Showing posts with label Hubble Space Telescope's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hubble Space Telescope's. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

After 20 years of work and billions of dollars spent, the gigantic NASA space telescope is completed. It has gold plated mirrors and is 100 times more powerful than Hubble

James Webb Space Telescope Mirror photo: commons.wikipedia.org
After years of effort and billions of dollars invested, the components of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is finally realized.

Giant telescope mirror was presented yesterday at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. With its 18 smaller mirrors hexagonal gold plated, which are part of it, his power of observation is 100 times larger than the Hubble.

Also, this week was made public that was built a sunshade the size of a tennis court to protect the optics of the telescope sun. After a few tests will start, probably telescope mirror and hood are integrated together.

photo: Nasa/ Chris Gunn   
"When it will be completed, Webb will be the largest and most complex space observatory was ever built," said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), previously known as Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), is a Flagship-class space observatory under construction and scheduled to launch in October 2018. The JWST will offer unprecedented resolution and sensitivity from long-wavelength (orange-red) visible light, through near-infrared to the mid-infrared (0.6 to 27 micrometers), and is a successor instrument to the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope. While Hubble has a 2.4-meter (7.9 ft) mirror, the JWST features a larger and segmented 6.5-meter-diameter (21 ft 4 in) primary mirror and will be located near the Earth–Sun L2 point. A large sunshield will keep its mirror and four science instruments below 50 K (−220 °C; −370 °F).

photo: tecmania.ch

JWST's capabilities will enable a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology. One particular goal involves observing some of the most distant events and objects in the Universe, such as the formation of the first galaxies. These types of targets are beyond the reach of current ground and space-based instruments. Another goal is understanding the formation of stars and planets. This will include direct imaging of exoplanets.

In gestation since 1996, the project represents an international collaboration of about 17 countries led by NASA, and with significant contributions from the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. It is named after James E. Webb, the second administrator of NASA, who played an integral role in the Apollo program

The JWST has a history of major cost overruns and delays. The first realistic budget estimates were that the observatory would cost $1.6 billion and launch in 2011. NASA has now scheduled the telescope for a 2018 launch. In 2011, the United States House of Representatives voted to terminate funding, after about $3 billion had been spent and 75% of its hardware was in production.Funding was restored and capped at $8 billion. As of winter 2015–2016, the telescope remained on schedule for an October 2018 launch and within the 2011 revised budget

size comparison of the hubble space telescope and the james webb photo: pics.about.space.com



When will be released in October 2018 it will be positioned behind the Moon's orbit, in a region called gravitational stable Lagrange Point 2, or L2 simple. From here, the vision of the cosmos will be unobstructed. Although it is considered the successor to Hubble, there are some clear differences between them, JWST could achieve using infrared view of the universe. However, its size will enable detailed observation of galaxies, stars and probably and exoplanets. This will be possible thanks to the telescope's capability to penetrate cosmic dust using infrared rays.

Initially, the launch of the telescope was scheduled for 2011, and its cost should not exceed $ 1 billion, but various delays have meant that its launch is scheduled for 2018. Furthermore, it will not be supplied with fuel when when it is in space, unlike Hubble, which has several repair missions manned to fix defects and improve.

Its construction began more than 20 years.



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The above post is reprinted from materials provided by IFL Science . Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Monday, September 26, 2016

NASA will make important disclosures about Jupiter's moon, Europa

NASA will host a teleconference Monday, September 26, at 2 p.m. EDT (21:00 GMT) in which will present new discoveries about Jupiter's moon, Europa.

Following a campaign observation satellite, astronomers will present unique results that could reveal the presence of a subterranean ocean under the ice of Europe. The discovery was made using images recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope.

In the teleconference will be attended by Paul Hertz, director of the Division of Astrophysics at the NASA headquarters in Washington, William Sparks, an astronomer at the Institute of Science in Baltimore, Brithney Schmidt, professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Science at the Institute of Technology Atlanta, and Jennifer Wiserman researcher in the project Hubble at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

Astrobiologists have said long before that Europe could support extraterrestrial life. In the story ,, 2001 A Space Odyssey '', Arthur C. Clarke said that Europe is a satellite of Jupiter with a diameter of 3,100 kilometers that could have a liquid ocean beneath its frozen surface. Also astrononii it believes that underground ocean is in connection with the rocky mantle and by contact might produce a chemical reaction that can create life.


The most interesting aspect is the fact that researchers who controls the Juno probe will not let her collapse on the satellite after the mission, as happened in other cases because they do not want contaminating Jupiter's moon.


Source: Wattsup with That

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

KIC 8462852 Alien structure in our galaxy?

One of the most unusual stars in our galaxy, KIC 8462852, is astronomical attention in recent months.

The star is 1,480 light years away from our planet. This sparked the interest of researchers in October when they were discovered unusual fluctuations of light.

In the new study has found that light intensity has decreased dramatically in recent days. Astronomers Montet Ben and Joshua Simon from the Carnegie Institution have discovered the star's light intensity measured by Kepler during the fourth mission. In the early years, the light intensity was decreased by 0.34% each year. Then intensity dropped dramatically, by 2.5% in 200 days, before returning to its intensity bland.

Tabby's Star - Wikipedia

Astronomers have investigated another 500 stars in its neighborhood, but found none like this. ,, The part that surprised us was how quickly and how that change nonlinear. We spent a long time convincing us that it is not real, '' said Montet.

'' These results show a new part of the puzzle impressive ment, '' said the r \ ndul they Tabetha Boyajian. In some theories, it was suggested that decreasing light intensity is caused by a mega alien. The project started on May 18 by the researcher at Yale University, Tabetha Boyajian, accumulated investment amount of $ 100,000 This project aims to investigate the mysterious stars in the galaxy.

Kepler probe monitored the star for four years, assisting in two dramatic incidents in 2011 and 2013, when starlight fell dramatically. When a planet orbits a star, its brightness decreases by one percent. But KIC 8462852, nicknamed Tabby's star, suffered a 22% reduction, which means that a huge object moves around them.

The most remarkable aspect of these fluctuations is made up of hundreds of light gaps that occur over a period of 100 days, indicating that an impressive number of irregular objects passed before the star and blocked temporarily light.


Researchers monitored the star to see what objects produce these forms ..

One of their theories relate to or more satellites or solar panels which surround a star formation known as a Dyson swarm. In a study in which they use information collected by NASA's Spitzer Telescope it was suggested that changing light intensity can be affected by a swarm of comets. In a study published last month it has been stated that the signals are caused by Halley's comet breaking 30 who blocked the starlight.

Observations researchers will continue, but so far no evidence has been found to decrease the brightness deliberately.


Source: dailymail

Friday, July 1, 2016

SEE JUPITER’S AURORAS LIKE NEVER BEFORE






































Updated today: 29/05/2021

Huge, endless auroras cap Jupiter's poles, now brought into better view by Hubble's latest image.

First discovered in 1979 by NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, the auroras were then photographed in collaboration with Cassini in 2000 and again in 2007 when New Horizons flew by.

Jupiter's auroras discovered by NASA Juno spacecraft - SlashGear

This is the first time, however, that we've seen Jupiter's aurora with the Hubble Space Telescope's ultraviolet capabilities. The north pole aurora covers an area larger than Earth, and is hundreds of times more energetic than Earth's own auroras. Jupiter's strong magnetic field and particles thrown by its moon Io help fuel the colorful display.





































Auroras form when high energy particles collide with atoms of gas in the atmosphere around a planet's poles. This is important to study, since its components could reveal reactions happening within Jupiter's solar wind, a stream of charged particles ejected from the Sun.

Jupiter's vividly glowing auroras have a mysterious power source - The Verge


The images coincide with work done in Juno's approach. The spacecraft will collect data in Jupiter's solar wind, and will eventually fly over the planet's north pole in its early July close-pass, which should allow for even more stunning views. Hubble will continue to study the auroras for about a month, and the information each gathers will help better understand this mysterious giant.























Hubble Captures Vivid Auroras in Jupiter's Atmosphere 

This composite video illustrates the auroras on Jupiter relative to their position on the giant planet. As on Earth, auroras are produced by the interaction of a planet's magnetic field with its atmosphere. The Jupiter auroras observed by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope are some of the most active and brightest ever caught by Hubble, reaching intensities over a thousand times brighter than those seen on Earth. Hubble's sensitivity to ultraviolet light captures the glow of the auroras above Jupiter's cloud top. The auroras were photographed on May 19, 2016, during a series of far-ultraviolet-light observations taking place as NASA's Juno spacecraft approaches and enters into orbit around Jupiter. 

Jupiter: Auroras Light Up Poles Time Magazine

The aim of the program is to determine how Jupiter's auroras respond to changing conditions in the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emitted from the sun. The full-color disk of Jupiter in this video was separately photographed at a different time by Hubble's Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program, a long-term Hubble project that annually captures global maps of the outer planets. Auroras are formed when charged particles in the space surrounding the planet are accelerated to high energies along the planet's magnetic field.

Rare glimpse of two of Jupiter's auroras reveal they're dancing to different beats - The Verge

 When the particles hit the atmosphere near the magnetic poles, they cause it to glow like gases in a fluorescent light fixture. Jupiter's magnetosphere is 20,000 times stronger than Earth's. These observations will reveal how the solar system's largest and most powerful magnetosphere behaves. Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Nichols (University of Leicester), and G. Bacon (STScI) Acknowledgment: A. Simon (NASA/GSFC) and the OPAL team.





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Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Cloudy days on exoplanets may hide atmospheric water





















Hot Jupiters, exoplanets around the same size as Jupiter that orbit very closely to their stars, often have cloud or haze layers in their atmospheres. This may prevent space telescopes from detecting atmospheric water that lies beneath the clouds, according to a study in the Astrophysical Journal.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Water is a hot topic in the study of exoplanets, including "hot Jupiters," whose masses are similar to that of Jupiter, but which are much closer to their parent star than Jupiter is to the sun. They can reach a scorching 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,100 degrees Celsius), meaning any water they host would take the form of water vapor.

Astronomers have found many hot Jupiters with water in their atmospheres, but others appear to have none. Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, wanted to find out what the atmospheres of these giant worlds have in common.

Researchers focused on a collection of hot Jupiters studied by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. They found that the atmospheres of about half of the planets were blocked by clouds or haze.

"The motivation of our study was to see what these planets would be like if they were grouped together, and to see whether they share any atmospheric properties," said Aishwarya Iyer, a JPL intern and master's degree candidate at California State University, Northridge, who led the study.

The new study, published in the June 1 issue of the Astrophysical Journal, suggests that clouds or haze layers could be preventing a substantial amount of atmospheric water from being detected by space telescopes. The clouds themselves are likely not made of water, as the planets in this sample are too hot for water-based clouds.

"Clouds or haze seem to be on almost every planet we studied," Iyer said. "You have to be careful to take clouds or haze into account, or else you could underestimate the amount of water in an exoplanet's atmosphere by a factor of two."

In the study, scientists looked at a set of 19 hot Jupiters previously observed by Hubble. The telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 had detected water vapor in the atmospheres of 10 of these planets, and no water on the other nine. But that information was spread across more than a dozen studies. The methods of analyzing and interpretation varied because the studies were conducted separately. There had not been one overarching analysis of all these planets.

To compare the planets and look for patterns, the JPL team had to standardize the data: Researchers combined the datasets for all 19 hot Jupiters to create an average overall light spectrum for the group of planets. They then compared these data to models of clear, cloud-free atmospheres and those with various cloud thicknesses.

The scientists determined that, for almost every planet they studied, haze or clouds were blocking half of the atmosphere, on average.

"In some of these planets, you can see water peeking its head up above the clouds or haze, and there could still be more water below," Iyer said.

Scientists do not yet know the nature of these clouds or hazes, including what they are they made of.

"Clouds or haze being on almost all these planets is pretty surprising," said Robert Zellem, a postdoctoral fellow at JPL and co-author of the study.

The implications of this result agree with findings published in the Dec. 14, 2015, issue of the journal Nature. The Nature study used data from NASA's Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes to suggest that clouds or haze could be hiding undetected water in hot Jupiters. This new study uses exoplanet data from a single instrument on Hubble to uniformly characterize a larger group of hot Jupiters, and is the first to quantify how much of the atmosphere would be shielded as a result of clouds or haze.


The new research could have implications for follow-up studies with future space observatories, such as NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. Exoplanets with thick cloud covers blocking the detection of water and other substances may be less desirable targets for more extensive study.

These results are also important for figuring out how planets form, scientists say.

"Did these planets form in their current positions or migrate toward their host stars from farther out? Understanding the abundances of molecules such as water helps us answer those questions," Zellem said.

"This paper is an exciting step forward for the study of exoplanets and comparing their properties," said Mark Swain, study co-author and group supervisor for the exoplanet discovery and science group at JPL.

Michael Line of the University of California, Santa Cruz, also contributed to the study. Other co-authors from JPL included Gael Roudier, Graca Rocha and John Livingston.


Source: sciencedaily