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Di 29. Dez 2020, 05:09
Space pictures: the best of 2020
There are spectacular images of the universe to see in 2020, from Hubble's 30th birthday to the brave preview it grabs on the asteroid. Here's our pick of the year.
Hubble's 'Cosmic Reef'
The Hubble Telescope, one of the slotxo most important scientific instruments ever built, celebrated its 30th anniversary in April.To celebrate this, remarkable images have been released showing star-forming regions near the Milky Way galaxy.In this beautiful Hubble portrait, the giant red nebula (NGC 2014) and its small blue neighbor (NGC 2020) live in the Large Magellanic Cloud, the Milky Way's satellite galaxy 163,000 years away. light Nebula is a large interstellar cloud of dust and gas that can form stars.At the heart of NGC 2014 are bright constellations, each 10 to 20 times more massive than the Sun.This picture is nicknamed "Cosmic coral reefs" because astronomers think that nebulae are similar to the underwater world. The Horizon documentary, aired to coincide with the anniversary, showcases stunning 3D footage of iconic Hubble images, such as the Pillars of Creation that are part of the Eagle Nebula.See also:
Hubble's Universe Revealed in 3D
Asteroid grab This year, Nasa's Osiris-Rex conducts a "tap and go" maneuver with asteroid Bennu to collect rock and soil samples to deliver to Earth.Asteroids such as Bennu have been ancient objects since the dawn of the solar system. They are a free-roaming group of planetary buildings and windows that show how Earth like Earth came to be.To collect the Osiris-Rex sample, a long boom was used with a ring-shaped collection chamber at the end. The spacecraft landed on Bennu's surface, delivering nitrogen when the boom touched the asteroid.This is where the gas will stimulate Bennu's surface and let the asteroid's debris float into the collection chamber.The strategy seems to have worked as seen in the sequence above.Meanwhile, on December 5, the Japanese mission to take a sample from another asteroid returns to Earth with its priceless cache, the Hayabusa-2 spacecraft released a sample return capsule, which skydives safely in the Australian desert.The samples were analyzed at a care facility in Sagamihara, Japan.
Close to the sun
January saw the release of images taken by the Daniel K Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) on the island of Hawaii, showing the sun's surface in unprecedented detail.The image shows a cell-like structure that is roughly the size of the state of Texas in the United States. They are hot gas or plasma.Bright areas indicate where this material has grown. The dark lanes in between were the spots where the colder plasma was sinking.DKIST is a new facility on Haleakalā, a 3,000 m high volcano on the Hawaiian island of Maui.Scientists want to use it to reveal new insights into our parent star's dynamic behavior, hoping they can better predict its powerful bursts.The eruption of these enormous charged particles can damage satellites orbiting Earth, endanger astronauts, and even knock out the electric grid.
Jupiter flew past
Nasa's Juno spacecraft, launched in 2011, still sends stunning images from the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter.The probe captured a picture of the gas giant's swirling cloud as it made its 27th near-Earth flight on June 2.Citizen scientist Kevin M Gill then turned the data into a video, which included 41 stills taken in Juno's near-pass.Still images are projected digitally on the sphere, with a virtual "camera" that provides views of Jupiter from various angles.Above all, video footage provides a stunning view of Jupiter's most noticeable red dot, an ongoing storm.
Spacecraft test
Looks like a rocket ship from the golden age of science fiction, Elon Musk's Starship spaceship sends humans to the Red Planet.In December, SpaceX tested the first complete prototype, delivered on a 12.5km flight straight from the seat at the company's Boca Chica plant in South Texas.We cheated a bit by including it here, as the images didn't come from space like this. But we might be able to see it there someday in the not so distant future.The test flight showcases some of the spacecraft's unique features, including the methane-burning Raptor engine and its flight trajectory, which includes a landing, followed by a vertical reverse first. Will land At this stage of testing, the Starship prototype, named the SN8, approached the plates quickly and a little too hard, giving off what Musk describes as RUD - a quick, undefined disassembly. Mistake, in other words