Astronomy

Patchy garbage collection services result in more than 50 million tonnes of unmanaged plastic waste each year, and the majority of this is incinerated

Patchy garbage collection services result in more than 50 million tonnes of unmanaged plastic waste each year, and the majority of this is incinerated

After an mRNA vaccine for mpox achieved promising results in monkeys, researchers say it could have several advantages over existing vaccines – but cold storage requirements mean it will be hard to roll out in some hard-hit countries

After an mRNA vaccine for mpox achieved promising results in monkeys, researchers say it could have several advantages over existing vaccines – but cold storage requirements mean it will be hard to roll out in some hard-hit countries

With its particles in two places at once, quantum theory strains our common sense notions of how the universe should work. But one group of physicists says we can get reality back if we just redefine its foundations

With its particles in two places at once, quantum theory strains our common sense notions of how the universe should work. But one group of physicists says we can get reality back if we just redefine its foundations

Black holes are by their very nature, challenging to observe and difficult to spot. It’s usually observations of the accretion disk that reveal properties of the hidden black hole. There is often enough material within the accretion disk to make them shine so brightly that they can often be among the brightest objects in space. A wonderful image has been released which shows the highest resolution simulation of a black hole accretion disk ever created. 

The concept of black holes was first theorised by physicist John Mitchell in 1784 but it was Einstein’s theory of General Relativity that provided the necessary physics to understand them. The first indirect observation of a black hole came in 1971 of Cygnus X-1, the black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. Since then, more candidates have been identified with the first image of a black hole being captured in 2019.

This X-ray image of Cygnus X-1 was taken by a balloon-borne telescope, the High Energy Replicated Optics (HERO) project. NASA image.

The anatomy of black holes is fascinating and one of the most useful to astronomers is the accretion disk. It’s a swirling disk of dust and gas that orbits the black hole slowly spiralling inward before being lost beyond the event horizon. As the material accelerates, it heats up due to gravitational forces and emits the energy which we can often detect from Earth in the form of X-rays and ultraviolet radiation. 

A team of researchers from the Tohoku University and the University of Utsunomiya have announced their breakthrough in understanding the accretion disks. Using the power of  supercomputers like RIKEN’s (Japan’s largest comprehensive research institution) “Fugaku” and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan’s “ATERUI II”, the team created the highest resolution simulations of an accretion disk to model the complex, almost chaotic nature of turbulence in the disks. 

Attempts have been made before but none of them have observed the inertial range largely due to the lack of computer power..until now. This recent study by the Japanese team has successfully reproduced the observed connections between large and small eddies in the accretion disk turbulence, the so called ‘inertial range.’ The results provide a significant step forward in understanding the physics of the environments and processes around black holes and how turbulence allows material to be transported toward the central black hole.

An artist’s illustration of a supermassive black hole (SMBH.) The SMBH in a distant galaxy expelled all the material in its accretion disk, clearing out a vast area. Image Credit: ESA

The team also discovered just why ions are selectively heated in accretion disks. Slow magnetosonic waves propagate and dominate the region causing the heating. These waves are low frequency compression waves that are driven by the interaction between a magnetic field and an electrically conductive material. The team showed that it was these waves that are thought to drive the heating process.

The study, which was published in Science Advances on 28 August, will help with the interpretation of data from telescopes like the Event Horizon telescope which is one of a number engaged in black hole studies. 

Source : Supercomputer Simulations Reveal the Nature of Turbulence in Black Hole Accretion Disks

The post Simulating the Accretion Disk Around a Black Hole appeared first on Universe Today.

SpaceX will launch a new batch of its Starlink satellites into orbit on Thursday (Sept. 5) and you'll be able to watch it live online.

A 3-foot (1-meter) asteroid burned up harmlessly over the Philippines today (Sept. 4) after being detected just this morning.

Belief in alien visitors is no longer a quirk, but a widespread societal problem. This belief is slightly paradoxical as we have zero evidence that aliens even exist.

The Moon has been a source of interest of late largely due to the focus on getting humans back to the Moon. Future human explorers though will likely be there to stay in permanent lunar bases. Making this a reality means it is of vital importance to harvest materials from the Moon and water is just one of them. Recently, ESA Announced they have secured a ride to the Moon for their Prospect package in 2027. It consists of a drill and tiny laboratory that will hunt for water and other volatiles, paving the way for human exploration.

The existence of water on the Moon was confirmed in 2009 by NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. It primarily exists in the form of ice in the permanently shadowed craters in the polar regions. It was a significant discovery because it meant that future human explorers might be able to harvest the water and use for drinking, oxygen and even rocket fuel. Accessing it remains however, challenging because the polar areas are a particularly harsh and challenging environment. 

Map displaying water content across the lunar surface, which was the focus of this study as researchers examined how the Earth’s magnetic field contributes to water on the Moon. As the data indicates, lunar water is primarily concentrated near the lunar poles. (Credit: Li, et al., 2023)

The search for, and analysis of the distribution of water on and under the lunar surface continues apace and one of the upcoming missions, the European Space Agency’s Prospect mission has just booked its ride to the Moon. In 2027, NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative will journey to the Moon and carry with it the Prospect probe that will include a drill and miniature laboratory. 

Prospect’s drill is called ‘ProSEED’ will drill into the lunar regolith (the lunar surface material) to a depth of one metre. At that depths it is expected to find temperatures less than -100 °C and so any water at that depth will be ice. It will collect samples at that depth to be transferred into the laboratory (named ProSPA) for analysis. ProSEED is capable of its own analysis work as it carries a multispectral imager (always makes me think of the Ghostbusters movie!) and a permittivity sensor. This allows the drill to measure capacitance of the material and detect volatile substances and the mineral make up of the landing site.

Once the material is transferred into ProSPA, samples will be placed into a multitude of sections like a carousel with multiple ovens, they will be sealed and heated to extract the cold trapped volatiles. It will measure the nature and concentration of volatiles from the gasses released as the samples are heated. It will also test processes for the extraction of the volatiles for future missions.

Simply understanding that water exists on the Moon is not sufficient for its future use to be planned. It is imperative that we understand just how much water is present and more importantly how accessible it is. If relatively accessible then it would be much more economical to extract the water from the Moon than to transport it there. Once it has been harvested, oxygen can be extracted to for human habitats or for rocket fuel and of course, can be used as water to drink. 

Image of the Multi-Purpose Habitat (MPH) being developed through a recent partnership between the Italian Space Agency and Thales Alenia Space. (Credit: Thales Alenia Space)

ProdSEED has already been going through extensive testing and trials in an environment similar to the surface of the Moon with low temperatures and low pressures and has proved capable of drilling into hard material to extract samples. A successful mission will not only lay the foundations for future human exploration but will also help us to get a more fuller understanding of the lunar environment.

Source : European drill and mini lab secure ride to the Moon

The post Europe is Sending a Drill to the Moon to Search for Water appeared first on Universe Today.

A preview of Creepy Jar's sci-fi survival game, "StarRupture," which is expected to be released later this year.

A famous prediction that microchips improve exponentially over time can be applicable in unrelated developments, such as the technology used to discover colliding black holes

According to recent research, Europe’s net greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by around 25% since the 1990s. While this is good news, the study also revealed a weakening in the capacity of land and vegetation to absorb and store atmospheric carbon.

A newly spotted asteroid named 2024 RW1 burned up in the atmosphere over the South Pacific, creating a spectacular bright flash in the sky over the Philippines just hours after first being detected

A newly spotted asteroid named 2024 RW1 burned up in the atmosphere over the South Pacific, creating a spectacular bright flash in the sky over the Philippines just hours after first being detected

A newly spotted asteroid dubbed CAQTDL2 will impact just east of the Philippines. There is no danger from the space rock, which will burn up in the atmosphere and could appear as bright as the moon in the night sky

A newly spotted asteroid dubbed CAQTDL2 will impact just east of the Philippines. There is no danger from the space rock, which will burn up in the atmosphere and could appear as bright as the moon in the night sky

Any lunar resource evaluation or prospecting campaign will need to be international in nature, as no one space agency will have the money or mandate to conduct it alone.

Not all cats are hydrophobic