A New Industrial Megaproject Threatens the View of the World’s Best Observatories

The dark skies above ESO’s Paranal Observatory, home to ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), yield breathtaking views so clear and so full of stars that you could almost touch them. Standing atop a platform at VLT, ESO Photo Ambassador Petr Horálek reaches towards a standout object in the sky. You may assume this bright body, like many others in the sky, to be a star, but it is in fact a planet in our Solar System: the gas giant Jupiter. Closer to Earth, the four Unit Telescopes (UTs) that comprise the VLT can be seen in the background. Each UT features an 8.2-metre mirror and they operate synergistically to produce some of the sharpest views of the Universe. Accompanying the four UTs are four smaller, moveable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) which have 1.8-metre mirrors.  The Chilean Atacama desert once again proves its value as the ideal location for ESO’s VLT. The remoteness of the observatory means that there is very little to no light pollution, which is vital for astronomy and also yields such breathtaking views.

Astronomers have been battling threats to their clear skies on all fronts lately. One of the most notable battles, which we have reported on repeatedly, is the one against Starlink and other mega-constellations of satellites, which, while they offer high-speed internet in the most far-flung places, also disrupt observations by sensitive telescopes due to their reflectivity and fast movement speed. They also pose a global problem, whereas a more down-to-earth issue is cropping up at one very special observatory. A vast industrial plant threatens the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal telescope planned only a few kilometers from the site.

Continue reading “A New Industrial Megaproject Threatens the View of the World’s Best Observatories”

The Cosmos is Waiting for us to Explore. But we Should Choose our Path Wisely.

Lunar gateway. Credit: NASA

If you were Captain of the first USS Enterprise, where would you go!? Humanity is on the cusp of reaching out among the stars, maybe not just yet, nor in our lifetimes but it is just around the corner cosmologically speaking. A new paper explores the new technology that could make it a reality but also carefully considers the ethical aspects. Before we make the first journeys we need to be clear about the ethical considerations too so that our exploration is sustainable and responsible.

Continue reading “The Cosmos is Waiting for us to Explore. But we Should Choose our Path Wisely.”

The Moon Occults Mars for North America Monday Night, Just Before Opposition 2025

Now is the best time to observe Mars in 2025.

Mars
Mars from 2014. Credit: Paul Stewart.

January has an amazing parade of evening planets, well worth braving the cold for. We have brilliant Venus, high to the west after sunset, reaching greatest elongation on January 10th. Fainter Saturn sits just above Venus as the two meet on January 19th. Meanwhile, Jupiter dominates the eastern sky, fresh off of opposition in December. But stay awake just a bit longer after dusk, and you can see Mars rising in the east.

As a special treat, observers in most of North America will also see the nearly Full Moon pass in front of Mars Monday night.

Continue reading “The Moon Occults Mars for North America Monday Night, Just Before Opposition 2025”

Roman’s Telescope and Instruments are Joined

Technicians recently integrated the payload – telescope, instrument carrier, and two instruments – for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in the big clean room at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. NASA/Chris Gunn

Scheduled for launch in 2027, the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope is slowly being readied for operation. This week, NASA announced that they have started to joined the mission’s telescope, instrument carrier and instruments onto the spacecraft. Having completed the construction, they will now move to the testing phase where the instrument will be subjected to more tests. These will include exposure to electromagnetic radiation expected during launch along with vibration and thermal changes too. If it passes these tests, the new space telescope will be on the home straight. 

Continue reading “Roman’s Telescope and Instruments are Joined”

SLS Could Launch A Titan Balloon Mission

Few places in the solar system are better suited to a balloon than Titan. The combination of low gravity and high atmospheric density makes Saturn’s largest moon ideal for a lighter than “air” vehicle, and the idea to put one there has been around for at least two decades. So why haven’t we yet? The simple answer is the size of the necessary balloon is too large for the existing launch platforms. But a team from Boeing, the prime contractor on the Space Launch System (SLS), believes their new launch platform will be capable of getting a large balloon into orbit, along with its necessary scientific payload – and start unlocking the mysteries of this intriguing moon.

Continue reading “SLS Could Launch A Titan Balloon Mission”

How to Deploy and Talk To LEAVES on Venus

We reported before about a NIAC-funded project known as the Lofted Environment and Atmospheric Venues Sensors (LEAVES) mission to study Venus’ atmosphere. While the technology behind the idea is still under development, it has already inspired a team of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) undergraduates to develop a supporting satellite mission to launch and communicate with the leaves. Their paper, part of their B.S. Thesis, details how to use these new sensors and the challenges ahead.

Continue reading “How to Deploy and Talk To LEAVES on Venus”

NASA is Keeping an Eye on InSight from Space

This image from October 2024 shows the InSight lander at its final resting place on Mars. As dust covers its solar panels the lander is taking on the same colour as the Martian surface. The image was captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

The InSight Lander arrived on Mars in 2018 to study the planet’s interior. Its mission ended prematurely in December 2022 after its solar panels were covered in the planet’s ubiquitous dust. NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured an image of InSight recently and will continue to do so as the Martian dust slowly and inexorably reclaims the lander.

Continue reading “NASA is Keeping an Eye on InSight from Space”

Planets Without Plate Tectonics Could Still Be Habitable

Jupiter's Moon io

It has been thought that the existence of plate tectonics has been a significant factor in the shaping of our planet and the evolution of life. Mars and Venus don’t experience such movements of crustal plates but then the differences between the worlds is evident. The exploration of exoplanets too finds many varied environments. Many of these new alien worlds seem to have significant internal heating and so lack plate movements too. Instead a new study reveals that these ‘Ignan Earths’ are more likely to have heat pipes that channel magma to she surface. The likely result is a surface temperature similar to Earth in its hottest period when liquid water started forming. 

Continue reading “Planets Without Plate Tectonics Could Still Be Habitable”

Astronomers are Losing the Night Sky (and Radio Sky) to Satellite Megaconstellations

How constellation satellites can create light pollution for radio telescopes. Credit: IAU CPS/NOIRLab/SKAO

When was the last time you looked up into the night sky and saw the Milky Way? If you happen to live in one of the truly remote areas of the world, your answer might be “last night.” If you live in one of the generally “rural” areas of your country, you might remember how you used to see the Milky Way regularly, but the rise of LEDs, particularly the blue/white ones, has gradually erased the Milky Way from your nights. For the large majority of humans on our small world, the answer is “never.”

Continue reading “Astronomers are Losing the Night Sky (and Radio Sky) to Satellite Megaconstellations”

We Could Search for Aliens Harvesting Energy from their Pet Black Hole

Artist's illustration of a Dyson swarm. Archibald Tuttle - Own work

Of all the unanswered questions in modern science, perhaps the most talked about is whether we are alone in the Universe. A new paper looks at another way we might be able to detect advanced civilisations and at its centre is the need for energy! The more advanced a civilisation becomes, the greater their need for energy and one of the most efficient ways, according to current theories, is to harness the energy from an actively feeding black hole. The paper suggests a civilisation feeding matter into a black hole could harvest energy from it, more excitingly perhaps, the process could be detectable within 17,000 light years! 

Continue reading “We Could Search for Aliens Harvesting Energy from their Pet Black Hole”