The wide, open Universe is filled with frenzied activity. Collisions of galaxies are one of the oft-seen phenomena. The idea of galaxies, comprising billions of stars, colliding with another galaxy appears horrific to imagine. We may think of loud boom, bangs just like in the movies.

But such collisions are often less eventful than universe-shattering drama we imagine in our minds. But there is a lot of tug-of-war involved when two galaxies collide. And depending upon which one packs more punch, a single galaxy may emerge victorious or the mishmash of stellar material may give rise to a wholly new galaxy.

But what&nbsp;Hubble Space Telescope has clicked has puzzled the scientists. A head-on collision of two galaxies has formed a weird-looking triangle shape&nbsp;in space.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/asteroid-with-three-moons-of-its-own-found-for-the-first-time-454794">Asteroid with three moons of its own found for the first time</a>

So meet our two contenders in the ring. On the right in a spiral galaxy named NGC 2445. On the left is another spiral galaxy but with a name NGC 2445. Both of these galaxies are colliding. By the looks of it, scientists say that NGC 2444 (galaxy in left corner) is winning the tug-of-war and drawing material out of the right-hand side galaxy.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/astronomers-believe-liquid-jewels-rain-on-this-sizzling-exoplanet-that-has-metal-vapour-clouds-455491">Astronomers believe liquid jewels rain on this sizzling exoplanet that has metal vapour clouds</a> 
 
This has caused newly minted stars from the right-hand side galaxy to leave their places and get arranged in a starnge triangle shape. The triangle is still witnessing a star-birthing frenzy because the right-hand side galaxy has a lot of gas, a necessary fuel needed for birth of new stars.

But what puzzles the scientist is the triangle formed by the stars moving towards the right-hand side galaxy.

Astronomer Julianne Dalcanton of the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics in New York was quoted by NASA when he said that star-formation rings are formed quite commonly at the time of collisions between two galaxies. But this particular collision does not depict a 'ring' but a star-forming triangle. This,&nbsp;in her opinion, is 'weird'.

The wide, open Universe is filled with frenzied activity. Collisions of galaxies are one of the oft-seen phenomena. The idea of galaxies, comprising billions of stars, colliding with another galaxy appears horrific to imagine.

The wide, open Universe is filled with frenzied activity. Collisions of galaxies are one of the oft-seen phenomena. The idea of galaxies, comprising billions of stars, colliding with another galaxy appears horrific to imagine. We may think of loud boom, bangs just like in the movies. But such collisions are often less eventful than universe-shattering drama we imagine in our minds. But there is a lot of tug-of-war involved when two galaxies collide. And depending upon which one packs more punch, a single galaxy may emerge victorious or the mishmash of stellar material may give rise to a wholly new galaxy. But what Hubble Space Telescope has clicked has puzzled the scientists. A head-on collision of two galaxies has formed a weird-looking triangle shape in space. Also Read | Asteroid with three moons of its own found for the first time So meet our two contenders in the ring. On the right in a spiral galaxy named NGC 2445. On the left is another spiral galaxy but with a name NGC 2445. Both of these galaxies are colliding. By the looks of it, scientists say that NGC 2444 (galaxy in left corner) is winning the tug-of-war and drawing material out of the right-hand side galaxy. Also Read | Astronomers believe liquid jewels rain on this sizzling exoplanet that has metal vapour clouds This has caused newly minted stars from the right-hand side galaxy to leave their places and get arranged in a starnge triangle shape. The triangle is still witnessing a star-birthing frenzy because the right-hand side galaxy has a lot of gas, a necessary fuel needed for birth of new stars. But what puzzles the scientist is the triangle formed by the stars moving towards the right-hand side galaxy. Astronomer Julianne Dalcanton of the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics in New York was quoted by NASA when he said that star-formation rings are formed quite commonly at the time of collisions between two galaxies. But this particular collision does not depict a 'ring' but a star-forming triangle. This, in her opinion, is 'weird'.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope clicks colliding galaxies forming a strange space triangle

We are generally comfortable with the idea of planets revolving around stars or satellites of individual planets. But many of us are yet to wrap our heads around an asteroid having its own moons.

But one of the millions of asteroids in our solar system has now got the recognition of being an asteroid with three very own satellites. The asteroid is named 130 Elektra or just Elektra.

"Elektra is the first quadruple system ever detected," wrote a team of astronomers led by Anthony Berdeu of the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand in their paper.

"This new detection … shows that dedicated data reduction and processing algorithms modeling the physics of the instruments can push their contrast limits further."

Asteroid Elektra is 260 kilometers (160 miles) across. It was first discovered in 1873. However, its first moon named S/2003 (130) 1 was discovered 130 years later. Its second moon S/2014 (130) 1 was discovered in 2014. Discovery of the third moon has made this an interesting system.

Discovering asteroids is a tough task to start with. Asteroids are much much smaller than planets and are dimly illuminated by sunlight. Satellites of asteroids (if any) are harder to detect still as they may appear very tiny specks of light, often outshone by their parent asteroid.

We are generally comfortable with the idea of planets revolving around stars or satellites of individual planets. But many of us are yet to wrap our heads around an asteroid having its own moons.

We are generally comfortable with the idea of planets revolving around stars or satellites of individual planets. But many of us are yet to wrap our heads around an asteroid having its own moons. But one of the millions of asteroids in our solar system has now got the recognition of being an asteroid with three very own satellites. The asteroid is named 130 Elektra or just Elektra. "Elektra is the first quadruple system ever detected," wrote a team of astronomers led by Anthony Berdeu of the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand in their paper. "This new detection … shows that dedicated data reduction and processing algorithms modeling the physics of the instruments can push their contrast limits further." Asteroid Elektra is 260 kilometers (160 miles) across. It was first discovered in 1873. However, its first moon named S/2003 (130) 1 was discovered 130 years later. Its second moon S/2014 (130) 1 was discovered in 2014. Discovery of the third moon has made this an interesting system. Discovering asteroids is a tough task to start with. Asteroids are much much smaller than planets and are dimly illuminated by sunlight. Satellites of asteroids (if any) are harder to detect still as they may appear very tiny specks of light, often outshone by their parent asteroid.

Asteroid with three moons of its own found for the first time

What was Stephen Hawking's thought process?

By looking at one of his old blackboards, a new exhibit at the Science Museum of London seeks to answer that question.&nbsp;

Prof Stephen Hawking has left a mystery of his own among the varied items of his former office, having spent his life to the mysteries of the cosmos.

At a meeting he organised in 1980, the Cambridge cosmologist, who died in 2018 at the age of 76, adored a blackboard that got swamped with caricatures, doodling, and mathematics.

But deciphering what all the graffiti and inside jokes signify will take some time.

The blackboard, which is both a confusing work of art and a memory from the history of physics, will be on exhibit for the first time at the Science Museum in London on Thursday as part of a collection of office objects bought by the museum.&nbsp;

Are there any long-lost secrets or incredible discoveries hidden among these doodles and inside jokes?

The best chance of deciphering the blackboard is if any of the attendees from that long-ago event come by to see the exhibit ("Stephen Hawking at Work"), which includes a copy of the physicist's 1966 PhD thesis, his wheelchair, a small glass apple, a formal bet that information swallowed by a black hole is lost forever, and a personalised jacket from The Simpsons creators.

(With inputs from agencies)

What was Stephen Hawking's thought process? By looking at one of his old blackboards, a new exhibit at the Science Museum of London seeks to answer that question.

What was Stephen Hawking's thought process? By looking at one of his old blackboards, a new exhibit at the Science Museum of London seeks to answer that question. Prof Stephen Hawking has left a mystery of his own among the varied items of his former office, having spent his life to the mysteries of the cosmos. At a meeting he organised in 1980, the Cambridge cosmologist, who died in 2018 at the age of 76, adored a blackboard that got swamped with caricatures, doodling, and mathematics. But deciphering what all the graffiti and inside jokes signify will take some time. The blackboard, which is both a confusing work of art and a memory from the history of physics, will be on exhibit for the first time at the Science Museum in London on Thursday as part of a collection of office objects bought by the museum. Are there any long-lost secrets or incredible discoveries hidden among these doodles and inside jokes? The best chance of deciphering the blackboard is if any of the attendees from that long-ago event come by to see the exhibit ("Stephen Hawking at Work"), which includes a copy of the physicist's 1966 PhD thesis, his wheelchair, a small glass apple, a formal bet that information swallowed by a black hole is lost forever, and a personalised jacket from The Simpsons creators. (With inputs from agencies)

Mysteries of Stephen Hawking's doodle-filled blackboard may finally be solved

It is perhaps a scary thought for humankind to consider itself the only intelligent life sitting on this blue planet hurtling in space. Perhaps search for intelligent alien life has been a major preoccupation of scientific communities and even governments for decades. Projects after projects have not yielded any sign of aliens but relying on the statistical probability of there being intelligent life on at least one of billions of planets in space, we've pressed on with our search.

But a comprehensive sky scan has again met with disappointment as intelligent alien life was not found.

Detection of radio waves is one of the ways to search for alien life. By our scientific logic, a civilization achieves radio transmission early in its technological development.

The sky scan was carried out using Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Australia. The sensors to receive any radio signals were pointed at our galactic centre as it is the place within our galaxy with maximum concentration of stars and planets. So the probability of detecting intelligent alien life is higher.&nbsp;

Radio waves are also produced naturally by celestial bodies. So the sky scan looked for technosignatures. These are effects generated by use of technology by the alien civilization.

The scan was aimed at 144 exoplanetary systems but it also completed a blind scan of 3 million stars near the galactic centre. The researchers involved in the serach mentioned in their paper that no technosignature was detected.&nbsp;

But does this conclusively prove that there no alien life at all? No.

Non-detection of technosignatures in this particular sky scan does not mean that there are no more technosignatures to be detected. If not advanced, life may even exist on alien planets in the form of microbes. We are just yet to stumble upon a conclusive proof.

It is perhaps a scary thought for humankind to consider itself the only intelligent life sitting on this blue planet hurtling in space. Perhaps search for intelligent alien life has been a major preoccupation of scientific communities and even governments for decades.

It is perhaps a scary thought for humankind to consider itself the only intelligent life sitting on this blue planet hurtling in space. Perhaps search for intelligent alien life has been a major preoccupation of scientific communities and even governments for decades. Projects after projects have not yielded any sign of aliens but relying on the statistical probability of there being intelligent life on at least one of billions of planets in space, we've pressed on with our search. But a comprehensive sky scan has again met with disappointment as intelligent alien life was not found. Detection of radio waves is one of the ways to search for alien life. By our scientific logic, a civilization achieves radio transmission early in its technological development. The sky scan was carried out using Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Australia. The sensors to receive any radio signals were pointed at our galactic centre as it is the place within our galaxy with maximum concentration of stars and planets. So the probability of detecting intelligent alien life is higher. Radio waves are also produced naturally by celestial bodies. So the sky scan looked for technosignatures. These are effects generated by use of technology by the alien civilization. The scan was aimed at 144 exoplanetary systems but it also completed a blind scan of 3 million stars near the galactic centre. The researchers involved in the serach mentioned in their paper that no technosignature was detected. But does this conclusively prove that there no alien life at all? No. Non-detection of technosignatures in this particular sky scan does not mean that there are no more technosignatures to be detected. If not advanced, life may even exist on alien planets in the form of microbes. We are just yet to stumble upon a conclusive proof.

Scan of millions of stars finds no signs of intelligent alien life

'How far will you go for me?' is perhaps the most cliched question lovers ask each other just to tease. By this literal measure, humpaback whales should be called the most ardent lovers on the planet. Because a study says that they swim across oceans crossing more than 3000 miles just to find a mate.

For this study, the scientists took a look at and analyzed more than 450,000 pictures of whales in the wild in order to track movements of the animal. Scientists found that the whales travelled thousands of miles in search of a mate.

The researcher tracked two distinctive males that had unique markings on their tails. They were observed off the western coast of Mexico and near Hawaii in a span of less than two months. The distance between these two oceanic regions is 3700 miles. The time taken by the whales to swim the distance revealed that they were swimming a bit faster than their typical speed of 2.5 miles per hour.&nbsp;

"They might just be traveling the ocean like it's their own backyard," said James Darling of the Whale Trust Maui in Hawaii and an author on the study. He was quoted by The New Scientist.

So next time you have to go the extra mile for your significant other, don't crib too much. Just try to keep up with the race to be a good lover. You probably would never win it. Doesn't hurt to try,&nbsp;eh?

'How far will you go for me?' is perhaps the most cliched question lovers ask each other just to tease. By this literal measure, humpaback whales should be called the most ardent lovers on the planet.

'How far will you go for me?' is perhaps the most cliched question lovers ask each other just to tease. By this literal measure, humpaback whales should be called the most ardent lovers on the planet. Because a study says that they swim across oceans crossing more than 3000 miles just to find a mate. For this study, the scientists took a look at and analyzed more than 450,000 pictures of whales in the wild in order to track movements of the animal. Scientists found that the whales travelled thousands of miles in search of a mate. The researcher tracked two distinctive males that had unique markings on their tails. They were observed off the western coast of Mexico and near Hawaii in a span of less than two months. The distance between these two oceanic regions is 3700 miles. The time taken by the whales to swim the distance revealed that they were swimming a bit faster than their typical speed of 2.5 miles per hour. "They might just be traveling the ocean like it's their own backyard," said James Darling of the Whale Trust Maui in Hawaii and an author on the study. He was quoted by The New Scientist. So next time you have to go the extra mile for your significant other, don't crib too much. Just try to keep up with the race to be a good lover. You probably would never win it. Doesn't hurt to try, eh?

Humpback whales swim more than 3000 miles to find a lover, says study

Scientists at Harvard University have created an artificial fish that flaps its tail using energy generated from cells of human heart. The fish is made of plastic, paper, gelatin and two strips of heart muscle cells. The experiment was carried out by Harvard scientists along with those from Emory University.

The findings from the study have been published in the journal Science. Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) has even tweeted about the study posting a video of the artificial fish swimming around.

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This artificial fish is powered by human heart cells.<a href="https://t.co/aioJKFDZft">https://t.co/aioJKFDZft</a> <a href="https://t.co/6c5nIbA1sn">pic.twitter.com/6c5nIbA1sn</a>
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&nbsp;

The researchers hope to gain insights about advancing understanding about improvements in pacemakers.

“The benefit of this fish project is that we are still trying to master the craft of using live cells as an engineering substrate,” said Kit Parker as quoted by The Guardian. He is one of the lead authors of the study.

“The heart is extremely complex and it’s not enough to mimic the anatomy,” added Parker, a Seas professor. “One must recreate the biophysics in order to have the robust behavior required of building engineered hearts for children born with malformed hearts.”

Parker has expressed hopes that the teams becomes successful in keeping these cells and tissues alive for more than four and a half months.

Scientists at Harvard University have created an artificial fish that flaps its tail using energy generated from cells of human heart. The fish is made of plastic, paper, gelatin and two strips of heart muscle cells.

Scientists at Harvard University have created an artificial fish that flaps its tail using energy generated from cells of human heart. The fish is made of plastic, paper, gelatin and two strips of heart muscle cells. The experiment was carried out by Harvard scientists along with those from Emory University. The findings from the study have been published in the journal Science. Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) has even tweeted about the study posting a video of the artificial fish swimming around. This artificial fish is powered by human heart cells.https://t.co/aioJKFDZft pic.twitter.com/6c5nIbA1sn — Harvard SEAS (@hseas) February 11, 2022 × The researchers hope to gain insights about advancing understanding about improvements in pacemakers. “The benefit of this fish project is that we are still trying to master the craft of using live cells as an engineering substrate,” said Kit Parker as quoted by The Guardian. He is one of the lead authors of the study. “The heart is extremely complex and it’s not enough to mimic the anatomy,” added Parker, a Seas professor. “One must recreate the biophysics in order to have the robust behavior required of building engineered hearts for children born with malformed hearts.” Parker has expressed hopes that the teams becomes successful in keeping these cells and tissues alive for more than four and a half months.

Scientists use human heart cells to power an artificial fish

On an outdoor stage in South Texas between screens with polished computer animations and a real gigantic shiny rocket behind him, Elon Musk provided his latest update on his dreams to send people to settle Mars on Thursday evening.

But while Musk’s presentation was vivid in detailing his vision of humanity’s interplanetary future, he was more circumspect about the operational details of the massive SpaceX rocket Starship that is central to those and other goals. The spacecraft must overcome numerous technical and regulatory hurdles before it can fly to orbit or fulfill a contract worth billions of dollars to land NASA astronauts on the moon, let alone colonize the red planet.

But on the stage Thursday night, Musk said he thought that Starship would be capable of establishing a self-sufficient city on Mars, which he said would require taking a million tons of material there from Earth.

“This is the first point in the 4.5-billion-year history of Earth that it has been possible,” Musk said. “We need to seize the opportunity and do it as quickly as possible. I want to be frank: Civilization is feeling a little fragile these days.”

After an animated video of an imaginary Mars colony serviced by SpaceX vehicles, Musk shouted, “Let’s make it real!”

For several years, SpaceX has been working on Starship, which would be the most powerful rocket ever. It would also, unlike any previous rocket, be entirely reusable. That has the potential for greatly cutting the cost of sending payloads to orbit — less than $10 million to take 100 tons to space — and it may be possible within a few years, Musk said.

Over the past few years, SpaceX has made a series of test flights of the top part of the spacecraft that is to go to orbit and then return, showing how it might belly-flop in the atmosphere and then land. One of the flights, in May 2021, was a success while the others ended in explosions. To reach orbit requires the use of an even larger booster stage, known as Super Heavy, with dozens of engines. That has not yet been tested.

Musk has, however, routinely made schedule predictions that were far too optimistic. When he first talked of his Mars rocket in 2016 — then an even larger design — he said that the first test trip to Mars, without people aboard, would launch in 2022, and that the first people going to Mars would be leaving two years later.

When Musk gave an update in September 2019, he predicted that the first orbital flight would occur within six months.

But with 2022 already here, SpaceX has yet to try an orbital launch of Starship.

In Thursday’s talk, he expressed confidence that would occur this year, but he remained vague about details.

His talk, at the site that SpaceX calls Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, near Brownsville, mixed in a variety of bawdy remarks while largely rehashing the vision he had described in the past including his arguments for why humanity needed to expand beyond Earth, as a backup plan for the survival of humankind.

He also responded to critics who say space is a waste of time and money, noting how little of the federal budget is actually directed to spaceflight and exploration.

“I’m just suggesting we’d like maybe half a percent or something, like that would probably be OK,” Musk said, referring to budgeting for space.

He mixed in technical details about improvements the company has made on the next version of the engines used for Starship. “So the only remaining issue that we’re aware of is melting the chamber,” Musk said, describing the intense heat generated by the engine. “Just not melting the chamber is very difficult,” Musk continued. “It’s kind of the last remaining challenge. But I think we’re very close to solving that.”

He was hopeful that an environmental review by the Federal Aviation Administration would soon give SpaceX the go-ahead to try a launch to orbit from Boca Chica. “We have gotten sort of a rough indication that there may be an approval in March,” Musk said.

If that occurred, an orbital launch attempt could occur in “a couple of months” or potentially May, he said.

But he also conceded that if the FAA decided a more comprehensive environmental review was needed, SpaceX would shift the launches to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and that would cause a delay of six to eight months in order to modify the launching pad there for the massive Starship.

In addition to the eventual trips to Mars, Starship is to be used by NASA to ferry astronauts from orbit around the moon to the surface of the moon. The company won a $2.9 billion contract for the mission, outcompeting other bidders that included Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos of Amazon, and defense contractor Dynetics. The moon landing is scheduled, on paper, for 2025, but it is expected to be delayed. In addition to work on Starship, the return of astronauts to the moon requires the Space Launch System, another large rocket under development by NASA that is also behind schedule.

For the moon mission, SpaceX would also have to be able to refill the propellant tanks of a Starship while in orbit around Earth. Musk said a series of Starship tankers would launch every few hours taking propellant for the moon-destined rocket.

Musk said he did not see a conflict between the NASA work and his bigger dreams.

“We’re going to make a lot of ships, a lot of boosters,” he said. “Adding legs to land on the moon, that can be done pretty quickly.”

And Musk remained confident that his giant rocket would work. Even though there would most likely be bumps in the road along the way, he said, “we’ll get it done.”

On an outdoor stage in South Texas between screens with polished computer animations and a real gigantic shiny rocket behind him, Elon Musk provided his latest update on his dreams to send people to settle Mars on Thursday evening.

On an outdoor stage in South Texas between screens with polished computer animations and a real gigantic shiny rocket behind him, Elon Musk provided his latest update on his dreams to send people to settle Mars on Thursday evening. But while Musk’s presentation was vivid in detailing his vision of humanity’s interplanetary future, he was more circumspect about the operational details of the massive SpaceX rocket Starship that is central to those and other goals. The spacecraft must overcome numerous technical and regulatory hurdles before it can fly to orbit or fulfill a contract worth billions of dollars to land NASA astronauts on the moon, let alone colonize the red planet. But on the stage Thursday night, Musk said he thought that Starship would be capable of establishing a self-sufficient city on Mars, which he said would require taking a million tons of material there from Earth. “This is the first point in the 4.5-billion-year history of Earth that it has been possible,” Musk said. “We need to seize the opportunity and do it as quickly as possible. I want to be frank: Civilization is feeling a little fragile these days.” After an animated video of an imaginary Mars colony serviced by SpaceX vehicles, Musk shouted, “Let’s make it real!” For several years, SpaceX has been working on Starship, which would be the most powerful rocket ever. It would also, unlike any previous rocket, be entirely reusable. That has the potential for greatly cutting the cost of sending payloads to orbit — less than $10 million to take 100 tons to space — and it may be possible within a few years, Musk said. Over the past few years, SpaceX has made a series of test flights of the top part of the spacecraft that is to go to orbit and then return, showing how it might belly-flop in the atmosphere and then land. One of the flights, in May 2021, was a success while the others ended in explosions. To reach orbit requires the use of an even larger booster stage, known as Super Heavy, with dozens of engines. That has not yet been tested. Musk has, however, routinely made schedule predictions that were far too optimistic. When he first talked of his Mars rocket in 2016 — then an even larger design — he said that the first test trip to Mars, without people aboard, would launch in 2022, and that the first people going to Mars would be leaving two years later. When Musk gave an update in September 2019, he predicted that the first orbital flight would occur within six months. But with 2022 already here, SpaceX has yet to try an orbital launch of Starship. In Thursday’s talk, he expressed confidence that would occur this year, but he remained vague about details. His talk, at the site that SpaceX calls Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, near Brownsville, mixed in a variety of bawdy remarks while largely rehashing the vision he had described in the past including his arguments for why humanity needed to expand beyond Earth, as a backup plan for the survival of humankind. He also responded to critics who say space is a waste of time and money, noting how little of the federal budget is actually directed to spaceflight and exploration. “I’m just suggesting we’d like maybe half a percent or something, like that would probably be OK,” Musk said, referring to budgeting for space. He mixed in technical details about improvements the company has made on the next version of the engines used for Starship. “So the only remaining issue that we’re aware of is melting the chamber,” Musk said, describing the intense heat generated by the engine. “Just not melting the chamber is very difficult,” Musk continued. “It’s kind of the last remaining challenge. But I think we’re very close to solving that.” He was hopeful that an environmental review by the Federal Aviation Administration would soon give SpaceX the go-ahead to try a launch to orbit from Boca Chica. “We have gotten sort of a rough indication that there may be an approval in March,” Musk said. If that occurred, an orbital launch attempt could occur in “a couple of months” or potentially May, he said. But he also conceded that if the FAA decided a more comprehensive environmental review was needed, SpaceX would shift the launches to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and that would cause a delay of six to eight months in order to modify the launching pad there for the massive Starship. In addition to the eventual trips to Mars, Starship is to be used by NASA to ferry astronauts from orbit around the moon to the surface of the moon. The company won a $2.9 billion contract for the mission, outcompeting other bidders that included Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos of Amazon, and defense contractor Dynetics. The moon landing is scheduled, on paper, for 2025, but it is expected to be delayed. In addition to work on Starship, the return of astronauts to the moon requires the Space Launch System, another large rocket under development by NASA that is also behind schedule. For the moon mission, SpaceX would also have to be able to refill the propellant tanks of a Starship while in orbit around Earth. Musk said a series of Starship tankers would launch every few hours taking propellant for the moon-destined rocket. Musk said he did not see a conflict between the NASA work and his bigger dreams. “We’re going to make a lot of ships, a lot of boosters,” he said. “Adding legs to land on the moon, that can be done pretty quickly.” And Musk remained confident that his giant rocket would work. Even though there would most likely be bumps in the road along the way, he said, “we’ll get it done.”

What Elon Musk did and didn’t reveal about SpaceX’s Starship rocket

Scientists in Europe have reportedly made a major breakthrough towards achieving practical nuclear fusion, the process that powers the Sun and enables all life on Earth. BBC reported that UK-based JET laboratory has broken its own record in achieving practical nuclear fusion.

As per the report, the laboratory was able to produce energy of 59 megajoules (11 megawatts) over five seconds. This may not sound much but it is more than double the energy that was formed in a test held in the year 1997. And the breakthrough takes us one step closer towards obtaining energy from practical nuclear fusion.

If humans are able to master nuclear fusion, there will be no need to use fossil fuel-based energy sources and even nuclear power. Nuclear fusion energy would become an ideal source of low-carbon, low-radiation energy.

"The JET experiments put us a step closer to fusion power," said Dr Joe Milnes, the head of operations at the reactor lab. "We've demonstrated that we can create a mini star inside of our machine and hold it there for five seconds and get high performance, which really takes us into a new realm." Dr Milnes was quoted by BBC.

Nuclear fusion is a process of fusion of hydrogen atoms that creates helium and energy. This is different than nuclear fission which involves splitting of atoms to release energy. Nuclear fission reaction is involved in atomic bomb explosions and Nuclear power plants. While nuclear fusion reaction takes place in the Sun.

Does the latest breakthrough mean that energy from nuclear fusion can immediately be used to power our factories and vehicles? No. Because large scale, stable production of such energy can reportedly be achieved in few decades.

Scientists in Europe have reportedly made a major breakthrough towards achieving practical nuclear fusion, the process that powers the Sun and enables all life on Earth.

Scientists in Europe have reportedly made a major breakthrough towards achieving practical nuclear fusion, the process that powers the Sun and enables all life on Earth. BBC reported that UK-based JET laboratory has broken its own record in achieving practical nuclear fusion. As per the report, the laboratory was able to produce energy of 59 megajoules (11 megawatts) over five seconds. This may not sound much but it is more than double the energy that was formed in a test held in the year 1997. And the breakthrough takes us one step closer towards obtaining energy from practical nuclear fusion. If humans are able to master nuclear fusion, there will be no need to use fossil fuel-based energy sources and even nuclear power. Nuclear fusion energy would become an ideal source of low-carbon, low-radiation energy. "The JET experiments put us a step closer to fusion power," said Dr Joe Milnes, the head of operations at the reactor lab. "We've demonstrated that we can create a mini star inside of our machine and hold it there for five seconds and get high performance, which really takes us into a new realm." Dr Milnes was quoted by BBC. Nuclear fusion is a process of fusion of hydrogen atoms that creates helium and energy. This is different than nuclear fission which involves splitting of atoms to release energy. Nuclear fission reaction is involved in atomic bomb explosions and Nuclear power plants. While nuclear fusion reaction takes place in the Sun. Does the latest breakthrough mean that energy from nuclear fusion can immediately be used to power our factories and vehicles? No. Because large scale, stable production of such energy can reportedly be achieved in few decades.

Scientists report major breakthrough creating nuclear fusion energy

&nbsp;

In today’s world, technology has empowered mankind to achieve wonders. Well, it is not just a statement but truth. &nbsp;

A man, who has been paralysed with a severed spinal cord, has been able to walk again. The credit goes to an implant, which has been developed by a team of Swiss researchers. &nbsp;

Five years ago, Michel Roccati was paralysed after a motorbike accident. His spinal cord was completely severed. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/after-playing-with-dolls-children-talk-more-about-others-thoughts-emotions-says-study-451173" hreflang="en">After playing with dolls, children talk more about others’ thoughts, emotions, says study</a>

Now, he can walk with the help of the electrical implant, which has been surgically attached to his spine.

For the first time, a person, who has had a complete cut to the spinal cord, has been able to walk freely.&nbsp;

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Michel Roccati, an Italian patient who suffers from a complete spinal cord injury after a motorbike accident, has recently received the implant on his spinal cord. A wireless tablet forwards the signals to a pacemaker in his abdomen, allowing him to stand. <a href="https://t.co/5ihHH4tqD5">pic.twitter.com/5ihHH4tqD5</a>
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"I stand up, walk where I want to, I can walk the stairs - it's almost a normal life," said Roccati. &nbsp;

Prof Jocelyne Bloch from the Laboratoire de Neurothérapies et Neuromodulation – LNTM, who is the neurosurgeon who inserted the implant, said that he was amazed by the speed of Roccati's recovery. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/where-can-we-expect-the-existence-of-alien-life-study-makes-the-revelation-450620" hreflang="en">Where can we expect the existence of alien life? Study makes the revelation</a>

Bloch had also attached electrodes to his individual nerve fibres. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Not just this, another paralysed patient has been able to become a father with the help of this technology. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The research has been published in the Nature Medicine journal. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In today’s world, technology has empowered mankind to achieve wonders. Well, it is not just a statement but truth. A man, who has been paralysed with a severed spinal cord, has been able to walk again.

In today’s world, technology has empowered mankind to achieve wonders. Well, it is not just a statement but truth. A man, who has been paralysed with a severed spinal cord, has been able to walk again. The credit goes to an implant, which has been developed by a team of Swiss researchers. Five years ago, Michel Roccati was paralysed after a motorbike accident. His spinal cord was completely severed. Also Read: After playing with dolls, children talk more about others’ thoughts, emotions, says study Now, he can walk with the help of the electrical implant, which has been surgically attached to his spine. For the first time, a person, who has had a complete cut to the spinal cord, has been able to walk freely. Michel Roccati, an Italian patient who suffers from a complete spinal cord injury after a motorbike accident, has recently received the implant on his spinal cord. A wireless tablet forwards the signals to a pacemaker in his abdomen, allowing him to stand. pic.twitter.com/5ihHH4tqD5 — EPFL (@EPFL_en) February 7, 2022 × "I stand up, walk where I want to, I can walk the stairs - it's almost a normal life," said Roccati. Prof Jocelyne Bloch from the Laboratoire de Neurothérapies et Neuromodulation – LNTM, who is the neurosurgeon who inserted the implant, said that he was amazed by the speed of Roccati's recovery. Also Read: Where can we expect the existence of alien life? Study makes the revelation Bloch had also attached electrodes to his individual nerve fibres. Not just this, another paralysed patient has been able to become a father with the help of this technology. The research has been published in the Nature Medicine journal. (With inputs from agencies)

Watch: Implant helps paralysed man with severed spinal cord to walk again

Moon is not just a pretty thing in the night. It influences tides and has effects that help the perpetuation of life on Earth. Because it's a junior member in its partnership with Earth, it's often easy to overlook our only natural satellite when we gaze into space.

But now, a study says that ability of a planet to form a moon may be associated with the habitability of the planet.

Moon had formed due to a cataclysmic collision between nascent Earth and a Mars-sized planet called Theia. The unimaginably catastrophic collision resulted in ejection of large amount of material in space around Earth. Some of this material was vapourised while remaining started revolving around the Earth in form of several moonlets. In time, these moonlets joined together to form the Moon as it is today.

Scientists from the University of Rochester say that whether a moon would form after collision&nbsp;between two planets depends on their size. If planets a certain times larger than Earth collide, then probability of Moon formation is very less. This is because a collision between these planets vapourises almost all of the material ejected as a result of the collision. The vapour, though ejected in space around the planet experiences a drag and moonlets formed due to such material fall&nbsp;on the planet. Thus a moon is not formed.

Earth's Moon has a great effect on things on our planet. It controls tides. Due to the large size of the Moon, it controls size of day on Earth. It stabilises Earth's axis of rotation. It also stabilises Earth's mild climate.

Moon is not just a pretty thing in the night. It influences tides and has effects that help the perpetuation of life on Earth. Because it's a junior member in its partnership with Earth, it's often easy to overlook our only natural satellite when we gaze into space.

Moon is not just a pretty thing in the night. It influences tides and has effects that help the perpetuation of life on Earth. Because it's a junior member in its partnership with Earth, it's often easy to overlook our only natural satellite when we gaze into space. But now, a study says that ability of a planet to form a moon may be associated with the habitability of the planet. Moon had formed due to a cataclysmic collision between nascent Earth and a Mars-sized planet called Theia. The unimaginably catastrophic collision resulted in ejection of large amount of material in space around Earth. Some of this material was vapourised while remaining started revolving around the Earth in form of several moonlets. In time, these moonlets joined together to form the Moon as it is today. Scientists from the University of Rochester say that whether a moon would form after collision between two planets depends on their size. If planets a certain times larger than Earth collide, then probability of Moon formation is very less. This is because a collision between these planets vapourises almost all of the material ejected as a result of the collision. The vapour, though ejected in space around the planet experiences a drag and moonlets formed due to such material fall on the planet. Thus a moon is not formed. Earth's Moon has a great effect on things on our planet. It controls tides. Due to the large size of the Moon, it controls size of day on Earth. It stabilises Earth's axis of rotation. It also stabilises Earth's mild climate.

Ability of planet to form moon affects its habitability: Study

Rotterdam, a city in the Netherlands will dismantle a historic bridge temporarily to make way for a superyacht built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.&nbsp;

A Dutch firm Oceanco is reportedly building the gigantic yacht for the billionaire but it is&nbsp;too tall to fit through the historic Koningshaven Bridge, known to Rotterdammers as De Hef.&nbsp;

The iconic Koningshaven Bridge dates from 1878 and was rebuilt after being bombed by the Nazis in 1940 during World War II.&nbsp;

ALSO&nbsp;READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-discover-a-way-to-target-destroy-cancer-cells-heres-how-the-ground-breaking-therapy-works-450088">Scientists discover a way to target &amp; destroy cancer cells: Here's how the ground-breaking therapy works</a>

The superyacht is said to be worth $485 million and is said to be 417ft long as the shipyard building the three-masted mammoth in Alblasserdam, near Rotterdam.&nbsp;

The company has asked the local council to remove the bridge's central section so it can pass through. However, locals are angry over the decision to let it happen.&nbsp;

Reports have mentioned that the local council promised after a major renovation in 2017 that it would never again dismantle the bridge.&nbsp;

A spokesman for the mayor of Rotterdam told AFP, "It's the only route to the sea," adding that billionaire Bezos would foot the bill for the operation.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-reveals-when-it-will-crash-international-space-station-on-earth-449998">NASA reveals when it will crash International Space Station on Earth</a>

The mayor's office insisted on the economic benefits and jobs created by the construction of the boat. It has also been promised that the bridge would be rebuilt in its current form.

Local media reports mentioned that the middle section of the steel-girdered bridge will be removed to give enough clearance to the boat. However, the entire process will take a few weeks and is expected to happen this summer.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Rotterdam, a city in the Netherlands will dismantle a historic bridge temporarily to make way for a superyacht built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. A Dutch firm Oceanco is reportedly building the gigantic yacht for the billionaire but it is too tall to fit through the historic Koningshaven Bridge, known to Rotterdammers as De Hef.

Rotterdam, a city in the Netherlands will dismantle a historic bridge temporarily to make way for a superyacht built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. A Dutch firm Oceanco is reportedly building the gigantic yacht for the billionaire but it is too tall to fit through the historic Koningshaven Bridge, known to Rotterdammers as De Hef. The iconic Koningshaven Bridge dates from 1878 and was rebuilt after being bombed by the Nazis in 1940 during World War II. ALSO READ | Scientists discover a way to target & destroy cancer cells: Here's how the ground-breaking therapy works The superyacht is said to be worth $485 million and is said to be 417ft long as the shipyard building the three-masted mammoth in Alblasserdam, near Rotterdam. The company has asked the local council to remove the bridge's central section so it can pass through. However, locals are angry over the decision to let it happen. Reports have mentioned that the local council promised after a major renovation in 2017 that it would never again dismantle the bridge. A spokesman for the mayor of Rotterdam told AFP, "It's the only route to the sea," adding that billionaire Bezos would foot the bill for the operation. ALSO READ | NASA reveals when it will crash International Space Station on Earth The mayor's office insisted on the economic benefits and jobs created by the construction of the boat. It has also been promised that the bridge would be rebuilt in its current form. Local media reports mentioned that the middle section of the steel-girdered bridge will be removed to give enough clearance to the boat. However, the entire process will take a few weeks and is expected to happen this summer. (With inputs from agencies)

Here's how Jeff Bezos' superyacht messing up with history of this Dutch port city

Octopuses are surely strange to look at. A blob of jelly with two eyes and tentacles can scare the life out of you if you happen to cross their path in the sea. The slimy creature slips in and out of sight and is able to compress its soft body to an astonishing degree.

But calling them aliens would be the last thing on our minds!

But a study has said that octopuses may have fallen to Earth from space in icy bolides hundreds of millions of years ago.

We know the accepted scientific view of origin of life on Earth. But Panspermia, the argument that life was 'brought' to Earth by celestial bodies like comets also has solid interest in the scientific community.

In our search for life in space, we often look for presence of water. A comet contains ice. It is therefore, at least in theory, held to be acceptable to propose that life forms like microbes were carried through space in comets and brought to Earth.&nbsp;

The study on the octupuses suggests that cryopreserved eggs of either squids or octopuses could have arrived on Earth hundreds of millions of years ago preserved in ice.

The study was published in journal Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology in the year 2018.

It is important to note that scientific community has not found solid evidence about octopuses.

Octopuses are surely strange to look at. A blob of jelly with two eyes and tentacles can scare the life out of you if you happen to cross their path in the sea. The slimy creature slips in and out of sight and is able to compress its soft body to an astonishing degree.

Octopuses are surely strange to look at. A blob of jelly with two eyes and tentacles can scare the life out of you if you happen to cross their path in the sea. The slimy creature slips in and out of sight and is able to compress its soft body to an astonishing degree. But calling them aliens would be the last thing on our minds! But a study has said that octopuses may have fallen to Earth from space in icy bolides hundreds of millions of years ago. We know the accepted scientific view of origin of life on Earth. But Panspermia, the argument that life was 'brought' to Earth by celestial bodies like comets also has solid interest in the scientific community. In our search for life in space, we often look for presence of water. A comet contains ice. It is therefore, at least in theory, held to be acceptable to propose that life forms like microbes were carried through space in comets and brought to Earth. The study on the octupuses suggests that cryopreserved eggs of either squids or octopuses could have arrived on Earth hundreds of millions of years ago preserved in ice. The study was published in journal Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology in the year 2018. It is important to note that scientific community has not found solid evidence about octopuses.

Octopuses came from space? This study says so

While team mapping radio waves in the universe, astronomers have come across a mysterious object that is releasing giant bursts of energy three times an hour, as per a study published on Wednesday (January 26) in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04272-x.epdf?sharing_token=g0qDpzHgeaSaA6mUmwx649RgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0Of-uh9vqemKMq6w79pifdqdaY5xxIT2ZG7_2UyUWitYHtn2nWAH0KN9KVH1ZPtBPDePVfuAa1sz-qkpQHRO8lx4QaBnNSzyWapSmBR_chuTr1cSMqeS7wZGcpJ86k4qrPi673QqygyKuCUQdEXkI5ouo3YZQhKAoAFYVlm3I-I4ac24yAbE3svoj_w8xA8-_5zWSQOVishTx_VUR2a3fp-8dQY3APRD7IW2SmarKahJk-fpdNXg_aMYoCtzMP2RoiUhT6-w-n_GGFP57eM0LKh&amp;tracking_referrer=edition.cnn.com">Nature</a>.

It is being termed as unlike anything astronomers have seen before but the team that discovered the celestial object believe it could be a neutron star or a white dwarf with an ultra-powerful magnetic field.&nbsp;

As per the astronomers, the strange object, which appeared to be spinning around in space, sends out a beam of radiation that crosses our line of sight, and for a minute in every twenty. The published study claimed it to be one of the brightest radio sources in the sky.

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Astrophysicist Dr Natasha Hurley-Walker, who is from the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, led the team.&nbsp;

"This object was appearing and disappearing over a few hours during our observations. That was completely unexpected. It was kind of spooky for an astronomer because there's nothing known in the sky that does that. And it's really quite close to us -- about 4000 lightyears away. It's in our galactic backyard," she said.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/this-ice-moon-which-resembles-the-death-star-from-star-wars-could-be-hospitable-to-life-447567">This ice moon, which resembles the Death Star from Star Wars, could be hospitable to life</a>

A student named&nbsp;Tyrone O'Doherty from Curtin University discovered the object by using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) telescope in outback Western Australia. He also used a new technique developed by him.

O'Doherty, who is now studying for a PhD at Curtin, said, "It's exciting that the source I identified last year has turned out to be such a peculiar object."

"The MWA's wide field of view and extreme sensitivity are perfect for surveying the entire sky and detecting the unexpected," he added.&nbsp;

While team mapping radio waves in the universe, astronomers have come across a mysterious object that is releasing giant bursts of energy three times an hour, as per a study published on Wednesday (January 26) in the journal Nature.

While team mapping radio waves in the universe, astronomers have come across a mysterious object that is releasing giant bursts of energy three times an hour, as per a study published on Wednesday (January 26) in the journal Nature. It is being termed as unlike anything astronomers have seen before but the team that discovered the celestial object believe it could be a neutron star or a white dwarf with an ultra-powerful magnetic field. As per the astronomers, the strange object, which appeared to be spinning around in space, sends out a beam of radiation that crosses our line of sight, and for a minute in every twenty. The published study claimed it to be one of the brightest radio sources in the sky. ALSO READ | Out-of-control rocket by Elon Musk's SpaceX puts India's Chandrayaan in danger Astrophysicist Dr Natasha Hurley-Walker, who is from the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, led the team. "This object was appearing and disappearing over a few hours during our observations. That was completely unexpected. It was kind of spooky for an astronomer because there's nothing known in the sky that does that. And it's really quite close to us -- about 4000 lightyears away. It's in our galactic backyard," she said. ALSO READ | This ice moon, which resembles the Death Star from Star Wars, could be hospitable to life A student named Tyrone O'Doherty from Curtin University discovered the object by using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) telescope in outback Western Australia. He also used a new technique developed by him. O'Doherty, who is now studying for a PhD at Curtin, said, "It's exciting that the source I identified last year has turned out to be such a peculiar object." "The MWA's wide field of view and extreme sensitivity are perfect for surveying the entire sky and detecting the unexpected," he added.

Astronomers discover mysterious object in space that releases giant bursts of energy three times an hour

The universe is full of wonders. We already know that. But every now and then the huge expanse of (nearly) nothingness springs up a surprise that makes even scientists go "wow!". For us mortals, the play of colours, the explosions, the formations and what not is always a thing of wonder. These images are shared widely, by space agencies like NASA and even by astronauts from around the world. The sheer beauty makes these images go viral.

We bring you some of these space images that stopped people in their tracks.

Hand of God

<img alt="NASA Hand of God" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="cfe876a2-ef26-459c-8f4f-8c1cd93ded19" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/NASA%20Hand%20of%20God.PNG" />

This was undeniably the most recognisable image NASA posted. &nbsp;The beautuiful golden structure that appears to pop out of nowehere in space is shaped like a hand blessing everyone. NASA explained that the 'hand of God' is a nebula of energy and particles blown by a pulsar. The pulsar had been left behind after explosion of a star. This pulsar is known as PSR B1509-58. It is spins around itself 7 times per second! It is 17,000 lightyears away from Earth.

 
The 'Devil's eye'

<img alt="NASA The Devil's Eye" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9ec8d364-7270-4f17-8eaa-11d4c467e150" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Devil%27s%20Eye.PNG" />

God has been represented. Now comes the turn of the Devil. This celestial structure looked like an eye that was definitely didn't appear friendly. The eyelashes were blue and the iris was blazing red. Was it the Devil himself? This is Helix Nebula which was clicked by Spitzer telescope. Helix Nebula is 700 light-years away from Earth and located in the Aquarius constellation&nbsp;

 
Visitor in our backyard

<img alt="NASA Comet Leonard" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="aa9fb670-2f95-41a5-baa8-d291719d604b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Comet%20Leonard.JPG" />

We have a visitor! And he is still in our backyard. Comet Leonard, the brightest comet of the year came into our field of vision in December 2021. Watching this celestial nomad was a once in a lifetime opportunity as it is due to come back near Earth 35,000 years from now, if Sun doesn't gobble it up this time that is. Comet Leonard had a close shave with NASA and European Space Agency's (ESA) solar orbitter. Thankfully, there was no cause for concern.

The 'Running Man nebula'

<img alt="NASA Running man nebula" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="692e2861-86d4-4e4c-a5f9-5379beb76154" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Running%20man%20nebula.JPG" />

The Running Man Nebula is 5000 light-years away from Earth. Its scientific designation is NGC 1977. This nebula was in news because NASA captured a pic of 'Herbig Haro object'. Herbig Haro nebula is a type of nebula that forms when gas from a young star collides with surrounding dust and produces shockwaves.

 
Prawn nebula

<img alt="Prawn Nebula" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="545b4383-baaa-4d92-b021-766df30de26a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Prawn%20nebula.JPG" />

Nebulas are where new stars are formed. In November, NASA clicked an image of Prawn Nebula, a massive solar nursery. The nebula is 250 might-years wide and is situated at a distance of 6000 light-years away from Earth. Formally, the Prawn Nebula is called IC 4628.

Aurora from space

<img alt="NASA Aurora" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="54b629dc-8255-4969-950c-95285ca85b8a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Aurora.JPG" />

We are so busy pointing our scopes at stars that we often forget how beautiful our own planet is. Not each of us is lucky enough to go to space and click picture of Earth but astronauts have been doing so for us. European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who was stationed in International Space Station has been prolific in clicking such pictures. In September this year, he showed all of us how an Aurora looks from space.

 
The 'eye in the sky'

<img alt="NASA eye in the sky" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="abcc1db4-fb70-441b-935c-79accecf6dfa" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Eye%20in%20the%20sky.JPG" />

This one is not as scary as the 'Devil's eye' but is beautiful nonetheless. This image was clicked by NASA. This is Seyfert galaxy. The galaxy has a supermassive black hole in the centre but it emits a large amount of electromagnetic radiation. The active galactic nucleus with high luminosity gives it an appearance of an 'eye in the sky'

 
Eerie glow on Earth

<img alt="Earth Blue glow Thomas Pequet" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="85791385-5372-47c4-9187-ceafdce9a18b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Blue%20glow.JPG" />

Thomas Pesquet strikes again! The ESA astronaut captured this image when he was aboard International Space Station (ISS). On October 8, Pesquet posted an image in which part of night side of Earth was visible. The land could be seen lit up with cities and roads and more. But remarkable thing in the photo was a strange blue glow. Pesquet was stumped as to what this would be, as were people on Instagram.

Space and even our planet Earth have many wonders still hidden from us. 2022 will surely send such visual treats our way.

The universe is full of wonders. We already know that. But every now and then the huge expanse of (nearly) nothingness springs up a surprise that makes even scientists go "wow!

The universe is full of wonders. We already know that. But every now and then the huge expanse of (nearly) nothingness springs up a surprise that makes even scientists go "wow!". For us mortals, the play of colours, the explosions, the formations and what not is always a thing of wonder. These images are shared widely, by space agencies like NASA and even by astronauts from around the world. The sheer beauty makes these images go viral. We bring you some of these space images that stopped people in their tracks. Hand of God This was undeniably the most recognisable image NASA posted. The beautuiful golden structure that appears to pop out of nowehere in space is shaped like a hand blessing everyone. NASA explained that the 'hand of God' is a nebula of energy and particles blown by a pulsar. The pulsar had been left behind after explosion of a star. This pulsar is known as PSR B1509-58. It is spins around itself 7 times per second! It is 17,000 lightyears away from Earth. The 'Devil's eye' God has been represented. Now comes the turn of the Devil. This celestial structure looked like an eye that was definitely didn't appear friendly. The eyelashes were blue and the iris was blazing red. Was it the Devil himself? This is Helix Nebula which was clicked by Spitzer telescope. Helix Nebula is 700 light-years away from Earth and located in the Aquarius constellation Visitor in our backyard We have a visitor! And he is still in our backyard. Comet Leonard, the brightest comet of the year came into our field of vision in December 2021. Watching this celestial nomad was a once in a lifetime opportunity as it is due to come back near Earth 35,000 years from now, if Sun doesn't gobble it up this time that is. Comet Leonard had a close shave with NASA and European Space Agency's (ESA) solar orbitter. Thankfully, there was no cause for concern. The 'Running Man nebula' The Running Man Nebula is 5000 light-years away from Earth. Its scientific designation is NGC 1977. This nebula was in news because NASA captured a pic of 'Herbig Haro object'. Herbig Haro nebula is a type of nebula that forms when gas from a young star collides with surrounding dust and produces shockwaves. Prawn nebula Nebulas are where new stars are formed. In November, NASA clicked an image of Prawn Nebula, a massive solar nursery. The nebula is 250 might-years wide and is situated at a distance of 6000 light-years away from Earth. Formally, the Prawn Nebula is called IC 4628. Aurora from space We are so busy pointing our scopes at stars that we often forget how beautiful our own planet is. Not each of us is lucky enough to go to space and click picture of Earth but astronauts have been doing so for us. European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who was stationed in International Space Station has been prolific in clicking such pictures. In September this year, he showed all of us how an Aurora looks from space. The 'eye in the sky' This one is not as scary as the 'Devil's eye' but is beautiful nonetheless. This image was clicked by NASA. This is Seyfert galaxy. The galaxy has a supermassive black hole in the centre but it emits a large amount of electromagnetic radiation. The active galactic nucleus with high luminosity gives it an appearance of an 'eye in the sky' Eerie glow on Earth Thomas Pesquet strikes again! The ESA astronaut captured this image when he was aboard International Space Station (ISS). On October 8, Pesquet posted an image in which part of night side of Earth was visible. The land could be seen lit up with cities and roads and more. But remarkable thing in the photo was a strange blue glow. Pesquet was stumped as to what this would be, as were people on Instagram. Space and even our planet Earth have many wonders still hidden from us. 2022 will surely send such visual treats our way.

Hand of God, Devil's eye and more NASA pics that wowed people around the world

For a layperson, planets other than Earth are not dynamic worlds. Earth is full of natural activity but other planets are barren landscapes in popular perception.

But this is not always the case. Planets in space may not have life, but they surely have their own processes.

Take Mars for example. The Red Planet doesn't harbour any known life now but it has seismic activity. Quakes on Mars are called 'Marsquakes'.

Indian scientists have now spotted unique geological movements on the martian surface that bear testimony to instances of marsquakes. Scientists from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad have spotted tell-tale signs of bouncing boulders on martian surface.

The scientists studied photos of martian surface taken in NASA missions from 2006 and 2020. A curious pattern was seen in the soil of the Red Planet.

When a boulder tumbles on Mars, it creates a characteristic V-shaped pattern at the location of impact. And a bouncing boulder means that a series of these 'V's is sketched on the surface on points the bouncing boulder makes contact.

The broad portion of the V-shape points at the direction of the slope.

Scientists from PRL have observed more than 4500 such tracks made by bouncing boulders. The movement of these boulders has been associated with seismic activity of Mars. Such an association is strengthened by the fact that these tracks made of Vs have been observed in greater numbers in Cerberus Fossae region on Mars. This region is especially seismically active.

For a layperson, planets other than Earth are not dynamic worlds. Earth is full of natural activity but other planets are barren landscapes in popular perception.

For a layperson, planets other than Earth are not dynamic worlds. Earth is full of natural activity but other planets are barren landscapes in popular perception. But this is not always the case. Planets in space may not have life, but they surely have their own processes. Take Mars for example. The Red Planet doesn't harbour any known life now but it has seismic activity. Quakes on Mars are called 'Marsquakes'. Indian scientists have now spotted unique geological movements on the martian surface that bear testimony to instances of marsquakes. Scientists from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad have spotted tell-tale signs of bouncing boulders on martian surface. The scientists studied photos of martian surface taken in NASA missions from 2006 and 2020. A curious pattern was seen in the soil of the Red Planet. When a boulder tumbles on Mars, it creates a characteristic V-shaped pattern at the location of impact. And a bouncing boulder means that a series of these 'V's is sketched on the surface on points the bouncing boulder makes contact. The broad portion of the V-shape points at the direction of the slope. Scientists from PRL have observed more than 4500 such tracks made by bouncing boulders. The movement of these boulders has been associated with seismic activity of Mars. Such an association is strengthened by the fact that these tracks made of Vs have been observed in greater numbers in Cerberus Fossae region on Mars. This region is especially seismically active.

Bouncing boulders on Mars tell tale of marsquakes

It is known that if parents of a child have good source of income, the child stands to benefit. But a new landmark study has pointed at a direct correlation between money available with parents and brain development of the child in very first year. This is being touted to be first direct experimental evidence to show how poverty leads to such changes.

The study is ongoing.&nbsp;

"We have known for many years that growing up in poverty puts children at risk for lower school achievement, reduced earnings, and poorer health," explains neuroscientist Kimberly Noble from Columbia University.

"However, until now, we haven't been able to say whether poverty itself causes differences in child development, or whether growing up in poverty is simply associated with other factors that cause those differences."

For this study, a thousand low-income mothers were recruited shortly after their baby was born. These parents were from New York City, New Orleans, Omaha or Minneapolis/St. Paul.

By random selection, these mothers were given either USD 333 or USD 20 per month for first four years of their babies' lives.

It was found that babies of low-income mothers who had received higher cash payments showed higher frequency brain activity than the babies whose mothers had got lower amount of money.

More research is said to be needed to correctly ascertain whether higher frequency brain activity led to better cognitive development. But researchers think that this was possible. It is being ascertained if lower mental&nbsp;stress of parents had anything to do with heightened brain activity of the baby.

The study has been published in PNAS.

It is known that if parents of a child have good source of income, the child stands to benefit. But a new landmark study has pointed at a direct correlation between money available with parents and brain development of the child in very first year.

It is known that if parents of a child have good source of income, the child stands to benefit. But a new landmark study has pointed at a direct correlation between money available with parents and brain development of the child in very first year. This is being touted to be first direct experimental evidence to show how poverty leads to such changes. The study is ongoing. "We have known for many years that growing up in poverty puts children at risk for lower school achievement, reduced earnings, and poorer health," explains neuroscientist Kimberly Noble from Columbia University. "However, until now, we haven't been able to say whether poverty itself causes differences in child development, or whether growing up in poverty is simply associated with other factors that cause those differences." For this study, a thousand low-income mothers were recruited shortly after their baby was born. These parents were from New York City, New Orleans, Omaha or Minneapolis/St. Paul. By random selection, these mothers were given either USD 333 or USD 20 per month for first four years of their babies' lives. It was found that babies of low-income mothers who had received higher cash payments showed higher frequency brain activity than the babies whose mothers had got lower amount of money. More research is said to be needed to correctly ascertain whether higher frequency brain activity led to better cognitive development. But researchers think that this was possible. It is being ascertained if lower mental stress of parents had anything to do with heightened brain activity of the baby. The study has been published in PNAS.

Extra money with parents changes babies' brains, says a landmark study

Supernovas are explosions of big star which occur at the end of their life. The fuel that keeps the star glowing runs out and a massive explosion takes place. This is true for large stars, much bigger than the Sun. Scientists previously thought that not all large stars meet such a violent end and some quietly collapse to become a black hole.

But a new type of supernova has been detected and it is shaking previous assumptions. The star-type in question is Wolf-Rayet stars. These are one of the most massive known stars.

When these stars reach the end of their lifespan, they push out their outer layer forming extremely strong stellar winds. This affects the nebula in which they are located. It was previously thought that after shedding the outer layer, these stars quietly collapse and become black holes.

Supernovas have specific spectras, something like fingerprints. When these 'fingerprints' are found, scientists often point to the possibility of a supernova.

A spectrum obtained of supernova showed researchers that the nebula was expanding away from the star at the speed of 1500 km/s. They concluded that this was due to the strong stellar wind given off by a Wolf-Rayet star. The scientists thus associated the star type with the supernova upending the previous assumption that such stars do not erupt in gigantic celestial blasts.

The study has been published in Universe Today.

Supernovas are explosions of big star which occur at the end of their life. The fuel that keeps the star glowing runs out and a massive explosion takes place. This is true for large stars, much bigger than the Sun.

Supernovas are explosions of big star which occur at the end of their life. The fuel that keeps the star glowing runs out and a massive explosion takes place. This is true for large stars, much bigger than the Sun. Scientists previously thought that not all large stars meet such a violent end and some quietly collapse to become a black hole. But a new type of supernova has been detected and it is shaking previous assumptions. The star-type in question is Wolf-Rayet stars. These are one of the most massive known stars. When these stars reach the end of their lifespan, they push out their outer layer forming extremely strong stellar winds. This affects the nebula in which they are located. It was previously thought that after shedding the outer layer, these stars quietly collapse and become black holes. Supernovas have specific spectras, something like fingerprints. When these 'fingerprints' are found, scientists often point to the possibility of a supernova. A spectrum obtained of supernova showed researchers that the nebula was expanding away from the star at the speed of 1500 km/s. They concluded that this was due to the strong stellar wind given off by a Wolf-Rayet star. The scientists thus associated the star type with the supernova upending the previous assumption that such stars do not erupt in gigantic celestial blasts. The study has been published in Universe Today.

Scientists discover new type of supernova

Citizen scientists along with a University of California, Riverside astronomer have discovered a gas giant nearly three times more massive than Jupiter. The exoplanet has same diameter as that of Jupiter.

Researchers also believed that it contained 105 times the mass of Earth in elements heavier than helium and hydrogen. Details of the finding have been published in the 'Astronomical Journal' and were presented at the American Astronomical Society virtual press event on January 13.

"TOI-2180 b is such an exciting planet to have found," said UCR astronomer Paul Dalba, who helped confirm the planet`s existence.&nbsp;

"It hits the trifecta of 1) having a several-hundred-day orbit, 2) being relatively close to Earth (379 lightyears is considered close for an exoplanet), and 3) us being able to see it transit in front of its star. It is very rare for astronomers to discover a planet that checks all three of these boxes," he said.

Dalba also explained that the planet is special because it took 261 days to complete a journey around its star, a relatively long time compared to many known gas giants outside our solar system.&nbsp;

Its relative proximity to Earth and the brightness of the star it orbits also made it likely that astronomers will be able to learn more about it.

In order to locate exoplanets, which orbit stars other than our sun, NASA`s TESS satellite would look at one part of the sky for a month and then, move on. It searches for dips in brightness that would occur when a planet crosses in front of a star.

"The rule of thumb is that we need to see three `dips` or transits before we believe we`ve found a planet," Dalba said.&nbsp;

A single transit event could be caused by a telescope with a jitter, or a star masquerading as a planet. For these reasons, TESS isn`t focused on these single transit events. However, a small group of citizen scientists is.Looking over TESS data, Tom Jacobs, a group member and former US naval officer, saw light dim from the TOI-2180 star, just once. His group alerted Dalba, who specialized in studying planets that take a long time to orbit their stars.

Using the Lick Observatory`s Automated Planet Finder Telescope, Dalba and his colleagues observed the planet`s gravitational tug on the star, which allowed them to calculate the mass of TOI-2180 b and estimate a range of possibilities for its orbit.

(With inputs from agencies)

Citizen scientists along with a University of California, Riverside astronomer have discovered a gas giant nearly three times more massive than Jupiter. The exoplanet has same diameter as that of Jupiter.

Citizen scientists along with a University of California, Riverside astronomer have discovered a gas giant nearly three times more massive than Jupiter. The exoplanet has same diameter as that of Jupiter. Researchers also believed that it contained 105 times the mass of Earth in elements heavier than helium and hydrogen. Details of the finding have been published in the 'Astronomical Journal' and were presented at the American Astronomical Society virtual press event on January 13. "TOI-2180 b is such an exciting planet to have found," said UCR astronomer Paul Dalba, who helped confirm the planet`s existence. "It hits the trifecta of 1) having a several-hundred-day orbit, 2) being relatively close to Earth (379 lightyears is considered close for an exoplanet), and 3) us being able to see it transit in front of its star. It is very rare for astronomers to discover a planet that checks all three of these boxes," he said. Dalba also explained that the planet is special because it took 261 days to complete a journey around its star, a relatively long time compared to many known gas giants outside our solar system. Its relative proximity to Earth and the brightness of the star it orbits also made it likely that astronomers will be able to learn more about it. In order to locate exoplanets, which orbit stars other than our sun, NASA`s TESS satellite would look at one part of the sky for a month and then, move on. It searches for dips in brightness that would occur when a planet crosses in front of a star. "The rule of thumb is that we need to see three `dips` or transits before we believe we`ve found a planet," Dalba said. A single transit event could be caused by a telescope with a jitter, or a star masquerading as a planet. For these reasons, TESS isn`t focused on these single transit events. However, a small group of citizen scientists is.Looking over TESS data, Tom Jacobs, a group member and former US naval officer, saw light dim from the TOI-2180 star, just once. His group alerted Dalba, who specialized in studying planets that take a long time to orbit their stars. Using the Lick Observatory`s Automated Planet Finder Telescope, Dalba and his colleagues observed the planet`s gravitational tug on the star, which allowed them to calculate the mass of TOI-2180 b and estimate a range of possibilities for its orbit. (With inputs from agencies)

Research finds exoplanet three times more massive than Jupiter

Elon Musk's SpaceX continues to launch its Starlink satellites. More than a thousand Starlink satellites have already been launched. These low-orbiy satellites can already be seen in the night sky and casual observers are reporting strange lights moving across the night sky in a straight line. Though claims of UFOs are aplenty, in recent times, all such people are probably seeing are Starlink satellites.

SpaceX is not planning to lose its momentum anytime soon and preparing to launch yet another batch of satellites. This time, 49 satellites will be launched into space on a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is slated to take place on January 19 at 0004 hours GMT (5:34 am on January 19 as per Indian Standard Time). The launch will take place from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Launch of any spacecraft/ satellite is an exciting thing to watch live. So if you want to catch this launch LIVE, ther are many options.

If you want to watch it on SpaceX website, <a href="https://www.spacex.com/launches/index.html">you can do that here</a>.

If you want to watch it on Youtube, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yov854ZT1lg">this is the link</a>

Starlink is an ambitious venture of Elon Musk's SpaceX that aims to create a constellation of satellites so that internet can be made available to almost anyonwe in the world.

Elon Musk's SpaceX continues to launch its Starlink satellites. More than a thousand Starlink satellites have already been launched. These low-orbiy satellites can already be seen in the night sky and casual observers are reporting strange lights moving across the night sky in a straight line.

Elon Musk's SpaceX continues to launch its Starlink satellites. More than a thousand Starlink satellites have already been launched. These low-orbiy satellites can already be seen in the night sky and casual observers are reporting strange lights moving across the night sky in a straight line. Though claims of UFOs are aplenty, in recent times, all such people are probably seeing are Starlink satellites. SpaceX is not planning to lose its momentum anytime soon and preparing to launch yet another batch of satellites. This time, 49 satellites will be launched into space on a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is slated to take place on January 19 at 0004 hours GMT (5:34 am on January 19 as per Indian Standard Time). The launch will take place from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch of any spacecraft/ satellite is an exciting thing to watch live. So if you want to catch this launch LIVE, ther are many options. If you want to watch it on SpaceX website, you can do that here. If you want to watch it on Youtube, this is the link Starlink is an ambitious venture of Elon Musk's SpaceX that aims to create a constellation of satellites so that internet can be made available to almost anyonwe in the world.

Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch 49 Starlink satellites soon: How to watch Live

Scientists have set up a drilling camp at 10,499 feet altitude to collect ice samples to study climate change trends.

Scientists set up drilling camp at 10,499 feet altitude to study climate change trends

Our Solar System is situated almost exactly in the middle of a giant, relatively empty bubble in space. This mysterious bubble is 1000 lightyears across. Inside the bubble, temperature of the interstellar medium is greater than that outside the bubble.

For years, presence of this bubble has baffled scientists. A strong explanation behind existence of this bubble, known as Local Bubble, was not present. But now we may know why this bubble exists.

A team of astronomers led by the Harvard &amp; Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) has mapped the Local Bubble with highest precision till date. The team has found that a number of supernovas (explosion of stars) formed the bubble millions of years ago. Supernovas can carve a cavity in interstellar medium.&nbsp;

Astronomers found that the bubble's history started 14.4 million years ago. This started with formation of stars. Supernovas of these short-lived stars followed. The energy of the explosion pushed the interstellar material away and formed the bubble inside which temperature was higher than thant outside it. Density of the interstellar material inside the bubble is less than outside.

Astronomers found that there were 15 supernovas inside the bubble.

The Local Bubble is still growing at a rate of 6.7 kilometres per second. This is quite a slow speed when we consider events in space.

But why is Solar System right in the middle of the Local Bubble? Well that's purely due to chance. When the first supernova took place, Solar System was quite away from it. But Solar System's travel around the galaxy brought it (by chance) in the middle of the Local Bubble.

Our Solar System is situated almost exactly in the middle of a giant, relatively empty bubble in space. This mysterious bubble is 1000 lightyears across. Inside the bubble, temperature of the interstellar medium is greater than that outside the bubble.

Our Solar System is situated almost exactly in the middle of a giant, relatively empty bubble in space. This mysterious bubble is 1000 lightyears across. Inside the bubble, temperature of the interstellar medium is greater than that outside the bubble. For years, presence of this bubble has baffled scientists. A strong explanation behind existence of this bubble, known as Local Bubble, was not present. But now we may know why this bubble exists. A team of astronomers led by the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) has mapped the Local Bubble with highest precision till date. The team has found that a number of supernovas (explosion of stars) formed the bubble millions of years ago. Supernovas can carve a cavity in interstellar medium. Astronomers found that the bubble's history started 14.4 million years ago. This started with formation of stars. Supernovas of these short-lived stars followed. The energy of the explosion pushed the interstellar material away and formed the bubble inside which temperature was higher than thant outside it. Density of the interstellar material inside the bubble is less than outside. Astronomers found that there were 15 supernovas inside the bubble. The Local Bubble is still growing at a rate of 6.7 kilometres per second. This is quite a slow speed when we consider events in space. But why is Solar System right in the middle of the Local Bubble? Well that's purely due to chance. When the first supernova took place, Solar System was quite away from it. But Solar System's travel around the galaxy brought it (by chance) in the middle of the Local Bubble.

Solar system is at the center of giant space bubble, now we know why

American doctors have successfully transplanted a pig's heart into a human. The surgery was performed on a 57-year-old patient who is good health. Why was it needed? How does it benefit science? Palki Sharma gets you a report.

Gravitas: Pig's heart transplanted into a human

We know that James Webb Space Telescope has been fully deployed. Humanity is on the verge of benefitting from a new generation space telescope equipped with latest technology and instrument. Our observation of the universe will be deeper and we will get more insights into how the universe formed.

James Webb Space Telescope was launched on December 25, 2021. Once the telescope was launched, it underwent the process of unfolding. This major phase was important as it involved hundreads of careful manoeuvres guided from Earth. Now that deployment process is fully complete, the space telescope is entering a 'period of cooldown'

What is a period of cooldown?

NASA said that updates from James Webb space telescope would be less frequent now.

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❄️ Now that our deployments are complete, just like our telescope, we’re entering a period of cooldown. Our updates will be less frequent, but that doesn’t mean things have stopped happening: <a href="https://t.co/32QJr7R8am">https://t.co/32QJr7R8am</a> 
 
Thread ⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/3sEF9SVIS5">pic.twitter.com/3sEF9SVIS5</a>
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAWebb/status/1480631380451237891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Alexandra Lockwood, the project scientist for James Webb telescope's science communications, explained more in her blogpost

“Words can’t describe the pride and excitement the Webb team is feeling right now. From engineers to scientists to IT staff to graphic designers to administrative personnel (and more!), we are all overjoyed with the incredible successes of the observatory to date. While we still have a long way to go before getting the science, the engineering feats that have been accomplished, on Earth and now in space, are awe-inspiring. They are a testament to the hard work and expertise of the international Webb team," she says.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/first-ever-on-site-detection-of-water-on-moon-points-to-many-future-possibilities-443935">First ever on-site detection of water on Moon points to many future possibilities</a>

Lockwood said that after telescope's mirrors are fully moved out of the launch positions. The process of commissioning will go on for five months

The process will include,

'1) Further cooling of the entire observatory, and of the Mid-Infrared Instrument in particular. 
&nbsp;2) checking and then aligning the secondary and 18 mirror segments into a single coherent optical system, first with the NIRCam instrument and then with all instruments individually and in parallel.

&nbsp;3) calibrating of each of the four instruments and their many scientific modes.'&nbsp;

James Webb telescope will replace the legendary but aging Hubble Space Telescope. 
&nbsp;

We know that James Webb Space Telescope has been fully deployed. Humanity is on the verge of benefitting from a new generation space telescope equipped with latest technology and instrument.

We know that James Webb Space Telescope has been fully deployed. Humanity is on the verge of benefitting from a new generation space telescope equipped with latest technology and instrument. Our observation of the universe will be deeper and we will get more insights into how the universe formed. James Webb Space Telescope was launched on December 25, 2021. Once the telescope was launched, it underwent the process of unfolding. This major phase was important as it involved hundreads of careful manoeuvres guided from Earth. Now that deployment process is fully complete, the space telescope is entering a 'period of cooldown' What is a period of cooldown? NASA said that updates from James Webb space telescope would be less frequent now. ❄️ Now that our deployments are complete, just like our telescope, we’re entering a period of cooldown. Our updates will be less frequent, but that doesn’t mean things have stopped happening: https://t.co/32QJr7R8am Thread ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/3sEF9SVIS5 — NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) January 10, 2022 × Alexandra Lockwood, the project scientist for James Webb telescope's science communications, explained more in her blogpost “Words can’t describe the pride and excitement the Webb team is feeling right now. From engineers to scientists to IT staff to graphic designers to administrative personnel (and more!), we are all overjoyed with the incredible successes of the observatory to date. While we still have a long way to go before getting the science, the engineering feats that have been accomplished, on Earth and now in space, are awe-inspiring. They are a testament to the hard work and expertise of the international Webb team," she says. Also Read | First ever on-site detection of water on Moon points to many future possibilities Lockwood said that after telescope's mirrors are fully moved out of the launch positions. The process of commissioning will go on for five months The process will include, '1) Further cooling of the entire observatory, and of the Mid-Infrared Instrument in particular. 2) checking and then aligning the secondary and 18 mirror segments into a single coherent optical system, first with the NIRCam instrument and then with all instruments individually and in parallel. 3) calibrating of each of the four instruments and their many scientific modes.' James Webb telescope will replace the legendary but aging Hubble Space Telescope.

James Webb telescope is entering period of cooldown, here's what it means

We already have evidence of water on Moon. But it was collected mainly by lunar orbitters focussing their equipments at the Earth's only natural satellite as they revolved around. Now, information about the first on-site proof of presence of water has come to light.

The on-site observation was made by China's Chang'E-5 probe on Moon. When the probe visited the Moon in December 2020, it not only collected samples for analysis back on Earth but also made some in situ (on-site) analysis of its own.

Measurements made by Chang'E in its surroundings on Moon revealed that water was present in a boulder in a concentration of 180 ppm (parts per million).

This is drier by Earth standards but obviously it is easy to understand its significance as the water is on the Moon..

The particular boulder that was analyzed by the probe was light and had many cavities. This suggests that this rock was a result of underground volcanic activity. This in turn, suggests that more water may be present in Moon's interior.

This on-site detection has further boosted the idea of relative abundance of water on the lunar surface. It may be fused with the minerals in the regolith, the surface dust.

Does this mean that human settlements on Moon may have easy access to water? No, since it is very hard to extract water present in such concentrations. But the observation and analysis on the on-site findings may help us understand Moon and how water is retained on planets and satellites in space.

We already have evidence of water on Moon. But it was collected mainly by lunar orbitters focussing their equipments at the Earth's only natural satellite as they revolved around.

We already have evidence of water on Moon. But it was collected mainly by lunar orbitters focussing their equipments at the Earth's only natural satellite as they revolved around. Now, information about the first on-site proof of presence of water has come to light. The on-site observation was made by China's Chang'E-5 probe on Moon. When the probe visited the Moon in December 2020, it not only collected samples for analysis back on Earth but also made some in situ (on-site) analysis of its own. Measurements made by Chang'E in its surroundings on Moon revealed that water was present in a boulder in a concentration of 180 ppm (parts per million). This is drier by Earth standards but obviously it is easy to understand its significance as the water is on the Moon.. The particular boulder that was analyzed by the probe was light and had many cavities. This suggests that this rock was a result of underground volcanic activity. This in turn, suggests that more water may be present in Moon's interior. This on-site detection has further boosted the idea of relative abundance of water on the lunar surface. It may be fused with the minerals in the regolith, the surface dust. Does this mean that human settlements on Moon may have easy access to water? No, since it is very hard to extract water present in such concentrations. But the observation and analysis on the on-site findings may help us understand Moon and how water is retained on planets and satellites in space.

First ever on-site detection of water on Moon points to many future possibilities

Having memory of a goldfish is not a good thing. At least according to&nbsp;established sense. Goldfish memory is a taunt often reserved for our friends who appear a little absent-minded if not more. But what Israeli scientists have found may change our perspective about goldfish.

The scientists found that the goldfish could actually drive a vehicle! That too on land!

To make goldfish drive a vehicle on land was obviously a big challenge. In technical terms, this is called 'domain transfer methodology'. This examines whether a particular species is able to perform tasks outside its own environment.

The experiment was carried out by researchers from Ben-Gurion University in Israel. The team was led by Professor Ronen Segev.

For their experiment, the team created a water tank on wheels. The wheels could move in accordance with how the goldfish swam.

The researchers then taught the goldfish how to navigate the vehicle. The goldfish soon learnt to determine connection between their own movement and movement of the vehicle.

Then, a target was given to the fish. They had to navigate the vehicle in order to touch a pink board.

After only a few days of training, the goldfish were able to navigate the vehicle to touch the board. They could do so even when they were given different starting points in the room.

The researchers concluded that the sense of navigation was something very innate to animals irrespective of the species.

The study has been published in journal Behavioural Brain Research

Fun fact: The six goldfish chosen for the experiment were named after characters from Pride and Prejudice. It was found that Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley could drive best

Having memory of a goldfish is not a good thing. At least according to established sense. Goldfish memory is a taunt often reserved for our friends who appear a little absent-minded if not more.

Having memory of a goldfish is not a good thing. At least according to established sense. Goldfish memory is a taunt often reserved for our friends who appear a little absent-minded if not more. But what Israeli scientists have found may change our perspective about goldfish. The scientists found that the goldfish could actually drive a vehicle! That too on land! To make goldfish drive a vehicle on land was obviously a big challenge. In technical terms, this is called 'domain transfer methodology'. This examines whether a particular species is able to perform tasks outside its own environment. The experiment was carried out by researchers from Ben-Gurion University in Israel. The team was led by Professor Ronen Segev. For their experiment, the team created a water tank on wheels. The wheels could move in accordance with how the goldfish swam. The researchers then taught the goldfish how to navigate the vehicle. The goldfish soon learnt to determine connection between their own movement and movement of the vehicle. Then, a target was given to the fish. They had to navigate the vehicle in order to touch a pink board. After only a few days of training, the goldfish were able to navigate the vehicle to touch the board. They could do so even when they were given different starting points in the room. The researchers concluded that the sense of navigation was something very innate to animals irrespective of the species. The study has been published in journal Behavioural Brain Research Fun fact: The six goldfish chosen for the experiment were named after characters from Pride and Prejudice. It was found that Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley could drive best

No kidding: Goldfish actually drove a vehicle on land

James Webb Space Telescope was to open a whole new vista for humanity in space. This much was definitely known. But deployment of the most powerful telescope ever built was a challenge as it needed careful unfolding of its components. The major milestone was achieved on Saturday (January 8) as the tricky, two-week-long deployment process was completed. The final golden mirror panel was unfolded.

Teams in NASA's James Webb Space Telescope's control room cheered on confirmation that the space telescope's final wing was deployed and latched into place.

<img alt="James Webb" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="871da599-9cfe-4159-9915-991a97268c7d" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_9VT8VZ.jpg" />

"I'm emotional about it -- what an amazing milestone," Thomas Zurbuchen, a senior NASA engineer, said during the live video feed as stargazers worldwide celebrated.

Because the telescope was too large to fit into a rocket's nose cone in its operational configuration, it was transported folded up.

Unfurling has been a complex and risky task -- "arguably the most challenging deployment program ever done by NASA," said NASA engineer Mike Menzel.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/astronomers-resolve-mystery-of-cube-spotted-on-moons-dark-side-443232">Astronomers resolve mystery of 'cube' spotted on Moon's dark side</a>

On Saturday morning, engineers sent a command from the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland for the final section of golden mirror to unfold.

According to NASA, after the mirror was latched into place at 1:17 PM (1817 GMT), "the team declared all major deployments successfully completed."

"I want to tell you just how excited and emotional I am right now," said Zurbuchen on the live video feed. "We have a deployed telescope on orbit."

Webb, the successor to Hubble, blasted off in an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana on December 25, and is heading to its orbital point, a million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from Earth.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/in-a-first-astronomers-watch-a-dying-star-explode-in-real-time-442861">In a first, astronomers watch a dying star explode in real time</a>

Though Webb will reach its space destination, known as the second Lagrange point, in a matter of weeks, it still has around another five and a half months of setup to go.

"While the journey is not complete, I join the Webb team in breathing a little easier and imagining the future breakthroughs bound to inspire the world," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

Next steps include aligning the telescope's optics, and calibrating its scientific instruments.

Far reaches of the Universe

Its infrared technology will allow it to see the first stars and galaxies that formed 13.5 billion years ago, giving astronomers new insight into the earliest epoch of the Universe.

Earlier this week, the telescope deployed its five-layered sunshield -- a 70-foot (21 meter) long, kite-shaped apparatus that acts like a parasol, ensuring Webb's instruments are kept in the shade so they can detect faint infrared signals from the far reaches of the Universe.

The sunshield will be permanently positioned between the telescope and the Sun, Earth and Moon, with the Sun-facing side built to withstand 230 degrees Fahrenheit (110 degrees Celsius).

Visible and ultraviolet light emitted by the very first luminous objects has been stretched by the Universe's expansion, and arrives today in the form of infrared, which Webb is equipped to detect with unprecedented clarity.

Its mission also includes the study of distant planets to determine their origin, evolution, and habitability.

(With inputs from agencies)

James Webb Space Telescope was to open a whole new vista for humanity in space. This much was definitely known. But deployment of the most powerful telescope ever built was a challenge as it needed careful unfolding of its components.

James Webb Space Telescope was to open a whole new vista for humanity in space. This much was definitely known. But deployment of the most powerful telescope ever built was a challenge as it needed careful unfolding of its components. The major milestone was achieved on Saturday (January 8) as the tricky, two-week-long deployment process was completed. The final golden mirror panel was unfolded. Teams in NASA's James Webb Space Telescope's control room cheered on confirmation that the space telescope's final wing was deployed and latched into place. "I'm emotional about it -- what an amazing milestone," Thomas Zurbuchen, a senior NASA engineer, said during the live video feed as stargazers worldwide celebrated. Because the telescope was too large to fit into a rocket's nose cone in its operational configuration, it was transported folded up. Unfurling has been a complex and risky task -- "arguably the most challenging deployment program ever done by NASA," said NASA engineer Mike Menzel. Also Read | Astronomers resolve mystery of 'cube' spotted on Moon's dark side On Saturday morning, engineers sent a command from the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland for the final section of golden mirror to unfold. According to NASA, after the mirror was latched into place at 1:17 PM (1817 GMT), "the team declared all major deployments successfully completed." "I want to tell you just how excited and emotional I am right now," said Zurbuchen on the live video feed. "We have a deployed telescope on orbit." Webb, the successor to Hubble, blasted off in an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana on December 25, and is heading to its orbital point, a million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from Earth. Also Read | In a first, astronomers watch a dying star explode in real time Though Webb will reach its space destination, known as the second Lagrange point, in a matter of weeks, it still has around another five and a half months of setup to go. "While the journey is not complete, I join the Webb team in breathing a little easier and imagining the future breakthroughs bound to inspire the world," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. Next steps include aligning the telescope's optics, and calibrating its scientific instruments. Far reaches of the Universe Its infrared technology will allow it to see the first stars and galaxies that formed 13.5 billion years ago, giving astronomers new insight into the earliest epoch of the Universe. Earlier this week, the telescope deployed its five-layered sunshield -- a 70-foot (21 meter) long, kite-shaped apparatus that acts like a parasol, ensuring Webb's instruments are kept in the shade so they can detect faint infrared signals from the far reaches of the Universe. The sunshield will be permanently positioned between the telescope and the Sun, Earth and Moon, with the Sun-facing side built to withstand 230 degrees Fahrenheit (110 degrees Celsius). Visible and ultraviolet light emitted by the very first luminous objects has been stretched by the Universe's expansion, and arrives today in the form of infrared, which Webb is equipped to detect with unprecedented clarity. Its mission also includes the study of distant planets to determine their origin, evolution, and habitability. (With inputs from agencies)

NASA fully deploys James Webb telescope in space

Considering bone or joint surgery? In many cases, surgery may be no more effective than options like exercise, physical therapy and drug treatments.

Hip and knee replacements, surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome and other orthopedic procedures are among the most common elective surgeries performed today, but they involve cost, risk and sometimes weeks or months of recovery. Many of these surgeries are not supported by evidence from randomized trials, a review found. Even when surgery has been shown to be effective, the review concluded, it may not be significantly better than nonsurgical care.

British researchers looked at studies of 10 common orthopedic operations, including surgeries of the knee, hip, shoulder, spine and wrist. They found good evidence of the superiority of surgery over other treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome and total knee replacement. For six other common surgeries, randomized trials found little advantage over interventions like exercise, weight management, physical therapy and drug treatment. The researchers found no controlled trials that had compared hip replacement or knee cartilage repair with nonsurgical care. The study is in The BMJ.

“Our study doesn’t show that these operations don’t make patients better,” said the lead author, Dr. Ashley W. Blom, a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Bristol in England. “And it does not say that treatments do not work if they have not undergone testing by randomized controlled trials. It’s just that some don’t work any better than the best nonsurgical treatments.”

Dr. Saam Morshed, a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the study, said, “I think it’s fair that we hold the mirror up to ourselves and scrutinize effectiveness for some of these operations. It’s important to understand where we have gaps in knowledge of the efficacy or nonefficacy of common surgical treatments.”

At the same time, he said, “It’s also important to understand that just because there isn’t a randomized trial supporting a given treatment, that doesn’t mean that the treatment is not effective.” Hip surgery, he said, is a good example. There may be no randomized trials of hip surgery, but there is overwhelming observational evidence for its effectiveness compared with nonsurgical treatment.

In other common procedures, the picture may be different. An arthroscopic operation to repair the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, in the knee, among the most common sports injury surgeries in the United States, has a rate of success as high as 97% in some studies. But when the operation was compared with nonsurgical treatments, the review found, there was little difference in pain scores or the need for further surgical or nonsurgical treatment.

The researchers describe a large review of studies of the operation to repair the rotator cuff, the group of tendons and muscles that keeps the upper arm bone in the shoulder socket. Compared with exercise and steroid injections, the review found, there was little or no clinically significant difference in pain, function, quality of life or patient satisfaction with the results.

Some studies were randomized controlled trials, giving one group of patients real surgery and a matched group a placebo operation. In two such studies of surgery for shoulder impingement, a condition that causes pain on raising the arm, there was no difference between surgery and placebo surgery in patient-reported outcomes or adverse events.

Lumbar spine decompression is an operation to relieve the pain caused by a ruptured or bulging disk, sometimes called a pinched nerve, in the lower spine. Although the quality of the evidence was low, three analyses showed that surgery and nonsurgical treatments provided equivalent improvements.

There were no studies that compared surgical repair of the meniscus, the cartilage that covers the knee, with nonoperative care or a placebo. But in 10 randomized trials comparing a different procedure known as meniscectomy, or partial removal of the meniscus, with more conservative treatment, the operation did not provide meaningful improvement in knee pain, function or quality of life.

“The best nonoperative care is often multimodal and may involve a combination of physical, medical and psychological interventions, and it should not be assumed that these are necessarily the easiest or most cost-effective options for patients,” Blom said. “Clinicians should discuss both operative and the best nonoperative care with patients so that patients can consider all options and thereby make informed choices.”

Patient outcomes from these surgeries vary greatly, and these differences are important, Morshed said. “Future research is going to provide more nuanced inferences on the effect of surgery as we begin to understand on a patient level those characteristics that make them more or less likely to respond to a procedure,” he said.

Considering bone or joint surgery? In many cases, surgery may be no more effective than options like exercise, physical therapy and drug treatments. Hip and knee replacements, surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome and other orthopedic procedures are among the most common elective surgeries performed today, but they involve cost, risk and sometimes weeks or months of recovery.

Considering bone or joint surgery? In many cases, surgery may be no more effective than options like exercise, physical therapy and drug treatments. Hip and knee replacements, surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome and other orthopedic procedures are among the most common elective surgeries performed today, but they involve cost, risk and sometimes weeks or months of recovery. Many of these surgeries are not supported by evidence from randomized trials, a review found. Even when surgery has been shown to be effective, the review concluded, it may not be significantly better than nonsurgical care. British researchers looked at studies of 10 common orthopedic operations, including surgeries of the knee, hip, shoulder, spine and wrist. They found good evidence of the superiority of surgery over other treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome and total knee replacement. For six other common surgeries, randomized trials found little advantage over interventions like exercise, weight management, physical therapy and drug treatment. The researchers found no controlled trials that had compared hip replacement or knee cartilage repair with nonsurgical care. The study is in The BMJ. “Our study doesn’t show that these operations don’t make patients better,” said the lead author, Dr. Ashley W. Blom, a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Bristol in England. “And it does not say that treatments do not work if they have not undergone testing by randomized controlled trials. It’s just that some don’t work any better than the best nonsurgical treatments.” Dr. Saam Morshed, a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the study, said, “I think it’s fair that we hold the mirror up to ourselves and scrutinize effectiveness for some of these operations. It’s important to understand where we have gaps in knowledge of the efficacy or nonefficacy of common surgical treatments.” At the same time, he said, “It’s also important to understand that just because there isn’t a randomized trial supporting a given treatment, that doesn’t mean that the treatment is not effective.” Hip surgery, he said, is a good example. There may be no randomized trials of hip surgery, but there is overwhelming observational evidence for its effectiveness compared with nonsurgical treatment. In other common procedures, the picture may be different. An arthroscopic operation to repair the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, in the knee, among the most common sports injury surgeries in the United States, has a rate of success as high as 97% in some studies. But when the operation was compared with nonsurgical treatments, the review found, there was little difference in pain scores or the need for further surgical or nonsurgical treatment. The researchers describe a large review of studies of the operation to repair the rotator cuff, the group of tendons and muscles that keeps the upper arm bone in the shoulder socket. Compared with exercise and steroid injections, the review found, there was little or no clinically significant difference in pain, function, quality of life or patient satisfaction with the results. Some studies were randomized controlled trials, giving one group of patients real surgery and a matched group a placebo operation. In two such studies of surgery for shoulder impingement, a condition that causes pain on raising the arm, there was no difference between surgery and placebo surgery in patient-reported outcomes or adverse events. Lumbar spine decompression is an operation to relieve the pain caused by a ruptured or bulging disk, sometimes called a pinched nerve, in the lower spine. Although the quality of the evidence was low, three analyses showed that surgery and nonsurgical treatments provided equivalent improvements. There were no studies that compared surgical repair of the meniscus, the cartilage that covers the knee, with nonoperative care or a placebo. But in 10 randomized trials comparing a different procedure known as meniscectomy, or partial removal of the meniscus, with more conservative treatment, the operation did not provide meaningful improvement in knee pain, function or quality of life. “The best nonoperative care is often multimodal and may involve a combination of physical, medical and psychological interventions, and it should not be assumed that these are necessarily the easiest or most cost-effective options for patients,” Blom said. “Clinicians should discuss both operative and the best nonoperative care with patients so that patients can consider all options and thereby make informed choices.” Patient outcomes from these surgeries vary greatly, and these differences are important, Morshed said. “Future research is going to provide more nuanced inferences on the effect of surgery as we begin to understand on a patient level those characteristics that make them more or less likely to respond to a procedure,” he said.

Considering bone or joint surgery? You may not need it.

Most of us are content with the idea of becoming a millionaire. The ambitious aim for the billionaire club and perhaps only tech companies can dream of being in T-club.

But what if you become a 'quintilllionaire'? With 18 zeroes in your net worth, the Bezoses and Musks of the world wouldn't stand a chance against you.

All you have to do is go to space, travel to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and mine metals from an asteroid. It is estimated that the asteroid is made of metals worth 10 quintillions! The asteroid is literally biggest floating bank in our solar system!

If you think this is crazy, obtain info on an asteroid dubbed 16 Psyche. It is located in the main asteroid belt.

The asteroid, first discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis in 1852 is made up of exposed metallic iron, nickel and even gold. Scientists think that the asteroid is part of remains of the core of a shattered planetesimal, that is, a clump of space rocks that was on the verge of becoming a planet but didn't.&nbsp;

From Earth, asteroid 16 Psych appears hazy but by analysing the light reflected off the surface of the asteroid, scientists have been able to conclude that it is very rich in metals.

Most of us are content with the idea of becoming a millionaire. The ambitious aim for the billionaire club and perhaps only tech companies can dream of being in T-club.

Most of us are content with the idea of becoming a millionaire. The ambitious aim for the billionaire club and perhaps only tech companies can dream of being in T-club. But what if you become a 'quintilllionaire'? With 18 zeroes in your net worth, the Bezoses and Musks of the world wouldn't stand a chance against you. All you have to do is go to space, travel to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and mine metals from an asteroid. It is estimated that the asteroid is made of metals worth 10 quintillions! The asteroid is literally biggest floating bank in our solar system! If you think this is crazy, obtain info on an asteroid dubbed 16 Psyche. It is located in the main asteroid belt. The asteroid, first discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis in 1852 is made up of exposed metallic iron, nickel and even gold. Scientists think that the asteroid is part of remains of the core of a shattered planetesimal, that is, a clump of space rocks that was on the verge of becoming a planet but didn't. From Earth, asteroid 16 Psych appears hazy but by analysing the light reflected off the surface of the asteroid, scientists have been able to conclude that it is very rich in metals.

This asteroid can make you richer than a billionaire

Dinosaurs ruled the Earth millions of years ago. So completer was their dominance that they were present in almost all food chains and food webs on the planet. There were herbivorous dinosaurs just like meat-eating ones. There were dinosaurs in seas and skies.&nbsp;

The scary vertebrates were everywhere.&nbsp;

A study has revealed that hatchlings of pterosaurs, cousins of dinosaurs, were perhaps able to fly shortly after they were hatched. So not only were members of the dino family ruling the Earth, they were also able to get to business quickly after birth.

The study involved analysis of embryonic, newly hatched and adult pterosaurs.&nbsp;

It was found by the researchers that the flight membranes on wings required to fly were present in embryonic pterosaurs. The researchers also focussed on humerus bone found in the wings. The bone was used by the pterosaur to launch itself in the air.

The scientists were surprised to find that the humerus bone was unusually strong even among hatchlings.

The study was published in July in journal Scientific Reports.

So does this mean that the baby pterosaurs would have been more than eager to nip at your flesh moments after hatching, had you been around? They certainly had the capability it appears. In addition to flying, some species of pterosaurs reportedly had opposable thumbs. That means your plans of hiding in a tree were a non-starter as your worst nightmare could climb trees in addition to flying!

Dinosaurs ruled the Earth millions of years ago. So completer was their dominance that they were present in almost all food chains and food webs on the planet. There were herbivorous dinosaurs just like meat-eating ones.

Dinosaurs ruled the Earth millions of years ago. So completer was their dominance that they were present in almost all food chains and food webs on the planet. There were herbivorous dinosaurs just like meat-eating ones. There were dinosaurs in seas and skies. The scary vertebrates were everywhere. A study has revealed that hatchlings of pterosaurs, cousins of dinosaurs, were perhaps able to fly shortly after they were hatched. So not only were members of the dino family ruling the Earth, they were also able to get to business quickly after birth. The study involved analysis of embryonic, newly hatched and adult pterosaurs. It was found by the researchers that the flight membranes on wings required to fly were present in embryonic pterosaurs. The researchers also focussed on humerus bone found in the wings. The bone was used by the pterosaur to launch itself in the air. The scientists were surprised to find that the humerus bone was unusually strong even among hatchlings. The study was published in July in journal Scientific Reports. So does this mean that the baby pterosaurs would have been more than eager to nip at your flesh moments after hatching, had you been around? They certainly had the capability it appears. In addition to flying, some species of pterosaurs reportedly had opposable thumbs. That means your plans of hiding in a tree were a non-starter as your worst nightmare could climb trees in addition to flying!

This dino-vertebrate was able to fly immediately after hatching

The year 2021, or Year Two of the pandemic as some of us would like to call it, was replete with space-related events that not only had scientific importance but which resonated with public as well. Some of these were once-in-decades developments while others marked advancement of human vision. NASA was at the forefront, as were other space agencies around the world. But what was different this year was even private players made successful forays into space missions. 2021 marked first-ever powered flight on the surface of any planet other than Earth.

Here are some events that made 2021 memorable in terms of space science

 
James Webb Space Telescope

<img alt="James Webb" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="dcb8f193-6a02-4224-898f-b23d730dea11" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2021-12-28T115736Z_2_LYNXMPEHBO027_RTROPTP_4_SPACE-EXPLORATION-TELESCOPE.JPG" />

Humanity is on the verge of using entirely new generation of technology to peer even deeped in space. The iconic Hubble Space Telescope has its gaze fixed at distant stars, but launch of James Webb Space Telescope marks a genrational shift. The space telescope has better technology and instruments than Hubble. James Webb Space Telescope was launched on December 24, 2021 and at the time of publishing this story, was in the process of unfolding.

Using the new space telescope, we will be able to observe galaxies which were formed when the universe was in its infancy.

Perseverance on Ingenuity on Mars

<img alt="Perseverance" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2fa9d417-8485-4607-980e-15582d3f291f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/perseverance.JPG" />

 
NASA's Perseverance rover touched down on Mars on March 5, 2021. The rover continues to study conditions on Mars and is sending invaluable scientific data back to Earth.

Ingenuity, the helicopter which is aiding Perseverance study Mars created history on April 19, 2021 by marking first-ever powered flight of a man-made craft on an alien planet. Martian atmosphere is very thin as compared to Earth. Hence, flying a helicopter on Mars is an extremely difficult task. Ingenuity's flight was initially supposed to be just an achievement. But the success prompted NASA to extend its mission. Ingenuity carried out several flights after it firt took off from Martian surface.

Private spaceflight

<img alt="SpaceX" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b2e416bc-6383-46e6-b0a4-3560dbb13fd5" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2021-12-29T184743Z_2_LYNXMPEHBS0N6_RTROPTP_4_SPACEX-FUNDING.JPG" />

An American millionaire became the world's first space tourist in 2001, but it took 20 more years for the promise of private space flight to finally materialize. 
In July, Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson faced off against Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos to be the first non-professional astronaut to complete a suborbital spaceflight.&nbsp;

While the British tycoon won that battle by a few days, it was Blue Origin that raced ahead, launching three more flights with paying customers and celebrity guests. 
Elon Musk's SpaceX entered the fray in September with a three-day orbital mission around the Earth featuring an all-civilian crew on Inspiration 4.&nbsp;

"It's really exciting that finally, after so long this stuff is finally happening," said space industry analyst Laura Seward Forczyk, author of the forthcoming book "Becoming Off-Worldly," intended to prepare future space travelers.

But it was William Shatner, who played the swashbuckling Captain Kirk on the 1960s TV series "Star Trek," who stole the show with a moving account of his experience.

"What you're looking down on is Mother Earth, and it needs protecting," he told reporters.&nbsp;

A spacecraft 'touches' the Sun

It may be impossible for any human-made spacecraft to descend on the actual surface of the Sun, but this year marked a step in that direction. NASA's Parker solar probe 'touched' the Sun. This is to say that it entered 'Corona', the Sun's atmosphere. This is a great achievement. The probe entered the Corona in April 2021.

First film shot in space

A Russian crew shot the first feature film in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2021, and Japanese tourists made their own visit there on a Russian rocket.&nbsp;

For a few minutes on December 11, there were a record 19 humans in space when Blue Origin carried out its third crewed mission, the Japanese team were on the ISS along with its normal crew, and Chinese taikonauts were in position on their station.

Discovery of Jupiter's new moon

Jupiter has 79 moons and scientists think there are many more that remain to be found. This year an amateur astronomer found one of those. Kai Ly, the astronomer, made the discovery by analysing data sets from 2003.

The moon has been named EJc0061. It belongs to the Carme group of Jovian moons.

(With inputs from agencies)

The year 2021, or Year Two of the pandemic as some of us would like to call it, was replete with space-related events that not only had scientific importance but which resonated with public as well.

The year 2021, or Year Two of the pandemic as some of us would like to call it, was replete with space-related events that not only had scientific importance but which resonated with public as well. Some of these were once-in-decades developments while others marked advancement of human vision. NASA was at the forefront, as were other space agencies around the world. But what was different this year was even private players made successful forays into space missions. 2021 marked first-ever powered flight on the surface of any planet other than Earth. Here are some events that made 2021 memorable in terms of space science James Webb Space Telescope Humanity is on the verge of using entirely new generation of technology to peer even deeped in space. The iconic Hubble Space Telescope has its gaze fixed at distant stars, but launch of James Webb Space Telescope marks a genrational shift. The space telescope has better technology and instruments than Hubble. James Webb Space Telescope was launched on December 24, 2021 and at the time of publishing this story, was in the process of unfolding. Using the new space telescope, we will be able to observe galaxies which were formed when the universe was in its infancy. Perseverance on Ingenuity on Mars NASA's Perseverance rover touched down on Mars on March 5, 2021. The rover continues to study conditions on Mars and is sending invaluable scientific data back to Earth. Ingenuity, the helicopter which is aiding Perseverance study Mars created history on April 19, 2021 by marking first-ever powered flight of a man-made craft on an alien planet. Martian atmosphere is very thin as compared to Earth. Hence, flying a helicopter on Mars is an extremely difficult task. Ingenuity's flight was initially supposed to be just an achievement. But the success prompted NASA to extend its mission. Ingenuity carried out several flights after it firt took off from Martian surface. Private spaceflight An American millionaire became the world's first space tourist in 2001, but it took 20 more years for the promise of private space flight to finally materialize. In July, Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson faced off against Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos to be the first non-professional astronaut to complete a suborbital spaceflight. While the British tycoon won that battle by a few days, it was Blue Origin that raced ahead, launching three more flights with paying customers and celebrity guests. Elon Musk's SpaceX entered the fray in September with a three-day orbital mission around the Earth featuring an all-civilian crew on Inspiration 4. "It's really exciting that finally, after so long this stuff is finally happening," said space industry analyst Laura Seward Forczyk, author of the forthcoming book "Becoming Off-Worldly," intended to prepare future space travelers. But it was William Shatner, who played the swashbuckling Captain Kirk on the 1960s TV series "Star Trek," who stole the show with a moving account of his experience. "What you're looking down on is Mother Earth, and it needs protecting," he told reporters. A spacecraft 'touches' the Sun It may be impossible for any human-made spacecraft to descend on the actual surface of the Sun, but this year marked a step in that direction. NASA's Parker solar probe 'touched' the Sun. This is to say that it entered 'Corona', the Sun's atmosphere. This is a great achievement. The probe entered the Corona in April 2021. First film shot in space A Russian crew shot the first feature film in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2021, and Japanese tourists made their own visit there on a Russian rocket. For a few minutes on December 11, there were a record 19 humans in space when Blue Origin carried out its third crewed mission, the Japanese team were on the ISS along with its normal crew, and Chinese taikonauts were in position on their station. Discovery of Jupiter's new moon Jupiter has 79 moons and scientists think there are many more that remain to be found. This year an amateur astronomer found one of those. Kai Ly, the astronomer, made the discovery by analysing data sets from 2003. The moon has been named EJc0061. It belongs to the Carme group of Jovian moons. (With inputs from agencies)

Year ender: Space news that made 2021 special

James Web Space Telescope has reached a milestone in its unfolding and this marks start of a crucial phase. James Webb Space Telescope lifted off on December 24 and is now in the phase of unfolding before it can start its function as most powerful eye in the sky of humanity.

On December 28 (Eastern Time), the space telescope deployed its forward and aft pallets. The pallet structures contain Webb's sunshield. Five carefully folded sunshield membranes have been packed inside the afts. Needless to say that delecate components like cables, pulleys and release mechanisms need careful handling.

NASA said that deployment of forward pallet began on the morning of December 28 and concluded at 1:21 pm EST. The aft pallet deployment was complete by 7:27 pm.

Although actual deployment of the pallets from their folded position took less than half an hour, the entire process took hours as series of complicated steps was involved during the deployment.

"The unfolding of the pallets marks the beginning of Webb’s major structural deployments and also the beginning of the sunshield deployment phase – which will continue through at least this Sunday, Jan. 2," says NASA

The James Webb Space Telescope, some three decades and billions of dollars in the making, left Earth on December 24 enclosed in its Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana.

It is expected to take a month to reach its remote destination.

It is set to beam back new clues that will help scientists understand more about the origins of the Universe and Earth-like planets beyond our solar system.

Named after a former NASA director, Webb follows in the footsteps of the legendary Hubble -- but intends to show humans what the Universe looked like even closer to its birth nearly 14 billion years ago.

(With inputs from agencies)

James Web Space Telescope has reached a milestone in its unfolding and this marks start of a crucial phase. James Webb Space Telescope lifted off on December 24 and is now in the phase of unfolding before it can start its function as most powerful eye in the sky of humanity.

James Web Space Telescope has reached a milestone in its unfolding and this marks start of a crucial phase. James Webb Space Telescope lifted off on December 24 and is now in the phase of unfolding before it can start its function as most powerful eye in the sky of humanity. On December 28 (Eastern Time), the space telescope deployed its forward and aft pallets. The pallet structures contain Webb's sunshield. Five carefully folded sunshield membranes have been packed inside the afts. Needless to say that delecate components like cables, pulleys and release mechanisms need careful handling. NASA said that deployment of forward pallet began on the morning of December 28 and concluded at 1:21 pm EST. The aft pallet deployment was complete by 7:27 pm. Although actual deployment of the pallets from their folded position took less than half an hour, the entire process took hours as series of complicated steps was involved during the deployment. "The unfolding of the pallets marks the beginning of Webb’s major structural deployments and also the beginning of the sunshield deployment phase – which will continue through at least this Sunday, Jan. 2," says NASA The James Webb Space Telescope, some three decades and billions of dollars in the making, left Earth on December 24 enclosed in its Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana. It is expected to take a month to reach its remote destination. It is set to beam back new clues that will help scientists understand more about the origins of the Universe and Earth-like planets beyond our solar system. Named after a former NASA director, Webb follows in the footsteps of the legendary Hubble -- but intends to show humans what the Universe looked like even closer to its birth nearly 14 billion years ago. (With inputs from agencies)

James Webb Space Telescope deploys pallets, crucial process begins

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