Indian Astronomers Detect Huge Optical Flare from Super Massive Black Hole
Indian astronomers have reported one of the strongest flares from a feeding supermassive black hole or blazar called BL Lacertae, analysis of which can help trace the mass of the black hole and the source of this emission.
Such analysis can provide a lead to probe mysteries and trace events at different stages of evolution of the Universe.
Blazars or feeding supermassive black holes in the heart of distant galaxies receive a lot of attention from the astronomical community because of their complicated emission mechanism. They emit jets of charged particles travelling nearly at the speed of light and are one of the most luminous and energetic objects in the Universe.
BL Lacertae blazar is 10 million light-years away and is among the 50 most prominent blazars that can be observed with the help of a relatively small telescope. It was among the 3 to 4 blazars that was predicted to be experiencing flares by the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT), an international consortium of astronomers.
Feb 13, 2021
Most Distant Object in Our Solar System Spotted
Astronomers have identified the most distant known object in our solar system — a dwarf planet nicknamed Farfarout that orbits far beyond Pluto. This remote mini-planet swings so far away from the sun that from Farfarout's perspective Earth and Saturn look like neighbours.
With an orbit that's an average of 132 times the distance between Earth and the sun, or 132 astronomical units (AU), it beats "Farout," the previous record holder for most-distant solar object; Farout orbits the sun at an average of 124 A.U. Farfarout's technical name is 2018 AG37, and it will likely get an official name as a dwarf planet down the road.
Feb 12, 2021
Tianwen-1 Spacecraft Enters in Orbit around Mars
China says it has successfully put its Tianwen-1 mission in orbit around Mars.
It's the first time the country has managed to get a spacecraft to the Red Planet and comes a day after the United Arab Emirates accomplished the same feat.
Tianwen-1, or "Questions to Heaven", comprises an orbiter and a rover.
Engineers will bide their time before despatching the wheeled robot to the surface, but the expectation is that this will happen in May or June.
This orbit insertion underlines again the rapid progress China's space programme is making.
It follows December's impressive mission to retrieve rock and soil samples from Earth's Moon - by any measure a very complex undertaking.
Feb 11, 2021
SpaceX's Crew-1 Astronauts Break 47-year US Space Record
Four astronauts living aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have broken a 47-year-old record after spending the longest time in space by a crew launched from U.S. soil.
The astronauts, collectively known as Crew-1, Michael Hopkins, Shannon Walker and Victor Glover of NASA and Soichi Noguchi of the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), were also the first full mission crew to be transported into orbit by a private company. (A smaller demonstration mission to the ISS, crewed by just two astronauts who stayed in space for a short while, preceded Crew-1 by several months.)
Crew-1 arrived aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule launched into orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 15.
The Crew-1 astronauts took their place in the history books after spending their 85th day aboard the ISS.
The previous record of 84 days was set in 1974 by the Skylab 4 crew.
Feb 10, 2021
UAE's Hope Probe Enters Mars Orbit in First Arab Mission
The United Arab Emirates' first mission to Mars reached the red planet and entered orbit after a seven-month, 494 million km journey, allowing it to start sending data about the Martian atmosphere and climate.
This makes the UAE the fifth space agency to reach the planet. The Mars programme is part of the UAE's efforts to develop its scientific and technological capabilities and reduce its reliance on oil. The UAE Space Agency even has a plan for a Mars settlement by 2117.
Indian Space start-up Agnikul Cosmos announced the successful test-firing of their semi-cryogenic rocket engine, which has been fully manufactured, as a single piece, using 3-D printing technology. Agnikul's semi-cryogenic engine, called Agnilet, would be fulled by rocket-grade kerosene and uses liquid oxygen (stored at -183 degrees celsius) as an oxidizer.
Rocket engines are usually comprised of hundreds of parts that serve various purposes, but according to the company, Agnilet was designed to encapsulate all of these into just one piece of hardware. So, this automates the making of an entire engine.
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