Infinity Cosmos

  NASA's Odyssey orbiter has treated scientists to an extraordinary perspective of Mars, capturing a captivating view of the planet's horizon from approximately 250 miles above its surface. The meticulously planned operation, taking engineers three months to prepare, employed the THEMIS camera to unveil a panoramic snapshot of Mars' landscape adorned with clouds and dust. Similar to the awe-inspiring moments astronauts experience gazing at Earth's curvature from the International Space Station, the Odyssey's 22nd year at Mars provides a unique Martian equivalent. The series of images, stitched together, not only presents a breathtaking portrait of Mars but also promises valuable insights into the planet's atmospheric dynamics. Taken in May, these images represent an unprecedented view that mimics the perspective astronauts would have if orbiting Mars. Jonathan Hill of Arizona State University, overseeing Odyssey's camera operations, emphasized the uniqueness...

  NASA's Dragonfly mission is advancing to the final mission design and fabrication stage, Phase C, in fiscal year 2024. The mission, aimed at sending a rotorcraft to investigate Saturn's moon Titan, successfully met all criteria during the Preliminary Design Review earlier this year. Despite the postponement of formal confirmation, which includes total cost and schedule details, until mid-2024, the Dragonfly team has re-planned the mission based on anticipated funding in FY 2024. The revised launch readiness date is estimated for July 2028, with an official assessment scheduled at the Agency Program Management Council in mid-2024. The Dragonfly team has successfully overcome a number of technical and programmatic challenges in this daring endeavor to gather new science on Titan," expressed Nicola Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington. She added, "I am proud of this team and their ability to keep all aspe...

  This month's featured image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope provides a detailed glimpse of the Herbig Haro object 797 (HH 797). Herbig-Haro objects, such as HH 797, are radiant areas encircling newly formed stars, specifically protostars. These objects take shape when the stellar winds or gas jets emitted by protostars generate shockwaves upon colliding with adjacent gas and dust at high velocities.  HH 797, dominating the lower section of the image, is situated in proximity to the young open star cluster IC 348, found near the eastern edge of the Perseus dark cloud complex. The luminous infrared features in the upper part of the image are believed to harbor two additional protostars. This captivating image was captured using the Webb's Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). Infrared imaging proves instrumental in studying newborn stars and their outflows, especially since the youngest stars are typically still enveloped within the gas and dust from which they origi...

  The concept of heat death captivated Victorian-era physicists, serving as an early illustration of the intricate connection between everyday physics and profound cosmological themes. Analogous to dropping ice cubes into water, disrupting equilibrium, the subsequent melting and chilling reach a common temperature, albeit without a sense of progress. This principle, recognized by 19th-century thermodynamics pioneers, extends to the entire universe. After the stars exhaust their luminosity, remnants like gas, dust, and stellar corpses will culminate in equilibrium, leading to what Hermann von Helmholtz termed a "state of eternal rest" in 1854. Despite the endurance of this foundational idea in modern cosmology, recent contemplations among physicists suggest that a seemingly heat-dead universe harbors more intrigue than initially perceived. Prompted by questions about black holes, a realm typically overshadowed by more prominent cosmic enigmas, researchers are revisiting assump...

In this captivating image captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the spiral galaxy NGC 941 takes center stage, situated approximately 55 million light-years from Earth. The data for this image was collected by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). While NGC 941 is a visually stunning component of this celestial snapshot, the primary impetus for gathering the data lies in an astronomical occurrence that unfolded years earlier – the supernova SN 2005ad. SN 2005ad, a hydrogen-rich supernova, or type II supernova, played a pivotal role in a study aimed at enhancing our understanding of the environments conducive to specific types of supernovae. The discovery of this faded supernova is credited to the keen eye of amateur astronomer Kōichi Itagaki, who has remarkably identified over 170 supernovae. The intriguing question arises: How could an amateur astronomer detect a supernova event before professionals with access to advanced telescopes like Hubble? The answer lies in a...

  Recent observations using multiple NASA telescopes have captured a massive black hole in the act of tearing apart an unfortunate star that ventured too close. Situated approximately 250 million light-years away in the center of another galaxy, this event marks the fifth-closest instance of a black hole destroying a star on record. The aftermath revealed a significant surge in high-energy X-ray light surrounding the black hole, indicating the formation of a scorching structure known as a corona as the star's material was inexorably drawn towards its demise. The study, published in the Astrophysical Journal, highlights the unique opportunity these tidal disruption events provide to comprehend the intricate feeding behaviors of black holes and unravel the fate of captured material before complete consumption. NASA's NuSTAR satellite, with its exceptional sensitivity to these wavelengths, played a crucial role in observing the corona's formation and evolution during this unpr...

  The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captures a captivating scene awash in red hues.This image unveils a segment of the Westerhout 5 nebula, situated approximately 7,000 light-years away from Earth. Illuminated by vivid red light, the picture showcases various intriguing elements, including a free-floating Evaporating Gaseous Globule (frEGG), visible as a small tadpole-shaped dark region in the upper center-left, bearing the dual designations of [KAG2008] globule 13 and J025838.6+604259. FrEGGs, a distinct subclass of Evaporating Gaseous Globules (EGGs), represent denser gas regions resistant to photoevaporation compared to their less dense surroundings. Photoevaporation, induced by intense ultraviolet (UV) light from young, hot stars, ionizes and disperses gas. EGGs were identified relatively recently, notably at the tips of the iconic Pillars of Creation captured by Hubble in 1995. FrEGGs, classified even more recently, stand out due to their detached, 'head-tail' shape. Bot...

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has made a groundbreaking observation of the exoplanet WASP-80 b, capturing spectra that reveal the presence of both methane gas and water vapor in its atmosphere. While water vapor has been previously detected in numerous planets, methane has proven elusive in the atmospheres of transiting exoplanets when studied with space-based spectroscopy. This discovery, made possible by Webb's advanced capabilities, provides valuable insights into exoplanet atmospheres and marks a significant step forward in our understanding of these distant worlds. Taylor Bell from the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI) and Luis Welbanks from Arizona State University delve into the significance of this discovery in their recent publication in the scientific journal Nature. WASP-80 b, the exoplanet observed by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, falls into the category of "warm Jupiter," characterized by a temperature of approximately 825 kel...

  On November 17, 2023, Earth experienced a pivotal moment, surpassing a global temperature exceeding 2°C above pre-industrial levels. As measured by the ERA5 data, underlines the urgency of addressing climate change, especially with COP28 approaching.The recorded global surface air temperature on November 17 reached 2.07°C above the pre-industrial average, calculated based on the period 1850-1900 before widespread fossil fuel use. Preliminary data for November 18 also indicates a temperature anomaly, registering at 2.06°C above pre-industrial levels. The ERA5 record indicates that Earth experienced two days with global temperatures surpassing the pre-industrial level by more than 2°C. This occurrence in the same month as COP28 emphasizes the urgent need for decisive action against climate change, as world leaders assess progress toward Paris Agreement commitments. Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) Director Carlo Buontempo highlighted that while exceeding the 2°C threshold fo...

  NASA-backed researchers have delved into the behavior of organic molecules suspended in brine, akin to the conditions on Saturn's moon Enceladus. This study provides crucial insights for astrobiologists seeking to comprehend the potential habitability of Enceladus' subsurface ocean. The moon, known for its intriguing plumes observed by NASA's Cassini spacecraft in 2005, holds significant promise for astrobiology research. The findings pave the way for a deeper understanding of icy ocean worlds and offer valuable guidance for future missions exploring the prospect of life beyond Earth. Data from Cassini have shown that frozen water particles contain salts and organic matter. Cassini's data has unveiled the presence of salts and organic matter in the icy particles expelled from Enceladus' plumes. Focusing on amino acids glycine and aspartic acid, NASA-supported scientists embarked on a groundbreaking study to understand how these molecules react to rapid freezing in...

  Venturing into the cosmic crucible, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite has triumphed over an arduous 21-day test within a thermal vacuum chamber in Bengaluru, India. Developed collaboratively by the United States and Indian space agencies, NISAR emerged unscathed on November 13, proving its mettle under the relentless scrutiny of extreme temperatures and the vacuum of space. This Earth-observing radar satellite, slated for an early 2024 launch, showcased its resilience as it prepares to scan the planet's vast terrains and icy expanses, unlocking a new era in Earth observation. The relentless pursuit of scientific excellence propels NISAR into the forefront of collaborative space exploration, marking a significant milestone in this pioneering endeavor. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) marks a historic collaboration, representing the first joint venture between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for an Earth-observing mission....

  NASA's James Webb Space Telescope provides a mesmerizing view of the Milky Way's dense core with its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument. Capturing a portion of the Sagittarius C (Sgr C) region, approximately 300 light-years from the central supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, the image reveals about 500,000 stars along with intriguing, yet-to-be-explained features. The cyan-colored section showcases a vast region of ionized hydrogen, unveiling needle-like structures without a consistent orientation. This unprecedented level of resolution and sensitivity from Webb enables astronomers to explore star formation in the challenging environment of the galactic center, pushing the boundaries of current theories in stellar birth. The observation team, led by undergraduate student Samuel Crowe at the University of Virginia, expresses excitement about the wealth of details unveiled by Webb, marking a significant advancement in our understanding of the extreme conditions withi...

  NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment marks a historic milestone as it achieves "first light," successfully beaming a near-infrared laser encoded with test data from nearly 10 million miles away – a distance about 40 times farther than the Earth's Moon. Riding on the recently launched Psyche spacecraft, DSOC heralds a new era in spacecraft communication technology. DSOC's cutting-edge laser transceiver, situated aboard the Psyche spacecraft, sent high-bandwidth test data to the Hale Telescope at Caltech's Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California. The achievement represents the farthest-ever demonstration of optical communications, showcasing the potential of this transformative technology. As Psyche embarks on its mission to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, DSOC will continue its two-year technology demonstration, shaping the future of data transmission in deep space. Trudy Kortes, Director of Technology Demonstrati...

  In a breathtaking display of cosmic artistry, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captures the vivid "last hurrah" of a Sun-like star gracefully concluding its celestial journey. The star, in its final act, sheds its outer layers of gas, creating an enchanting cocoon around its remaining core. Illuminated by the ultraviolet light emitted by the dying star, the expelled material glows in a kaleidoscope of colors, painting a mesmerizing scene against the backdrop of space. This stellar spectacle showcases a white dwarf, the residual core of the burnt-out star, represented by the luminous white dot at the image's center. Aptly named NGC 2440, this planetary nebula is one of many stellar relics scattered throughout our Milky Way Galaxy. Despite the misleading name, planetary nebulae have no connection to planets; their nomenclature stems from their visual resemblance, through early telescopes, to the disks of distant planets like Uranus and Neptune. NGC 2440's central whi...

  In the not-too-distant future, a distant planet may offer tantalizing hints of hosting life, unveiling its secrets with a measured reluctance. Space telescopes, armed with the ability to detect atmospheres and analyze their compositions, could spot gases resembling those found on Earth, sparking debates among experts about the potential for life. As we enter what scientists dub a "golden era," marked by unprecedented advancements in our ability to explore distant realms, the upcoming NASA James Webb Space Telescope is set to play a pivotal role. This technological marvel is poised to capture possible signs of life, known as "biosignatures," from exoplanets light-years away. Meanwhile, within our solar system, rovers like Perseverance on Mars and upcoming missions like Europa Clipper aim to unravel the mysteries of life-friendly environments on other celestial bodies. Yet, with the prospect of detecting life beyond Earth, the scientific community faces a monumental...

  A luminous cosmic cloud has unveiled the aftermath of a cataclysmic collision, echoing the traces of colossal planetary crashes witnessed even within our solar system. The enduring imprints, such as the distinctive tilt of Uranus and the formation of Earth's Moon, bear witness to ancient planetary collisions that have reshaped their positions and characteristics.  Expanding their gaze beyond our solar system, scientists examining distant exoplanets have identified analogous evidence of planetary clashes across the universe. In this latest study, the remnants of such an impact manifest in a peculiar cloud of dust and gas, characterized by an intriguing, fluctuating luminosity. In a captivating celestial observation, scientists scrutinizing a youthful Sun-like star, approximately 300 million years old, stumbled upon an intriguing anomaly. The star underwent a sudden and substantial dimming, prompting a closer investigation that unveiled a preceding surge in infrared lumin...