Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 150 i All About Space

SCAN HERE TO GET OUR DAILY NEWSLET TER This issue marks a special one: All About Space is 150 issues old! Whether you’ve been with us since issue 1, issue 50 or have only just picked us up, we hope that you’ve enjoyed every moment of exploring the universe as much as we have. This month, we’re bringing you a bumper-packed feature chronicling the most outstanding discoveries we’ve made throughout our history of studying the cosmos. Selected by experts at NASA, the ESA and other top space organisations around the world, did your favourite make the list? And we’re not stopping there. If you’re yet to complete your Christmas shopping, we have the ultimate gift guide for the space enthusiast in your life. If you have a telescope on your…

A star-studded cosmic neighbour 210,000 light years away is now available to view on our computer screens in unprecedented detail thanks to NASA’s mighty James Webb Space Telescope and the power of the modern internet. The newly released Webb photo captures NGC 346, a star-forming region in a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way called the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The blue wisps of light represent emissions from molecules like silicates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, while red fragments highlight dust warmed by the brightest and most massive stars in the region’s centre. Overall, astronomers have detected 1,001 light dots in the image – and most of them are still young stars blanketed in dust. This pocket of the universe is much younger than the Milky Way, which is seen in…

Some 66 million years ago, a large asteroid crashed into Earth near Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, sparking a frigid global winter that led to the mass extinction of the dinosaurs who had reigned over the planet for over 160 million years. Scientists generally agree that the Chicxulub impact wiped out 75 per cent of all species on Earth, but precisely what caused the extreme and abrupt shift in climate following the event has been an open question. Now, new research pins it down to very fine dust particles that were blasted into the atmosphere due to the impact. A layer of dust blanketed Earth for up to 20 years, “in which the first five to eightyears are the most severe,” Cem Berk Senel, a postdoctoral researcher in planetary science at the…

Like huge playground bullies, planets like Jupiter can be agents of chaos around other stars, a pair of new studies suggests. Gas giant planets that are the size of Jupiter or larger create havoc in young planetary systems, often shoving smaller, Earth-sized planets way out of their original circular orbits. All this instability spells bad news for life on terrestrial planets, as organisms need stable conditions to take root and flourish. Just watch the 2011 film Melancholia to get the idea: a planet – once hit by or veering too close to a neighbour – will see its climate permanently destabilise. Take the nightmare scenario of four giant planets that orbit a star known as HD 141399. “It’s as if they have four Jupiters acting like wrecking balls, throwing everything…

A steroids can tell us a great deal about the formation of our Solar System and could be the stepping stones to the long-term colonisation of the Moon and interplanetary trips to Mars and beyond. They might well contain water and air that could be used to support deep-space crewed missions, and there’s the possibility of mining them for their precious metals. They certainly have the potential to enhance human existence, yet there are at least 1,000 dangerous asteroids that pose a risk to Earth. Back in April 2010, then-President Barack Obama announced that NASA should send a crewed mission to an asteroid. The plan was to use a combination of the Orion spacecraft and a Deep Space Habitat (DSH) to go beyond Earth orbit. The habitat would consist of…

New standards in the fight against light pollution are helping bring darker skies to Chile, and not only will this protect our view of the stars, but also human health and biodiversity. Chile is an attractive location for astronomers because its skies are great for stargazing, particularly in the Atacama Desert, where tall peaks, a stable atmosphere and over 300 clear nights per year on average provide excellent observing conditions. As such, Chile is home to a large number of the world’s most powerful optical telescopes. The European Southern Observatory is based there, with observatories at La Silla, Cerro Paranal – home to the Very Large Telescope – and Cerro Armazones, where the huge 39-metre (128-foot) Extremely Large Telescope is presently under construction. The National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab also has…

Even though you can see a lot of beautiful and amazing things in the night sky with just your naked eye or binoculars on a clear E night, for most people, astronomy equals telescopes. Do a search for ‘stargazing’ and you’ll be presented with countless images of wide-eyed, happy people looking into or standing next to telescopes, usually beneath a totally cloud-free sky dusted with stars. Magazines are full of adverts for telescopes, and astronomy websites and blogs are packed with accounts of how beautiful star clusters, galaxies and nebulae look through them. Naturally, every stargazer eventually reaches the point where they decide they want a telescope of their own so they can gaze upon the wonders of the universe. But there are so many telescopes to choose from… which…

Venus is widely known as the ‘evening star’, because it’s often seen shining brilliantly in the west after sunset. However, it is just as often visible in the morning sky before sunrise, and that’s the case this coming month. All through December, through the festive celebrations and into the New Year beyond them, Venus will be a dazzling ‘morning star’. Venus will be the brightest, most striking point of light in the morning sky, putting every other star and planet to shame with its brilliance. At the end of November Venus will be rising four hours before the Sun, giving you plenty of time to enjoy seeing it before the sky begins to brighten with the approach of dawn. By Christmas morning Venus will have moved from Virgo into neighbouring…

A new image from the Hubble Space Telescope reveals a galaxy overshadowed by its larger merging companions. Located roughly 500 million light years from Earth lies a galactic pair collectively known as ArpMadore 2339-661. The two galaxies are in the process of merging. One galaxy is known as NGC 7733 – the smaller galaxy seen in the lower right – and the other is NGC 7734, the larger galaxy in the upper left. However, hidden in the star-studded spiral arm of NGC 7733 is yet another galaxy, referred to as NGC 7733N. Until now, this realm has been obscured by dark dust. Using the new Hubble data, however, astronomers were able to discern a knot-like structure with a notable red glow, standing out in comparison to the brightblue stars of…

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a striking new face-on view of a spiral galaxy with loosely wound arms swirling around a bright core. The spiral galaxy IC 5332 lies approximately 30 million light years from Earth in the constellation of Sculptor. Hubble’s vantage point offers a face-on view of the galaxy, showcasing its large circular structure and winding spiral arms dotted with brightly glowing clusters of star formation in pink and orange. “To explain what is meant by ‘faceon’, it’s helpful to visualise a spiral galaxy as an extremely large disc,” ESA officials said. “If the galaxy is oriented so that it appears circular and disc-shaped from our perspective here on Earth, then we can say that it’s ‘face-on’.” Conversely, a galaxy may appear ‘edgeon’ from our perspective on…

At the centre of our galaxy sits a dark enigma, a supermassive black hole named Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). Now, according to new findings from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, a group of astronomers has determined with high accuracy the mass and radius of Sgr A*. Specifically, Sgr A* was found to come in at a whooping 4.297 million solar masses, with a radius smaller than that of Venus’ orbit around the Sun. The team deduced this information by studying the luminous gas found in this enormous void’s orbit. The researchers used data from the near-infrared interferometer at the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) to track electromagnetic emissions of gas swirling around the black hole. They were on the lookout for flares – bright flashes…

A new water-dispensing system on the International Space Station (ISS) aims to test out technology that could help future astronauts explore the Moon. The roomy ISS is described by NASA officials as being larger than a six-bedroom house. Astronauts flying to the Moon in the coming decade with NASA’s Artemis program will not have nearly as much room in the Orion spacecraft, in lunar landing vehicles or in NASA’s smaller Gateway space station planned for lunar orbit. Everything will need to shrink for Artemis lunar work, including food preparation stations, exercise equipment and medical kits. Towards this end, a new potable water dispenser built by the company Leidos flew to space aboard Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft on 1 August as part upgrade, part lunar technology demonstration. A previous generation…

Pkanetary scientists want to search for biosignatures in what they believe was once a Martian mud lake. After scientists carefully studied what they think are the desiccated remnants of an equatorial mud lake on Mars, their study of Hydraotes Chaos suggested that a buried trove of water surged onto the surface. If the researchers are right, then this flat could become prime ground for future missions seeking traces of life on Mars. “While Martian lakes and mud volcanoes have been subjects of prior studies, our work represents the first comprehensive analysis specifically focused on a putative mud lake,” Alexis Rodriguez, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona, said. More generally, scientists suggest that surface water on Mars froze over about 3.7 billion years ago as the atmosphere…

As you set up your telescope on freezing cold December nights, it’s always tempting to look at A the same things you always do: the misty, swirling veils of the Orion Nebula, the Pleiades cluster with its stars sparkling like jewels and the Crab Nebula’s ghostly haze all call out to you through your favourite eyepiece. But there is much more to the winter sky than those ‘celebrity’ objects, and if you swing your ice-cold telescope tube towards the constellation of Gemini, put in a high-power eyepiece and go deep – very deep – you can see some lesser known objects that deserve your attention just as much as their more famous neighbours. Gemini is dominated by the open star cluster Messier 35, one of winter’s showcase objects, and it’s…

Astrophotographers and landscape photographers looking to try and emphasise A the colours of the nebulae in their work now have a serious piece of kit available to help them achieve this in the Canon EOS Ra. Differentiating from the dedicated astrophotography cameras normally used on telescopes, the Canon EOS Ra interlinks the rest of Canon’s RF mirrorless system, resulting in an array of interchangeable lenses. With a familiar feel for existing EOS R users, the camera is essentially a Canon EOS R with some adjustments, meaning the unit doubles up nicely as a second camera for nightscapers who use two units. The EOS Ra also doubles up for everyday use for those only using one camera who have a predominant interest in the night sky – albeit with a few…

Though NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope was initially touted as having the power to unveil our universe’s furthest horizons – and it surely has – some of the observatory’s most gorgeous images are actually ones of our very own Solar System. With its gold-plated hive of mirrors and backpack of infrared equipment, such as the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), Webb has reintroduced us to the stunning place we call home, making us feel like we’re seeing our planetary neighbours for the first time all over again. It even offered us a poignant view of Neptune’s frail rings, something that hasn’t been done for 30 years. On 19 October, scientists announced that, beyond offering us fresh eyes on the Solar System, Webb’s images of our cosmic neighbourhood are also presenting us with…

The newborn Earth was struck by a Marssized rock that helped create the Moon, and the impact may have left behind continentsized remnants of the rock near Earth’s core. Scientists think Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago, and previous research suggested the Moon arose a short time later. The leading explanation for the Moon’s origin is that it resulted from the collision of two protoplanets. One of those was the young proto-Earth, and the other was a Mars-sized rock nicknamed Theia, after the mother of the Moon in Greek myth. This ‘giant-impact hypothesis’ suggests the Moon coalesced from debris from this impact. However, direct evidence for the existence of Theia remains elusive. Now, researchers suggest this giant impact may have buried relics of Theia deep within Earth’s mantle near…

1 The Pleiades (Messier 45) One of the prettiest and brightest star clusters in the sky, Messier 45 is also known as the Pleiades, or the ‘Seven Sisters’, because seven of its 500 or so stars can be seen with the naked eye. It appears wider than four Moons in our sky and lies 430 light years from Earth. 2 Ain (Epsilon Tauri) and Amateru (Epsilon Tauri b) Shining close to Aldebaran, magnitude +3.5 orange giant star Ain is a member of the Hyades cluster. Almost 150 light years from Earth, it is orbited by a massive exoplanet that dwarfs Jupiter. Discovered in 2007, the planet was christened ‘Amateru’ in 2015. 3 The Hyades The distinctive V-shaped Hyades star cluster has five stars bright enough to be seen with the…

If you’re a fan of splitting double stars with your telescope, head over to Aries (the Ram), which makes its appearance this month, bordered by the star I patterns of Taurus (the Bull), Pisces (the Fishes) and Cetus (the Whale). In particular, binary star systems Lambda Arietis, Epsilon Arietis and Mesarthim are splendid targets to resolve for astronomers with medium to large-sized telescopes. Meanwhile, orange giants Hamal (the Head of the Ram) and Botein (Little Belly) can be picked out using nothing more than the naked eye. Orion (the Hunter) is also prominent in the December skies, featuring red supergiant Betelgeuse, De Mairan’s Nebula (Messier 43) and the stunning Orion Nebula (Messier 42). Using the sky chart This chart is for use at 22:00 mid-month and is set for 52…

Celestron StarSense Explorer 114mm Dobsonian Telescope Cost: £299.99 / $349.95 From: Celestron, Wex Photo Video and other good retailers 1Celestron has reinvented the tabletop Dobsonian telescope with StarSense Explorer – the first tabletop Dobsonian that uses your smartphone to analyse the night sky and calculate its position in real time. The 114mm-aperture Celestron StarSense Explorer is ideal for beginners thanks to the app’s user-friendly interface and detailed tutorials. It’s like having your own personal tour guide of the night sky. Celestron NexStar 5SE Cost: £999.99 / $799.00 From: Celestron, Very and other good retailers 2 Celestron’s signature orange-tube NexStar series combines advanced features and excellent optics in one easyto-use computerised system. The NexStar 5SE is the perfect choice for your first Go-To telescope, offering striking views of Saturn’s rings, the…

Noguchi was born in 1965 in Yokohama, Japan. He joined the Scouts when he was nine, an organisation he credits N with his early experience learning the importance of teamwork. In 1989 he earned a bachelor’s in aeronautical engineering at the University of Tokyo. He then received a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering in 1991 and a doctorate in advanced interdisciplinary studies in 2020, also from the University of Tokyo. In a 2010 interview with NASA, Noguchi said both science fiction and fact inspired his decision to become an astronaut. “I really liked all the rockets and spacecraft and space adventures when I was in childhood,” he said. “When I was a high school freshman I saw the Space Shuttle STS-1 go up on television and I thought, ‘Wow, this…