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Damn Space, You Scary

RPM

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Doc Reeves

Doc Reeves 6434

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well this is a puzzler...
 

A Massive Star Has Seemingly Vanished from Space With No Explanation.

Astronomers are perplexed by the unexplained disappearance of a massive star located 75 million light years away.

A decade ago, light from this colossal star brightened its entire host galaxy, which is officially known as PHL 293B and is nicknamed the Kinman Dwarf. But when scientists checked back in on this farflung system last summer, the glow of the star—estimated to be roughly 100 times more massive than the Sun—had been extinguished. The head-scratching discovery was announced in a study published on Tuesday in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

“We were quite surprised when we couldn’t find the star,” said lead author Andrew Allan, a PhD student at Trinity College Dublin, in a call. “It is a very extreme star, and it has quite a strong wind, so we can distinguish it from the galaxy. That’s what we couldn’t see in the newer observations.”

The mysterious series of events began when Allan and his colleagues imaged the Kinman Dwarf in August 2019, using the ESPRESSO instrument at the Very Large Telescope in Chile. The team initially set out to learn more about massive stars located in galaxies with low metal densities. Given that the starlit Kinman Dwarf had been observed by other astronomers between 2001 and 2011, the team knew that it would be a good target for their research.

“Not a lot is understood about stars in those kinds of environments, so that was the main reason we wanted to look,” Allan said. “We are interested in massive stars at the end of their lives in those kinds of environments, so we were really just hoping to get a better resolution observation.”

What they ultimately got was the absence of an observation. The weird disappearance of the massive star was so tantalizing that the European Southern Observatory, which manages the VLT, gave the team another shot to image the system with an instrument called X-Shooter.

In other words, massive stars may collapse without producing supernovae more commonly than we think, but we do not capture their shadowy demises with light-receiving telescopes. Indeed, it’s unusual to even capture living luminous stars like the one that is—or perhaps, isn’t?—in the Kinman Dwarf. These huge stars shine bright, but they also tend to flame out just a few million years after they are born.

“Massive stars are rare in general,” Allan said. “The more massive they are, the less likely you'll be to find them. They live a lot faster, and they die a lot quicker, than lower-mass stars.”

Massive stars are also cosmic forges that create many of the elements that make up new generations of stars, planets, and even lifeforms like humans. A better understanding of their life cycles could help resolve a host of unsolved mysteries about our universe, such as “the link between supernovae and gamma-ray bursts” and “the early evolution of the Universe,” according to the new study.

To that point, Allan and his colleagues plan to examine the Kinman Dwarf with the Hubble Space Telescope, which may shed light on the fate of this monster star. The team found a never-before-published Hubble image of the system, captured in 2011, that could provide the perfect contrast to a new picture by the space telescope.

“Just by comparing a before and after picture of the galaxy, we’d hopefully be able to pick out, first of all, the star itself, and then maybe what happened to the star and why it disappeared,” Allan said.

 


 

 

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RPM

RPM 26167

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Microbes Unknown to Science Discovered on The International Space Station

Researchers from the United States and India working with NASA have now discovered four strains of bacteria living in different places in the ISS – three of which were, until now, completely unknown to science.

Three of the four strains were isolated back in 2015 and 2016 – one was found on an overhead panel of the ISS research stations, the second was found in the Cupola, the third was found on the surface of the dining table; the fourth was found in an old HEPA filter returned to Earth in 2011.  

All four of the strains belong to a family of bacteria found in soil and freshwater; they are involved in nitrogen fixation, plant growth, and can help stop plant pathogens. Basically, good bacteria to have around if you're growing things.

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freyguy

freyguy 4243

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On 3/17/2021 at 2:57 AM, RPM said:

Microbes Unknown to Science Discovered on The International Space Station

Researchers from the United States and India working with NASA have now discovered four strains of bacteria living in different places in the ISS – three of which were, until now, completely unknown to science.

Three of the four strains were isolated back in 2015 and 2016 – one was found on an overhead panel of the ISS research stations, the second was found in the Cupola, the third was found on the surface of the dining table; the fourth was found in an old HEPA filter returned to Earth in 2011.  

All four of the strains belong to a family of bacteria found in soil and freshwater; they are involved in nitrogen fixation, plant growth, and can help stop plant pathogens. Basically, good bacteria to have around if you're growing things.

Like growing alien babies in your cornhole?

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RPM

RPM 26167

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So what do you have planned for 2 years from Friday?

1*OXPpKt5tHApLxTG54ev3Tw.png

The 2024 eclipse isn’t a coast-to-coast event. But that’s a good thing. Instead of crossing over all of that difficult-to-access terrain across the width of the country, the 2024 path of totality races from southwest to northeast, entering the country in Texas and exiting in Maine. In the process, it crosses a plethora of major American cities and population centers in Texas and up through the “Rust Belt” of America.

Along its roughly 2,000-mile trek across the country, the 2024 path of totality crosses over San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, and many other large northern cities and state capitals. At the same time, the path also comes tantalizingly close to a profusion of other major cities from which the path can easily be reached by car — Houston, Oklahoma City, Memphis, St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Pittsburgh.


The fact that the 2024 eclipse crosses over or comes close to more major cities than in 2017 means that more people than ever will have a chance to experience nature’s greatest show. The eclipse will happen, literally, in the backyards of millions of Americans. And millions more who live outside the path of totality can easily drive into it on eclipse day or take advantage of the wealth of lodging options offered by the cities located inside the totality zone. On April 8, 2024, this eclipse will supplant the 2017 eclipse as the most widely viewed in human history.

https://medium.com/national-eclipse-blog/why-the-2024-eclipse-will-transcend-the-2017-eclipse-ab2d89969aae

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Onboard 2.0

Onboard 2.0 9083

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3 hours ago, RPM said:

So what do you have planned for 2 years from Friday?

1*OXPpKt5tHApLxTG54ev3Tw.png

The 2024 eclipse isn’t a coast-to-coast event. But that’s a good thing. Instead of crossing over all of that difficult-to-access terrain across the width of the country, the 2024 path of totality races from southwest to northeast, entering the country in Texas and exiting in Maine. In the process, it crosses a plethora of major American cities and population centers in Texas and up through the “Rust Belt” of America.

Along its roughly 2,000-mile trek across the country, the 2024 path of totality crosses over San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, and many other large northern cities and state capitals. At the same time, the path also comes tantalizingly close to a profusion of other major cities from which the path can easily be reached by car — Houston, Oklahoma City, Memphis, St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Pittsburgh.


The fact that the 2024 eclipse crosses over or comes close to more major cities than in 2017 means that more people than ever will have a chance to experience nature’s greatest show. The eclipse will happen, literally, in the backyards of millions of Americans. And millions more who live outside the path of totality can easily drive into it on eclipse day or take advantage of the wealth of lodging options offered by the cities located inside the totality zone. On April 8, 2024, this eclipse will supplant the 2017 eclipse as the most widely viewed in human history.

https://medium.com/national-eclipse-blog/why-the-2024-eclipse-will-transcend-the-2017-eclipse-ab2d89969aae

We were in Greenville, SC for the last eclipse in the totality zone. It was cool as hell. Planning to go to the next one as well. 

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TexEx15

TexEx15 17402

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On 7/28/2022 at 10:07 PM, ClubWhatever said:

There are between 10^78 to 10^82 atoms in the observable universe. That's between ten quadrillion vigintillion and one-hundred thousand quadrillion vigintillion atoms. 
 

just thought I’d throw that out there

Chris Pratt What GIF

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 89304

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Remember GIF by Farmer Wants A Wife

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-voyager-will-do-more-science-with-new-power-strategy

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NASA’s Voyager Will Do More Science With New Power Strategy. The plan will keep Voyager 2’s science instruments turned on a few years longer than previously anticipated, enabling yet more revelations from interstellar space.

Launched in 1977, the Voyager 2 spacecraft is more than 12 billion miles (20 billion kilometers) from Earth, using five science instruments to study interstellar space. To help keep those instruments operating despite a diminishing power supply, the aging spacecraft has begun using a small reservoir of backup power set aside as part of an onboard safety mechanism. The move will enable the mission to postpone shutting down a science instrument until 2026, rather than this year.

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Voyager 2 and its twin Voyager 1 are the only spacecraft ever to operate outside the heliosphere, the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields generated by the Sun. The probes are helping scientists answer questions about the shape of the heliosphere and its role in protecting Earth from the energetic particles and other radiation found in the interstellar environment.

“The science data that the Voyagers are returning gets more valuable the farther away from the Sun they go, so we are definitely interested in keeping as many science instruments operating as long as possible,” said Linda Spilker, Voyager’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages the mission for NASA.

Quote

Both Voyager probes power themselves with radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), which convert heat from decaying plutonium into electricity. The continual decay process means the generator produces slightly less power each year. So far, the declining power supply hasn’t impacted the mission’s science output, but to compensate for the loss, engineers have turned off heaters and other systems that are not essential to keeping the spacecraft flying.

With those options now exhausted on Voyager 2, one of the spacecraft’s five science instruments was next on their list. (Voyager 1 is operating one less science instrument than its twin because an instrument failed early in the mission. As a result, the decision about whether to turn off an instrument on Voyager 1 won’t come until sometime next year.)

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In search of a way to avoid shutting down a Voyager 2 science instrument, the team took a closer look at a safety mechanism designed to protect the instruments in case the spacecraft’s voltage – the flow of electricity – changes significantly. Because a fluctuation in voltage could damage the instruments, Voyager is equipped with a voltage regulator that triggers a backup circuit in such an event. The circuit can access a small amount of power from the RTG that’s set aside for this purpose. Instead of reserving that power, the mission will now be using it to keep the science instruments operating.

Quote

Although the spacecraft’s voltage will not be tightly regulated as a result, even after more than 45 years in flight, the electrical systems on both probes remain relatively stable, minimizing the need for a safety net. The engineering team is also able to monitor the voltage and respond if it fluctuates too much. If the new approach works well for Voyager 2, the team may implement it on Voyager 1 as well.

Quote

“Variable voltages pose a risk to the instruments, but we’ve determined that it’s a small risk, and the alternative offers a big reward of being able to keep the science instruments turned on longer,” said Suzanne Dodd, Voyager’s project manager at JPL. “We’ve been monitoring the spacecraft for a few weeks, and it seems like this new approach is working.”

Quote

The Voyager mission was originally scheduled to last only four years, sending both probes past Saturn and Jupiter. NASA extended the mission so that Voyager 2 could visit Neptune and Uranus; it is still the only spacecraft ever to have encountered the ice giants. In 1990, NASA extended the mission again, this time with the goal of sending the probes outside the heliosphere. Voyager 1 reached the boundary in 2012, while Voyager 2 (traveling slower and in a different direction than its twin) reached it in 2018.

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/voyager/index.html

NASA has managed to use the Hubble telescope to show us a live look at Voyager 2

giphy.gif

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Hagbard Celine

Hagbard Celine 10660

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reposting from the spacex thread as this is the non-spacex thread...

back on 4 august posted this which is context for next post:

a week ago canberra lost comms with Vger2

fixed

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-mission-update-voyager-2-communications-pause

NASA JPL’s Voyager Team Is Patching Up Both Voyagers’ Firmware

Maya Posch

Oct 22

It's not every day that you get to update the firmware on a device that was produced in the 1970s, and rarely is said device well beyond the boundaries of our solar system. This is however exactly what the JPL team in charge of the Voyager 1 & 2 missions are facing, as they are in the process of sending fresh firmware patches over to these amazing feats of engineering. These patches should address not only the attitude articulation and control system (AACS) issues that interrupted Voyager 1's communication with Earth a while ago, but also prevent the thruster propellant inlet tubes from getting clogged up as quickly.

Voyager 2 is the current testbed for these patches, just in case something should go wrong despite months of Earth-based checking, testing and validation. As Voyager 1 is the furthest from Earth, its scientific data is the more valuable, but ideally neither spacecraft should come out worse for wear after this maintenance session.

The AACS fixes are more of an insurance policy, as the original cause of the issue was found to be that the AACS had entered into an incorrect mode, yet without a clear understanding of how this could have happened. With these changes in place, recovery should be much easier. Similarly, the changes to the use of the thrusters are relatively minor, in that they will mostly let the spacecraft drift a bit more out of focus before the thrusters engage, reducing total thruster firings and thus the build-up of material in these inlet tubes.

With these changes the antennae of both spacecraft should remain trimmed firmly towards the blue planet which they left over forty-five years ago, and enable them to hopefully reach that full half century mark before those of us who are still listening have to say our final farewells.

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MonkeyDoughnut

MonkeyDoughnut 10099

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Not sure if this is correct thread.. but good news / bad news of the day:

Lander was designed to have better guidance but not sure what happened. Seemed to land in place where solar cells aren't going to be able to collect energy so likely will just die there.

BUT... still Japan becomes the 5th country to reach the moon with its soft landing today.

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Surly Bevo

Surly Bevo 24686

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35 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Not sure if this is correct thread.. but good news / bad news of the day:

Lander was designed to have better guidance but not sure what happened. Seemed to land in place where solar cells aren't going to be able to collect energy so likely will just die there.

BUT... still Japan becomes the 5th country to reach the moon with its soft landing today.

How soon before the kids can play Pokemon Go on the moon?

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Red Five

Red Five 40574

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On 4/28/2024 at 12:22 PM, billfromlaketravis said:

Voyager is 15 billion miles from Earth. 46 years to travel that distance. Damn space, you scary big. 
 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna149514

And like it says at the end, 40,000 years away from the next star. Just as one reference, humans first appeared in North America like 25,000 years ago. 

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40648

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I’ll bet very few stars in the spiral arms will actually collide with each other, if any. 
The central cores will be another story though. 
However, that wreck will take thousands/millions of years to progress.

Of course I don’t know shit.

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