#celestial_bodies

Scientists from Italy and Germany have discovered exoplanet GJ 367b, which is likely composed entirely of iron. Using the HARPS spectrograph and TESS observations, they found that more than 90% of the planet's mass is made up of its iron core. Researchers from the University of Turin in Italy and the State Star Observatory of Thuringia in Germany have made an interesting discovery: the exoplanet GJ 367b is most likely composed entirely of iron.  This makes it the densest known planet with a short orbital period. GJ 367b was first spotted in 2015 by NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) space telescope and has a density 1.85 times that of Earth. [caption id="attachment_69273" align="aligncenter" width="780"] GJ 367b[/caption] Using the European Southern Observatory's HARPS spectrograph and TESS observations, scientists determined that more than 90% of the planet's mass is made up of its iron core. The origin story of GJ 367b remains a mystery, but it may have once been a rocky planet like Earth or Mars. Its two neighboring planets, orbiting further out, are also rocky, indicating that they all formed in a similar way. GJ 367b is an exoplanet consisting only of an iron core However, GJ 367b likely went through a unique series of events that led it to lose its outer rocky layers, leaving only the core. Possible explanations include collisions with another planet closer to the host star. Another possibility is that GJ 367b was intensely irradiated by its star, causing its outer layer to burn away leaving only an iron core. The outer material could turn into gas and then be dispersed into space. It is also possible that GJ 367b underwent a combination of collisions and irradiation to form the metallic planet that astronomers observe today. The question still remains: how did GJ 367b get so close to its star? It is unlikely that it formed there. Scientists believe that gravitational interactions with other planets could have caused it to move away from its original formation site. Further study of GJ 367b could provide valuable insights into the formation and evolution of rocky and short-period planets.

Titan exploration tentatively pushed back to 2028 NASA's Dragonfly mission, aimed at exploring Saturn's moon Titan, will be delayed: the next stage of development has been postponed by a year, and the launch is scheduled for July 2028. The official reason for the delay was budget uncertainty, which delayed official confirmation and determination of the cost and schedule of the Dragonfly mission. The Dragonfly team will continue to work on the next phase of development, Phase C, which will develop a rotary unmanned vehicle the size of a car. This vehicle will fly over Titan's dunes and will be able to land to study Titan's abundance of organic molecules. [caption id="attachment_85385" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Dragonfly mission[/caption] On November 28, at a meeting of NASA's External Planetary Assessment Group (OPAG), Laurie Glaze, director of the agency's planetary science division, announced the reasons for the delay in the launch, which was originally scheduled to take place in 2027. Funding and budget uncertainties for 2024 and 2025 were the main reason for the delay in official confirmation of the Dragonfly mission. Glaze also noted that the Dragonfly mission design will be presented again to the program management council (APMC) in the spring of 2024, following the preliminary readiness of the fiscal year 2025 budget proposal at NASA. Dragonfly mission to Titan: launch delayed by a year due to budget uncertainty The Dragonfly team will replan the mission, and once all necessary changes are completed and verified, NASA will assess the mission's readiness for launch in mid-2024. As a result, some elements of the Dragonfly mission will be delayed while other aspects continue to be developed. Dragonfly is the only NASA mission planned to explore the surface of Titan. When the device arrives on Titan, it will look for signs indicating the possibility of life. Dragonfly will also study how advanced prebiotic chemistry is on Saturn's moon, and even look for signs of water or hydrocarbon-based molecules. In addition to traveling further on Titan than any other alien rover on its missions, Dragonfly will also land on Saturn's surface in different regions, collecting samples to determine the composition of surface materials in different regions. Studying Titan is a high priority for planetary scientists because it is the only moon in the solar system known for its thick atmosphere and hydrological cycle similar to Earth's. It is also an oceanic world with clouds of methane, rain, and liquid on the surface that forms lakes and seas. The discovery of oceans and the potential presence of organic matter frozen in Titan's ice increases the potential for viability on this moon. The Dragonfly mission is being developed and will be managed by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland. To carry out the research on board the device, cameras, sensors and sample collection tools will be used. “Dragonfly is a fearless engineering concept that is one of a kind. I am inspired by how our team has repeatedly overcome obstacles by working together and thinking outside the box,” said Dragonfly Principal Investigator Elizabeth Turtle. Several Dragonfly components, including control and navigation systems, have already been tested over California deserts chosen for their similarity to the dunes on Titan - as well as in wind tunnels at NASA's Langley Science Center. The full-scale model was also tested in the Titan Simulation Chamber at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory—which recreates the cold temperatures and atmospheric pressures similar to Titan's methane environment. For now, the Dragonfly mission remains the only NASA mission planned to study the surface of Titan. It represents an important step in exploring the potential viability and organic chemistry of other planets and moons in the solar system. “Team Dragonfly has demonstrated readiness for the next phase of our journey to conquer Titan. We are relentlessly moving forward without losing the curiosity and creativity that are key to the success of the Dragonfly mission,” said Turtle.

Power 2 GW Shortly before the start of the COP28 event, the United Arab Emirates launched the 2GW Al Dhafra Solar PV solar power plant, which became the world's largest single-site solar farm. [caption id="attachment_83409" align="aligncenter" width="780"] space[/caption] The world's largest solar power plant located in a single space was launched in the UAE The facility is located 35 km from Abu Dhabi and consists of almost 4 million double-sided solar panels. As a result, the station is capable of generating up to 2 GW of power. Thanks to this, the total solar energy capacity in the UAE has now increased to 3.2 GW. Overall, the country wants to increase the capacity of all its renewable energy power plants to 14 GW by 2030. The station was created jointly by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, France's EDF Renewables and China's JinkoPower. The companies say the energy generated will be enough to power 200,000 households.

This is a space matryoshka doll The American Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shared the latest news about the Lucy spacecraft. Let us recall that on November 1, 2023, the probe successfully completed its flyby of Dinkinesh, the first asteroid in the busy 12-year program of the Lucy probe. The data transmitted to Earth shows more and more surprises for scientists. [caption id="attachment_81299" align="aligncenter" width="780"] NASA’s[/caption] First , it was discovered that the asteroid was actually double - Dinkinesh was discovered to have a natural satellite. Now the Lucy mission team has announced a new surprise. As it turns out, Dinkinesh's smaller moon is itself a binary system known as a "close binary." This means that Dinkinesh consists not of one or two, but of three components - a main asteroid and a double satellite. “We never suspected anything so strange!”: the debut asteroid in NASA’s Lucy space tour continues to bring surprises Lucy principal investigator Hal Levison of the Southwest Research Institute said: This is puzzling to say the least. I would never have expected the system to look like this. In particular, I don't understand why the two satellite components are the same size. The scientific community will be interested in understanding this. Lucy detected a third component in the asteroid system six minutes after it took images that initially showed Dinkinesh was not alone. During this time, the probe traveled 1545 km from the point where it discovered the first satellite of Dinkinesh. [caption id="attachment_81300" align="aligncenter" width="780"] NASA’s[/caption] Close binary systems appear to be quite common in our solar system, but until Dinkinesh, scientists had not seen one orbiting another asteroid, said John Spencer, deputy head of the project. He emphasized: We puzzled over the strange changes in Dinkinesh's brightness that we saw as we approached. This gave us a hint that Dinkinesh might have some kind of companion, but we never suspected anything so strange! The tiny asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter was named Dinkinesh only in February 2023. Initially, Dinkinesh was not part of the plan for the 12-year tour. It was added to the route only in January 2023 to test the tracking system. Lucy is planned to visit 9 more asteroids over the next 12 years.  [caption id="attachment_81301" align="aligncenter" width="500"] NASA’s[/caption] After visiting Dinkinesh, Lucy headed towards Earth for gravitational acceleration, which will help approach the second target asteroid - 52246 Donaldjohanson (Donald Johanson). The next flyby will take place in 2025. Lucy will then travel to Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, the first of which the mission will reach in 2027.

New work suggests active tectonics on ancient Venus and that the tectonic state of the planets may change over time A new study confirms that high levels of nitrogen and argon in Venus's atmosphere indicate emissions of gases during tectonic activity billions of years ago. This suggestion could mean that Venus may have been habitable for a long period before some event that changed its conditions. Scientists have long sought to understand why Venus's carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere is 90 times denser than Earth's and contains almost no water vapor, despite the planet's temperature being maintained at 462 degrees Celsius. However, there is a possibility that such conditions were not always like this. Previous studies modeling Venus's geological past have pointed to the possibility of a small ocean of liquid water and a habitable surface early in the first two billion years or so of the planet's early history. [caption id="attachment_77000" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Venus[/caption] Scientists from Brown University used the underlying data to compare Venus's current atmosphere with atmospheres created by a variety of models of long-term thermo-chemical-tectonic evolution. In other words, they tried to establish a correspondence between the current atmosphere of the planet and possible previous scenarios that take into account tectonic changes. “Venus’s existing atmosphere requires gases to be ejected early in its life due to activity similar to plate tectonics. Our results indicate that the atmosphere of Venus is the result of a climate-tectonic transition that lasted at least a billion years, and then transitioned to the current regime of a virtually stationary “stagnant mantle” with reduced rates of gas emissions,” the scientific team notes in their paper. . The concept of a “stagnant mantle” (Stagnant lid) means that the surface of the planet consists of a single plate with limited mobility and gas release into the atmosphere. The study of Venus has given rise to suggestions that planets can change their tectonic state and living conditions The researchers simulated the events that had to happen on the planet for it to reach the state it is in now. Scientists believe that Venus likely had active plate tectonics immediately after its formation, approximately 4.5 billion to 3.5 billion years ago. Based on the proposals in the paper, early tectonic movement, similar to that of the Earth, was limited by both the number of moving plates and the scale of their displacement. However, presumably, some events occurred on Venus that led to a stop in the tectonic movement of plates. Because this work has the potential to change our current understanding of planetary evolution, additional testing of the model's results is necessary. “Up until now, we thought that plate tectonics was in a 'binary state': it either exists or it doesn't. It either existed throughout the entire history of the planet or did not exist at all. In our work, we showed that planets can transition between different states of tectonics. "In addition, the results also indicate that there may be planets transitioning between habitable states and not just viable ones," said study co-author Alexander Evans, assistant professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Brown University. In addition, this work points to the possibility of several ways to interpret the history of the planet. “At the moment, we still adhere to the paradigm where we study their surfaces to understand the history of planets. But we have demonstrated that the atmosphere may be the best tool for understanding the ancient history of planets, which is often not preserved on their surface,” Evans said. Future missions to Venus will help refine the data from this study. NASA's DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry and Imaging) mission will provide measurements of gases in the atmosphere of Venus. In turn, the European Space Agency's EnVision probe will probe the planet's dense atmosphere from orbit using high-resolution radar. DAVINCI is scheduled to launch in 2029 and EnVision between 2035 and 2039.

On October 29, the INFUSE mission launched, designed to study the formation of star systems through the study of data on supernova explosions On October 29, 2023, the INFUSE mission will launch, designed to explore the mysteries of the emergence of new star systems through the study of supernova explosions. The sounding rocket launches from the White Sands Range in New Mexico. Every year, the constellation Cygnus attracts astronomers in the northern hemisphere. A special artifact of the night sky directly above this constellation is the Veil Nebula, which has become a favorite object of observation for both amateur astronomers and scientific researchers. It is the remnant of a star whose size in the past exceeded the mass of our Sun by 20 times. About 20,000 years ago, this giant star underwent gravitational collapse, resulting in a brilliant supernova explosion. Even at a distance of 2,600 light years, the brightness of this event was sufficient that it could be observed from Earth even in daylight. [caption id="attachment_76772" align="aligncenter" width="727"] star systems[/caption] Supernova explosions are an integral part of the life cycle of a star. They eject into the surrounding space heavy elements formed in the core of the star, which subsequently becomes a source of chemical elements that exceed the mass of iron. As a result, planets, stars, and new star systems gradually form over time from the dispersed clouds of dust and gas left after the flare. The Veil Nebula provides a unique opportunity to observe a recent supernova explosion in its active stage. This huge cloud, more than 120 light years in size, continues to expand at a speed of about 1.5 million kilometers per hour. The INFUSE mission is the key to understanding the formation of star systems What astronomers detect with telescopes is not the explosion itself, but the dust and gas superheated by the shock wave and manifesting itself as a glow as it cools. To study the shock wave, Professor Brian Fleming and his team developed a telescope capable of detecting ultraviolet radiation, which has too high an energy for human vision to perceive. This light will help reveal the glow of dust and gas that has been hit by the shock waves and is still at a high temperature after the process. The INFUSE mission is an innovative spectrograph that is the first instrument of its kind to go into space. This tool combines the advantages of two techniques: optical imaging and spectroscopy. Modern optical telescopes have excellent cameras that allow them to accurately determine the direction of light and its spatial location. But they can't separate the light into its different wavelengths, and the resulting image ends up with different spectra superimposed on each other. In turn, spectroscopy divides a light beam into its components - certain spectra, similar to the division of a light beam by a prism into a rainbow. This procedure will help reveal a lot of additional information about the composition of the light source, its temperature, and the dynamics of the processes occurring. However, spectroscopy can help analyze only a narrow strip of light at a time, similar to looking at the night sky through a narrow keyhole. The INFUSE instrument creates an image and then “cuts” it—the spectrometer separates each strip into a spectrum. This data can be reconstructed into a three-dimensional "data cube" - a stack of images where each layer reveals a specific wavelength of light. Using data obtained from INFUSE, Professor Fleming and his team will be able to not only identify specific elements and their temperatures but also analyze the location of these elements along the shock wave. INFUSE will be launched into space aboard a sounding rocket. These are miniature rockets that fly into space for a few minutes to collect scientific data. The mission will launch a two-stage Black Brant 9 rocket to a peak altitude of about 240 kilometers before parachuting down to the ground for recovery. The team has already planned to upgrade the tool and relaunch. Moreover, some parts of the rocket are already being reused from the previous launch of the DEUCE mission, which took place in Australia in 2022.

On November 3, the National Museum of Natural History will present an exhibition with samples of the asteroid Bennu. The samples are of high scientific importance and will deepen our understanding of the formation of the Solar System and the emergence of life on Earth On November 3, the National Museum of Natural History will present an exhibition that will be a landmark event for the scientific and public communities. The centerpiece of the exhibition will be a sample of the asteroid Bennu, which just landed on Earth as a result of the OSIRIS-Rex mission. A rare specimen will be presented in the meteorite gallery. The opening of this exhibition will take place just 40 days after the epoch-making event - the drop of a capsule with a sample of the asteroid Bennu on Earth. [caption id="attachment_76382" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Asteroid Bennu[/caption] Bennu specimens on display will also be displayed at the Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum in Tucson and at Space Center Houston to encourage a wider audience to think about the mysteries of the cosmos. Bennu's specimens are of great scientific importance. By analyzing them, scientists will be able to deepen our understanding of the formation of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago and shed light on the origins of life on Earth. Asteroid Bennu will tell its story at an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution Early observations of Bennu revealed its uniqueness: unlike most asteroids, it contains carbon and possibly organic molecules similar to those that gave rise to life on Earth. NASA scientists have already detected the presence of elements such as carbon and water in very small samples of Bennu that settled outside the main container with larger fragments. Scientists believe that such asteroids could bring water to Earth, from which the first oceans on our planet were subsequently formed. “Bennu's samples can tell us about the water and organic compounds that existed before life appeared on our planet,” said National Museum of Natural History curator Tim McCoy. He also noted that the exhibit selected specimens that, while scientifically significant, were represented in large numbers among the rocks brought to Earth. The exhibition opportunity "The Discovery of Bennu: Peering into the Past and Future of the Solar System" represents a significant moment in space exploration and allows visitors to experience the majesty and mystery of our Universe.

California startup AnySignal has come out of stealth mode with $5 million in funding for its multifunctional space radio platform. The company hopes to beat competitors such as L3Harris Technologies AnySignal's product operates across multiple frequency bands and includes ground equipment for testing hardware, modems that can be upgraded to different wavelengths, licensing support, and software that allows interoperability with various onboard systems, according to the company's COO and co-founder Jeffrey Osborne. The Los Angeles-based startup hopes its focus on providing comprehensive end-user products will give it an edge over major radio vendors such as L3Harris Technologies, an aerospace and defense giant that earned more than $22 billion last year. [caption id="attachment_72169" align="aligncenter" width="780"] space[/caption] An L3Harris spokesman said there are currently more than 180 AppSTAR radio platforms in orbit, and the company provides ground segments for many of them. However, Osborne said that while traditional leaders provide comprehensive services, AnySignal strives to optimize performance and reduce costs by tightly integrating its offering with customer needs. California-based startup AnySignal is entering the space market with unique space radio technology. Think SpaceX vs. ULA. The first company is vertically integrated and has established itself, while the second is much more fragmented, and this has led to differences in differentiation and market leadership John Mulsbury, chief executive of AnySignal, is a former SpaceX engineer who helped manage the development of the rocket signal processing system, the Starshield military product line, the Starlink space communications network, and the Dragon 2 capsule. Osborne, who is also a founding member of Canadian small satellite operator Kepler Communications, reported that the first launches of products from AnySignal can be expected as early as November on board the SpaceX Transporter 9 mission. He added that their radio is also scalable to subsequent Transporter missions and will be used on hypersonic vehicles next year as part of test programs. The AnySignal data communications platform has a dual-antenna GPS receiver and is compatible with Ultra High Frequency (UHF), S-band, L-band, and X-band. Frequencies in these bands are used for a variety of space applications, from communications with Earth to communications between two spacecraft in orbit. The radio is not compatible with the Ka-band and Ku-band broadband spectrum. Osborne said AnySignal already generates revenue from commercial and government customers. He also said the company plans to expand its team of eight employees to 15 by the end of this year, and to 30 by the summer of 2024. The primary focus of the expansion will be the development of the engineering and sales team to increase manufacturing and testing capacity, meet DoD security contracting requirements, and prepare for the development of additional products.