Space Stories: A Lopsided Universe, Cosmic Rings, and Clipper Captures Comet

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Credit: Image by mastershaff0 from Pixabay

Here are some recent space-related stories of interest.

—Phys.org: “The Universe May Be Lopsided, New Research Suggests“

The shape of the universe is not something we often think about. My colleagues and I have published a new study that suggests it could be asymmetric or lopsided, meaning not the same in every direction. Should we care about this? Well, today’s “standard cosmological model”—which describes the dynamics and structure of the entire cosmos—rests squarely on the assumption that it is isotropic (looks the same in all directions), and homogeneous when averaged on large scales.

—Daily Galaxy: “Astronomers Stunned By 400 Cosmic Rings Etched Around Baby Star“

A groundbreaking discovery published in Nature Astronomy has revealed a cosmic phenomenon that may finally settle a 30-year-old mystery surrounding the early life cycles of stars. Astronomers observing the binary system SVS 13 within the NGC 1333 reflection nebula, located 1,000 light-years away in the constellation Perseus, have identified more than 400 bow-shaped rings created by violent ejections from a newborn star.

—Southwest Research Institute: “Europa Clipper Instrument Uniquely Observed Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS“

The Southwest Research Institute-led Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) aboard NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft has made valuable observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which in July became the third officially recognized interstellar object to cross into our solar system. UVS had a unique view of the object during a period when Mars- and Earth-based observations were impractical or impossible. “We’re excited that this opportunity to view another target on the way to Jupiter was completely unexpected,” said SwRI’s Dr. Kurt Retherford, the principal investigator for Europa-UVS. “Our observations have allowed for a unique and nuanced view of the comet.”

Astronomy Question: The Asteroid Belt

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Image (Credit): Asteroid 433 Eros, which is the first asteroid ever orbited by a spacecraft, Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous – Shoemaker (NEAR Shoemaker), in 1998. (NASA)

Multiple Choice: What is the average distance between the asteroids located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter?

A. 4,000 miles
B. 50,000 miles
C. 600,000 miles
D. 1.1 million miles

Take a guess and then check your answer by going to the “Astronomy Question Answer Sheet” page.

Pic of the Week: Jupiter’s Swirling Polar Region

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Jupiter’s north polar region. (Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS
Image processing by Brian Swift © CC BY)

This week’s image comes from NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which captured these images of Jupiter’s north polar region. The spacecraft came within 6,800 miles of the clouds you see.

Launched in August 2011, the Juno spacecraft has been studying Jupiter since 2016 to better understand the origin and evolution of the planet.

You can learn more about the Juno mission here.

2024 Space Hightlights – Missions

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): An artist’s rendering of NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft over Europa. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Another list worth highlighting at year-end covers all of the space missions from 2024. For example, this list from Freethink, “the top 10 space stories of 2024,” includes the launch of the Europa Clipper, China’s Chang’e 6 round-trip to the Moon, and a successful commercial launch to the Moon (Odysseus lunar lander).

Here are some other lists of missions from 2024:

Note: The Awesome-Universe list of top missions looking back in 2024 include:

Pic of the Week: Jupiter’s Changing Spot

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Jupiter’s Great Red Spot captured by the Hubble Space Telescope over a 90 day period. (NASA, ESA, A. Simon (GSFC))

This week’s image is from the NASA/European Space Agency (ESA) Hubble Space Telescope. It captures one of the most identifiable objects in our solar system – Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.

Here is a little more from the ESA Hubble site:

Using Hubble Space Telescope data spanning approximately 90 days (between December 2023 and March 2024) when the giant planet Jupiter was approximately 630 million to 820 million kilometres from the Sun, astronomers measured the Great Red Spot’s size, shape, brightness, colour, and vorticity over one full oscillation cycle. The data reveal that the Great Red Spot is not as stable as it might look. It was observed going through an oscillation in its elliptical shape, jiggling like a bowl of gelatin. The cause of the 90-day oscillation is unknown.