Space Stories: The End of Arecibo, Early Black Holes, and Habitable Red Dwarf Exoplanets

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Aerial view of the damaged Arecibo Observatory after one of the main cables holding the receiver broke in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, on December 1, 2020. (Photo by Ricardo ARDUENGO / AFP)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—Scientific American : “Arecibo Observatory Shuts Down Its Science“

After weathering hurricanes, earthquakes, budget cuts and a pandemic-induced shutdown, the iconic Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico closed its doors on 14 August. After its main instrument collapsed two years ago, the site was supposed to shift from carrying out astronomy and other research to being a science education centre. But concrete plans for that have yet to materialize — and funding for current operations has run out. Scientists were disappointed that research would formally halt at the site, but they had hoped to keep some instruments running, both for the students who might use the educational centre and to continue the site’s astronomy legacy. Doubts now swirl, as equipment is taken offline and dismantled, that Arecibo will ever again study the sky.

—Quanta Magazine : “JWST Spots Giant Black Holes All Over the Early Universe“

In recent months, a torrent of observations of the cosmic smudges has delighted and confounded astronomers…The most straightforward explanation for the tornado-hearted galaxies is that large black holes weighing millions of suns are whipping the gas clouds into a frenzy. That finding is both expected and perplexing. It is expected because JWST was built, in part, to find the ancient objects. They are the ancestors of billion-sun behemoth black holes that seem to appear in the cosmic record inexplicably early. By studying these precursor black holes, such as three record-setting youngsters discovered this year, scientists hope to learn where the first humongous black holes came from and perhaps identify which of two competing theories better describes their formation: Did they grow extremely rapidly, or were they simply born big?

—Phys.org : “New Study Suggests Some Exoplanets Orbiting Red Dwarfs May be Habitable After All“

A team of astrophysicists from the University of Bordeaux and Observatoire Astronomique de l’Université de Genève is suggesting that some exoplanets may not have been too hot during their formative years to harbor life today. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group suggests that due to factors not considered in the past, some exoplanets may not have grown so hot that they lost the water in their atmospheres to evaporation into space.

Space Stories: Mars Ascent Vehicle, Dark Matter Stars, and a New Russian Space Station

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of the Mars Ascent Vehicle. (NASA)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—NASA/JPJ.com : “NASA Mars Ascent Vehicle Continues Progress Toward Mars Sample Return“

NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) recently reached some major milestones in support of the Mars Sample Return program. The Mars Ascent Vehicle would be the first launch of a rocket from the surface of another planet. The team developing MAV conducted successful tests of the first and second stage solid rocket motors needed for the launch. Mars Sample Return will bring scientifically selected samples to Earth for study using the most sophisticated instrumentation around the world. This strategic partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) features the first mission to return samples from another planet. The samples currently being collected by NASA’s Perseverance Rover during its exploration of an ancient river delta have the potential to reveal the early evolution of Mars, including the potential for ancient life.

—ScienceNews : “The James Webb Telescope May Have Spotted Stars Powered by Dark Matter“

The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted objects in the early universe that might be a new kind of star — one powered by dark matter. These “dark stars” are still hypothetical. Their identification in JWST images is far from certain. But if any of the three candidates — reported in the July 25 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — turn out to be this new type of star, they could offer a glimpse of star formation in the early universe, hint at the nature of dark matter and possibly explain the origins of supermassive black holes.

—CNN : “Russia Proposes Joint Research Module on Space Station for China, India, Brazil and South Africa“

The head of Russia’s space agency has extended an offer to Moscow’s partners in the BRICS group – Brazil, India, China and South Africa – to participate in the construction of a joint module for its planned orbital space station, state media reported Monday. Construction of the planned space station follows Moscow’s decision last year to end its decades-long partnership with NASA and withdraw from the aging International Space Station – one of the last remaining channels of cooperation between Russia and the United States.

More on AI & Astronomy: This Time Google’s Bard

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: CBS

This past Sunday, 60 Minutes had a segment on Google and artificial intelligence (AI) called Exploring the human-like side of artificial intelligence at Google. Part of the discussion covered Google’s new AI chat bot Bard. And while the creative output of Bard was impressive, it was a little too creative when asked asked about economics. Bard recommended five books, but all five were nonexistent books. This is called “hallucination” in the AI realm.

I decided to try this myself, but ask for the five best books on black holes. This is what came back from Bard:

1. Black Holes: The BBC Guide by Andrew Hamilton. This book is a comprehensive introduction to black holes, covering their history, physics, and astrophysics. It is written in a clear and accessible style, and is perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about these fascinating objects. (link provided: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29537175-black-holes-the-reith-lectures)

2. The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the Universe Safe for Quantum Mechanics by Leonard Susskind. This book tells the story of the scientific debate between Susskind and Hawking about the nature of black holes. It is a fascinating read, and provides a great introduction to some of the most complex physics of our time. (link provided: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-black-hole-war-my-battle-with-stephen-hawking-to-make-the-world-safe-for-quantum-mechanics_leonard-susskind/296413/#edition=4644854&idiq=11329467)

3. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. This classic book is a must-read for anyone interested in black holes or cosmology. Hawking explains complex concepts in a clear and engaging way, and his book is full of insights into the nature of the universe. (link provided: https://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-Time-Stephen-Hawking/dp/0553380168)

4. Black Holes & Time Warps: Einstein’s Outrageous Legacy by Kip Thorne. This book is a more advanced treatment of black holes, but it is still written in a clear and accessible style. Thorne is one of the world’s leading experts on black holes, and his book provides a wealth of information about these fascinating objects. (link provided: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Holes-Time-Warps-Commonwealth/dp/0393312763)

5. The Little Book of Black Holes by Janna Levin. This book is a great introduction to black holes for people who are new to the subject. Levin writes in a clear and engaging style, and she uses humor and analogy to make the physics more accessible. (link provided: https://www.amazon.com/Little-Black-Holes-Science-Essentials/dp/0691163723)

Bard was even helpful enough to provide links to the books being cited.

After looking up these books, related authors, and links, here is what I found:

  • I could not find the first book by Andrew Hamilton, though he is a professor in the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences at Cornell University. Also, the link was to a different book.
  • The second, third, and fourth book references were accurate, as were the associated links.
  • The fifth book exists, but the authors are Steven S. Gubser and Frans Pretorius, not Janna Levin, who wrote other books on black holes.

So that gives you a 40 percent error rate on the 5 books listed. It does not inspire confidence. I am afraid to ask for the top 10 if only because it would take more time to correct this supposedly amazing chat bot.

And I do not really know if these are the top books in the field. Chat GPT gave me three of the five books listed, and also named the first book linked in Bard’s response, but attributed the lecture to Roger Penrose (the name of the lecture series) rather than Stephen Hawking.

Caution is highly recommended with these chat bots.

Space Stories: Mapping with Pulsars, Rocky Exoplanets, and Words from the Pope

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Vela pulsar, a neutron star that was formed when a massive star collapsed. (X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ of Toronto/M.Durant et al; Optical: DSS/Davide De Martin)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—Universe Today: “Pulsars Could Help Map the Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way“

Last year, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)—an international consortium of astronomers and observatories—announced they had taken the first images of Sag A*, which came just two years after the release of the first-ever images of an SMBH (M87). In 2014, the European members of the EHT launched another initiative known as BlackHoleCam to gain a better understanding of SMBHs using a combination of radio imaging, pulsar observations, astrometry, and GR. In a recent paper, the BHC initiative described how they tested GR by observing pulsars orbiting Sgr A*.

—Max Planck Institute for Astronomy: “Searching for an Atmosphere on the Rocky Exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 c“

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, an MPIA-led group of astronomers searched for an atmosphere on rocky exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 c. Although the planet is nearly identical in size and temperature to Venus, its atmosphere has turned out to be very different. By analysing the heat emitted from the planet, they conclude it may only have a tenuous atmosphere with minimal carbon dioxide. However, this measurement is also consistent with a barren rocky planet without any significant atmosphere. This work contributes to our understanding of how the atmospheres of rocky planets orbiting low-mass stars can withstand their strong stellar winds and intense UV radiation.

—Catholic News Service: “Pope Francis to Young Astronomers: Keep Love and Wonder Alive“

Pope Francis sent a letter to young astronomy scholars Tuesday encouraging them to maintain their “sense of wonder” and surprise throughout their research. While praising the “great discoveries” of astronomy, he urged the researchers never to lose sight of other important realities such as love and friendship.

Space Stories: James Webb’s Partner, the Big Bang Black Holes, and Green Energy on the Red Planet

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): James Webb Space Telescope. (NASA)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—Futurism: “NASA Sending Adorable Little Buddy to Hang Out Next to the James Webb“

The space agency recently selected a toaster-sized cubesat that will become the much bigger telescope’s tiny, adorable “sidekick,” according to a statement. NASA chose the $8.5 million space mission, called the “Monitoring Activity from Nearby sTars with uv Imaging and Spectroscopy” (MANTIS), which will be designed and built by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder. The diminutive but mighty spacecraft, scheduled to launch sometime in 2026, will make observations of the night sky in the full range of ultraviolet light, including extreme UV (EUV) light, a more energetic form.

—Universe Today: “Why Didn’t the Big Bang Collapse in a Giant Black Hole?“

Despite the enormous densities, the early universe didn’t collapse into a black hole because, simply put, there was nothing to collapse into…Even though the early universe was incredibly dense, it was also incredibly uniform. The average density throughout the universe was the same from place to place. There weren’t enough differences to trigger the formation of black holes.

—University of Warwick: “Using Photosynthesis for Martian Occupation—While Making Space Travel More Sustainable“

In a study published in Nature Communications, scientists assess a new technique which could convert renewable, green energy from outside the Earth’s atmosphere. They are taking advantage of photosynthesis—the chemical process plants undergo every day to create energy—to help the space industry become more sustainable. The research led by the University of Warwick evaluates the use of a special device known as semiconductor to absorb sunlight on moon and Mars. It is hoped that the devices could promote Martian life support systems.