Space and Astronomy Megathread (MERGED) - Part 1

[Brutikus]

A January Wolf Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: Antoni Zegarski

 

[blueharvest]

How NASA's moon landing with Intuitive Machines will help pave the way for Artemis astronaut missions

The moon presents communications and temperature challenges that NASA needs to overcome.

www.space.com

 

[Brutikus]

HFG1 & Abell 6: Planetary Nebulae
Image Credit & Copyright: Julien Cadena & Mickael Coulon; Text: Natalia Lewandowska (SUNY Oswego)

 

[blueharvest]

Dark matter detected dangling from the cosmic web for 1st time

Dark matter, indirectly detected in a cluster of thousands of galaxies, could help scientists test theories of cosmic evolution.

www.space.com

 

[Brutikus]

Rosette Deep Field
Image Credit & Copyright: Olivier Bernard & Philippe Bernhard

 

[Dr.]

Successful launch of lunar lander Odysseus ("Odie").

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/15/world/moon-lander-launch-odysseus-nasa-scn/index.html

The Odysseus lunar lander, nicknamed “Odie” or IM-1, has embarked on a historic journey to the lunar surface — aiming to make the first touchdown of a US-made spacecraft on the moon in five decades.

...If Odie fails, it will join a growing list of missions that have unsuccessfully sought a lunar touchdown: The first US-built lunar lander to launch in five decades, Astrobotic Technology’s Peregrine, was hampered by a critical fuel leak last month. That came after two failed missions from other countries in 2023: one from Russia and another from a company based in Japan.

China, India and Japan are so far the only nations to have soft-landed vehicles on the moon in the 21st century.

Odie is a roughly phone booth (Tardis) sized robotic lander.

 

[blueharvest]

Successful launch of lunar lander Odysseus ("Odie").

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/15/world/moon-lander-launch-odysseus-nasa-scn/index.html

The Odysseus lunar lander, nicknamed “Odie” or IM-1, has embarked on a historic journey to the lunar surface — aiming to make the first touchdown of a US-made spacecraft on the moon in five decades.

...If Odie fails, it will join a growing list of missions that have unsuccessfully sought a lunar touchdown: The first US-built lunar lander to launch in five decades, Astrobotic Technology’s Peregrine, was hampered by a critical fuel leak last month. That came after two failed missions from other countries in 2023: one from Russia and another from a company based in Japan.

China, India and Japan are so far the only nations to have soft-landed vehicles on the moon in the 21st century.

Odie is a roughly phone booth (Tardis) sized robotic lander.

Hope it succeeds and lands without any problems.

 

[blueharvest]

Contact Lost With Spacecraft Carrying Experimental Quantum Drive

The test involved IVO's quantum drive, a reactionless drive that supposedly doesn't need propellant to generate thrust

futurism.com

 

[Brutikus]

When Roses Aren't Red
Image Credit & Copyright: Tommy Lease (Denver Astronomical Society)

 

[Morg]

Stunning image shows star forming 5,900 light-years from Earth

 

[Brutikus]

Voyager 1 Has Gone Mysteriously—and Perhaps Fatally—Silent in Deep Space

Engineers are scrambling to save the storied spacecraft after it experienced an unforeseen glitch.

www.popularmechanics.com

 

[blueharvest]

There's an asteroid out there worth $100,000 quadrillion. Why haven't we mined it?

While asteroids are rich sources of precious and valuable materials, scientists still haven't fully committed to mining them.

www.livescience.com

 

[Dr.]

A weird bit of astronomy trivia…


On February 5, 2024, Venus’s “moon” got its official name: “Zoozve.”

Now, your first thought might be, “strange name for a moon.” And your second thought might be, “Venus has a moon?”

The Story of the Name

A science journalist had gotten a poster of the Solar System for his young son. And, quite typically, it had labels for the Sun, the planets and the major moons. But looking more closely, he saw something curious. Next to Venus, tagged in the same style as other moons, was a small dot labeled as “ZOOZVE.” The journalist knew that Venus had no moon. So was this a printing error? Just in case, he consulted with an astronomer. Indeed, Venus is moonless. And no one had ever heard of “Zoozve.” However, further investigation solved the mystery. The poster illustrator had checked various sources to “fact check” his creation. But for Venus, he happened upon a reference for the planet which included a ”companion” asteroid. This was a so-called “quasi-satellite” discovered in 2002. Minor planet designation: 2002VE68. Quasi-satellites are asteroids in temporary/unstable complex orbits around planets or proper moons. It’s estimated that the one around Venus was captured about 7000 years ago; and it’ll probably be ejected by Venus in another 500 years. In any case, the illustrator seems to have mistaken this quasi-satellite for an actual moon. Furthermore, the font style was a tad ambiguous. Thus, “2002VE” became “ZOOZVE” on his poster.

Amused by this backstory, the journalist (and others) applied to the International Astronomical Union and their Working Group Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) department to have the name “Zoozve” officially recognized. And it was!

 

[blueharvest]

Saturn's ocean moon Titan may not be able to support life after all

Titan's ocean has a volume 12 times that of all Earth's oceans, but it may be barren of life as we know it.

www.space.com

 

[Morg]

Japan to launch world’s first wooden satellite to combat space pollution

 

[blueharvest]

Get a sneak peek inside the Artemis 2 spacecraft that will fly astronauts to the moon for the 1st time in 50 years (photos)

Shiny!

www.space.com

 

[Gee]

Anyone looking forward to the total eclipse on April 8? I'm lucky to be in a part of Canada that is in the path of the total eclipse. Gonna have to get my viewing glasses before they're all sold out.

 

[Brutikus]

Globular Star Cluster 47 Tuc
Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Lorenzi, Angus Lau, Tommy Tse

 

[blueharvest]

Our universe is merging with 'baby universes', causing it to expand, new theoretical study suggests

The universe is expanding faster and faster, but not all scientists agree that dark energy is the cause. Perhaps, instead, our universe keeps colliding with and absorbing smaller 'baby universes,' a new theoretical study suggests.

www.space.com

 

[blueharvest]

Brightest and hungriest black hole ever detected

Astronomers report an object that shines with a brightness equivalent to 500 trillion suns.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Brutikus]

Seagull Nebula over Pinnacles' Peak
Image Credit & Copyright: Dheera Venkatraman

 

[Brutikus]

The Heart Shaped Antennae Galaxies
Image Credit & Copyright: Kent E. Biggs

 

[squeekness]

Astronaut Used Last Day On ISS To Capture Perfect Shot Of The Pyramids

Not a bad view.

www.iflscience.com

 

[blueharvest]

NASA's New Horizons Discovered a Large Surprise in The Kuiper Belt

There may be a lot more than we thought to the belt of icy debris that circles the outer Solar System.

www.sciencealert.com

 

[Dr.]

Intuitive Machines robotic lunar lander. Landing scheduled for today, 17:30 EST.