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

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

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

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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

The National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA) is enlisting help of 24 theologians as part of its efforts to determine how different religions around the world would react to contact with aliens, reported Technotrendz. A reverend is already working with NASA.

Rev Dr Andrew Davison, a British priest and theologist at Cambridge University has a degree in Biochemistry. Next year, he is releasing his book on the subject. In his book he is going to raise questions that ask how will discovery of life affect beliefs of religious people across the world.

Search for alien life has been a matter of fascination for humankind for centuries. As tools of modern science became more and more available, scientists have cast an informed gaze at the universe in search of alien life.&nbsp;

There are several candidates in our solar system itself. Scientists think that Europa, the icy moon of planet Jupiter has liquid oceans under its surface that may support life. Scientists also think that microbes exist in clouds of Venus.

Humanity is soon to get fresh 'eyes' in the sky. James Webb space telescope was launched on December 26. This will be humanity's main space telescope over the ageing Hubble space telescope. We will soon be able to see corners of universe that were unobservable to us before this. Will we find an alien spaceship flying in deep space? Time will soon tell.

The National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA) is enlisting help of 24 theologians as part of its efforts to determine how different religions around the world would react to contact with aliens, reported Technotrendz.

The National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA) is enlisting help of 24 theologians as part of its efforts to determine how different religions around the world would react to contact with aliens, reported Technotrendz. A reverend is already working with NASA. Rev Dr Andrew Davison, a British priest and theologist at Cambridge University has a degree in Biochemistry. Next year, he is releasing his book on the subject. In his book he is going to raise questions that ask how will discovery of life affect beliefs of religious people across the world. Search for alien life has been a matter of fascination for humankind for centuries. As tools of modern science became more and more available, scientists have cast an informed gaze at the universe in search of alien life. There are several candidates in our solar system itself. Scientists think that Europa, the icy moon of planet Jupiter has liquid oceans under its surface that may support life. Scientists also think that microbes exist in clouds of Venus. Humanity is soon to get fresh 'eyes' in the sky. James Webb space telescope was launched on December 26. This will be humanity's main space telescope over the ageing Hubble space telescope. We will soon be able to see corners of universe that were unobservable to us before this. Will we find an alien spaceship flying in deep space? Time will soon tell.

NASA is hiring priests to prepare humans for contact with aliens

Planet Venus, the other neighbour of Earth besides Mars is perfect example of hell. Venus is rightly called a 'greenhouse planet' since surface temperatures go upto 400 degrees Celsius. Its thick atmosphere is predominantly made of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid droplets. Such harsh conditions are not at all conducive to life. Hence it was thought that there was no life on Venus.

But now, scientists think that life may have found a way to survive in these harsh conditions on Venus.

Scientists and researchers from MIT, Cardiff University and Cambridge University have said in a new study that presence of Ammonia may suggest that microbes may be able to live inside clouds in Venus's atmosphere. The Ammonia can neutralise Venus' highly acidic environment and create habitable space in the clouds.

Moreover, these researchers think that a biological activity led to formation of Ammonia.

But can life survive in highly acidic environment?

Co-author of the study has been quoted in media reports as saying that life exists in highly acidic environs on Earth.&nbsp;

Venus, after Mars has always piqued scientific interest with respect to possibility of life. NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) are planning to send two spacecrafts to Venus in next 10 to 15 years. More light would be thrown on habitability of Venus' atmosphere at that time.

Planet Venus, the other neighbour of Earth besides Mars is perfect example of hell. Venus is rightly called a 'greenhouse planet' since surface temperatures go upto 400 degrees Celsius.

Planet Venus, the other neighbour of Earth besides Mars is perfect example of hell. Venus is rightly called a 'greenhouse planet' since surface temperatures go upto 400 degrees Celsius. Its thick atmosphere is predominantly made of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid droplets. Such harsh conditions are not at all conducive to life. Hence it was thought that there was no life on Venus. But now, scientists think that life may have found a way to survive in these harsh conditions on Venus. Scientists and researchers from MIT, Cardiff University and Cambridge University have said in a new study that presence of Ammonia may suggest that microbes may be able to live inside clouds in Venus's atmosphere. The Ammonia can neutralise Venus' highly acidic environment and create habitable space in the clouds. Moreover, these researchers think that a biological activity led to formation of Ammonia. But can life survive in highly acidic environment? Co-author of the study has been quoted in media reports as saying that life exists in highly acidic environs on Earth. Venus, after Mars has always piqued scientific interest with respect to possibility of life. NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) are planning to send two spacecrafts to Venus in next 10 to 15 years. More light would be thrown on habitability of Venus' atmosphere at that time.

Study finds more indication of life on Venus

Comet Leonard, the brightest comet in the year 2021 flew by Earth recently. Scientists obviously had their eyes and lenses at the celestial body but many amateur astronomers pointed their telescopes at it as well. Those who could spot it grabbed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as the comet will next be seen after 35,000 years. That is if Sun doesn't decide to gobble it up this time.

Talking about the Sun, the Comet Leonard made a very close approach to one of our spacecrafts in the area. NASA and European Space Agency's (ESA) solar orbitter spacecraft, like its name suggests, orbits the Sun and makes important observations about our only star.

Comet Leonard passed very close to the solar orbitter between December 17 and December 19.&nbsp;

Was there any damage to the orbitter? Thankfully not.

Was the operation of the orbitter hampered in any way? No.

Solar Orbiter Heliospheric Imager (SoloHI), the spacecraft captured images of the comet as it passed by. n

“When SoloHi recorded these images, the comet was approximately between the sun and the spacecraft, with its gas and dust tails pointing towards the spacecraft,” said the ESA in an official statement.

The spacecraft will continue to observe the comet till December 22. After that the comet will move out of its field of vision.

It is not exactly known what will happen of the comet as at its closest approach, it will be just 90 million miles away from the Sun. There is a chance that the icy comet will break-up due to the heat. Otherwise, Sun's gravity may fling it in space away from itself.

Comet Leonard, the brightest comet in the year 2021 flew by Earth recently. Scientists obviously had their eyes and lenses at the celestial body but many amateur astronomers pointed their telescopes at it as well.

Comet Leonard, the brightest comet in the year 2021 flew by Earth recently. Scientists obviously had their eyes and lenses at the celestial body but many amateur astronomers pointed their telescopes at it as well. Those who could spot it grabbed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as the comet will next be seen after 35,000 years. That is if Sun doesn't decide to gobble it up this time. Talking about the Sun, the Comet Leonard made a very close approach to one of our spacecrafts in the area. NASA and European Space Agency's (ESA) solar orbitter spacecraft, like its name suggests, orbits the Sun and makes important observations about our only star. Comet Leonard passed very close to the solar orbitter between December 17 and December 19. Was there any damage to the orbitter? Thankfully not. Was the operation of the orbitter hampered in any way? No. Solar Orbiter Heliospheric Imager (SoloHI), the spacecraft captured images of the comet as it passed by. n “When SoloHi recorded these images, the comet was approximately between the sun and the spacecraft, with its gas and dust tails pointing towards the spacecraft,” said the ESA in an official statement. The spacecraft will continue to observe the comet till December 22. After that the comet will move out of its field of vision. It is not exactly known what will happen of the comet as at its closest approach, it will be just 90 million miles away from the Sun. There is a chance that the icy comet will break-up due to the heat. Otherwise, Sun's gravity may fling it in space away from itself.

Comet Leonard had a close shave with a spacecraft near Sun, check what happened

Solar eclipse is a treat to the senses. It's amazing to see a day give way to a sudden night and the ever-shining disc of the Sun getting obscured by the Moon. Those observing can see stars twinkling right in front of them in a black sky which, by logic, should have been lit by bright sunshine.

But not everyone is lucky to have seen a total eclipse. You have to be in the right place at the right time to witness this natural wonder. There may be thousand who wouldn't have seen total, or even a partial solar eclipse.

But witnessing a solar eclipse from space is a privilege affrded to even fewer people.

NASA has come to aid of those who can't become an astronaut overnight in order to see an eclipse from space.

In its Instagram post, NASA has posted an image taken from space during the recent total eclipse which was visible only from Antarctica.&nbsp;

"Have you ever seen a total solar eclipse? How about seeing a total solar eclipse FROM SPACE?" asks NASA at the outset. The image shows the familiar blue orb of our planet. But what's different than usual is a black spot right over Antarctica in the south. That is Moon's shadow as it passes between the Sun and Earth, therby treating the regions under that shadow to a beautiful solar eclipse.

"Our robotic and human explorers are here to help. On Dec. 4, 2021, the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) spacecraft captured the Moon's shadow as it passed over Antarctica, home to penguins and a handful of scientists. Shaped like a cone extending into space, the shadow has a circular cross-section most easily seen during a solar eclipse. People in parts of Namibia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the Falkland Islands were treated to a partial eclipse," says NASA in Instagram post.

Check it out below

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As it can be seen. Netizens have loved the pic and it has been 'liked' by nearly a million people.

Solar eclipse is a treat to the senses. It's amazing to see a day give way to a sudden night and the ever-shining disc of the Sun getting obscured by the Moon. Those observing can see stars twinkling right in front of them in a black sky which, by logic, should have been lit by bright sunshine.

Solar eclipse is a treat to the senses. It's amazing to see a day give way to a sudden night and the ever-shining disc of the Sun getting obscured by the Moon. Those observing can see stars twinkling right in front of them in a black sky which, by logic, should have been lit by bright sunshine. But not everyone is lucky to have seen a total eclipse. You have to be in the right place at the right time to witness this natural wonder. There may be thousand who wouldn't have seen total, or even a partial solar eclipse. But witnessing a solar eclipse from space is a privilege affrded to even fewer people. NASA has come to aid of those who can't become an astronaut overnight in order to see an eclipse from space. In its Instagram post, NASA has posted an image taken from space during the recent total eclipse which was visible only from Antarctica. "Have you ever seen a total solar eclipse? How about seeing a total solar eclipse FROM SPACE?" asks NASA at the outset. The image shows the familiar blue orb of our planet. But what's different than usual is a black spot right over Antarctica in the south. That is Moon's shadow as it passes between the Sun and Earth, therby treating the regions under that shadow to a beautiful solar eclipse. "Our robotic and human explorers are here to help. On Dec. 4, 2021, the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) spacecraft captured the Moon's shadow as it passed over Antarctica, home to penguins and a handful of scientists. Shaped like a cone extending into space, the shadow has a circular cross-section most easily seen during a solar eclipse. People in parts of Namibia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the Falkland Islands were treated to a partial eclipse," says NASA in Instagram post. Check it out below View this post on Instagram A post shared by NASA (@nasa) × As it can be seen. Netizens have loved the pic and it has been 'liked' by nearly a million people.

NASA depicts solar eclipse from space in a brilliant photo

The Chinese Yutu 2 rover has spotted a mysterious cube-shaped object on the far side of the moon - nearly 80m away from the rover in Von Kármán crater, as mentioned in the media reports.&nbsp;

Reports also added that the object has been referred to as a "mystery house" and in the next two to three lunar days, the rover will attempt to get closer and check it out.&nbsp;

SPACE.com reported, Yutu 2 spotted the object on the horizon to the north in November during the mission's 36th lunar day, according to a Yutu 2 diary published by Our Space. It is an outreach channel affiliated with the China National Space Administration (CNSA).&nbsp;

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-to-announce-fresh-names-for-its-astronaut-program-soon-434684">NASA to announce fresh names for its astronaut program soon</a>

Such stories intrigue space enthusiasts; also conspiracy theorists as they come up with unproven ideas about the presence of aliens and UFOs. These images have gone viral on social media forums.&nbsp;

However, it is understood that the object spotted by Yutu 2 is not an obelisk or aliens as it can be boulders, which are usually formed by impacts of landings. But&nbsp;the images are something to check out as it's difficult to ascertain anything from the image.&nbsp;

For the unversed, Yutu 2 made the first-ever soft landing on the far side on the Moon in January 2019.&nbsp;

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/this-black-box-for-earth-will-record-everything-as-our-civilisation-dies-434646">This 'black box for Earth' will record everything as our civilisation dies</a>

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Ah. We have an update from Yutu-2 on the lunar far side, including an image of a cubic shape on the northern horizon ~80m away from the rover in Von Kármán crater. Referred to as "神秘小屋" ("mystery house"), the next 2-3 lunar days will be spent getting closer to check it out. <a href="https://t.co/LWPZoWN05I">pic.twitter.com/LWPZoWN05I</a>
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Yutu 2 was was launched on December 2018 and it entered lunar orbit on December 2018. It made the first soft landing on the Moon's far side on January 3 in 2019. Yutu-2 is currently operational as the first lunar rover on the far side.

The rover and Chang'e-4 lander are now into their 37th lunar day of activities and Yutu-2 could be approaching a total drive distance of 900 metres.&nbsp;

The Chinese Yutu 2 rover has spotted a mysterious cube-shaped object on the far side of the moon - nearly 80m away from the rover in Von Kármán crater, as mentioned in the media reports.

The Chinese Yutu 2 rover has spotted a mysterious cube-shaped object on the far side of the moon - nearly 80m away from the rover in Von Kármán crater, as mentioned in the media reports. Reports also added that the object has been referred to as a "mystery house" and in the next two to three lunar days, the rover will attempt to get closer and check it out. SPACE.com reported, Yutu 2 spotted the object on the horizon to the north in November during the mission's 36th lunar day, according to a Yutu 2 diary published by Our Space. It is an outreach channel affiliated with the China National Space Administration (CNSA). ALSO READ | NASA to announce fresh names for its astronaut program soon Such stories intrigue space enthusiasts; also conspiracy theorists as they come up with unproven ideas about the presence of aliens and UFOs. These images have gone viral on social media forums. However, it is understood that the object spotted by Yutu 2 is not an obelisk or aliens as it can be boulders, which are usually formed by impacts of landings. But the images are something to check out as it's difficult to ascertain anything from the image. For the unversed, Yutu 2 made the first-ever soft landing on the far side on the Moon in January 2019. ALSO READ | This 'black box for Earth' will record everything as our civilisation dies Ah. We have an update from Yutu-2 on the lunar far side, including an image of a cubic shape on the northern horizon ~80m away from the rover in Von Kármán crater. Referred to as "神秘小屋" ("mystery house"), the next 2-3 lunar days will be spent getting closer to check it out. pic.twitter.com/LWPZoWN05I — Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) December 3, 2021 × Yutu 2 was was launched on December 2018 and it entered lunar orbit on December 2018. It made the first soft landing on the Moon's far side on January 3 in 2019. Yutu-2 is currently operational as the first lunar rover on the far side. The rover and Chang'e-4 lander are now into their 37th lunar day of activities and Yutu-2 could be approaching a total drive distance of 900 metres.

'Mysterious' object spotted by Chinese Yutu 2 rover on far side of the Moon

It perhaps is a dream of all of us to find a new planet or a star. If the discovery is vital enough, they even may give the planet our name. But not all of us have the scientific know-how to actually do that and all we can do is dream.

But now in our connected world, anything is possible. And if you really want to help scientists discover a new planet, all you need is a web browser and the internet.

The mission is to observe changes in brightness of stars. If a planet comes between us and the star, the star may dim in a certain way indicating presence of the planet.

There is a lot of data to sift through. The images and data has been captured by NGTS telescopes based at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Paranal Observatory in Chile.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/jupiter-collides-with-a-space-rock-japanese-skywatchers-observe-event-423312">Jupiter collides with a space rock, collision causes flash in its atmosphere</a>

The NGTS telescope captures images of thousands of stars in the space.

So why don't our softwares find the planets? Astronomers have been quoted in media reports as saying that current softwares do not capture the dimming effectively. They may miss a dimming star or falsely report presence of a planet. That's where volunteers come in.

If you are interested, you can head to Planet Hunters NGST page to get started. And if you think all the exercise is futile, remember that a mechanic in Australia has already found an unusual four-planet solar system.

It perhaps is a dream of all of us to find a new planet or a star. If the discovery is vital enough, they even may give the planet our name. But not all of us have the scientific know-how to actually do that and all we can do is dream.

It perhaps is a dream of all of us to find a new planet or a star. If the discovery is vital enough, they even may give the planet our name. But not all of us have the scientific know-how to actually do that and all we can do is dream. But now in our connected world, anything is possible. And if you really want to help scientists discover a new planet, all you need is a web browser and the internet. The mission is to observe changes in brightness of stars. If a planet comes between us and the star, the star may dim in a certain way indicating presence of the planet. There is a lot of data to sift through. The images and data has been captured by NGTS telescopes based at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Paranal Observatory in Chile. Also Read | Jupiter collides with a space rock, collision causes flash in its atmosphere The NGTS telescope captures images of thousands of stars in the space. So why don't our softwares find the planets? Astronomers have been quoted in media reports as saying that current softwares do not capture the dimming effectively. They may miss a dimming star or falsely report presence of a planet. That's where volunteers come in. If you are interested, you can head to Planet Hunters NGST page to get started. And if you think all the exercise is futile, remember that a mechanic in Australia has already found an unusual four-planet solar system.

Scientists want you to help them discover new planets, here's how

Some readers may remember the time when a legit comet collided with planet Jupiter. The exceptional event that took place in the year 1992 was huge news worldwide as it was first such event taking place inside solar system when human technology was developed enough to observe it in detail. As the comet approached Jupiter, it broke apart and created several bright flashes that were observed by telescopes on Earth and in space.

A similar event has grabbed headlines now. This time the object that hit Jupiter may not be as spectacular as a comet but has generated interest in scientific community nonetheless.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/asteroid-deflecting-nasa-spacecraft-begins-final-preparations-422759">Asteroid-deflecting NASA spacecraft begins final preparations</a>

On October 15, a flash in Jupiter's atmosphere attracted attention of skywatchers in Japan. A Twitter user who photographed the event told news websites that the flash appeared to last long.

The flash was also observed by team of astronomers at Japan's Kyoto University. A space rock had collided with the gas giant.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/china-plans-to-extract-oxygen-from-moons-surface-report-422444">China plans to extract oxygen from Moon's surface: Report</a>

According to Sky &amp; Telescope, the space rock hit Jupiter's northern hemisphere.

Space rocks, asteroids and even comets are attracted to Jupiter due to the planet's enormous gravity. The biggest planet in our solar system has a monstrous pull on objects venturing too close to it. The planet is jokingly called a 'vacuum cleaner' of the solar system but in all seriousness, Jupiter may have been the reason we are alive today because of it eating up a rogue asteroid heading our way in all these years.

Some readers may remember the time when a legit comet collided with planet Jupiter. The exceptional event that took place in the year 1992 was huge news worldwide as it was first such event taking place inside solar system when human technology was developed enough to observe it in detail.

Some readers may remember the time when a legit comet collided with planet Jupiter. The exceptional event that took place in the year 1992 was huge news worldwide as it was first such event taking place inside solar system when human technology was developed enough to observe it in detail. As the comet approached Jupiter, it broke apart and created several bright flashes that were observed by telescopes on Earth and in space. A similar event has grabbed headlines now. This time the object that hit Jupiter may not be as spectacular as a comet but has generated interest in scientific community nonetheless. Also Read | Asteroid-deflecting NASA spacecraft begins final preparations On October 15, a flash in Jupiter's atmosphere attracted attention of skywatchers in Japan. A Twitter user who photographed the event told news websites that the flash appeared to last long. The flash was also observed by team of astronomers at Japan's Kyoto University. A space rock had collided with the gas giant. Also Read | China plans to extract oxygen from Moon's surface: Report According to Sky & Telescope, the space rock hit Jupiter's northern hemisphere. Space rocks, asteroids and even comets are attracted to Jupiter due to the planet's enormous gravity. The biggest planet in our solar system has a monstrous pull on objects venturing too close to it. The planet is jokingly called a 'vacuum cleaner' of the solar system but in all seriousness, Jupiter may have been the reason we are alive today because of it eating up a rogue asteroid heading our way in all these years.

Jupiter collides with a space rock, collision causes flash in its atmosphere

Astronomers have&nbsp;published the most detailed images yet seen of galaxies beyond our own, revealing their inner workings in unprecedented detail.&nbsp;

After almost a decade of work, the images were created from data collected by the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR), a radio telescope.

LOFAR is a network of more than 70,000 small antennae spread across nine European counties, with its core in Exloo, the Netherlands.&nbsp;

The new images&nbsp;push the boundaries of what we know about galaxies and supermassive black holes.

According to&nbsp;Dr. Neal Jackson of The University of Manchester,&nbsp;“These high-resolution images allow us to zoom in to see what’s really going on when super-massive black holes launch radio jets, which wasn’t possible before at frequencies near the FM radio band.”

Scientists believe that at some point, high-energy ultraviolet radiation from exploded stars split the intergalactic hydrogen atoms into electrons and protons. Once ionised, the hydrogen would be electrically conductive and no longer scatter light.

Those elements are forged by nuclear fusion inside stars, so either the galaxy contains the exploded remains of lots of massive stars or it formed in a region of space that had been previously seeded with the remnants of a prior generation of stars, scientists said.

“Our aim is that this allows the scientific community to use the whole European network of LOFAR telescopes for their own science, without having to spend years to become an expert,” said lead author&nbsp;Dr. Leah Morabito from&nbsp;Durham University.

The immense regions between star systems in a galaxy are not a complete vacuum. The stew of matter and radiation present in low densities,&nbsp;mostly gas,&nbsp;is called the interstellar medium.

About 15 per cent&nbsp;of the visible matter in our Milky Way galaxy is composed of this interstellar gas, dust, and energetic particles like cosmic rays.

Much of the interstellar medium is in what is called an ionised, or electrically charged, state called plasma.

Galaxies are surrounded by black holes that are extremely dense, with gravitational pulls so ferocious not even light escapes.

There are three categories of black holes. The smallest, like 'the Unicorn,' are so-called stellar-mass black holes formed by the gravitational collapse of a single star. There are gargantuan 'supermassive' black holes like the one at our galaxy's center, 26,000 light-years from Earth, which is four million times the sun's mass. A few intermediate-mass black holes also have been found with masses somewhere in between.

(With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers have published the most detailed images yet seen of galaxies beyond our own, revealing their inner workings in unprecedented detail. After almost a decade of work, the images were created from data collected by the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR), a radio telescope.

Astronomers have published the most detailed images yet seen of galaxies beyond our own, revealing their inner workings in unprecedented detail. After almost a decade of work, the images were created from data collected by the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR), a radio telescope. LOFAR is a network of more than 70,000 small antennae spread across nine European counties, with its core in Exloo, the Netherlands. The new images push the boundaries of what we know about galaxies and supermassive black holes. According to Dr. Neal Jackson of The University of Manchester, “These high-resolution images allow us to zoom in to see what’s really going on when super-massive black holes launch radio jets, which wasn’t possible before at frequencies near the FM radio band.” Scientists believe that at some point, high-energy ultraviolet radiation from exploded stars split the intergalactic hydrogen atoms into electrons and protons. Once ionised, the hydrogen would be electrically conductive and no longer scatter light. Those elements are forged by nuclear fusion inside stars, so either the galaxy contains the exploded remains of lots of massive stars or it formed in a region of space that had been previously seeded with the remnants of a prior generation of stars, scientists said. “Our aim is that this allows the scientific community to use the whole European network of LOFAR telescopes for their own science, without having to spend years to become an expert,” said lead author Dr. Leah Morabito from Durham University. The immense regions between star systems in a galaxy are not a complete vacuum. The stew of matter and radiation present in low densities, mostly gas, is called the interstellar medium. About 15 per cent of the visible matter in our Milky Way galaxy is composed of this interstellar gas, dust, and energetic particles like cosmic rays. Much of the interstellar medium is in what is called an ionised, or electrically charged, state called plasma. Galaxies are surrounded by black holes that are extremely dense, with gravitational pulls so ferocious not even light escapes. There are three categories of black holes. The smallest, like 'the Unicorn,' are so-called stellar-mass black holes formed by the gravitational collapse of a single star. There are gargantuan 'supermassive' black holes like the one at our galaxy's center, 26,000 light-years from Earth, which is four million times the sun's mass. A few intermediate-mass black holes also have been found with masses somewhere in between. (With inputs from agencies)

In high definition: Astronomers capture most detailed-ever images of galaxies

Scientists are blasting off a&nbsp;500-million-year-old 'blob' that can think into space that will be welcomed by astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Physarum Polycephalum better known as "blob", is a unicellular organism that is neither plant, mushroom nor animal and capable of learning despite its lack of neuron.

It has long fascinated scientists and will now be part of a unique experiment carried out simultaneously by astronauts hundreds of kilometres above the Earth and by hundreds of thousands of French school students.

The slime mould first appeared on Earth around 500 million years ago, and defies conventional&nbsp;biology&nbsp;because it is made up of one cell with multiple nuclei.&nbsp;

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/want-to-become-a-space-tourist-here-is-all-you-need-to-do-399437" hreflang="en">Want to become a space tourist? Here is all you need to do</a>

While most organisms grow and reproduce through the division and multiplication of cells, Physarum polycephalum does not.

"It is a single cell that grows without ever dividing," explains Pierre Ferrand, professor of Earth&nbsp;sciences&nbsp;and life seconded to French space agency CNES, one of the people behind the project.&nbsp;

Another oddity: "When most organisms make do with two sex types, the Blob has more than 720. It is an organism 'with drawers' which tells us that life consists of multitude originalities," he says.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/for-first-time-kepler-space-telescope-records-initial-phase-of-supernova-explosion-403448" hreflang="en">For first time, Kepler space telescope records initial phase of supernova explosion</a>

What one's cell can do?

A yellowish, spongy mass, the slime mould lacks a mouth, legs or brain. Yet despite these apparent disadvantages, the mould eats, grows, moves,&nbsp;albeit very slowly,&nbsp;and has amazing learning abilities.&nbsp;

Because the Blob's DNA floats freely around inside its cell walls,&nbsp;rather than being contained inside a nucleus,&nbsp;it can "slough off" parts of itself at will.&nbsp;

It can also enter a dormant state by dehydrating,&nbsp;called "sclerotia".

And it is several pieces of sclerotia that will embark on their odyssey aboard an ISS refuelling freighter.&nbsp;

When rehydrated in September, four sclerotia,&nbsp;each about the size of the average pinky fingernail,&nbsp;will be roused from their torpor in their Petri-dish beds.

The samples, both shorn from the same "parent Blob cell" (labelled by scientists as LU352), will undergo two protocols: one will deprive certain sub-Blobs of food; the others will be able to gorge out on a food source, porridge oats.

The goal is to observe the effects of weightlessness on this organism,&nbsp;&nbsp;but as an educational experience, a giant school experiment that reaches into space. There are no scientific papers expected as part of the mission's design.&nbsp;

"Nobody knows what its behaviour will be in a microgravity environment: what direction will it move in? Will it take the third dimension by going upwards, or go sideways?" asks Ferrand.

"I'll be curious to see if it develops by forming pillars," says Blob specialist Audrey Dussutour, director for the Centre for Research on Animal Cognition in Toulouse.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, back on Earth, thousands of specimens cut from the same LU352 strain will be distributed to about 4,500 schools and colleges in France.&nbsp;

"More than 350,000 students will 'touch' the Blob," says Christine Correcher, who runs the space agency's educational programme.

At the end of this month, teachers will receive kits containing three to five sclerotia.

When the sections of the Blob are revived in space, their cohorts will also be rehydrated on Earth.

Observations will then begin to compare the differences in how the samples in space adapt compared with those on Earth, which may cast light on fundamental questions surrounding the basic building blocks of life.

(With inputs from agencies)

Scientists are blasting off a 500-million-year-old 'blob' that can think into space that will be welcomed by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Physarum Polycephalum better known as "blob", is a unicellular organism that is neither plant, mushroom nor animal and capable of learning despite its lack of neuron.

Scientists are blasting off a 500-million-year-old 'blob' that can think into space that will be welcomed by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Physarum Polycephalum better known as "blob", is a unicellular organism that is neither plant, mushroom nor animal and capable of learning despite its lack of neuron. It has long fascinated scientists and will now be part of a unique experiment carried out simultaneously by astronauts hundreds of kilometres above the Earth and by hundreds of thousands of French school students. The slime mould first appeared on Earth around 500 million years ago, and defies conventional biology because it is made up of one cell with multiple nuclei. Also see | Want to become a space tourist? Here is all you need to do While most organisms grow and reproduce through the division and multiplication of cells, Physarum polycephalum does not. "It is a single cell that grows without ever dividing," explains Pierre Ferrand, professor of Earth sciences and life seconded to French space agency CNES, one of the people behind the project. Another oddity: "When most organisms make do with two sex types, the Blob has more than 720. It is an organism 'with drawers' which tells us that life consists of multitude originalities," he says. Also read | For first time, Kepler space telescope records initial phase of supernova explosion What one's cell can do? A yellowish, spongy mass, the slime mould lacks a mouth, legs or brain. Yet despite these apparent disadvantages, the mould eats, grows, moves, albeit very slowly, and has amazing learning abilities. Because the Blob's DNA floats freely around inside its cell walls, rather than being contained inside a nucleus, it can "slough off" parts of itself at will. It can also enter a dormant state by dehydrating, called "sclerotia". And it is several pieces of sclerotia that will embark on their odyssey aboard an ISS refuelling freighter. When rehydrated in September, four sclerotia, each about the size of the average pinky fingernail, will be roused from their torpor in their Petri-dish beds. The samples, both shorn from the same "parent Blob cell" (labelled by scientists as LU352), will undergo two protocols: one will deprive certain sub-Blobs of food; the others will be able to gorge out on a food source, porridge oats. The goal is to observe the effects of weightlessness on this organism, but as an educational experience, a giant school experiment that reaches into space. There are no scientific papers expected as part of the mission's design. "Nobody knows what its behaviour will be in a microgravity environment: what direction will it move in? Will it take the third dimension by going upwards, or go sideways?" asks Ferrand. "I'll be curious to see if it develops by forming pillars," says Blob specialist Audrey Dussutour, director for the Centre for Research on Animal Cognition in Toulouse. Meanwhile, back on Earth, thousands of specimens cut from the same LU352 strain will be distributed to about 4,500 schools and colleges in France. "More than 350,000 students will 'touch' the Blob," says Christine Correcher, who runs the space agency's educational programme. At the end of this month, teachers will receive kits containing three to five sclerotia. When the sections of the Blob are revived in space, their cohorts will also be rehydrated on Earth. Observations will then begin to compare the differences in how the samples in space adapt compared with those on Earth, which may cast light on fundamental questions surrounding the basic building blocks of life. (With inputs from agencies)

Scientists are sending a 500-million-year-old 'blob' that can think into space

The Hubble Space Telescope recently discovered water vapour around Jupiter's moon Ganymede &nbsp;- the largest moon in our solar system.

The water vapour is formed around the icy surface of the moon through the process of sublimation in which the vapour turns into gaseous form from solid. To detect this water vapour, astronomers used a combination of fresh observations and archival content from the Hubble Telescope, in a study published on Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Ganymede is the ninth-largest object in our solar system and contains more water than all of of the oceans on Earth. According to previous research, Jupiter's moon is 2.4 times smaller than Earth. Jupiter moon's is a cold body, with temperatures that can drop as low as -184 degree Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit). The surface of the moon is made up of frozen water ice shell.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/earths-vital-signs-are-worsening-due-to-climate-change-scientists-warn-401135" hreflang="en">Earth's 'vital signs' are worsening due to climate change, scientists warn</a>

At least 161 kilometres (100 miles) below the moon's crust lies a salty ocean. Earlier, researchers were convinced that the ocean couldn't have evaporated from the ice shell to create vapour.

The moon is named after an ancient Greek divine hero and is also the only moon to possess a magnetic field, which produces auroras on the moon's north and south poles. The first ultraviolet images of Ganymede were captured by the Hubble in 1998 which revealed these auroras. The same telescope was used in 1996 with no clear indications about the peculiar features of the moon.

Ganymede doesn't have a persistent temperature across the day and it changes significantly over the duration of the day - during noon, the moon's equator becomes warm enough for&nbsp;the ice to sublimate or to essentially release water molecules in small amounts.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-to-search-for-signs-of-extraterrestrial-technology-401116" hreflang="en">Scientists to search for signs of extraterrestrial technology</a>

This helped scientists understand the differences in two sets of images taken by the Hubble Telescope. NASA's Juno mission recently released the first close-up images taken in the last two decades.

The Hubble Space Telescope recently discovered water vapour around Jupiter's moon Ganymede - the largest moon in our solar system. The water vapour is formed around the icy surface of the moon through the process of sublimation in which the vapour turns into gaseous form from solid.

The Hubble Space Telescope recently discovered water vapour around Jupiter's moon Ganymede - the largest moon in our solar system. The water vapour is formed around the icy surface of the moon through the process of sublimation in which the vapour turns into gaseous form from solid. To detect this water vapour, astronomers used a combination of fresh observations and archival content from the Hubble Telescope, in a study published on Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy. Ganymede is the ninth-largest object in our solar system and contains more water than all of of the oceans on Earth. According to previous research, Jupiter's moon is 2.4 times smaller than Earth. Jupiter moon's is a cold body, with temperatures that can drop as low as -184 degree Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit). The surface of the moon is made up of frozen water ice shell. Also read: Earth's 'vital signs' are worsening due to climate change, scientists warn At least 161 kilometres (100 miles) below the moon's crust lies a salty ocean. Earlier, researchers were convinced that the ocean couldn't have evaporated from the ice shell to create vapour. The moon is named after an ancient Greek divine hero and is also the only moon to possess a magnetic field, which produces auroras on the moon's north and south poles. The first ultraviolet images of Ganymede were captured by the Hubble in 1998 which revealed these auroras. The same telescope was used in 1996 with no clear indications about the peculiar features of the moon. Ganymede doesn't have a persistent temperature across the day and it changes significantly over the duration of the day - during noon, the moon's equator becomes warm enough for the ice to sublimate or to essentially release water molecules in small amounts. Also read: Scientists to search for signs of extraterrestrial technology This helped scientists understand the differences in two sets of images taken by the Hubble Telescope. NASA's Juno mission recently released the first close-up images taken in the last two decades.

Hubble discovers water vapour around Jupiter's Ganymede, largest moon in our solar system

NASA's&nbsp;administrator and former US senator Bill Nelson recently opined on the ongoing debacle about the existence of aliens, propelled partly by the intelligence&nbsp;reports released by US authorities on UFO sightings.

“The report basically says what we thought. We don’t know the answer to what those Navy pilots saw but they know that they know something”, Nelson told CNN this week.

“They tracked it and locked their radar on to it. It moved quickly from one location to another”, he added.

The classified report mentions Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) but fails to identify the objects and is largely inconclusive. “The report tells us that there have been 140 of these sightings”, Nelson said while adding that NASA scientists are currently assessing the footage from a scientific point of view.&nbsp;

“My feeling is that there is clearly something there. It may not be an extraterrestrial [object]”, he added while suggesting that these aircraft could belong to the adversaries of US, which he called extremely concerning.&nbsp;

The NASA administrator talked about the agency’s ongoing programmes that focus on finding extraterrestrial life, while suggesting that they could find no technology linking the objects to alien life.

“People are hungry to know”, Nelson said while referring to the Navy videos which caused a fury on social media and ignited global interest in aliens potentially lurking in the shadows.&nbsp;

“Are we alone? Personally, I don’t think we are”, Nelson said while stressing on the vastness of the universe.&nbsp;

On the possibility of alien life elsewhere in the universe, Nelson spoke about recent evidence of conditions necessary for life to persist. “We are already finding examples of other planets around other suns”, he said.

Speaking briefly about the upcoming November launch of the James Webb Telescope, Nelson said that the tech “will peek back in time… almost to the beginning”, which could answer a lot of questions about the formation of our solar system and perhaps the universe itself.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/watch-with-help-from-a-cosmic-hand-scientists-capture-death-of-a-star-394431" hreflang="en">Watch | With help from a 'cosmic hand', scientists capture death of a star</a>

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/china-releases-video-of-zhurong-mars-rover-394304" hreflang="en">China releases video of Zhurong Mars rover</a>

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/how-nasas-plans-to-send-detergent-to-iss-could-change-space-exploration-393320" hreflang="en">How NASA's plans to send detergent to ISS could change space exploration</a>

NASA's administrator and former US senator Bill Nelson recently opined on the ongoing debacle about the existence of aliens, propelled partly by the intelligence reports released by US authorities on UFO sightings.

NASA's administrator and former US senator Bill Nelson recently opined on the ongoing debacle about the existence of aliens, propelled partly by the intelligence reports released by US authorities on UFO sightings. “The report basically says what we thought. We don’t know the answer to what those Navy pilots saw but they know that they know something”, Nelson told CNN this week. “They tracked it and locked their radar on to it. It moved quickly from one location to another”, he added. The classified report mentions Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) but fails to identify the objects and is largely inconclusive. “The report tells us that there have been 140 of these sightings”, Nelson said while adding that NASA scientists are currently assessing the footage from a scientific point of view. “My feeling is that there is clearly something there. It may not be an extraterrestrial [object]”, he added while suggesting that these aircraft could belong to the adversaries of US, which he called extremely concerning. The NASA administrator talked about the agency’s ongoing programmes that focus on finding extraterrestrial life, while suggesting that they could find no technology linking the objects to alien life. “People are hungry to know”, Nelson said while referring to the Navy videos which caused a fury on social media and ignited global interest in aliens potentially lurking in the shadows. “Are we alone? Personally, I don’t think we are”, Nelson said while stressing on the vastness of the universe. On the possibility of alien life elsewhere in the universe, Nelson spoke about recent evidence of conditions necessary for life to persist. “We are already finding examples of other planets around other suns”, he said. Speaking briefly about the upcoming November launch of the James Webb Telescope, Nelson said that the tech “will peek back in time… almost to the beginning”, which could answer a lot of questions about the formation of our solar system and perhaps the universe itself. Also read: Watch | With help from a 'cosmic hand', scientists capture death of a star Also read: China releases video of Zhurong Mars rover Also read: How NASA's plans to send detergent to ISS could change space exploration

NASA administrator Bill Nelson hints at possibility of alien life in new interview

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is known to push the boundaries of space exploration and research. Now, the agency has upped its game to provide a pleasant experience for astronauts who surrender themselves to solve the universe’s mysteries.

Life in space is extremely difficult for humans. At the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts spend a long time acclimatising to changes in terms of the basic physical laws that define our lives - including gravity.

Now, to make laundry easy aboard the station, the space agency is collaborating with Procter and Gamble. NASA wants to find a permanent solution to the laundry loophole. To achieve this, the company will undertake a series of experiments using specially designed detergents.

Procter and Gamble announced on Tuesday that it would collaborate with NASA on the experiment.

What do astronauts do for laundry aboard&nbsp;ISS?

Water is an essential resource, especially on the space station where the supply is limited. Due to this, there are no provisions for laundry aboard the station and astronauts simply jettison their used clothes.

In the absence of laundry mechanisms, NASA sends 72 kilograms (160 pounds) of clothing per crew member to the station every year. With private players eyeing farther off planets like Mars, astronauts need a long-term sustainable solution to washing clothes.

The pilot tests of “NASA Tide” will assess the effects of micro-gravity and radiation and are set to take place on a cargo flight to the ISS next year. Eventually, the testing will happen at the space station itself. Most of the equipment to carry out the tests is already available on the ISS, but P&amp;G will send some paraphernalia for image analysis to the station.

That’s not it! At the same time, identical experiments will take place on Earth. Scientists will use the same material to study the differences and similarities.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/heres-how-you-can-watch-the-luminous-strawberry-supermoon-this-thursday-393290" hreflang="en">Here's how you can watch the luminous 'Strawberry Supermoon' this Thursday</a>

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/in-a-first-new-3d-map-reveals-details-about-the-edge-of-our-solar-system-393123" hreflang="en">In a first, new 3D map reveals details about the edge of our solar system</a>

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/we-finally-know-what-causes-mesmerising-auroras-in-polar-night-skies-393085" hreflang="en">We finally know what causes mesmerising auroras in polar night skies!</a>

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is known to push the boundaries of space exploration and research. Now, the agency has upped its game to provide a pleasant experience for astronauts who surrender themselves to solve the universe’s mysteries.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is known to push the boundaries of space exploration and research. Now, the agency has upped its game to provide a pleasant experience for astronauts who surrender themselves to solve the universe’s mysteries. Life in space is extremely difficult for humans. At the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts spend a long time acclimatising to changes in terms of the basic physical laws that define our lives - including gravity. Now, to make laundry easy aboard the station, the space agency is collaborating with Procter and Gamble. NASA wants to find a permanent solution to the laundry loophole. To achieve this, the company will undertake a series of experiments using specially designed detergents. Procter and Gamble announced on Tuesday that it would collaborate with NASA on the experiment. What do astronauts do for laundry aboard ISS? Water is an essential resource, especially on the space station where the supply is limited. Due to this, there are no provisions for laundry aboard the station and astronauts simply jettison their used clothes. In the absence of laundry mechanisms, NASA sends 72 kilograms (160 pounds) of clothing per crew member to the station every year. With private players eyeing farther off planets like Mars, astronauts need a long-term sustainable solution to washing clothes. The pilot tests of “NASA Tide” will assess the effects of micro-gravity and radiation and are set to take place on a cargo flight to the ISS next year. Eventually, the testing will happen at the space station itself. Most of the equipment to carry out the tests is already available on the ISS, but P&G will send some paraphernalia for image analysis to the station. That’s not it! At the same time, identical experiments will take place on Earth. Scientists will use the same material to study the differences and similarities. Also read: Here's how you can watch the luminous 'Strawberry Supermoon' this Thursday Also read: In a first, new 3D map reveals details about the edge of our solar system Also read: We finally know what causes mesmerising auroras in polar night skies!

How NASA's plans to send detergent to ISS could change space exploration

Finding alien life has long been a preoccupation of the human mind. Scientists and artists have both cast their imagination and vision in this direction. Till today though, we haven't heard from our counterparts from space. Bt research in this direction goes on. Hunt for the alien life continues.

Now scientists from the University of Concepción in Chile have concluded that 'rogue planets' in space may have moons with conditions conducive to life. The scientists made a mathematical model and based on this, have concluded that some of the 'exomoons' may have conditions for liquid water as well as atmosphere.

What are rogue planets?

Rogue planets are planets without a star. These planets roam the skies without being bound to a star. Rogue planets may have natural satellites and these are generally referred to as exomoons. Since rogue planets do not have a star, it has no heat source.

But as per the mathematical model drawn up by the scientists, cosmic radiation and gravitational effect of the rogue planet create just enough heat for liquid water and atmosphere to exits. Though the amount of water would be much much less than what it would be on Earth, it may well be the first step towards forming alien life.

Not all life needs light to survive, although Earth derives all its energy from the Sun, there are lifeforms deep, deep within the oceans who survive on heat emitted by Earth. Sunlight does not reach those depths.

It is hence quite possible for life to thrive in the waters of exomoons. We haven't found a conclusive proof of this yet. But imagine if one fine day, we woke up to a proven fact that we are indeed not alone in the universe!

The research by the scientists has been published in scientific journal International Journal of Astrobiology.

Finding alien life has long been a preoccupation of the human mind. Scientists and artists have both cast their imagination and vision in this direction. Till today though, we haven't heard from our counterparts from space.

Finding alien life has long been a preoccupation of the human mind. Scientists and artists have both cast their imagination and vision in this direction. Till today though, we haven't heard from our counterparts from space. Bt research in this direction goes on. Hunt for the alien life continues. Now scientists from the University of Concepción in Chile have concluded that 'rogue planets' in space may have moons with conditions conducive to life. The scientists made a mathematical model and based on this, have concluded that some of the 'exomoons' may have conditions for liquid water as well as atmosphere. What are rogue planets? Rogue planets are planets without a star. These planets roam the skies without being bound to a star. Rogue planets may have natural satellites and these are generally referred to as exomoons. Since rogue planets do not have a star, it has no heat source. But as per the mathematical model drawn up by the scientists, cosmic radiation and gravitational effect of the rogue planet create just enough heat for liquid water and atmosphere to exits. Though the amount of water would be much much less than what it would be on Earth, it may well be the first step towards forming alien life. Not all life needs light to survive, although Earth derives all its energy from the Sun, there are lifeforms deep, deep within the oceans who survive on heat emitted by Earth. Sunlight does not reach those depths. It is hence quite possible for life to thrive in the waters of exomoons. We haven't found a conclusive proof of this yet. But imagine if one fine day, we woke up to a proven fact that we are indeed not alone in the universe! The research by the scientists has been published in scientific journal International Journal of Astrobiology.

Rogue planets with habitable exomoons may have alien life

The big news about the sun is that there is no big news. We are blessed, astronomers like to say, to be living next to a “boring star.”

But the inhabitants (if there are any) of the planets orbiting the neighbouring star Proxima Centauri, only 4.2 light-years away, are less fortunate. In April astronomers announced that a massive flare had erupted from its surface in 2019. For seven seconds, as a battery of telescopes on Earth and in space watched, the little star had increased its output of ultraviolet radiation 14,000-fold, in one of the most violent such flares ever seen in our galaxy.

This was more than serious sunburn territory. “A human being on this planet would have a bad time,” said Meredith MacGregor, an astronomy professor at the University of Colorado who led the worldwide observing effort.

Space weather on this scale could sterilise potentially habitable planets, and could augur bad news for the search for life beyond this solar system. Even mild space weather can be disruptive to creatures already evolved and settled; sunspots and solar storms, which wax and wane in an 11-year cycle, spray energy that can endanger spacecraft, astronauts and communication systems.

A new cycle of storms will begin any day now, and astrophysicists are divided on how active or threatening it will be. The sun may be about to set records for sunspot numbers and violent storms, or it may be sliding into a decline like the Maunder Minimum, from 1645 to 1715, when hardly any sunspots appeared — a period that became known in Europe as the Little Ice Age.

Cosmic mortgage payments

“We live in the atmosphere of a star,” as Scott McIntosh, a solar physicist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, often says. “As a civilisation we take our star for granted.”

Here, 93 million miles from the nearest star — the one we call our sun — we exist and mostly thrive on the edge of almost incomprehensible violence and complexity.

The sun is a medium-size star, a ball of blazing-hot ionised gas one million miles in diameter. Its large inside rotates faster than its outside, and the outer layers rotate faster at the equator than at the poles. The result is a snarled nest of magnetic fields, which manifest as sunspots and worse when they break the surface.

Every second, thermonuclear reactions in the centre&nbsp;of the sun burn 600 million tons of hydrogen into 596 million tons of helium. The missing 4 million tons, turned into pure energy, constitute the mortgage payment for all the life on Earth and perhaps elsewhere in the solar system. As the energy emerges from the sun, it rises through successively cooler and less dense layers of gas and finally, 100,000 years later, from the photosphere, or surface, where the temperature is a mere 5,700 kelvins, or 9,800 degrees Fahrenheit.

The sun is amazingly consistent in making these mortgage payments. A few years ago an experiment in Italy confirmed that our star does not seem to have changed its energy output in at least the last 100,000 years, the time it takes that energy to migrate from the sun’s core. The researchers were able to calculate how much energy the sun produces in real time, by measuring subatomic particles called neutrinos that are produced by nuclear reactions inside the sun, escape in seconds and reach Earth in just eight minutes. This energy, they found, matched the output that was generated 100,000 years ago and is only now detectable.

The action doesn’t stop at the sun’s surface. That friendly yellow photosphere boils like oatmeal and is pocked with dark magnetic storms (the infamous sunspots) that crackle, whirl and lash space with showers of electrical particles and radiation. The corona, composed of thin, superhot streamers of electrified gas, and visible only during solar eclipses, extends millions of miles from the glowing surface.

Things sometimes go wrong, although so far on a scale far below the outbursts seen on Proxima Centauri. As the magnetic fields generated by all that swirling, electrified gas emerge on the sun’s surface, they become twisted and tangled. Eventually they snap and reconnect in loops, releasing enormous amounts of radiation and charged particles — an explosive solar flare that can be more powerful than millions of hydrogen bombs.

Cloudy with a chance of sunspots

Such storms are more likely to occur during the high points of the sun’s mysterious 11-year cycle of sunspot activity.

Lately, the sunspot cycles have been getting weaker. During the last cycle, 101 spots were observed on the sun in 2014, the year of peak activity; that was well below the historical average of 160 to 240.

Last year, a committee of scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast that the coming cycle would be similarly anemic, with a peak in 2025 of about 115 sunspots.

But McIntosh and his colleagues have produced a radically different forecast, of more than 200 sunspots at its peak. The 11-year sunspot cycle, they say, based on an analysis of 140 years of solar measurements, belies a more fundamental 22-year Hale cycle, named after its discoverer, George Ellery Hale. During that period the sun’s magnetic field reverses its polarity, then switches back.

Each cycle ends or begins when two bands of magnetism, migrating from opposite, high latitudes of the sun, meet at the equator and annihilate each other. On average each phase of the cycle takes 11 years, but it can vary.

McIntosh and his team found that the longer a cycle went on, the weaker the next cycle would be, and vice versa. The current cycle, the 24th since record-keeping started, shows every sign of ending after a little more than 10 years — shorter than average, which means the next cycle should be strong.

“Sunspot Cycle 25 could have a magnitude that rivals the top few since records began,” McIntosh said in late April. On Thursday, he and his team were still waiting for “ignition” to begin. “It is very, very close,” he wrote in an email. “We are watching very closely.”

The elephant and the stars

At stake, besides the health of our planetary infrastructure, is the pride that astronomers take in feeling that they understand the complicated and violent processes going on behind the sun’s relatively calm face.

“I think the problem with the sun is that we’re too close to it, and so there’s too much data about the sun,” Dr. McIntosh said. He called it a breaker of models: “Your models are going to fail eventually. It’s part of the reason why it’s so hard to forecast the weather, right? Because our observations are so detailed, but you know it’s hard to get it absolutely right.”

Tony Phillips, an astronomer who runs the website Spaceweather.com, agreed in an email. “In my experience, when people really understand something, they can explain it simply,” he said. “It is striking to me that almost no one in the solar-cycle prediction business can explain their favourite dynamo model in a way that lay people can ‘get it.’”

The situation reminded him of the proverbial blind men who try to produce a Theory of Elephants, with one of them focused solely on feeling the animal’s trunk.

“Scott and Bob are standing off to the side shouting, ‘Hey, you guys are ignoring most of the elephant,’” he said. “In other words, there’s more to the solar cycle than is commonly assumed by conventional models. And so, according to Scott, they are doomed to get the big picture wrong.”

Jay Pasachoff, an astronomer at Williams College who has spent his life observing the corona during solar eclipses, said he did not put much store in such forecasts. In an email, he recounted a meeting during the last cycle that had “an amusing set of talks.”

The conversation, as he recalled it, went: “The next cycle will be stronger than average, the next cycle will be weaker than average, the next cycle will be either stronger than average or weaker than average, the next cycle will be neither stronger than average nor weaker than average.”

He added, “So my plan is to wait and see.”

The big news about the sun is that there is no big news. We are blessed, astronomers like to say, to be living next to a “boring star.” But the inhabitants (if there are any) of the planets orbiting the neighbouring star Proxima Centauri, only 4.

The big news about the sun is that there is no big news. We are blessed, astronomers like to say, to be living next to a “boring star.” But the inhabitants (if there are any) of the planets orbiting the neighbouring star Proxima Centauri, only 4.2 light-years away, are less fortunate. In April astronomers announced that a massive flare had erupted from its surface in 2019. For seven seconds, as a battery of telescopes on Earth and in space watched, the little star had increased its output of ultraviolet radiation 14,000-fold, in one of the most violent such flares ever seen in our galaxy. This was more than serious sunburn territory. “A human being on this planet would have a bad time,” said Meredith MacGregor, an astronomy professor at the University of Colorado who led the worldwide observing effort. Space weather on this scale could sterilise potentially habitable planets, and could augur bad news for the search for life beyond this solar system. Even mild space weather can be disruptive to creatures already evolved and settled; sunspots and solar storms, which wax and wane in an 11-year cycle, spray energy that can endanger spacecraft, astronauts and communication systems. A new cycle of storms will begin any day now, and astrophysicists are divided on how active or threatening it will be. The sun may be about to set records for sunspot numbers and violent storms, or it may be sliding into a decline like the Maunder Minimum, from 1645 to 1715, when hardly any sunspots appeared — a period that became known in Europe as the Little Ice Age. Cosmic mortgage payments “We live in the atmosphere of a star,” as Scott McIntosh, a solar physicist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, often says. “As a civilisation we take our star for granted.” Here, 93 million miles from the nearest star — the one we call our sun — we exist and mostly thrive on the edge of almost incomprehensible violence and complexity. The sun is a medium-size star, a ball of blazing-hot ionised gas one million miles in diameter. Its large inside rotates faster than its outside, and the outer layers rotate faster at the equator than at the poles. The result is a snarled nest of magnetic fields, which manifest as sunspots and worse when they break the surface. Every second, thermonuclear reactions in the centre of the sun burn 600 million tons of hydrogen into 596 million tons of helium. The missing 4 million tons, turned into pure energy, constitute the mortgage payment for all the life on Earth and perhaps elsewhere in the solar system. As the energy emerges from the sun, it rises through successively cooler and less dense layers of gas and finally, 100,000 years later, from the photosphere, or surface, where the temperature is a mere 5,700 kelvins, or 9,800 degrees Fahrenheit. The sun is amazingly consistent in making these mortgage payments. A few years ago an experiment in Italy confirmed that our star does not seem to have changed its energy output in at least the last 100,000 years, the time it takes that energy to migrate from the sun’s core. The researchers were able to calculate how much energy the sun produces in real time, by measuring subatomic particles called neutrinos that are produced by nuclear reactions inside the sun, escape in seconds and reach Earth in just eight minutes. This energy, they found, matched the output that was generated 100,000 years ago and is only now detectable. The action doesn’t stop at the sun’s surface. That friendly yellow photosphere boils like oatmeal and is pocked with dark magnetic storms (the infamous sunspots) that crackle, whirl and lash space with showers of electrical particles and radiation. The corona, composed of thin, superhot streamers of electrified gas, and visible only during solar eclipses, extends millions of miles from the glowing surface. Things sometimes go wrong, although so far on a scale far below the outbursts seen on Proxima Centauri. As the magnetic fields generated by all that swirling, electrified gas emerge on the sun’s surface, they become twisted and tangled. Eventually they snap and reconnect in loops, releasing enormous amounts of radiation and charged particles — an explosive solar flare that can be more powerful than millions of hydrogen bombs. Cloudy with a chance of sunspots Such storms are more likely to occur during the high points of the sun’s mysterious 11-year cycle of sunspot activity. Lately, the sunspot cycles have been getting weaker. During the last cycle, 101 spots were observed on the sun in 2014, the year of peak activity; that was well below the historical average of 160 to 240. Last year, a committee of scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast that the coming cycle would be similarly anemic, with a peak in 2025 of about 115 sunspots. But McIntosh and his colleagues have produced a radically different forecast, of more than 200 sunspots at its peak. The 11-year sunspot cycle, they say, based on an analysis of 140 years of solar measurements, belies a more fundamental 22-year Hale cycle, named after its discoverer, George Ellery Hale. During that period the sun’s magnetic field reverses its polarity, then switches back. Each cycle ends or begins when two bands of magnetism, migrating from opposite, high latitudes of the sun, meet at the equator and annihilate each other. On average each phase of the cycle takes 11 years, but it can vary. McIntosh and his team found that the longer a cycle went on, the weaker the next cycle would be, and vice versa. The current cycle, the 24th since record-keeping started, shows every sign of ending after a little more than 10 years — shorter than average, which means the next cycle should be strong. “Sunspot Cycle 25 could have a magnitude that rivals the top few since records began,” McIntosh said in late April. On Thursday, he and his team were still waiting for “ignition” to begin. “It is very, very close,” he wrote in an email. “We are watching very closely.” The elephant and the stars At stake, besides the health of our planetary infrastructure, is the pride that astronomers take in feeling that they understand the complicated and violent processes going on behind the sun’s relatively calm face. “I think the problem with the sun is that we’re too close to it, and so there’s too much data about the sun,” Dr. McIntosh said. He called it a breaker of models: “Your models are going to fail eventually. It’s part of the reason why it’s so hard to forecast the weather, right? Because our observations are so detailed, but you know it’s hard to get it absolutely right.” Tony Phillips, an astronomer who runs the website Spaceweather.com, agreed in an email. “In my experience, when people really understand something, they can explain it simply,” he said. “It is striking to me that almost no one in the solar-cycle prediction business can explain their favourite dynamo model in a way that lay people can ‘get it.’” The situation reminded him of the proverbial blind men who try to produce a Theory of Elephants, with one of them focused solely on feeling the animal’s trunk. “Scott and Bob are standing off to the side shouting, ‘Hey, you guys are ignoring most of the elephant,’” he said. “In other words, there’s more to the solar cycle than is commonly assumed by conventional models. And so, according to Scott, they are doomed to get the big picture wrong.” Jay Pasachoff, an astronomer at Williams College who has spent his life observing the corona during solar eclipses, said he did not put much store in such forecasts. In an email, he recounted a meeting during the last cycle that had “an amusing set of talks.” The conversation, as he recalled it, went: “The next cycle will be stronger than average, the next cycle will be weaker than average, the next cycle will be either stronger than average or weaker than average, the next cycle will be neither stronger than average nor weaker than average.” He added, “So my plan is to wait and see.”

Will the next space-weather season be stormy or fair?

NASA recently released a mesmerising image of our galaxy’s hub. Dubbed as Milky Way’s “downtown”, the picture is a composite of at least 370 observations made over the last 20 yeas by Chandra X-ray Observatory.

The image shows countless stars and black holes situated in the heart of Milky Way galaxy. A South African telescope was also used to add contrast to the image.

Daniel Wang from the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Friday told Associated Press that he had been working on the image for a year during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic. He referred to the image as a “violent or energetic ecosystem in our galaxy’s downtown”.

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Unravel the threads of superheated gas and magnetic fields that make up the tapestry of energy of our Milky Way galaxy. 🌌 
 
A new image from <a href="https://twitter.com/chandraxray?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChandraXray</a> brings to life the giant mosaic of data that weaves together this cosmic masterpiece. Discover more: <a href="https://t.co/UJZMMDe2Zg">https://t.co/UJZMMDe2Zg</a> <a href="https://t.co/jkNgFXk2z2">pic.twitter.com/jkNgFXk2z2</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1398059950065262593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The Milky Way’s extremely energised downtown is situated 26,000 light years away.&nbsp; According to Wang, the image represents an array of celestial objects - from remains of supernova to black holes.&nbsp;

The detailed research was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society’s June 2021 issue.

This is not the only visual marvel to depict the Milky Way this year. In March, an astrophotographer did the unthinkable by capturing the Milky Way! Finnish photographer JP Metsavainio spent 12 years putting together 234 frames of images at 125 degrees to create a mosaic of the sky.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/astrophotographer-creates-a-remarkable-mosaic-of-the-milky-way-galaxy-372060" hreflang="en">Astrophotographer creates a remarkable mosaic of the Milky Way galaxy</a>

The panorama created by the photographer shows 20 million stars and was finished on March 16. Each image part of the mosaic is an artwork in its own right and has&nbsp;been made available on his blog.&nbsp;

NASA says that the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years long.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/astronomers-discover-how-the-milky-way-galaxy-was-formed-386009" hreflang="en">Astronomers discover how the Milky Way galaxy was formed</a>

NASA recently released a mesmerising image of our galaxy’s hub. Dubbed as Milky Way’s “downtown”, the picture is a composite of at least 370 observations made over the last 20 yeas by Chandra X-ray Observatory.

NASA recently released a mesmerising image of our galaxy’s hub. Dubbed as Milky Way’s “downtown”, the picture is a composite of at least 370 observations made over the last 20 yeas by Chandra X-ray Observatory. The image shows countless stars and black holes situated in the heart of Milky Way galaxy. A South African telescope was also used to add contrast to the image. Daniel Wang from the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Friday told Associated Press that he had been working on the image for a year during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic. He referred to the image as a “violent or energetic ecosystem in our galaxy’s downtown”. Unravel the threads of superheated gas and magnetic fields that make up the tapestry of energy of our Milky Way galaxy. 🌌 A new image from @ChandraXray brings to life the giant mosaic of data that weaves together this cosmic masterpiece. Discover more: https://t.co/UJZMMDe2Zg pic.twitter.com/jkNgFXk2z2 — NASA (@NASA) May 27, 2021 × The Milky Way’s extremely energised downtown is situated 26,000 light years away. According to Wang, the image represents an array of celestial objects - from remains of supernova to black holes. The detailed research was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society’s June 2021 issue. This is not the only visual marvel to depict the Milky Way this year. In March, an astrophotographer did the unthinkable by capturing the Milky Way! Finnish photographer JP Metsavainio spent 12 years putting together 234 frames of images at 125 degrees to create a mosaic of the sky. Also read: Astrophotographer creates a remarkable mosaic of the Milky Way galaxy The panorama created by the photographer shows 20 million stars and was finished on March 16. Each image part of the mosaic is an artwork in its own right and has been made available on his blog. NASA says that the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years long. Also read: Astronomers discover how the Milky Way galaxy was formed

NASA shares glimpse of Milky Way's energy-packed 'downtown'

It is easy to compare the space junk problem to climate change. Human activities leave too many dead satellites and fragments of machinery discarded in Earth orbit. If left unchecked, space junk could pose significant problems for future generations — rendering access to space increasingly difficult, or at worst, impossible.

Yet the two may come to be linked. Our planet’s atmosphere naturally pulls orbiting debris downward and incinerates it in the thicker lower atmosphere, but increasing carbon dioxide levels are lowering the density of the upper atmosphere, which may diminish this effect. A study presented last month at the European Conference on Space Debris says that the problem has been underestimated, and that the amount of space junk in orbit could, in a worst-case scenario, increase 50 times by 2100.

“The numbers took us by surprise,” said Hugh Lewis, a space debris expert from the University of Southampton in England and a co-author on the paper, which will be submitted for peer review in the coming months. “There is genuine cause for alarm.”

Our atmosphere is a useful ally in clearing up space junk. Collisions with its molecules cause drag, pulling objects back into the atmosphere. Below 300 miles above the Earth's surface, most objects will naturally decay into the thicker lower atmosphere and burn up in less than 10 years.

In the lower atmosphere, carbon dioxide molecules can rerelease infrared radiation after absorbing it from the sun, which is then trapped by the thick atmosphere as heat. But above 60 miles where the atmosphere is thinner, the opposite is true. “There’s nothing to recapture that energy,” said Matthew Brown, also from the University of Southampton and the paper’s lead author. “So it gets lost into space.”

The escape of heat causes the volume of the atmosphere, and thus its density, to decrease. Since 2000, Brown and his team say the atmosphere at 250 miles has lost 21% of its density because of rising carbon dioxide levels. By 2100, if carbon dioxide levels double their current levels — in line with the worst-case scenario assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change — that number could rise to 80%.

For space junk, the implications are stark. More than 2,500 objects larger than 4 inches in size currently orbit at or below an altitude of 250 miles. In the worst-case scenario, increased orbital lifetimes of up to 40 years would mean fewer items are dragged into the lower atmosphere. Objects at this altitude would proliferate by 50 times to about 125,000.

Even in a best-case scenario, where carbon dioxide levels stabilize or even reverse, the amount of space junk would still be expected to double. Brown thinks a more probable outcome is somewhere in between, perhaps a 10 times or 20 times increase.

The research is “very important work,” said John Emmert, an atmospheric scientist at the US&nbsp;Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., who has studied atmospheric density loss. However, Emmert says more research is needed to understand the severity of the problem — with the impact of the sun’s solar cycle also known to be a major factor in atmospheric density changes.

The findings may also pose challenges for regulators and satellite operators, especially SpaceX, Amazon and other companies seeking to build megaconstellations of thousands of satellites to beam internet service down to the ground from low Earth orbit.

Just last month, for example, the US&nbsp;Federal Communications Commission approved a request from SpaceX to decrease the orbits of nearly 3,000 satellites in its Starlink constellation, reasoning that atmospheric drag would naturally sweep up dead satellites and debris in a reasonable amount of time.

Research by Brown and his team suggests that assumption may be flawed.

An FCC spokesman said that most of its applicants currently used NASA’s Debris Assessment Software to predict lifetimes of satellites in low Earth orbit. “We do not know at this time if there are any plans to change that program to address the changes in atmospheric composition predicted in the paper,” he said. “The FCC periodically reviews its rules and regulations and updates them consistent with developments in the marketplace and in scientific knowledge.”

It is easy to compare the space junk problem to climate change. Human activities leave too many dead satellites and fragments of machinery discarded in Earth orbit.

It is easy to compare the space junk problem to climate change. Human activities leave too many dead satellites and fragments of machinery discarded in Earth orbit. If left unchecked, space junk could pose significant problems for future generations — rendering access to space increasingly difficult, or at worst, impossible. Yet the two may come to be linked. Our planet’s atmosphere naturally pulls orbiting debris downward and incinerates it in the thicker lower atmosphere, but increasing carbon dioxide levels are lowering the density of the upper atmosphere, which may diminish this effect. A study presented last month at the European Conference on Space Debris says that the problem has been underestimated, and that the amount of space junk in orbit could, in a worst-case scenario, increase 50 times by 2100. “The numbers took us by surprise,” said Hugh Lewis, a space debris expert from the University of Southampton in England and a co-author on the paper, which will be submitted for peer review in the coming months. “There is genuine cause for alarm.” Our atmosphere is a useful ally in clearing up space junk. Collisions with its molecules cause drag, pulling objects back into the atmosphere. Below 300 miles above the Earth's surface, most objects will naturally decay into the thicker lower atmosphere and burn up in less than 10 years. In the lower atmosphere, carbon dioxide molecules can rerelease infrared radiation after absorbing it from the sun, which is then trapped by the thick atmosphere as heat. But above 60 miles where the atmosphere is thinner, the opposite is true. “There’s nothing to recapture that energy,” said Matthew Brown, also from the University of Southampton and the paper’s lead author. “So it gets lost into space.” The escape of heat causes the volume of the atmosphere, and thus its density, to decrease. Since 2000, Brown and his team say the atmosphere at 250 miles has lost 21% of its density because of rising carbon dioxide levels. By 2100, if carbon dioxide levels double their current levels — in line with the worst-case scenario assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change — that number could rise to 80%. For space junk, the implications are stark. More than 2,500 objects larger than 4 inches in size currently orbit at or below an altitude of 250 miles. In the worst-case scenario, increased orbital lifetimes of up to 40 years would mean fewer items are dragged into the lower atmosphere. Objects at this altitude would proliferate by 50 times to about 125,000. Even in a best-case scenario, where carbon dioxide levels stabilize or even reverse, the amount of space junk would still be expected to double. Brown thinks a more probable outcome is somewhere in between, perhaps a 10 times or 20 times increase. The research is “very important work,” said John Emmert, an atmospheric scientist at the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., who has studied atmospheric density loss. However, Emmert says more research is needed to understand the severity of the problem — with the impact of the sun’s solar cycle also known to be a major factor in atmospheric density changes. The findings may also pose challenges for regulators and satellite operators, especially SpaceX, Amazon and other companies seeking to build megaconstellations of thousands of satellites to beam internet service down to the ground from low Earth orbit. Just last month, for example, the US Federal Communications Commission approved a request from SpaceX to decrease the orbits of nearly 3,000 satellites in its Starlink constellation, reasoning that atmospheric drag would naturally sweep up dead satellites and debris in a reasonable amount of time. Research by Brown and his team suggests that assumption may be flawed. An FCC spokesman said that most of its applicants currently used NASA’s Debris Assessment Software to predict lifetimes of satellites in low Earth orbit. “We do not know at this time if there are any plans to change that program to address the changes in atmospheric composition predicted in the paper,” he said. “The FCC periodically reviews its rules and regulations and updates them consistent with developments in the marketplace and in scientific knowledge.”

What if space junk and climate change become the same problem?

French astronaut captures stunning images of Earth's marvels from International Space Station

It has not been long since it landed in Mars, but NASA's rover Perseverance is making its presence felt in the Red Planet by sharing never-seen-before images.

And now it's selfie time for Perseverance as it shared its own photograph on Mars on Tuesday.&nbsp;

The US space agency said that the image was captured using a camera called WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and Engineering), part of the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) instrument.&nbsp;

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Two bots, one selfie. Greetings from Jezero Crater, where I’ve taken my first selfie of the mission. I’m also watching the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarsHelicopter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarsHelicopter</a> Ingenuity as it gets ready for its first flight in a few days. Daring mighty things indeed. 
 
Images: <a href="https://t.co/owLX2LaK52">https://t.co/owLX2LaK52</a> <a href="https://t.co/rTxDNK69rs">pic.twitter.com/rTxDNK69rs</a>
— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere/status/1379883959006363648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Helicopter Ingenuity was also seen in the image which is a combination of 62 individual photographs clicked while the rover was alternatively looking at the helicopter and at the WATSON camera.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the predecessor of Perseverance, nicknamed Percy, Curiosity doesn't want to stay behind and is sending selfies of its own.&nbsp;

Curiosity took a panoramic image of itself and the surrounding landscape on March 26, which also showed a rocky outcrop known as Mont Mercou.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/did-nasas-perseverance-rover-just-capture-a-rainbow-on-mars-image-inside-375618">Did NASA's Perseverance rover just capture a 'rainbow' on Mars? Image inside!</a>

From the image, it can be seen severe dust accumulated as the rover is on Mars for eight and a half years.&nbsp;

Curiosity and Perseverance are powered by the radioactive decay of plutonium, which can keep them running amid raging dust storms in the Red Planet.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It has not been long since it landed in Mars, but NASA's rover Perseverance is making its presence felt in the Red Planet by sharing never-seen-before images. And now it's selfie time for Perseverance as it shared its own photograph on Mars on Tuesday.

It has not been long since it landed in Mars, but NASA's rover Perseverance is making its presence felt in the Red Planet by sharing never-seen-before images. And now it's selfie time for Perseverance as it shared its own photograph on Mars on Tuesday. The US space agency said that the image was captured using a camera called WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and Engineering), part of the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) instrument. Two bots, one selfie. Greetings from Jezero Crater, where I’ve taken my first selfie of the mission. I’m also watching the #MarsHelicopter Ingenuity as it gets ready for its first flight in a few days. Daring mighty things indeed. Images: https://t.co/owLX2LaK52 pic.twitter.com/rTxDNK69rs — NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) April 7, 2021 × Helicopter Ingenuity was also seen in the image which is a combination of 62 individual photographs clicked while the rover was alternatively looking at the helicopter and at the WATSON camera. Meanwhile, the predecessor of Perseverance, nicknamed Percy, Curiosity doesn't want to stay behind and is sending selfies of its own. Curiosity took a panoramic image of itself and the surrounding landscape on March 26, which also showed a rocky outcrop known as Mont Mercou. Also read | Did NASA's Perseverance rover just capture a 'rainbow' on Mars? Image inside! From the image, it can be seen severe dust accumulated as the rover is on Mars for eight and a half years. Curiosity and Perseverance are powered by the radioactive decay of plutonium, which can keep them running amid raging dust storms in the Red Planet.

'Say Cheese' time for Perseverance as Mars rover sends stunning selfie with helicopter

Space is the repository of universal secrets, many of which we may never be able to decrypt. Scientists have for long believed that&nbsp;everything in the universe, especially galaxies are held together by an invisible substance called “dark matter”, which has never been visually observed.

Now, new studies posit the unbelievable, that galaxies are in fact held together by dark matter, but this dark matter manifests itself in the form of “ghost stars”, as first claimed by BBC’s Science Focus magazine.

Scientists believe that the stars could have escaped human scrutiny by posing as black holes, and remaining in the shadows. What’s even more interesting is the fact that these somehow stars support the web of universal objects we see in the sky.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/hear-galaxies-and-black-holes-translated-into-music-from-nasa-data-373044" hreflang="en">Hear galaxies and black holes translated into music from NASA data</a>

If true, this would change the game for everything we know about the universe - entirely contingent on the existence of dark matter and consequentially - ghost stars.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/something-is-tearing-apart-star-cluster-closest-to-solar-system-373287" hreflang="en">Something is tearing apart star cluster closest to Solar System</a>

The experiments were looking for particles called WIMPS or Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, which many scientists call the leading candidate for actual dark matter. Another candidate is what they’re calling the “dark boson”, and according to the BBC, this boson could be the basic ingredient of dark matter and/or dictate how it interacts with matter visible to us.

Further study of these dark bosons revealed that they were getting piled up to form ghost stars. In the absence of a core at the centre, these stars would emit no light and remain invisible.&nbsp;That's not it! These stars could actually be mistaken for supermassive black holes by scientists.

Space is the repository of universal secrets, many of which we may never be able to decrypt. Scientists have for long believed that everything in the universe, especially galaxies are held together by an invisible substance called “dark matter”, which has never been visually observed.

Space is the repository of universal secrets, many of which we may never be able to decrypt. Scientists have for long believed that everything in the universe, especially galaxies are held together by an invisible substance called “dark matter”, which has never been visually observed. Now, new studies posit the unbelievable, that galaxies are in fact held together by dark matter, but this dark matter manifests itself in the form of “ghost stars”, as first claimed by BBC’s Science Focus magazine. Scientists believe that the stars could have escaped human scrutiny by posing as black holes, and remaining in the shadows. What’s even more interesting is the fact that these somehow stars support the web of universal objects we see in the sky. Also read: Hear galaxies and black holes translated into music from NASA data If true, this would change the game for everything we know about the universe - entirely contingent on the existence of dark matter and consequentially - ghost stars. Also read: Something is tearing apart star cluster closest to Solar System The experiments were looking for particles called WIMPS or Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, which many scientists call the leading candidate for actual dark matter. Another candidate is what they’re calling the “dark boson”, and according to the BBC, this boson could be the basic ingredient of dark matter and/or dictate how it interacts with matter visible to us. Further study of these dark bosons revealed that they were getting piled up to form ghost stars. In the absence of a core at the centre, these stars would emit no light and remain invisible. That's not it! These stars could actually be mistaken for supermassive black holes by scientists.

Invisible 'ghost stars' may be holding galaxies together in space. What does this revelation change?

A space object which has eluded scientists since it passed through Earth in 2017 is now back in the limelight for its disputed origins. Called “Oumuamua”, the object has been pitched as a lot of things - an alien spaceship, an exploit from a different galaxy, or just a mere rock.

Its name translates into “messenger” from Hawaiian, and there is strong evidence to suggest that the object came from outside our planetary system. When it was first spotted, many researchers including Harvard University’s Avi Loeb posited that the object was an alien spaceship.

Many others suggested that it was an asteroid or a comet.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/aliens-in-our-galaxy-may-have-perished-due-to-too-much-progress-study-suggests-351849" hreflang="en">Aliens in our galaxy may have perished due to too much progress, study suggests</a>

New findings published in the American Geophysical Union journal now suggest a new theory - that the object is a piece of another planet, that too from a different solar system.

Steven Desch, an astrophysicist at Arizona State University, in a press release said that they have “resolved the mystery” of Oumuamua, calling it a chunk of an “exo-Pluto” - essentially a Pluto-like planet in a different solar system.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/scientists-recently-scanned-10-million-stars-for-alien-technology-what-did-they-find-326020" hreflang="en">Scientists recently scanned 10 million stars for alien technology, what did they find?</a>

The researchers believe that about half a billion years ago, Oumuamua's parent planet was hit by an object, which sent it hurling towards our solar system. They added that this piece of the planet must have entered our solar system in 1995, which we likely missed. Over time, it lost 95 per cent of its mass and became its current size.

The existence of Oumuamua was confirmed in 2017, but it was already spacing away from Earth at really high speeds. Owing to this, scientists only had a little to study the object. Now, Oumuamua is too far away and too dim to be observed for further study.

A space object which has eluded scientists since it passed through Earth in 2017 is now back in the limelight for its disputed origins. Called “Oumuamua”, the object has been pitched as a lot of things - an alien spaceship, an exploit from a different galaxy, or just a mere rock.

A space object which has eluded scientists since it passed through Earth in 2017 is now back in the limelight for its disputed origins. Called “Oumuamua”, the object has been pitched as a lot of things - an alien spaceship, an exploit from a different galaxy, or just a mere rock. Its name translates into “messenger” from Hawaiian, and there is strong evidence to suggest that the object came from outside our planetary system. When it was first spotted, many researchers including Harvard University’s Avi Loeb posited that the object was an alien spaceship. Many others suggested that it was an asteroid or a comet. Also read: Aliens in our galaxy may have perished due to too much progress, study suggests New findings published in the American Geophysical Union journal now suggest a new theory - that the object is a piece of another planet, that too from a different solar system. Steven Desch, an astrophysicist at Arizona State University, in a press release said that they have “resolved the mystery” of Oumuamua, calling it a chunk of an “exo-Pluto” - essentially a Pluto-like planet in a different solar system. Also read: Scientists recently scanned 10 million stars for alien technology, what did they find? The researchers believe that about half a billion years ago, Oumuamua's parent planet was hit by an object, which sent it hurling towards our solar system. They added that this piece of the planet must have entered our solar system in 1995, which we likely missed. Over time, it lost 95 per cent of its mass and became its current size. The existence of Oumuamua was confirmed in 2017, but it was already spacing away from Earth at really high speeds. Owing to this, scientists only had a little to study the object. Now, Oumuamua is too far away and too dim to be observed for further study.

Mystery of 'Oumuamua' solved: Find out where the foreign space object came from!

NASA recently released its biggest load of garbage into space. Dubbed as the largest piece of garbage to be unleashed into&nbsp;Earth's&nbsp;orbit, it was released from the International Space Station (ISS) last week.

Weighing a whopping 2.9 tonnes, the garbage pile includes old batteries that were used to power the station earlier, as reported by Spaceflight Now.

But this is not it! The garbage will orbit Earth for at least two-four years before entering the atmosphere. And worry not - the garbage is not going to land on your roof while you enjoy dinner. Usually, the garbage ejected by the ISS burns up in the atmosphere during re-entry.

Japan’s space programme uses the H-II Transfer Vehicles (HTV) to send supplies to the ISS. Once its goal is achieved, it burns up on reentry to atmosphere. Thereafter, the remaining pieces end up in the Pacific Ocean with no damage done. Similarly, this shipment of garbage is expected to burn out during entry into Earth.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/do-gigantic-stars-from-the-past-hold-secrets-to-black-holes-scientists-say-so-370499" hreflang="en">Do gigantic stars from the past hold secrets to black holes? Scientists say so!</a>

Currently, space is part of large debates about debris surrounding Earth. In fact, the UK Space Agency is planning to “scoop” out the trash. Many scientists are worried about debris in Earth’s low orbit, which could threaten the International Space Station (ISS).

Size is an important factor for everything in space - small pieces of debris that could prove to be fatal are difficult to spot in space, and there is no way of accurately pinning them down.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/heres-why-scientists-want-to-send-millions-of-sperm-samples-to-the-moon-370339" hreflang="en">Here's why scientists want to send millions of sperm samples to the moon</a>

Reports estimate that there are around 160 million pieces of space debris around planet Earth. These have been captured by our gravity, and circling around the planet at speeds of 18,000 miles per hour.

Additionally, out of these 160 million pieces, at least one million may be larger than 1 cm, posing risks of collision with satellites.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/hubble-space-telescope-beams-back-mesmerising-image-of-a-nebula-370330" hreflang="en">Hubble Space Telescope beams back mesmerising image of a nebula!</a>

Scientists worry that such debris is capable of setting a chain reaction of destruction, whereby a single damage to a single satellite could escalate into large scale global satellite technology damage. 2,800 satellites are currently orbiting the earth. 3,000 dead satellites also orbit the Earth.

NASA recently released its biggest load of garbage into space. Dubbed as the largest piece of garbage to be unleashed into Earth's orbit, it was released from the International Space Station (ISS) last week.

NASA recently released its biggest load of garbage into space. Dubbed as the largest piece of garbage to be unleashed into Earth's orbit, it was released from the International Space Station (ISS) last week. Weighing a whopping 2.9 tonnes, the garbage pile includes old batteries that were used to power the station earlier, as reported by Spaceflight Now. But this is not it! The garbage will orbit Earth for at least two-four years before entering the atmosphere. And worry not - the garbage is not going to land on your roof while you enjoy dinner. Usually, the garbage ejected by the ISS burns up in the atmosphere during re-entry. Japan’s space programme uses the H-II Transfer Vehicles (HTV) to send supplies to the ISS. Once its goal is achieved, it burns up on reentry to atmosphere. Thereafter, the remaining pieces end up in the Pacific Ocean with no damage done. Similarly, this shipment of garbage is expected to burn out during entry into Earth. Also read: Do gigantic stars from the past hold secrets to black holes? Scientists say so! Currently, space is part of large debates about debris surrounding Earth. In fact, the UK Space Agency is planning to “scoop” out the trash. Many scientists are worried about debris in Earth’s low orbit, which could threaten the International Space Station (ISS). Size is an important factor for everything in space - small pieces of debris that could prove to be fatal are difficult to spot in space, and there is no way of accurately pinning them down. Also read: Here's why scientists want to send millions of sperm samples to the moon Reports estimate that there are around 160 million pieces of space debris around planet Earth. These have been captured by our gravity, and circling around the planet at speeds of 18,000 miles per hour. Additionally, out of these 160 million pieces, at least one million may be larger than 1 cm, posing risks of collision with satellites. Also read: Hubble Space Telescope beams back mesmerising image of a nebula! Scientists worry that such debris is capable of setting a chain reaction of destruction, whereby a single damage to a single satellite could escalate into large scale global satellite technology damage. 2,800 satellites are currently orbiting the earth. 3,000 dead satellites also orbit the Earth.

NASA just ejected its biggest pile of garbage into Earth's orbit. Should we worry?

Women who graced outer space and changed it forever

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, set to be the largest of its kind&nbsp;concluded its final functional tests at Redondo Beach in California on March 1. 
 
The James Webb Space Telescope is part of an international programme led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) along with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency. When it launches in 2021, the telescope would become the supreme space observatory.

It would open up access to an array of worlds that are situated in the universe. The telescope would be able to view distant words that exist around other stars, along with attempting to understand the circumstances that created our universe. Essentially, the telescope will be the largest and most powerful ever and will help scientists view far off cosmic entities.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/spacex-nasa-to-launch-second-commercial-crew-rotation-mission-to-international-space-station-367728" hreflang="en">SpaceX, NASA to launch second Commercial Crew Rotation Mission to International Space Station</a> 
 
Besides simply offering a clearer view of night skies, the telescope would also shed light on the processes that created and shaped not only our own but all galaxies. According to NASA, the testing teams for the telescope were able to successfully achieve two key milestones in terms of performance, with all electronics working as intended which will help the telescope in transmitting and receiving data.

The space agency claims to be prepping the telescope for launch in October. In addition, NASA said that the telescope would be able to withstand the launch environment. Now, the telescope is undergoing a final systems evaluation, with a "ground segment test" scheduled for later. The test in question would help in processing scientific data, which would later be archived.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/is-it-possible-to-travel-faster-than-light-scientists-believe-so-367711" hreflang="en">Is it possible to travel faster than light? Scientists believe so!</a>

Once up and running in space, telescope commands would be transmitted from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore to one of the Deep Space Network locations in California, Spain, or Australia.&nbsp; 
 
From there, the signals will be forwarded to the observatory which will be over a million kilometres away.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, set to be the largest of its kind concluded its final functional tests at Redondo Beach in California on March 1. The James Webb Space Telescope is part of an international programme led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) along with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, set to be the largest of its kind concluded its final functional tests at Redondo Beach in California on March 1. The James Webb Space Telescope is part of an international programme led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) along with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency. When it launches in 2021, the telescope would become the supreme space observatory. It would open up access to an array of worlds that are situated in the universe. The telescope would be able to view distant words that exist around other stars, along with attempting to understand the circumstances that created our universe. Essentially, the telescope will be the largest and most powerful ever and will help scientists view far off cosmic entities. Also read: SpaceX, NASA to launch second Commercial Crew Rotation Mission to International Space Station Besides simply offering a clearer view of night skies, the telescope would also shed light on the processes that created and shaped not only our own but all galaxies. According to NASA, the testing teams for the telescope were able to successfully achieve two key milestones in terms of performance, with all electronics working as intended which will help the telescope in transmitting and receiving data. The space agency claims to be prepping the telescope for launch in October. In addition, NASA said that the telescope would be able to withstand the launch environment. Now, the telescope is undergoing a final systems evaluation, with a "ground segment test" scheduled for later. The test in question would help in processing scientific data, which would later be archived. Also read: Is it possible to travel faster than light? Scientists believe so! Once up and running in space, telescope commands would be transmitted from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore to one of the Deep Space Network locations in California, Spain, or Australia. From there, the signals will be forwarded to the observatory which will be over a million kilometres away.

As NASA finishes final tests of James Webb Space Telescope, here's a look at its supreme capabilities

Like all things in the universe, our planet Earth too will fizzle out eventually. Scientists estimate that Earth has about five billion years before the Sun loses its energy, and swallows most of what is currently our solar system.&nbsp;

Think five billion years is a long time? Think again, for scientists now believe that the Earth will perish much before the Sun's existential shenanigans consume life on our planet.

A new study claims that Earth now has only a billion years before it slowly dies out. The planet will not be devoured by fire, a collision, or alien invasion, but actually will perish in the face of diminishing oxygen reserves.

Earth is already losing oxygen and will expel most of the life-sustaining gas from its atmosphere in a billion years' time.&nbsp; &nbsp;Currently, oxygen accounts for 20 per cent of the Earth's atmosphere. A lot of this is produced by plants on the planet, which keeps all creatures breathing.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasa-recently-created-artificial-glowing-clouds-in-the-earths-atmosphere-367174" hreflang="en">NASA recently created artificial glowing clouds in the Earth's atmosphere!</a>

Researchers from Georgia Tech and Toho University recently joined hands to ascertain the life span of oxygen in the planet's atmosphere, which in turn will essentially dictate how quickly life vanishes from Earth - an inevitable truth for all things born in the universe. They published their study in Nature Geoscience.

To reach a conclusion, scientists came up with simulations of basic systems on Earth - including climate, along with biological and geological processes which dictate the route of life. They observed the change in oxygen levels as the stimulation shuffled between air, water, and rock - the three basic tenets of earthly life.

In pics:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/whats-behind-these-strange-stripes-in-russia-nasa-answers-367187">What's behind these strange stripes in Russia? NASA answers!</a> 
 
The atmosphere as we know it right now will continue to flourish for a billion years, after which it will begin to deteriorate rapidly. 1.1 billion years from now, oxygen levels are slated to drop to a whopping 1 per cent of the planet's current capability.

Beginning a billion years from now, the same old cycle of life will prevail on planet Earth, making it as desolate as it was 2.4 billion years ago.&nbsp;

Like all things in the universe, our planet Earth too will fizzle out eventually. Scientists estimate that Earth has about five billion years before the Sun loses its energy, and swallows most of what is currently our solar system.

Like all things in the universe, our planet Earth too will fizzle out eventually. Scientists estimate that Earth has about five billion years before the Sun loses its energy, and swallows most of what is currently our solar system. Think five billion years is a long time? Think again, for scientists now believe that the Earth will perish much before the Sun's existential shenanigans consume life on our planet. A new study claims that Earth now has only a billion years before it slowly dies out. The planet will not be devoured by fire, a collision, or alien invasion, but actually will perish in the face of diminishing oxygen reserves. Earth is already losing oxygen and will expel most of the life-sustaining gas from its atmosphere in a billion years' time. Currently, oxygen accounts for 20 per cent of the Earth's atmosphere. A lot of this is produced by plants on the planet, which keeps all creatures breathing. Also read: NASA recently created artificial glowing clouds in the Earth's atmosphere! Researchers from Georgia Tech and Toho University recently joined hands to ascertain the life span of oxygen in the planet's atmosphere, which in turn will essentially dictate how quickly life vanishes from Earth - an inevitable truth for all things born in the universe. They published their study in Nature Geoscience. To reach a conclusion, scientists came up with simulations of basic systems on Earth - including climate, along with biological and geological processes which dictate the route of life. They observed the change in oxygen levels as the stimulation shuffled between air, water, and rock - the three basic tenets of earthly life. In pics: What's behind these strange stripes in Russia? NASA answers! The atmosphere as we know it right now will continue to flourish for a billion years, after which it will begin to deteriorate rapidly. 1.1 billion years from now, oxygen levels are slated to drop to a whopping 1 per cent of the planet's current capability. Beginning a billion years from now, the same old cycle of life will prevail on planet Earth, making it as desolate as it was 2.4 billion years ago.

Why scientists believe life on Earth will perish way earlier than previously thought

What's behind these strange stripes in Russia? NASA answers!

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration recently unveiled a new experiment - the Super Soaker mission. Quite literally, the agency created artificial glowing clouds.

How did they do this? 
NASA fired a mini rocket into the Earth's upper atmosphere, which was then detonated to create the artificial clouds. These clouds are referred to as polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) and constitute ice crystals that are high up in the atmosphere. These clouds glow for they are able to capture sunlight.

Related video:&nbsp;NASA's astrobiology rover Perseverance makes historic Mars landing

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/nasas-astrobiology-rover-perseverance-makes-historic-mars-landing-365101/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Why is this important? 
These clouds can help point to key components that are responsible for maintaining life on Earth, and could offer insight into the atmosphere's conditions. This experiment was peculiarly challenging for the PMCs were created in January, which is not the most ideal time for their formation.

The NASA team shot up a small suborbital rocket from Alaska to a height of 85 kilometres (53 miles), following which an explosion was triggered. After this, 219 kilograms (485 pounds) of water was released into the atmosphere.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/rare-backwards-spinning-star-spotted-in-a-distant-planetary-system-by-scientists-364030" hreflang="en">Rare backwards-spinning star spotted in a distant planetary system by scientists</a>

18 seconds after the explosion, a ground-based laser detected the glow of PMCs, which then shed light on how the process occurred, and how it was able to cool the atmosphere.

The scientists found that the vapour in the upper atmosphere in the aftermath of the explosion was able to significantly lower the temperature in the region.&nbsp; It was owing to this temperature that these artificial glowing clouds came into being.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-is-offering-500000-to-cooks-who-can-make-other-worldly-meals-for-astronauts-363813" hreflang="en">NASA is offering $500,000 to cooks who can make other worldly meals for astronauts</a>

In the aftermath of the satellite and rocket launches, water vapour is generally released. Scientists believe that as the space surrounding Earth becomes more crowded with satellites, such glowing clouds may become more common to the observer.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration recently unveiled a new experiment - the Super Soaker mission. Quite literally, the agency created artificial glowing clouds.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration recently unveiled a new experiment - the Super Soaker mission. Quite literally, the agency created artificial glowing clouds. How did they do this? NASA fired a mini rocket into the Earth's upper atmosphere, which was then detonated to create the artificial clouds. These clouds are referred to as polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) and constitute ice crystals that are high up in the atmosphere. These clouds glow for they are able to capture sunlight. Related video: NASA's astrobiology rover Perseverance makes historic Mars landing Why is this important? These clouds can help point to key components that are responsible for maintaining life on Earth, and could offer insight into the atmosphere's conditions. This experiment was peculiarly challenging for the PMCs were created in January, which is not the most ideal time for their formation. The NASA team shot up a small suborbital rocket from Alaska to a height of 85 kilometres (53 miles), following which an explosion was triggered. After this, 219 kilograms (485 pounds) of water was released into the atmosphere. Also read: Rare backwards-spinning star spotted in a distant planetary system by scientists 18 seconds after the explosion, a ground-based laser detected the glow of PMCs, which then shed light on how the process occurred, and how it was able to cool the atmosphere. The scientists found that the vapour in the upper atmosphere in the aftermath of the explosion was able to significantly lower the temperature in the region. It was owing to this temperature that these artificial glowing clouds came into being. Also read: NASA is offering $500,000 to cooks who can make other worldly meals for astronauts In the aftermath of the satellite and rocket launches, water vapour is generally released. Scientists believe that as the space surrounding Earth becomes more crowded with satellites, such glowing clouds may become more common to the observer.

NASA recently created artificial glowing clouds in the Earth's atmosphere!

Consider yourself an out worldly cook? NASA may have the perfect job for you.&nbsp;The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is offering a whopping $500,000 to the winners of its "Deep Space Food Challenge". The victors will be required to cook meals for astronauts who will head to Mars.

The agency, in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency, is looking for people to come up with new technologies and apparatuses to feed astronauts embarking on space expeditions. 
 
Think it is an easy job? Think again. 
Astronauts require careful diets to keep them energised in the far reaches of the universe. Just recently, food researchers came up with a chocolate bar which carries high amounts of calories to ensure astronauts are high on energy. At the same time, the goal is to ensure the weight of food onboard space flights remains low.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/seven-minutes-of-terror-nasa-perseverance-rovers-landing-on-mars-explained-363582" hreflang="en">‘Seven minutes of terror’: Nasa Perseverance rover’s landing on Mars explained</a>

Over the last few years, NASA has been exploring ways to grow fruits and vegetables in space to provide healthier food options to astronauts.

What does the challenge aim to accomplish? 
Scientists are looking at new ways to feed astronauts, especially the ones expected to head to Mars. The interstellar journey to Mars is roughly three years long, and requires its astronauts remain fit and equipped to deal with challenges new terrain on Mars might pose.

Besides providing healthy food to the voyagers, the aim of the mission is to produce new ways to grow food not only in space but in difficult terrains on Earth.

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Think you have what it takes to keep our space voyagers healthy? You have until May 28 to sign up for the challenge. By July 30, the participants are expected to present their projects to the space agencies. 
 
Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-releases-stunning-photo-of-gold-peruvian-amazon-rivers-363426" hreflang="en">NASA releases stunning photo of 'gold' Peruvian Amazon rivers</a>

The top 20 teams will be the winners and will share half a million USD. In essence, every winner will get $25,000 each. But there's a catch - only people based in the US can avail the prize. Canadians too can sign up. Winners from Canada will receive between Canadian $30,000-380,000.

Not from North America? Fret not, for you can still apply and win, even if you will not receive the prize money.

Consider yourself an out worldly cook? NASA may have the perfect job for you. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is offering a whopping $500,000 to the winners of its "Deep Space Food Challenge".

Consider yourself an out worldly cook? NASA may have the perfect job for you. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is offering a whopping $500,000 to the winners of its "Deep Space Food Challenge". The victors will be required to cook meals for astronauts who will head to Mars. The agency, in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency, is looking for people to come up with new technologies and apparatuses to feed astronauts embarking on space expeditions. Think it is an easy job? Think again. Astronauts require careful diets to keep them energised in the far reaches of the universe. Just recently, food researchers came up with a chocolate bar which carries high amounts of calories to ensure astronauts are high on energy. At the same time, the goal is to ensure the weight of food onboard space flights remains low. Also read: ‘Seven minutes of terror’: Nasa Perseverance rover’s landing on Mars explained Over the last few years, NASA has been exploring ways to grow fruits and vegetables in space to provide healthier food options to astronauts. What does the challenge aim to accomplish? Scientists are looking at new ways to feed astronauts, especially the ones expected to head to Mars. The interstellar journey to Mars is roughly three years long, and requires its astronauts remain fit and equipped to deal with challenges new terrain on Mars might pose. Besides providing healthy food to the voyagers, the aim of the mission is to produce new ways to grow food not only in space but in difficult terrains on Earth. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Deep Space Food Challenge (@deepspacefoodchallenge) × Think you have what it takes to keep our space voyagers healthy? You have until May 28 to sign up for the challenge. By July 30, the participants are expected to present their projects to the space agencies. Also read: NASA releases stunning photo of 'gold' Peruvian Amazon rivers The top 20 teams will be the winners and will share half a million USD. In essence, every winner will get $25,000 each. But there's a catch - only people based in the US can avail the prize. Canadians too can sign up. Winners from Canada will receive between Canadian $30,000-380,000. Not from North America? Fret not, for you can still apply and win, even if you will not receive the prize money.

NASA is offering $500,000 to cooks who can make other worldly meals for astronauts

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