asteroids? Apollo asteroids are a group of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and their orbits intersect the orbit of Earth. The group was given a name after the scientists discovered the first asteroid of this group called 1862 Apollo. Such asteroids carry the potential risks if their orbits intersect with the orbit of the Earth closely. What will happen if the asteroid collides with Earth? According to scientists, if an asteroid like 2024 MG1 collides with Earth, there will be various consequences depending on its size, speed, and composition. Considering the asteroid's estimated size of 180 feet, its impact can lead to localised devastation, however, such occurrences are doubtful as the chances of 2024 MG1 colliding with Earth are very low. Space agencies and scientists keep monitoring such asteroids to timely predict their movements and take the required action. Watch: Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August How NASA is monitoring asteroids? NASA's Monitoring and Response NASA along with other space agencies has been tracking asteroids like 2024 MG1 with the use of telescopes and radar systems. While monitoring the asteroids, scientists are able to predict their path and adopt various mitigation strategies which range from deflection missions to evacuation plans decided for potentially affected areas. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA warns against 180-ft asteroid hurtling towards Earth at scary speed

The scientists confirmed that Starlink's 20 satellites - which were released prematurely when the SpaceX rocket's failed launch took place last week - fell back towards Earth and got burned up in the upper atmosphere.&nbsp;

Currently, the experts have been investigating what went wrong and the rockets - which are likely to have caused the catastrophic failure - have been grounded till the investigation ends.&nbsp;

A Falcon 9 rocket was launched by Space X on July 11 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:35 pm&nbsp;ET. The launch took place one day after it was originally planned.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/house-for-astronauts-indian-startup-discusses-launch-of-space-habitat-by-2027-with-spacex-739929">House for astronauts? Indian startup discusses launch of 'space habitat' by 2027 with SpaceX</a>

Initially, the launch took place as expected and the first stage of the rocket was successful when it was detached from the satellite-laden second stage before the landing of a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.

<h2>Where did the SpaceX rocket go wrong?</h2>

The SpaceX rocket failed to complete its second stage because of a leak in liquid oxygen due to which it was stranded in a low orbit around Earth.

However, the rocket was able to release its payload in the second stage. The satellites were however stuck in an elliptical orbit around Earth which has a minimum altitude of 84 miles (135 kilometres), which is nearly half the height at which they normally operate.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gaganyaan-mission-indian-astronaut-to-fly-to-space-station-by-2026-740296/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

In a statement, SpaceX representatives wrote that the satellites were slowed by the atmospheric drag at this elevation and they started to fall back towards the Earth by nearly 3 miles (5 km).&nbsp;

"At this level of drag, our maximum available thrust is unlikely to be enough to successfully raise the satellites," wrote SpaceX representatives. "As such, the satellites will re-enter Earth's atmosphere and fully demise," they added.

Space News reported that the company took control of most of the satellites and gave orders to burn them in the atmosphere at their maximum thrust known as "warp 9", in the last attempt to regain altitude.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The scientists confirmed that Starlink's 20 satellites - which were released prematurely when the SpaceX rocket's failed launch took place last week - fell back towards Earth and got burned up in the upper atmosphere.

The scientists confirmed that Starlink's 20 satellites - which were released prematurely when the SpaceX rocket's failed launch took place last week - fell back towards Earth and got burned up in the upper atmosphere. Currently, the experts have been investigating what went wrong and the rockets - which are likely to have caused the catastrophic failure - have been grounded till the investigation ends. A Falcon 9 rocket was launched by Space X on July 11 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:35 pm ET. The launch took place one day after it was originally planned. Also Read: House for astronauts? Indian startup discusses launch of 'space habitat' by 2027 with SpaceX Initially, the launch took place as expected and the first stage of the rocket was successful when it was detached from the satellite-laden second stage before the landing of a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. Where did the SpaceX rocket go wrong? The SpaceX rocket failed to complete its second stage because of a leak in liquid oxygen due to which it was stranded in a low orbit around Earth. However, the rocket was able to release its payload in the second stage. The satellites were however stuck in an elliptical orbit around Earth which has a minimum altitude of 84 miles (135 kilometres), which is nearly half the height at which they normally operate. Watch: Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August In a statement, SpaceX representatives wrote that the satellites were slowed by the atmospheric drag at this elevation and they started to fall back towards the Earth by nearly 3 miles (5 km). "At this level of drag, our maximum available thrust is unlikely to be enough to successfully raise the satellites," wrote SpaceX representatives. "As such, the satellites will re-enter Earth's atmosphere and fully demise," they added. Space News reported that the company took control of most of the satellites and gave orders to burn them in the atmosphere at their maximum thrust known as "warp 9", in the last attempt to regain altitude. (With inputs from agencies)

Starlink's 20 doomed satellites fall from space, burn in Earth's atmosphere

Ever wondered that days our getting longer? Well, a new study find that, the climate crisis is causing the length of each day to get longer..

Earth slows down by 1.33 milliseconds

A warning was issued by NASA after they spotted a 100-foot&nbsp;asteroid&nbsp;named&nbsp;2024 NB2 which is about to make an extremely close flyby Earth on Saturday (July 13).

The aeroplane-sized asteroid is travelling at a stunning speed of 47,921 kilometres per hour. Even though it will be very close to the Earth, scientists believe that it won't act as an immediate threat to the planet.

The astronomers spotted asteroid 2024 NB2 racing towards Earth at the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, Arizona.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has been closely monitoring this near-Earth object in Southern California.&nbsp;

When the space rock makes its closest approach, the asteroid will be just 2,390,000 miles (3,850,000 kilometres) away from Earth. In astronomical terms, this distance is considered safe.

Asteroid 2024 NB2 is also being tracked by the Goldstone Solar System Radar, which is part of NASA’s Deep Space Network.&nbsp;

This radar system, which is located near Barstow, can give detailed observation of the size, orbit and speed of the asteroid.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/asteroid-2024-mt-1-makes-extremely-close-approach-to-earth-739111">Asteroid 2024 MT-1 makes extremely close approach to Earth</a>

Such observations are important to understand how near-Earth objects behave in space and improvise planetary defence strategies.

<h2>How does NASA keep an eye on any potential hazards to Earth?</h2>

The way Asteroid 2024 NB2 is moving towards Earth also reflects the importance of keeping a tab on space to detect any potential hazards.&nbsp;

NASA’s Planetary Defence Coordination Office (PDCO) has been tracking such cosmic objects and ensuring that Earth remains safe.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August

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The high speed at which the asteroid is travelling shows the solar system's dynamic nature.&nbsp;

Asteroids keep moving across space constantly and are influenced by the planets' gravitation pull.&nbsp;

The scientists can predict future trajectories by understanding their movements. It also helps in assessing potential risks.

(With inputs from agencies)

A warning was issued by NASA after they spotted a 100-foot asteroid named 2024 NB2 which is about to make an extremely close flyby Earth on Saturday (July 13). The aeroplane-sized asteroid is travelling at a stunning speed of 47,921 kilometres per hour.

A warning was issued by NASA after they spotted a 100-foot asteroid named 2024 NB2 which is about to make an extremely close flyby Earth on Saturday (July 13). The aeroplane-sized asteroid is travelling at a stunning speed of 47,921 kilometres per hour. Even though it will be very close to the Earth, scientists believe that it won't act as an immediate threat to the planet. The astronomers spotted asteroid 2024 NB2 racing towards Earth at the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, Arizona. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has been closely monitoring this near-Earth object in Southern California. When the space rock makes its closest approach, the asteroid will be just 2,390,000 miles (3,850,000 kilometres) away from Earth. In astronomical terms, this distance is considered safe. Asteroid 2024 NB2 is also being tracked by the Goldstone Solar System Radar, which is part of NASA’s Deep Space Network. This radar system, which is located near Barstow, can give detailed observation of the size, orbit and speed of the asteroid. Also Read: Asteroid 2024 MT-1 makes extremely close approach to Earth Such observations are important to understand how near-Earth objects behave in space and improvise planetary defence strategies. How does NASA keep an eye on any potential hazards to Earth? The way Asteroid 2024 NB2 is moving towards Earth also reflects the importance of keeping a tab on space to detect any potential hazards. NASA’s Planetary Defence Coordination Office (PDCO) has been tracking such cosmic objects and ensuring that Earth remains safe. Watch: Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August The high speed at which the asteroid is travelling shows the solar system's dynamic nature. Asteroids keep moving across space constantly and are influenced by the planets' gravitation pull. The scientists can predict future trajectories by understanding their movements. It also helps in assessing potential risks. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA issues sudden warning as 100ft asteroid races towards Earth at lightning speed

It is very well known that there are eight planets in our Solar System and then a dwarf planet - Pluto. But now the astronomers are suspecting there is a 7 per cent chance that another planet is hiding in the Oort cloud near Earth.

It is very well known that there are eight planets in our Solar System and then a dwarf planet - Pluto. But now the astronomers are suspecting there is a 7 per cent chance that another planet is hiding in the Oort cloud near Earth. Oort cloud is a spherical region in space which is filled with ice chunks and rocks and is tens of thousands of times far from the Sun. Co-author of the study and astronomer at the Planetary Science Institute Nathan Kaib said, “It’s completely plausible for our solar system to have captured such an Oort cloud planet." He added that hidden worlds like this are “a class of planets that should definitely exist but have received relatively little attention” until now. Also Read: Strictly speaking, Earth is not revolving around the Sun currently. Here's what it means In case, there is a planet in the Oort cloud, it is likely to be an ice giant. Generally, large planets like Saturn and Jupiter come into existence as twins. However, such planets have huge gravitational pulls and can even destabilise another planet. This can lead to the nudging of a planet from the Solar System and moving it entirely to the outer reaches where the Oort Cloud is present. University of Bordeaux’s Astrophysics Laboratory researcher and lead author Sean Raymond said, “The survivor planets have eccentric orbits, which are like the scars from their violent pasts." How is an Oort cloud planet different from other planets? So a planet inside the Oort Cloud is likely to have a significantly elongated orbit, which is very different from the near-perfect circular shape of the Earth. The scientists find it difficult to spot such planets because they are far away. “It would be extremely hard to detect,” said Raymond. Watch: NASA releases Webb telescope images of a galactic merger Meanwhile, an astronomer at MIT Malena Rice said, “If a Neptune-sized planet existed in our own Oort cloud, there’s a good chance that we wouldn’t have found it yet." “Amazingly, it can sometimes be easier to spot planets hundreds of light-years away than those right in our own backyard," the astronomer said, reported indy100. (With inputs from agencies)

Unknown planet lurking in our Solar System? Scientists say Earth may have a new neighbour

Astronomers have spotted a massive black hole which is closest to the Earth and appears to be "frozen in time". It was spotted with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope.

The cosmic object appears to be an elusive "intermediate-mass black hole" and is likely to serve as a missing link in understanding the connection between supermassive black holes and stellar mass black holes.&nbsp;

The black hole is said to have a mass of nearly 8,200 suns which means it is more massive in comparison to the stellar-mass black holes, which have masses between 5 and 100 times that of the sun.

The study's lead from the &nbsp;University of Utah, Anil Seth&nbsp;said, “This is a once-in-a-career kind of finding. I’ve been excited about it for nine straight months. Every time I think about it, I have a hard time sleeping."

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/house-for-astronauts-indian-startup-discusses-launch-of-space-habitat-by-2027-with-spacex-739929">House for astronauts? Indian startup discusses launch of 'space habitat' by 2027 with SpaceX</a>

“I think that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. This is really, truly extraordinary evidence," he added.

The closest stellar-mass black hole to have ever been discovered is Gaia-BH1, which is just&nbsp;1,560 light-years away.

The intermediate-mass black hole is present in a collection of nearly ten million stars called&nbsp;Omega Centauri, which is 18,000 light-years from Earth.

<h2>Stellar black holes vs supermassive black holes</h2>

Black holes are created on the collapse of extremely large stars as they run out of their fuel.&nbsp;

The 'stellar black holes' in size are only a few times the mass of our sun and the monstrous 'supermassive black holes' which have millions or billions of stellar masses.

The University of Utah's undergraduate student and co-author Matthew Whittaker said, "There are black holes a little heavier than our sun that are like ants or spiders—they’re hard to spot, but kind of everywhere throughout the universe."

"Then you've got supermassive black holes that are like Godzilla in the centres of galaxies tearing things up, and we can see them easily," he added.

Watch:&nbsp;Defunct Russian satellite generated space debris, threatening astronauts, space station

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It is very difficult to observe the 'intermediate black holes' since the massive black holes are generally located at the centre of the galaxies.&nbsp;

"These intermediate-mass black holes are kind of on the level of Bigfoot. Spotting them is like finding the first evidence for Bigfoot—people are going to freak out," Whittaker said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers have spotted a massive black hole which is closest to the Earth and appears to be "frozen in time". It was spotted with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Astronomers have spotted a massive black hole which is closest to the Earth and appears to be "frozen in time". It was spotted with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope. The cosmic object appears to be an elusive "intermediate-mass black hole" and is likely to serve as a missing link in understanding the connection between supermassive black holes and stellar mass black holes. The black hole is said to have a mass of nearly 8,200 suns which means it is more massive in comparison to the stellar-mass black holes, which have masses between 5 and 100 times that of the sun. The study's lead from the University of Utah, Anil Seth said, “This is a once-in-a-career kind of finding. I’ve been excited about it for nine straight months. Every time I think about it, I have a hard time sleeping." Also Read: House for astronauts? Indian startup discusses launch of 'space habitat' by 2027 with SpaceX “I think that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. This is really, truly extraordinary evidence," he added. The closest stellar-mass black hole to have ever been discovered is Gaia-BH1, which is just 1,560 light-years away. The intermediate-mass black hole is present in a collection of nearly ten million stars called Omega Centauri, which is 18,000 light-years from Earth. Stellar black holes vs supermassive black holes Black holes are created on the collapse of extremely large stars as they run out of their fuel. The 'stellar black holes' in size are only a few times the mass of our sun and the monstrous 'supermassive black holes' which have millions or billions of stellar masses. The University of Utah's undergraduate student and co-author Matthew Whittaker said, "There are black holes a little heavier than our sun that are like ants or spiders—they’re hard to spot, but kind of everywhere throughout the universe." "Then you've got supermassive black holes that are like Godzilla in the centres of galaxies tearing things up, and we can see them easily," he added. Watch: Defunct Russian satellite generated space debris, threatening astronauts, space station It is very difficult to observe the 'intermediate black holes' since the massive black holes are generally located at the centre of the galaxies. "These intermediate-mass black holes are kind of on the level of Bigfoot. Spotting them is like finding the first evidence for Bigfoot—people are going to freak out," Whittaker said. (With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers spot closest massive black hole to Earth, say it is 'frozen in time'

According to the scientists, the night sky will soon get a "new star" or nova after a "once-in-a-lifetime" explosion.&nbsp;

Although the explosion will not set the sky ablaze, it will give people a rare opportunity to see something they have never seen.

The new star will not be the brightening point of light, but the nova eruption will glow in the sky, nearly 3,000 light-years away from Earth.&nbsp;

A white dwarf star, which is orbiting a red giant, is expected to tear apart from its larger companion.

After enough mass collects on the surface of the white dwarf, the temperatures and rising pressures will lead to a blast which will be visible to the naked eye from the Earth. However, it will be visible for just a few days or a week.

Astronomer at the Universidad Nacional De Hurlingham in Argentina, Gerardo Juan Manuel Luna said, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We are in the right time, in the right moment, with the right instruments.”

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/china-is-set-to-shoot-a-space-projectile-at-an-asteroid-in-space-by-2030-will-it-threaten-earth-739985">China set to shoot projectile at asteroid in space by 2030. Will it threaten Earth?</a>

The white dwarf and red giant are part of a binary system which is known as the T Corona Borealis, or T CrB.&nbsp;

According to astronomers, the supernova explosion can happen anytime between now and September.&nbsp;

The eruption of T CrB occurs every 80 years. It had last occurred in 1946.&nbsp;

The scientists now plan to see the nova in a better way than before. Multiple telescopes will be fixed at T CrB so as to decode the mysteries of the cosmic blast.

Watch:&nbsp;Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August

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“We hope to be able to answer questions with this object that then might be relevant to all the other accreting and eruptive white dwarfs,” said &nbsp;Jennifer Sokoloski, who is an astrophysicist at Columbia University.

<h2>Here's how to spot the new star</h2>

The constellation Corona Borealis, which simply means “Northern Crown", has seven stars positioned in an arc. It is positioned between the bright stars Arcturus and Vega and is visible high overhead during summer evenings in the Northern Hemisphere.&nbsp;

In the Southern Hemisphere, it appears close to the northern horizon. To locate the Northern Crown, trace an arcing line from the Big Dipper to Arcturus and then spot for semicircle of stars nearby to the east.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

According to the scientists, the night sky will soon get a "new star" or nova after a "once-in-a-lifetime" explosion. Although the explosion will not set the sky ablaze, it will give people a rare opportunity to see something they have never seen.

According to the scientists, the night sky will soon get a "new star" or nova after a "once-in-a-lifetime" explosion. Although the explosion will not set the sky ablaze, it will give people a rare opportunity to see something they have never seen. The new star will not be the brightening point of light, but the nova eruption will glow in the sky, nearly 3,000 light-years away from Earth. A white dwarf star, which is orbiting a red giant, is expected to tear apart from its larger companion. After enough mass collects on the surface of the white dwarf, the temperatures and rising pressures will lead to a blast which will be visible to the naked eye from the Earth. However, it will be visible for just a few days or a week. Astronomer at the Universidad Nacional De Hurlingham in Argentina, Gerardo Juan Manuel Luna said, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We are in the right time, in the right moment, with the right instruments.” Also Read: China set to shoot projectile at asteroid in space by 2030. Will it threaten Earth? The white dwarf and red giant are part of a binary system which is known as the T Corona Borealis, or T CrB. According to astronomers, the supernova explosion can happen anytime between now and September. The eruption of T CrB occurs every 80 years. It had last occurred in 1946. The scientists now plan to see the nova in a better way than before. Multiple telescopes will be fixed at T CrB so as to decode the mysteries of the cosmic blast. Watch: Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August “We hope to be able to answer questions with this object that then might be relevant to all the other accreting and eruptive white dwarfs,” said Jennifer Sokoloski, who is an astrophysicist at Columbia University. Here's how to spot the new star The constellation Corona Borealis, which simply means “Northern Crown", has seven stars positioned in an arc. It is positioned between the bright stars Arcturus and Vega and is visible high overhead during summer evenings in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it appears close to the northern horizon. To locate the Northern Crown, trace an arcing line from the Big Dipper to Arcturus and then spot for semicircle of stars nearby to the east. (With inputs from agencies)

Sky to get a 'new star' after 'once-in-a-lifetime' explosion. Here's how to watch it

It has been taught to us from school days that Earth orbits around the Sun, which results in the cycle of day and night.&nbsp;

However, if we try to understand the movement of Earth currently in the Solar System from the point of view of scientists,&nbsp;our planet is not currently orbiting the Sun.

<h2>So, what's happening between Earth and the Sun?</h2>

In the Solar System, the Sun is the largest object and has 1,048 times the mass of Jupiter. However, the gravitational pull which Earth exerts on the celestial body is exerted in the same or smaller amount on the planet.

"Kepler's third law describes the relationship between the masses of two objects mutually revolving around each other and the determination of orbital parameters,"&nbsp;explained NASA.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/house-for-astronauts-indian-startup-discusses-launch-of-space-habitat-by-2027-with-spacex-739929">House for astronauts? Indian startup discusses launch of 'space habitat' by 2027 with SpaceX</a>

"Consider a small star in orbit about a more massive one. Both stars actually revolve about a common centre of mass, which is called the&nbsp;barycentre. This is true no matter what the size or mass of each of the objects involved. Measuring a star's motion about its barycenter with a massive planet is one method that has been used to discover planetary systems associated with distant stars," it added.

So, Earth orbits a barycentre and not exactly the Sun. Generally, the barycentre of the bodies in the Solar System is near the Sun, however, because of the mass, and influence of gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and orbits, it is rarely inside the Sun.&nbsp;

<h2>Where is the barycentre currently?</h2>

Currently, the barycentre is outside the Sun and not inside it and hence, Earth is not currently orbiting it. So, the planet is revolving around a point in space and not the Sun.&nbsp;

Explaining this positioning of the planet, planetary astronomer and science communicator&nbsp;James O'Donoghue said, "Planets orbit the Sun in general terms", "but *technically* they don't orbit the Sun alone because the gravitational influence of (mainly) Jupiter means planets must orbit a new point in space."

"The planets do orbit the Sun of course, we are just being pedantic about the situation," he&nbsp;added. "The natural thinking is that we orbit the Sun's centre, but that very rarely happens, i.e. it's very rare for the solar system's centre of mass to align with the Sun's centre," he added.

Watch:&nbsp;Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August

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This also applies to the smaller objects, like the&nbsp;planets and their moons.&nbsp;

The Earth and Moon orbit a point which is 5,000 kilometres&nbsp;(3,100 miles) from the Earth's centre, however, this keeps changing as the Moon slowly moves away from the Earth.

(With inputs from agencies)

It has been taught to us from school days that Earth orbits around the Sun, which results in the cycle of day and night. However, if we try to understand the movement of Earth currently in the Solar System from the point of view of scientists, our planet is not currently orbiting the Sun.

It has been taught to us from school days that Earth orbits around the Sun, which results in the cycle of day and night. However, if we try to understand the movement of Earth currently in the Solar System from the point of view of scientists, our planet is not currently orbiting the Sun. So, what's happening between Earth and the Sun? In the Solar System, the Sun is the largest object and has 1,048 times the mass of Jupiter. However, the gravitational pull which Earth exerts on the celestial body is exerted in the same or smaller amount on the planet. "Kepler's third law describes the relationship between the masses of two objects mutually revolving around each other and the determination of orbital parameters," explained NASA. Also Read: House for astronauts? Indian startup discusses launch of 'space habitat' by 2027 with SpaceX "Consider a small star in orbit about a more massive one. Both stars actually revolve about a common centre of mass, which is called the barycentre. This is true no matter what the size or mass of each of the objects involved. Measuring a star's motion about its barycenter with a massive planet is one method that has been used to discover planetary systems associated with distant stars," it added. So, Earth orbits a barycentre and not exactly the Sun. Generally, the barycentre of the bodies in the Solar System is near the Sun, however, because of the mass, and influence of gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and orbits, it is rarely inside the Sun. Where is the barycentre currently? Currently, the barycentre is outside the Sun and not inside it and hence, Earth is not currently orbiting it. So, the planet is revolving around a point in space and not the Sun. Explaining this positioning of the planet, planetary astronomer and science communicator James O'Donoghue said, "Planets orbit the Sun in general terms", "but *technically* they don't orbit the Sun alone because the gravitational influence of (mainly) Jupiter means planets must orbit a new point in space." "The planets do orbit the Sun of course, we are just being pedantic about the situation," he added. "The natural thinking is that we orbit the Sun's centre, but that very rarely happens, i.e. it's very rare for the solar system's centre of mass to align with the Sun's centre," he added. Watch: Indian astronauts to train at NASA from August This also applies to the smaller objects, like the planets and their moons. The Earth and Moon orbit a point which is 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) from the Earth's centre, however, this keeps changing as the Moon slowly moves away from the Earth. (With inputs from agencies)

Strictly speaking, Earth is not revolving around the Sun currently. Here's what it means

A team of scientists from the University of Bristol studied the earliest ecosystem on Earth to understand when life began flourishing on our planet, just a hundred million years after planetary formation.

The new study was published in&nbsp;Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution. The living beings are said to have come from a single common ancestor known as LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor), according to the scientists.

LUCA is a hypothesised common ancestor from which it is believed all modern cellular life has descended.

The living beings that evolved from LUCA also came from different sources: the amino acids which had built proteins in other cellular organisms, cellular machinery like the ribosome and others, and the shared energy currency.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/earths-groundwater-to-turn-undrinkable-for-half-a-billion-people-by-2100-study-740031">Earth's groundwater to turn 'undrinkable' for half a billion people by 2100: Study</a>

The team compared all the genes in the genomes of living species, counting the mutations that have occurred within their sequences over time since they shared an ancestor in LUCA.

Some species' time of separation was understood from the fossil record and a genetic equivalent of the familiar equation was used by the team to understand when LUCA existed, which was found to be 4.2 billion years ago - nearly four hundred million years after the Earth and our solar system was formed.

<h2>LUCA was a complex organism, exploiting its environment: Scientists&nbsp;</h2>

The study's co-author Dr Sandra Álvarez-Carretero said, "We did not expect LUCA to be so old, within just hundreds of millions of years of Earth formation. However, our results fit with modern views on the habitability of early Earth."

The researchers also worked on LUCA's biology by modelling the physiological characteristics of living species with the genealogy of LUCA's life.

Explaining the process, lead author Dr Edmund Moody said, "The evolutionary history of genes is complicated by their exchange between lineages. We have to use complex evolutionary models to reconcile the evolutionary history of genes with the genealogy of species."

Watch:&nbsp;Scientists say the Earth's core is behaving oddly. Here's why

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"Our study showed that LUCA was a complex organism, not too different from modern prokaryotes, but what is really interesting is that it's clear it possessed an early immune system, showing that even by 4.2 billion years ago, our ancestor was engaging in an arms race with viruses," said co-author Professor Davide Pisani, while speaking about the features of LUCA.

Taking this discussion further, co-author Tim Lenton said, "It's clear that LUCA was exploiting and changing its environment, but it is unlikely to have lived alone. Its waste would have been food for other microbes, like methanogens, that would have helped to create a recycling ecosystem."

(With inputs from agencies)

A team of scientists from the University of Bristol studied the earliest ecosystem on Earth to understand when life began flourishing on our planet, just a hundred million years after planetary formation.

A team of scientists from the University of Bristol studied the earliest ecosystem on Earth to understand when life began flourishing on our planet, just a hundred million years after planetary formation. The new study was published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. The living beings are said to have come from a single common ancestor known as LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor), according to the scientists. LUCA is a hypothesised common ancestor from which it is believed all modern cellular life has descended. The living beings that evolved from LUCA also came from different sources: the amino acids which had built proteins in other cellular organisms, cellular machinery like the ribosome and others, and the shared energy currency. Also Read: Earth's groundwater to turn 'undrinkable' for half a billion people by 2100: Study The team compared all the genes in the genomes of living species, counting the mutations that have occurred within their sequences over time since they shared an ancestor in LUCA. Some species' time of separation was understood from the fossil record and a genetic equivalent of the familiar equation was used by the team to understand when LUCA existed, which was found to be 4.2 billion years ago - nearly four hundred million years after the Earth and our solar system was formed. LUCA was a complex organism, exploiting its environment: Scientists The study's co-author Dr Sandra Álvarez-Carretero said, "We did not expect LUCA to be so old, within just hundreds of millions of years of Earth formation. However, our results fit with modern views on the habitability of early Earth." The researchers also worked on LUCA's biology by modelling the physiological characteristics of living species with the genealogy of LUCA's life. Explaining the process, lead author Dr Edmund Moody said, "The evolutionary history of genes is complicated by their exchange between lineages. We have to use complex evolutionary models to reconcile the evolutionary history of genes with the genealogy of species." Watch: Scientists say the Earth's core is behaving oddly. Here's why "Our study showed that LUCA was a complex organism, not too different from modern prokaryotes, but what is really interesting is that it's clear it possessed an early immune system, showing that even by 4.2 billion years ago, our ancestor was engaging in an arms race with viruses," said co-author Professor Davide Pisani, while speaking about the features of LUCA. Taking this discussion further, co-author Tim Lenton said, "It's clear that LUCA was exploiting and changing its environment, but it is unlikely to have lived alone. Its waste would have been food for other microbes, like methanogens, that would have helped to create a recycling ecosystem." (With inputs from agencies)

Earth was barren till life came into existence 4.2 billion years ago: Study

The eerie red lights, which were glowing in the atmosphere of the Earth and above the coast of South Africa, were captured by a NASA astronaut from a window aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

On June 21, NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 mission commander Matthew Dominick captured the mesmerising image. The red glowing light was actually a sudden flash of a weather phenomenon called 'red sprite' lightning.

Red sprites are said to flash above thunderclouds in the upper atmosphere, known as the mesosphere, which extends up to 53 miles (85 kilometres) above the surface.

In the image, blood-red bursts of energy were seen shining above the coast of South Africa. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/china-is-set-to-shoot-a-space-projectile-at-an-asteroid-in-space-by-2030-will-it-threaten-earth-739985">China set to shoot projectile at asteroid in space by 2030. Will it threaten Earth?</a>

"Super lucky a few weeks ago when shooting a timelapse of a lightning storm off the coast of South Africa," said Dominick, as he explained the image in a post to social site X. &nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Super lucky a few weeks ago when shooting a timelapse of a lightning storm off the coast of South Africa. One of the frames in the timelapse had a red sprite. A rare event. My knowledge is pretty much just from Wikipedia but I want to know more. 
 
50mm lens, f1.2, 1/5s, ISO 3200 <a href="https://t.co/CU1JpMwE8u">pic.twitter.com/CU1JpMwE8u</a>
— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) <a href="https://twitter.com/dominickmatthew/status/1803909515630236084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
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"One of the frames in the timelapse had a red sprite. If there are any red sprite experts out there I would enjoy tips on how to capture more of these. Clearly, look for lightning storms, but I'm thinking the stronger the storm the better," he added.

The image of the red sprites was captured by Dominick from a vantage point which is hundreds of miles above the high-altitude electrical discharges and falls in the orbit within the ISS.

<h2>What is a red sprite?</h2>

Red sprites are a type of electrical bursts of light which are formed above the highly active thunderstorms.

These are found in the D region of the ionosphere, which is the area above the dense lower atmosphere nearly 37 to 56 miles from the Earth.

Watch:&nbsp;NASA's manned mission to Mars around the corner?

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The light appears red at higher altitudes and turns to blue at lower heights. For nearly a century, scientists have known that atmospheric sprites, however, their origins have remained a mystery.

They occur for only a few milliseconds and are comparatively dim in comparison to other lightning.

(With inputs from agencies)

The eerie red lights, which were glowing in the atmosphere of the Earth and above the coast of South Africa, were captured by a NASA astronaut from a window aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The eerie red lights, which were glowing in the atmosphere of the Earth and above the coast of South Africa, were captured by a NASA astronaut from a window aboard the International Space Station (ISS). On June 21, NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 mission commander Matthew Dominick captured the mesmerising image. The red glowing light was actually a sudden flash of a weather phenomenon called 'red sprite' lightning. Red sprites are said to flash above thunderclouds in the upper atmosphere, known as the mesosphere, which extends up to 53 miles (85 kilometres) above the surface. In the image, blood-red bursts of energy were seen shining above the coast of South Africa. Also Read: China set to shoot projectile at asteroid in space by 2030. Will it threaten Earth? "Super lucky a few weeks ago when shooting a timelapse of a lightning storm off the coast of South Africa," said Dominick, as he explained the image in a post to social site X. Super lucky a few weeks ago when shooting a timelapse of a lightning storm off the coast of South Africa. One of the frames in the timelapse had a red sprite. A rare event. My knowledge is pretty much just from Wikipedia but I want to know more. 50mm lens, f1.2, 1/5s, ISO 3200 pic.twitter.com/CU1JpMwE8u — Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) June 20, 2024 × "One of the frames in the timelapse had a red sprite. If there are any red sprite experts out there I would enjoy tips on how to capture more of these. Clearly, look for lightning storms, but I'm thinking the stronger the storm the better," he added. The image of the red sprites was captured by Dominick from a vantage point which is hundreds of miles above the high-altitude electrical discharges and falls in the orbit within the ISS. What is a red sprite? Red sprites are a type of electrical bursts of light which are formed above the highly active thunderstorms. These are found in the D region of the ionosphere, which is the area above the dense lower atmosphere nearly 37 to 56 miles from the Earth. Watch: NASA's manned mission to Mars around the corner? The light appears red at higher altitudes and turns to blue at lower heights. For nearly a century, scientists have known that atmospheric sprites, however, their origins have remained a mystery. They occur for only a few milliseconds and are comparatively dim in comparison to other lightning. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA captures eerie red light above South Africa. Here's what 'red sprite' was doing in Earth's atmosphere

Nearly one out of four people depend on&nbsp;groundwater - which is pumped from below the surface of the Earth - for survival since they lack access to streams, dams and freshwater lakes.

However, by the end of&nbsp;this century, tens to hundreds of millions are likely to be deprived of this groundwater as rising temperatures are likely to make it toxic and undrinkable.

The findings were based on the&nbsp;global-scale model of heat transport&nbsp;developed by an international team of researchers to measure how the temperature would change in groundwater sources across the world under different warming conditions.

According to this study, around 590 million people are likely to rely on water sources which may not&nbsp;meet the strictest standards for potable water till 2100.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-water-crisis-atishi-blasts-haryana-government-as-blame-game-continues-729981">Delhi water crisis: Atishi blasts Haryana government as blame game continues</a>

"A lot of focus on&nbsp;climate change&nbsp;has rightfully been to do with weather events and the availability of water,"&nbsp;said hydrologist Dylan Irvine from Charles Darwin University in Australia, as quoted&nbsp;by Science Alert.

"But we do need to think more broadly about the impact that climate change will have on groundwater," he added.

<h2>Warming groundwater can have catastrophic consequences</h2>

The warming of groundwater and its catastrophic consequences have been ignored for years. The water trapped within porous rocks can be filled with dissolved minerals,&nbsp;pollutants, and&nbsp;potential pathogens,

If this water is heated by a degree or two, it can take away oxygen from the environment and lead to the growth of dangerous bacteria. It can also cause the dissolution of excessive concentrations of heavy metals like manganese or arsenic.

A geoscientist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany and the study's lead author Susanne Benz said, "There are already about 30 million people living in regions where the groundwater is warmer than stipulated in the strictest drinking water guidelines."

Watch:&nbsp;Water security threat amidst low snow on Himalayas, says report

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/water-security-threat-amidst-low-snow-on-himalayas-says-report-732944/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"That means it may not be safe to drink the water there without treatment. It may need to be boiled first, for example. The drinking water also gets warmed up in water pipes by heat in the ground," he added.

Even in populations which have sufficiently sized surface reservoirs, the heated groundwater's discharges can cause an alteration of key dynamics which keep its water safe for human consumption.

In the wake of the 'shared socioeconomic pathway', the current figures can double with 188 million people living in an area in which the groundwater is not meeting the strictest of standards for drinkability by 2100.

(With inputs from agencies)

Nearly one out of four people depend on groundwater - which is pumped from below the surface of the Earth - for survival since they lack access to streams, dams and freshwater lakes.

Nearly one out of four people depend on groundwater - which is pumped from below the surface of the Earth - for survival since they lack access to streams, dams and freshwater lakes. However, by the end of this century, tens to hundreds of millions are likely to be deprived of this groundwater as rising temperatures are likely to make it toxic and undrinkable. The findings were based on the global-scale model of heat transport developed by an international team of researchers to measure how the temperature would change in groundwater sources across the world under different warming conditions. According to this study, around 590 million people are likely to rely on water sources which may not meet the strictest standards for potable water till 2100. Also Read: Delhi water crisis: Atishi blasts Haryana government as blame game continues "A lot of focus on climate change has rightfully been to do with weather events and the availability of water," said hydrologist Dylan Irvine from Charles Darwin University in Australia, as quoted by Science Alert. "But we do need to think more broadly about the impact that climate change will have on groundwater," he added. Warming groundwater can have catastrophic consequences The warming of groundwater and its catastrophic consequences have been ignored for years. The water trapped within porous rocks can be filled with dissolved minerals, pollutants, and potential pathogens, If this water is heated by a degree or two, it can take away oxygen from the environment and lead to the growth of dangerous bacteria. It can also cause the dissolution of excessive concentrations of heavy metals like manganese or arsenic. A geoscientist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany and the study's lead author Susanne Benz said, "There are already about 30 million people living in regions where the groundwater is warmer than stipulated in the strictest drinking water guidelines." Watch: Water security threat amidst low snow on Himalayas, says report "That means it may not be safe to drink the water there without treatment. It may need to be boiled first, for example. The drinking water also gets warmed up in water pipes by heat in the ground," he added. Even in populations which have sufficiently sized surface reservoirs, the heated groundwater's discharges can cause an alteration of key dynamics which keep its water safe for human consumption. In the wake of the 'shared socioeconomic pathway', the current figures can double with 188 million people living in an area in which the groundwater is not meeting the strictest of standards for drinkability by 2100. (With inputs from agencies)

Earth's groundwater to turn 'undrinkable' for half a billion people by 2100: Study

To make a mark in the world of space science, China has now planned to strike an asteroid to deflect it by 2030, on the pretext of planetary defence.&nbsp;

The scientists have said that the mission has a dual purpose - the asteroid will be impacted by one spacecraft and its partner will make observations of the space rock to understand more about the solar system and its formation.

As per the reports, the&nbsp;near-Earth object&nbsp;(NEO) 2015 XF261 - which is a 100-foot-wide (30-metre)&nbsp;asteroid - is most probably the selected target of the China National Space Administration&nbsp;(CNSA) mission.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/asteroid-2024-mt-1-makes-extremely-close-approach-to-earth-739111">Asteroid 2024 MT-1 makes extremely close approach to Earth</a>

According to the database of NASA's&nbsp;Jet Propulsion Laboratory&nbsp;(JPL), asteroid 2015 XF261 had made a relatively close flyby to Earth&nbsp;on Tuesday (July 9). It was at a distance of 31 million miles (50 million kilometres) from Earth.

The space rock whizzed at a speed of around 26,000 mph (42,000 kph), which was 30 times faster than the speed of sound.

<h2>NASA's DART to pave way for Chinese mission</h2>

It was reported by the nonprofit Planetary Society that the proposed 2015 XF261-targeting mission was discussed in a recent paper in the&nbsp;Journal of Deep Space Exploration.

"For China's first near-Earth asteroid defence on-orbit verification mission, a defensive disposal demonstration will be carried out on the potential risk of near-Earth asteroids impacting the Earth," stated the study.&nbsp;

"The scientific objectives of the on-orbit verification of&nbsp;asteroid defence&nbsp;and its specific scientific exploration mission will be designed and proposed," it added.&nbsp;

"A scientific payload demand analysis will be carried out, and payload configuration plans and exploration mission requirements will be proposed to provide a decision-making basis for the future implementation of asteroid defence missions," researchers wrote.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Starliner astronauts 'confident' on return trip, Sunita Williams &amp; Billy Wilmore address press

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China is set to follow in the footsteps of NASA's planetary defence mission - the&nbsp;Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) - which deflected a small body in the&nbsp;Didymos binary asteroid system in September 2022.

It is difficult to say if the asteroid will be safely deflected or if our Earth will face some impact, in case the process goes wrong. One cannot&nbsp;forget the mounting evidence which suggests&nbsp;how an asteroid hitting the planet Earth led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

To make a mark in the world of space science, China has now planned to strike an asteroid to deflect it by 2030, on the pretext of planetary defence. The scientists have said that the mission has a dual purpose - the asteroid will be impacted by one spacecraft and its partner will make observations of the space rock to understand more about the solar system and its formation.

To make a mark in the world of space science, China has now planned to strike an asteroid to deflect it by 2030, on the pretext of planetary defence. The scientists have said that the mission has a dual purpose - the asteroid will be impacted by one spacecraft and its partner will make observations of the space rock to understand more about the solar system and its formation. As per the reports, the near-Earth object (NEO) 2015 XF261 - which is a 100-foot-wide (30-metre) asteroid - is most probably the selected target of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) mission. Also Read: Asteroid 2024 MT-1 makes extremely close approach to Earth According to the database of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), asteroid 2015 XF261 had made a relatively close flyby to Earth on Tuesday (July 9). It was at a distance of 31 million miles (50 million kilometres) from Earth. The space rock whizzed at a speed of around 26,000 mph (42,000 kph), which was 30 times faster than the speed of sound. NASA's DART to pave way for Chinese mission It was reported by the nonprofit Planetary Society that the proposed 2015 XF261-targeting mission was discussed in a recent paper in the Journal of Deep Space Exploration. "For China's first near-Earth asteroid defence on-orbit verification mission, a defensive disposal demonstration will be carried out on the potential risk of near-Earth asteroids impacting the Earth," stated the study. "The scientific objectives of the on-orbit verification of asteroid defence and its specific scientific exploration mission will be designed and proposed," it added. "A scientific payload demand analysis will be carried out, and payload configuration plans and exploration mission requirements will be proposed to provide a decision-making basis for the future implementation of asteroid defence missions," researchers wrote. Watch: Starliner astronauts 'confident' on return trip, Sunita Williams & Billy Wilmore address press China is set to follow in the footsteps of NASA's planetary defence mission - the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) - which deflected a small body in the Didymos binary asteroid system in September 2022. It is difficult to say if the asteroid will be safely deflected or if our Earth will face some impact, in case the process goes wrong. One cannot forget the mounting evidence which suggests how an asteroid hitting the planet Earth led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. (With inputs from agencies)

China set to shoot projectile at asteroid in space by 2030. Will it threaten Earth?

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has made a magnificent discovery and was able to even capture it for the world to see the mysteries of the cosmos.

An exoplanet, which appeared like a sparkling jewelled ring, was captured by the telescope. The jewelled ring of the exoplanet was found to be a result of a cosmic phenomenon called gravitational lensing.

The exoplanet captured is a distant&nbsp;quasar, which is called RX J1131-1231, and is floating six&nbsp;billion&nbsp;light-years&nbsp;from&nbsp;Earth.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/saturns-hellish-exoplanet-has-water-vapours-whats-hiding-in-this-alien-world-739618">Saturn's hellish exoplanet has water vapours! What's hiding in this alien world?</a>

A nearby elliptical galaxy's powerful gravitational field appeared to have warped the light of the quasar, which is an extremely luminous&nbsp;active galactic nucleus (AGN) and formed a bright arc as well as duplicate views of the object, eventually procuring a visual which appeared like gemstones on a ring.&nbsp;

<h2>What is gravitational lensing?</h2>

The James Webb Telescope captured the quasars which are filled with large amounts of gas and dust falling inside the supermassive black hole of the galaxy, which makes the region shine very brightly.&nbsp;

The gravitational lensing occurs when the light from a more distant source is bent by a massive object. Its effects allow astronomers to observe regions close to the black hole part of distant quasars, said the European Space Agency&nbsp;(ESA) in a statement.&nbsp;

In the image, the elliptical galaxy, which led&nbsp;to the gravitational lens, appears as a small blue dot in the centre of the ring.

The galaxy works as a natural telescope which magnifies the light from the more distant&nbsp;quasar.

Watch:&nbsp;Earth's days may be getting little longer: Unveiling the planet's mysteries

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"If a black hole grows primarily from collisions and mergers between galaxies, it should accumulate material in a stable disc, and the steady supply of new material from the disc should lead to a rapidly spinning black hole," said ESA officials, in the statement.

"On the other hand, if the&nbsp;black hole&nbsp;grew through many small accretion episodes, it would accumulate material from random directions. Observations have indicated that the black hole in this particular quasar is spinning at over half the&nbsp;speed of light, which suggests that this black hole has grown via mergers, rather than pulling material in from different directions," &nbsp;they added.

JWST's&nbsp;Mid-Infrared Instrument&nbsp;(MIRI) was used to take the image as part of the study being conducted on dark matter&nbsp;and its distribution in&nbsp;the universe.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has made a magnificent discovery and was able to even capture it for the world to see the mysteries of the cosmos. An exoplanet, which appeared like a sparkling jewelled ring, was captured by the telescope.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has made a magnificent discovery and was able to even capture it for the world to see the mysteries of the cosmos. An exoplanet, which appeared like a sparkling jewelled ring, was captured by the telescope. The jewelled ring of the exoplanet was found to be a result of a cosmic phenomenon called gravitational lensing. The exoplanet captured is a distant quasar, which is called RX J1131-1231, and is floating six billion light-years from Earth. Also Read: Saturn's hellish exoplanet has water vapours! What's hiding in this alien world? A nearby elliptical galaxy's powerful gravitational field appeared to have warped the light of the quasar, which is an extremely luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN) and formed a bright arc as well as duplicate views of the object, eventually procuring a visual which appeared like gemstones on a ring. What is gravitational lensing? The James Webb Telescope captured the quasars which are filled with large amounts of gas and dust falling inside the supermassive black hole of the galaxy, which makes the region shine very brightly. The gravitational lensing occurs when the light from a more distant source is bent by a massive object. Its effects allow astronomers to observe regions close to the black hole part of distant quasars, said the European Space Agency (ESA) in a statement. In the image, the elliptical galaxy, which led to the gravitational lens, appears as a small blue dot in the centre of the ring. The galaxy works as a natural telescope which magnifies the light from the more distant quasar. Watch: Earth's days may be getting little longer: Unveiling the planet's mysteries "If a black hole grows primarily from collisions and mergers between galaxies, it should accumulate material in a stable disc, and the steady supply of new material from the disc should lead to a rapidly spinning black hole," said ESA officials, in the statement. "On the other hand, if the black hole grew through many small accretion episodes, it would accumulate material from random directions. Observations have indicated that the black hole in this particular quasar is spinning at over half the speed of light, which suggests that this black hole has grown via mergers, rather than pulling material in from different directions," they added. JWST's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) was used to take the image as part of the study being conducted on dark matter and its distribution in the universe. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA discovers jewelled ring-shaped exoplanet floating 6 billion light-years away from Earth

A massive UFO&nbsp;was spotted beaming with pulsating green lights and flying over Iran.&nbsp;

A short video of the mysterious spaceship was caught&nbsp;on camera and shared on TikTok, sparking a&nbsp;debate among people over whether aliens have descended on Earth.

The supposed spacecraft, which was spotted flying quite low at a few junctures, appeared to have four circular rows of bright pulsating green lights. In the middle of the UFO's underside, there was one solid dot.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/aliens-trying-communicating-to-humans-keep-getting-blocked-by-mysterious-earth-barrier-claims-reddit-user-739612">Aliens trying communicating to humans, keep getting blocked by mysterious Earth barrier, claims Reddit user</a>

As the so-called spacecraft&nbsp;zipped across the skies in the&nbsp;capital city of Tehran, many citizens captured it on camera. The spacecraft's speed and altitude kept changing as it continued its journey.

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The video clip was shared by TikTok user @jakestaxxx on the social media platform and received more than half a million views, as people debated&nbsp;its authenticity.

<h2>Here's how&nbsp;users reacted to the video</h2>

One user said that he had witnessed a UFO previously and appeared to be taking the TikTok post at face value.&nbsp;

"That's so cool, I've witnessed a real UFO close up but it was so fast coming down and it stopped only to do four circles around in the sky so fast then flew over us like that, awesome to witness," he said, as quoted by the Mirror Now.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Study: Secret aliens could be here on Earth already

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Even though many believed that it did belong to the other world, some disagreed and accused that digital wizardry may have been used.

"Aliens just don't show up like that, there's galactic rules. If this was real it would have caused public unrest. I don't see any public unrest," said one user.

(With inputs from agencies)

A massive UFO was spotted beaming with pulsating green lights and flying over Iran. A short video of the mysterious spaceship was caught on camera and shared on TikTok, sparking a debate among people over whether aliens have descended on Earth.

A massive UFO was spotted beaming with pulsating green lights and flying over Iran. A short video of the mysterious spaceship was caught on camera and shared on TikTok, sparking a debate among people over whether aliens have descended on Earth. The supposed spacecraft, which was spotted flying quite low at a few junctures, appeared to have four circular rows of bright pulsating green lights. In the middle of the UFO's underside, there was one solid dot. Also Read: Aliens trying communicating to humans, keep getting blocked by mysterious Earth barrier, claims Reddit user As the so-called spacecraft zipped across the skies in the capital city of Tehran, many citizens captured it on camera. The spacecraft's speed and altitude kept changing as it continued its journey. Multiple video clips show brightly lit UFO flying over streets of Tehran, Iran A strange object spotted over Iran has been captured on camera from multiple different angles. It's not often that we get to see clear video footage of an unidentified flying object, but in this… pic.twitter.com/xOjD8WQrif — The Confessionals (@TConfessionals) June 12, 2024 × The video clip was shared by TikTok user @jakestaxxx on the social media platform and received more than half a million views, as people debated its authenticity. Here's how users reacted to the video One user said that he had witnessed a UFO previously and appeared to be taking the TikTok post at face value. "That's so cool, I've witnessed a real UFO close up but it was so fast coming down and it stopped only to do four circles around in the sky so fast then flew over us like that, awesome to witness," he said, as quoted by the Mirror Now. Watch: Study: Secret aliens could be here on Earth already Even though many believed that it did belong to the other world, some disagreed and accused that digital wizardry may have been used. "Aliens just don't show up like that, there's galactic rules. If this was real it would have caused public unrest. I don't see any public unrest," said one user. (With inputs from agencies)

Watch: Green-coloured UFO spotted flying over Iran. TikTokers share video, ask 'aliens headed to Earth?'

Long before human civilisation existed on our planet, Earth was just a dry fireball with no water on it and appeared very similar to other exoplanets.

So how, did this burning and hellish planet get water bodies and become a hospitable place for human civilisation?&nbsp;

The researchers, while studying certain meteorite classes, found the source that led to the existence of water-rich cosmic bodies in the primordial solar system.

The scientists identified mini astronomical structures,&nbsp;known as planetesimals, as agents that made the cosmic delivery of water.

The planetesimals brought materials for planet construction, which included our Earth, which had very little water to start with.

Explaining these cosmic bodies, Director of the Klaus Tschira Laboratory for Cosmochemistry at Heidelberg University’s&nbsp;Institute of Earth Sciences, Professor Dr. Mario Trieloff said, “These small bodies did not just supply the building materials for the planets. They are, in reality, the very source of Earth’s water."&nbsp;

These planetesimals remained at cooler temperatures in the&nbsp;outer solar system. In this place, ice remained as solid-state water.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/asteroid-2024-mt-1-makes-extremely-close-approach-to-earth-739111">Asteroid 2024 MT-1 makes extremely close approach to Earth</a>

These planetesimals were starkly different from other celestial bodies which were formed earlier in the history of the solar system. Those bodies were too hot and very close to the Sun, which made it impossible to create ice.&nbsp;

These bodies, which were formed at an early stage in the universe, faced intense thermal conditions which prevented the accumulation or retention of volatile substances like water.

<h2>How was the research carried out?</h2>

The international research team, which included distinguished earth scientists from Heidelberg University, meticulously analysed age data and used sophisticated computational models, to trace the thermal evolution of these planetesimals' parent bodies.

Throughout their research, they carried out the examination of isotopic compositions and conducted simulations to understand the material composition and heat dynamics of these early solar system objects.

Watch:&nbsp;Scientists say the Earth's core is behaving oddly. Here's why

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In the research, the team found that some planetesimals&nbsp;formed extremely rapidly in a time span of less than two million years.&nbsp;

The bodies faced intense heating, melted completely, and lost all their volatile elements, which included water.

Short-lived radioactive isotopes, that release substantial amounts of heat, started decaying, which led to rapid heating.

Meanwhile, in the study, it was found that a second group of planetesimals was formed later on&nbsp;at cooler temperatures in the outer reaches of the solar system.

(With inputs from agencies)

Long before human civilisation existed on our planet, Earth was just a dry fireball with no water on it and appeared very similar to other exoplanets. So how, did this burning and hellish planet get water bodies and become a hospitable place for human civilisation?

Long before human civilisation existed on our planet, Earth was just a dry fireball with no water on it and appeared very similar to other exoplanets. So how, did this burning and hellish planet get water bodies and become a hospitable place for human civilisation? The researchers, while studying certain meteorite classes, found the source that led to the existence of water-rich cosmic bodies in the primordial solar system. The scientists identified mini astronomical structures, known as planetesimals, as agents that made the cosmic delivery of water. The planetesimals brought materials for planet construction, which included our Earth, which had very little water to start with. Explaining these cosmic bodies, Director of the Klaus Tschira Laboratory for Cosmochemistry at Heidelberg University’s Institute of Earth Sciences, Professor Dr. Mario Trieloff said, “These small bodies did not just supply the building materials for the planets. They are, in reality, the very source of Earth’s water." These planetesimals remained at cooler temperatures in the outer solar system. In this place, ice remained as solid-state water. Also Read: Asteroid 2024 MT-1 makes extremely close approach to Earth These planetesimals were starkly different from other celestial bodies which were formed earlier in the history of the solar system. Those bodies were too hot and very close to the Sun, which made it impossible to create ice. These bodies, which were formed at an early stage in the universe, faced intense thermal conditions which prevented the accumulation or retention of volatile substances like water. How was the research carried out? The international research team, which included distinguished earth scientists from Heidelberg University, meticulously analysed age data and used sophisticated computational models, to trace the thermal evolution of these planetesimals' parent bodies. Throughout their research, they carried out the examination of isotopic compositions and conducted simulations to understand the material composition and heat dynamics of these early solar system objects. Watch: Scientists say the Earth's core is behaving oddly. Here's why In the research, the team found that some planetesimals formed extremely rapidly in a time span of less than two million years. The bodies faced intense heating, melted completely, and lost all their volatile elements, which included water. Short-lived radioactive isotopes, that release substantial amounts of heat, started decaying, which led to rapid heating. Meanwhile, in the study, it was found that a second group of planetesimals was formed later on at cooler temperatures in the outer reaches of the solar system. (With inputs from agencies)

Earth received cosmic delivery of water in its early days when it was a fireball. This was the source

In a stunning discovery, astronomers have found that a "hot Jupiter" planet, which is very close to Earth, has been stinking like rotten eggs.

The astronomers noticed this abrupt environment of the planet using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

This rare kind of planet is famous for its extreme temperatures, deadly rains of glass and strong winds which blow sideways at a speed of 5,000 mph (8,046 kph). The latest discovery has made the world extremely less likely to host any kind of life.

<h2>Why is this hellish planet smelling like rotten eggs?</h2>

The hot Jupiter exoplanet HD 189733 b is around 64 light-years from Earth and its hydrogen is filled with hydrogen sulfide which is likely triggering the smell of rotten eggs, revealed the James Webb Space Telescope.&nbsp;

In the new study, the astronomers measured the amount of carbon dioxide, oxygen, water and heavy metals present in the atmosphere of the exoplanet.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-creates-alien-hunting-telescope-aims-to-discover-inhabited-planet-by-2050-738307">NASA creates alien-hunting telescope, aims to discover inhabited planet by 2050</a>

They also discovered the presence of hydrogen sulfide - which is a toxic and flammable colourless gas that gets released when organic matter decays on Earth.&nbsp;

The researchers said that gas was rarely spotted outside the solar system and very little amounts of it were traced in the space between stars and in the interstellar medium.&nbsp;

"Hydrogen sulfide is a major molecule that we didn't know was there. We predicted it would be, and we know it's in&nbsp;Jupiter, but we hadn't really detected it outside the solar system," said team leader Guangwei Fu, who is an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins.

"We're not looking for life on this planet because it's way too hot, but finding hydrogen sulfide is a stepping stone for finding this molecule on other planets and gaining more understanding of&nbsp;how different types of planets form," he added.

<h2>All about the exoplanet which gets battered by glass rains</h2>

The exoplanet HD 189733 b is a huge gas giant which is present in the Vulpecula constellation, around 64 light-years away from Earth.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Manned mission to Mars around corner? | Red planet reveals traces of life during its early years

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The planet orbits extremely close to its home star, nearly 13 times closer than&nbsp;Mercury&nbsp;orbits&nbsp;the sun, and is known to complete one orbit every two days.&nbsp;

Because of this, the surface of the exoplanet can become very hot and reach a temperature of&nbsp;1,700 degrees Fahrenheit (925 degrees Celsius). This kind of temperature can melt certain types of rocks into magma.

The planet is also known to receive rains of molten glass and winds travel here at a speed of 500 mph (800 km/h), which is three times faster than a Category 5 hurricane on Earth.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

In a stunning discovery, astronomers have found that a "hot Jupiter" planet, which is very close to Earth, has been stinking like rotten eggs. The astronomers noticed this abrupt environment of the planet using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

In a stunning discovery, astronomers have found that a "hot Jupiter" planet, which is very close to Earth, has been stinking like rotten eggs. The astronomers noticed this abrupt environment of the planet using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This rare kind of planet is famous for its extreme temperatures, deadly rains of glass and strong winds which blow sideways at a speed of 5,000 mph (8,046 kph). The latest discovery has made the world extremely less likely to host any kind of life. Why is this hellish planet smelling like rotten eggs? The hot Jupiter exoplanet HD 189733 b is around 64 light-years from Earth and its hydrogen is filled with hydrogen sulfide which is likely triggering the smell of rotten eggs, revealed the James Webb Space Telescope. In the new study, the astronomers measured the amount of carbon dioxide, oxygen, water and heavy metals present in the atmosphere of the exoplanet. Also Read: NASA creates alien-hunting telescope, aims to discover inhabited planet by 2050 They also discovered the presence of hydrogen sulfide - which is a toxic and flammable colourless gas that gets released when organic matter decays on Earth. The researchers said that gas was rarely spotted outside the solar system and very little amounts of it were traced in the space between stars and in the interstellar medium. "Hydrogen sulfide is a major molecule that we didn't know was there. We predicted it would be, and we know it's in Jupiter, but we hadn't really detected it outside the solar system," said team leader Guangwei Fu, who is an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins. "We're not looking for life on this planet because it's way too hot, but finding hydrogen sulfide is a stepping stone for finding this molecule on other planets and gaining more understanding of how different types of planets form," he added. All about the exoplanet which gets battered by glass rains The exoplanet HD 189733 b is a huge gas giant which is present in the Vulpecula constellation, around 64 light-years away from Earth. Watch: Manned mission to Mars around corner? | Red planet reveals traces of life during its early years The planet orbits extremely close to its home star, nearly 13 times closer than Mercury orbits the sun, and is known to complete one orbit every two days. Because of this, the surface of the exoplanet can become very hot and reach a temperature of 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit (925 degrees Celsius). This kind of temperature can melt certain types of rocks into magma. The planet is also known to receive rains of molten glass and winds travel here at a speed of 500 mph (800 km/h), which is three times faster than a Category 5 hurricane on Earth. (With inputs from agencies)

Exoplanet which receives rains of glass and is close to Earth is stinking like rotten eggs. Here's why

Scientists say the Earth's core is slowing down and it could possibly be rotating in reverse. How is this possible? What does it mean for our planet?

Scientists say the Earth's core is behaving oddly. Here's why

For nearly 12 years, NASA's Curiosity rover has been actively collecting samples from the surface of Mars and continuously making groundbreaking discoveries. The recent findings related&nbsp;to the properties of the organic material present on the red planet have challenged the existing knowledge of scientists on both Mars and Earth.

The material discovered has properties that are generally a sign of microorganisms on Earth. However, they can also be due to non-biological, chemical functions. The findings published in Nature Geoscience have baffled researchers from where it came into being.

According to researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, who are collaborating on this research, this discovery can help&nbsp;understand how life came into being billions of years ago on our planet Earth.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/earth-witnessed-never-ever-seen-polar-rain-aurora-heres-how-this-eerie-glow-was-formed-738543">Earth witnessed never-ever-seen 'polar rain' aurora. Here's how this eerie glow was formed</a>

Co-author of the study, Matthew Johnson of the University of Copenhagen calls this discovery "the smoking gun", which confirms a decade-old theory of so-called photolysis in the atmosphere of Mars.

"Such carbon-based complex molecules are the prerequisite of life, the building blocks of life, one might say," he said. "So, this is a bit like the old debate about which came first, the chicken or the egg. We show that the organic material found on Mars has been formed through atmospheric photochemical reactions – without life that is. This is the 'egg', a prerequisite of life. It still remains to be shown whether or not this organic material resulted in life on the red planet."

The concept that photolysis, a process in which molecules are broken apart by light, plays a role in the organic chemistry of Mars has been going about for a long time. However, hard evidence to support the theory has not been found.&nbsp;

"The smoking gun here is that the ratio of carbon isotopes in it exactly matches our predictions in the quantum chemical simulations, but there was a missing piece in the puzzle. We were missing the other product of this chemical process to confirm the theory, and that's what we've now obtained," said Johnson.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-is-on-alert-as-gigantic-asteroid-size-of-statue-of-liberty-is-hurtling-towards-earth-at-65215-kmph-738357">NASA is on alert as gigantic&nbsp;asteroid, size of Statue of Liberty, is hurtling towards Earth at 65,215 kmph</a>

The discovery was made by the Curiosity rover in the Gale Crater including carbon-13 depletion in the samples of carbonate minerals, which mirrors the same elements found in a previous discovery from the Martian meteorite that formed the basis of the initial theory.

This strong piece of evidence gives us clues about the origins of organic material on Earth. Since Earth, Mars, and Venus have similar atmospheres, the same processes likely occurred on our planet.

"We have not yet found this 'smoking gun' material here on Earth to prove that the process took place. Perhaps because Earth's surface is much more alive, geologically and literally, and therefore constantly changing," said Johnson.

"But it is a big step that we have now found it on Mars, from a time when the two planets were very similar."

(With inputs from agencies)

For nearly 12 years, NASA's Curiosity rover has been actively collecting samples from the surface of Mars and continuously making groundbreaking discoveries. The recent findings related to the properties of the organic material present on the red planet have challenged the existing knowledge of scientists on both Mars and Earth.

For nearly 12 years, NASA's Curiosity rover has been actively collecting samples from the surface of Mars and continuously making groundbreaking discoveries. The recent findings related to the properties of the organic material present on the red planet have challenged the existing knowledge of scientists on both Mars and Earth. The material discovered has properties that are generally a sign of microorganisms on Earth. However, they can also be due to non-biological, chemical functions. The findings published in Nature Geoscience have baffled researchers from where it came into being. According to researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, who are collaborating on this research, this discovery can help understand how life came into being billions of years ago on our planet Earth. Also Read | Earth witnessed never-ever-seen 'polar rain' aurora. Here's how this eerie glow was formed Co-author of the study, Matthew Johnson of the University of Copenhagen calls this discovery "the smoking gun", which confirms a decade-old theory of so-called photolysis in the atmosphere of Mars. "Such carbon-based complex molecules are the prerequisite of life, the building blocks of life, one might say," he said. "So, this is a bit like the old debate about which came first, the chicken or the egg. We show that the organic material found on Mars has been formed through atmospheric photochemical reactions – without life that is. This is the 'egg', a prerequisite of life. It still remains to be shown whether or not this organic material resulted in life on the red planet." The concept that photolysis, a process in which molecules are broken apart by light, plays a role in the organic chemistry of Mars has been going about for a long time. However, hard evidence to support the theory has not been found. "The smoking gun here is that the ratio of carbon isotopes in it exactly matches our predictions in the quantum chemical simulations, but there was a missing piece in the puzzle. We were missing the other product of this chemical process to confirm the theory, and that's what we've now obtained," said Johnson. Also Read | NASA is on alert as gigantic asteroid, size of Statue of Liberty, is hurtling towards Earth at 65,215 kmph The discovery was made by the Curiosity rover in the Gale Crater including carbon-13 depletion in the samples of carbonate minerals, which mirrors the same elements found in a previous discovery from the Martian meteorite that formed the basis of the initial theory. This strong piece of evidence gives us clues about the origins of organic material on Earth. Since Earth, Mars, and Venus have similar atmospheres, the same processes likely occurred on our planet. "We have not yet found this 'smoking gun' material here on Earth to prove that the process took place. Perhaps because Earth's surface is much more alive, geologically and literally, and therefore constantly changing," said Johnson. "But it is a big step that we have now found it on Mars, from a time when the two planets were very similar." (With inputs from agencies)

Organic material found on Mars by Curiosity rover may reveal clues to life on Earth

After studying for two years the mysterious green auroras - which appeared on Christmas Day in the Arctic in 2022 - the Japanese and United States-based researchers have now found out that it occurred because of a 'rainstorm' of&nbsp;electrons which are directed from the Sun.

This was the first time such a rare aurora was witnessed from the Earth and it came when there was a major drop in the gusts of the solar wind, which had left the region around the Earth calm.

Generally, the auroras move and pulsate in clearly discernible shapes in the sky. The electrons from the solar wind - which is a stream of charged particles which flow from the Sun - power the auroral displays.

Then, the auroras get trapped in an extension of the magnetic field of Earth called the magnetotail.&nbsp;

When there is an extreme condition in the space weather, like when a coronal mass ejection&nbsp;(CME) - which is a large ejection of plasma as well as magnetic field from the Sun - gets released, the magnetotail gets pinched off.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/watch-iss-captures-fireworks-in-space-shares-footage-of-mesmerising-northern-lights-738470">ISS captures fireworks in space, shares footage of mesmerising Northern Lights</a>

Slowly, the trapped electrons flow down to the magnetic field line of the Earth near the poles. &nbsp;

As it happens, the electrons encounter the molecules present in the atmosphere of Earth, collide with them and make them glow in different colours of the aurora.

As they do so, they encounter molecules in&nbsp;Earth's atmosphere, colliding with them and prompting them to glow in the&nbsp;colours of the aurora.

<h2>How the Christmas aurora was different from the normal aurora</h2>

The aurora, which appeared on December 25-26, 2022, was pretty different.&nbsp;

The aurora, which was imaged by an All-Sky Electron Multiplying Charge-Coupled Device (EMCCD) camera in Longyearbyen in Norway, was a faint and featureless glow that spanned 2,485 miles (4,000 kilometres) in extent.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Aurora seen glowing from ISS as astronauts test Starliner&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/aurora-seen-glowing-from-iss-as-astronauts-test-starliner-trending-on-wion-732898/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The aurora had no structure and did not have any pulsing or varying brightness. Such an aurora was never ever seen before from Earth.

A team led by Keisuke Hosokawa, who is from the Center for Space Science and Radio Engineering at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo, solved the mystery behind these aurora by comparing them with what was seen by the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Scanning Imager (SSUSI) on the polar-orbiting satellites of the Defence Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP).&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

After studying for two years the mysterious green auroras - which appeared on Christmas Day in the Arctic in 2022 - the Japanese and United States-based researchers have now found out that it occurred because of a 'rainstorm' of electrons which are directed from the Sun.

After studying for two years the mysterious green auroras - which appeared on Christmas Day in the Arctic in 2022 - the Japanese and United States-based researchers have now found out that it occurred because of a 'rainstorm' of electrons which are directed from the Sun. This was the first time such a rare aurora was witnessed from the Earth and it came when there was a major drop in the gusts of the solar wind, which had left the region around the Earth calm. Generally, the auroras move and pulsate in clearly discernible shapes in the sky. The electrons from the solar wind - which is a stream of charged particles which flow from the Sun - power the auroral displays. Then, the auroras get trapped in an extension of the magnetic field of Earth called the magnetotail. When there is an extreme condition in the space weather, like when a coronal mass ejection (CME) - which is a large ejection of plasma as well as magnetic field from the Sun - gets released, the magnetotail gets pinched off. Also Read: ISS captures fireworks in space, shares footage of mesmerising Northern Lights Slowly, the trapped electrons flow down to the magnetic field line of the Earth near the poles. As it happens, the electrons encounter the molecules present in the atmosphere of Earth, collide with them and make them glow in different colours of the aurora. As they do so, they encounter molecules in Earth's atmosphere, colliding with them and prompting them to glow in the colours of the aurora. How the Christmas aurora was different from the normal aurora The aurora, which appeared on December 25-26, 2022, was pretty different. The aurora, which was imaged by an All-Sky Electron Multiplying Charge-Coupled Device (EMCCD) camera in Longyearbyen in Norway, was a faint and featureless glow that spanned 2,485 miles (4,000 kilometres) in extent. Watch: Aurora seen glowing from ISS as astronauts test Starliner The aurora had no structure and did not have any pulsing or varying brightness. Such an aurora was never ever seen before from Earth. A team led by Keisuke Hosokawa, who is from the Center for Space Science and Radio Engineering at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo, solved the mystery behind these aurora by comparing them with what was seen by the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Scanning Imager (SSUSI) on the polar-orbiting satellites of the Defence Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP). (With inputs from agencies)

Earth witnessed never-ever-seen 'polar rain' aurora. Here's how this eerie glow was formed

Earth was seen engaged in a rare cosmic event last week when two huge asteroids made a flyby at a very close distance from the planet.

The asteroids, named 2024 MK and 2011 UL21, did not come so close to Earth to pose a hazard to the planet. However, both of them were within range of radar imaging systems.&nbsp;

The two asteroids were tracked by the scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.&nbsp;

It was found that one of the asteroids had a little moon orbiting it and the astronomers spotted the other only 13 days before it made its&nbsp;closest approach&nbsp;to Earth.&nbsp;

The asteroids passed near the Earth on June 27. They made a flyby at a distance of 4.1 million miles (6.6 million kilometres) which is 17 times the distance between the Earth and the moon.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/asteroids-thrashing-mars-more-than-ever-thought-leaving-craters-on-red-planet-736281">Asteroids thrashing Mars more than ever thought, leaving craters on Red Planet</a>

In 2011, the asteroid 2011 UL21 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, Arizona.&nbsp;

“The term ‘Potentially Hazardous Asteroid’ (PHA) is a precise formal definition, referring to minor planets larger than approximately 140 metres [459 feet] that can come within 7.5 million km [4.6 million miles] from the Earth,” said Gianluca Masi, who is an astrophysicist and scientific director of the Virtual Telescope Project, in a&nbsp;statement&nbsp;before the flyby.&nbsp;

“In other words, only the largest asteroids capable of approaching close enough to our planet are flagged as PHAs, which does not mean they are going to hit the Earth, but they nonetheless warrant better monitoring," he added.

<h2>NASA says asteroids belonged to a binary system</h2>

NASA's Deep Space Network’s Goldstone planetary radar was closely watching the asteroids and captured it seven times as it moved at a speed of 25 kilometres (16 miles) per second.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Asteroid 2024 MK passes Earth at 300,000 km

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/asteroid-2024-mk-passes-earth-at-300000-km-736813/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

NASA got the first chance to image the asteroid by using radar and in that they found that the asteroid belonged to a binary system.

“It is thought that about two-thirds of asteroids of this size are binary systems, and their discovery is particularly important because we can use measurements of their relative positions to estimate their mutual orbits, masses, and densities, which provide key information about how they may have formed,” said Lance Benner, who is a principal scientist at JPL who helped lead the observations, in a&nbsp;statement.

(With inputs from agencies)

Earth was seen engaged in a rare cosmic event last week when two huge asteroids made a flyby at a very close distance from the planet. The asteroids, named 2024 MK and 2011 UL21, did not come so close to Earth to pose a hazard to the planet.

Earth was seen engaged in a rare cosmic event last week when two huge asteroids made a flyby at a very close distance from the planet. The asteroids, named 2024 MK and 2011 UL21, did not come so close to Earth to pose a hazard to the planet. However, both of them were within range of radar imaging systems. The two asteroids were tracked by the scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. It was found that one of the asteroids had a little moon orbiting it and the astronomers spotted the other only 13 days before it made its closest approach to Earth. The asteroids passed near the Earth on June 27. They made a flyby at a distance of 4.1 million miles (6.6 million kilometres) which is 17 times the distance between the Earth and the moon. Also Read: Asteroids thrashing Mars more than ever thought, leaving craters on Red Planet In 2011, the asteroid 2011 UL21 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, Arizona. “The term ‘Potentially Hazardous Asteroid’ (PHA) is a precise formal definition, referring to minor planets larger than approximately 140 metres [459 feet] that can come within 7.5 million km [4.6 million miles] from the Earth,” said Gianluca Masi, who is an astrophysicist and scientific director of the Virtual Telescope Project, in a statement before the flyby. “In other words, only the largest asteroids capable of approaching close enough to our planet are flagged as PHAs, which does not mean they are going to hit the Earth, but they nonetheless warrant better monitoring," he added. NASA says asteroids belonged to a binary system NASA's Deep Space Network’s Goldstone planetary radar was closely watching the asteroids and captured it seven times as it moved at a speed of 25 kilometres (16 miles) per second. Watch: Asteroid 2024 MK passes Earth at 300,000 km NASA got the first chance to image the asteroid by using radar and in that they found that the asteroid belonged to a binary system. “It is thought that about two-thirds of asteroids of this size are binary systems, and their discovery is particularly important because we can use measurements of their relative positions to estimate their mutual orbits, masses, and densities, which provide key information about how they may have formed,” said Lance Benner, who is a principal scientist at JPL who helped lead the observations, in a statement. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA spots large asteroid with moon orbiting it, as it makes close flyby Earth

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