Space
A new planet with rings has been discovered in the solar system
Scientists from the University of Sheffield have identified a new planet with rings in the solar system. The results of the work are described in the journal Nature, reports cnn.com.
We are talking about the dwarf planet Quaoar, located at the very edge of the solar system. The object was first discovered back in 2002, it is half the size of Pluto and orbits the Sun behind Neptune.
Now, with the help of modern HiPERCAM equipment, installed on the world’s largest optical telescope Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), the rings have been discovered around the planet.
At the same time, Quaoar rings are too small and weak to be seen in the picture. The discovery was made thanks to the observation against the background of the shadow from the star, which arose when Quaoar obscured the luminary during its rotation cycle.
An artist’s rendition of Quaoar, the largest object found orbiting the sun since Pluto was discovered in 1930. Quaoar orbits in a region of space called the Kuiper Belt. G. Bacon/NASA/Getty Images
The event lasted less than a minute, but during that time the rings created static in the light that indicated their presence.
Ring systems are not very common in the solar system. The most famous are the rings of Saturn and Jupiter. The uniqueness of Quaoar lies in the fact that it is located at a distance of more than seven planetary radii.
This is more than twice what was previously considered the maximum distance according to the “Roche limit” – the boundary within which ring systems can exist. For example, the rings of Saturn are located within three planetary radii.
Professor Vik Dhillon, of the University of Sheffield’s physics and astronomy department, said: “It was unexpected to discover this new ring system in our solar system.
“And it was doubly unexpected to find the rings so far out from Quaoar, challenging our previous notions of how such rings form.”
A new study is forcing scientists to rethink ring formation theories.
According to NASA, a rogue, hyper-speed object, which is over
27,306 times the size of Earth, is hurtling so fast through our galaxy
that it might break free of the Milky Way.
Scientists say they have determined that the mysterious object was
cruising at a breakneck one million miles per hour when they spotted it
more than 400 light years from Earth. One light-year is equal to six
trillion miles.
Could this latest find be connected to the fake alien invasion that has long been in the pipeline?
The Mail Online reorts: While experts have not determined what the newfound celestial body is, they speculated it is a ‘brown dwarf,’ a star which is larger than a planet but lacks the mass to sustain long-term nuclear fusion in its core like Earth’s sun.
If the object confirmed as a brown dwarf, it would be first-ever to
be documented in a chaotic, hyper-speed orbit capable of breaking free
from our home galaxy.
A coalition of citizen-scientists with NASA’s ‘Backyard Worlds: Planet 9’ projectwere the first to spot the celestial body, the US space agency confirmed this week.
‘I can’t describe the level of excitement,’ German citizen-scientist Martin Kabatnik, a long-time member of NASA’s Backyard Worlds program, said in statement.
‘When I first saw how fast it was moving,’ the Nuremberg-based
researcher confessed, ‘I was convinced it must have been reported
already.’
Backyard Worlds citizen-scientists Martin Kabatnik, Thomas P. Bickle
and Dan Caselden were the first to spot this million mph object a few
years ago, earning the hyper-speed object the catalogued name CWISE
J124909.08+362116.0.
According to astronomer Dr Kyle Kremer,
who has collaborated with them on better understanding the object,
several astrophysics theories could explain how the object, CWISE J1249
for short, could have gotten to its incredible speed.
In one theory, CWISE J1249 rocketed out of a two star or binary star
system after its ‘white dwarf’ sister star died off — collapsing in an
explosive runaway nuclear fusion reaction called a supernova.
Another viable theory has it that CWISE J1249 originated inside a
tight cluster of starts called a ‘globular cluster’ where it was flung
free via the pull of a black hole.
‘When a star encounters a black hole binary,’ Dr Kremer said in a
NASA statement on the discovery, ‘the complex dynamics of this
three-body interaction can toss that star right out of the globular
cluster.’
Sławosz Uznański will be the second Pole in space and the first to fly to the International Space Station (ISS).
Uznański revealed that his mission to the ISS is planned for 2025 and will last about two weeks. He will launch from Cape Canaveral on a rocket provided by SpaceX. This journey not only represents a significant milestone for Uznański but also for Polish space exploration.
Last year, Uznański was officially selected for this mission, after which he commenced his training at the European Space Agency’s facility in Cologne, Germany. Initially planned for 2024, the mission faced delays, but new details have recently emerged on Uznański’s social media profiles.
During his two-week stay on the ISS, he will focus on Polish scientific projects and technology tests, including artificial intelligence applications in space and studies on the effects of microgravity on the human immune system.
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA) received numerous project proposals for Uznański’s mission. Due to limited space, only seven were selected, highlighting the extensive interest and potential impact of this mission.
Uznański will travel to the ISS in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, a vehicle regularly used by NASA for transporting astronauts. The Crew Dragon will be mounted atop a Falcon 9 rocket, with the launch also set to take place at Cape Canaveral. While the exact launch date is yet to be confirmed, preparations are in full swing.
In a move to further his training, Uznański has relocated to Houston, Texas. Starting Monday, he will begin a new training phase at Axiom Space, a partner in the mission, followed by sessions at NASA and SpaceX facilities. This mission not only propels Uznański into space but also significantly advances Poland’s stature in the global aerospace sector.
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