Space Stories: The Disappearance of Dark Skies in Chile, Subaru Telescope Gets New Eye, and Roman Telescope Previews

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The four large Unit Telescopes and the four smaller Auxiliary Telescopes that make up the European Southern Observatory’s (USO) Very Large Telescope. (USO)

Here are some recent stories related to astronomy telescopes.

—Sky & Telescope: “Industrial Project Threatens Dark Chilean Skies“

When a study in 2023 crowned Cerro Paranal the darkest observatory site in the world, astronomers must have felt reassured to have chosen the right spot. The 2,635-meter (8,645-foot) mountain in Chile’s Atacama Desert is home to the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope, one of the most advanced and prolific astronomical facilities. But now, if a company named AES Andes (a subsidiary of the U.S. power company AES Corporation) gets its way, Paranal’s observational prowess might soon be history: Light pollution emitted by a proposed industrial “megaproject” could do away with the dark skies over this observatory.

—National Astronomical Observatory of Japan: “Prime Focus Spectrograph on the Subaru Telescope to Begin Science Operations in February“

Researchers have finished equipping the Subaru Telescope with a new special “compound eye,” culminating several years of effort. This new eye is an instrument featuring approximately 2,400 prisms scattered across the extremely wide field of view available at the Subaru Telescope’s primary focus, allowing for simultaneous spectroscopic observation of thousands of celestial objects. This unrivaled capability will help researchers precisely understand the formation and evolution of galaxies and the Universe. Among 8-meter-class telescopes, the Subaru Telescope is the most competitive with the largest survey capability in the world. This instrument, the Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS), will be ready to begin scientific operations in February 2025.

—NASA: “Simulated Universe Previews Panoramas from NASA’s Roman Telescope“

Astronomers have released a set of more than a million simulated images showcasing the cosmos as NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will see it. This preview will help scientists explore Roman’s myriad science goals. “We used a supercomputer to create a synthetic universe and simulated billions of years of evolution, tracing every photon’s path all the way from each cosmic object to Roman’s detectors,” said Michael Troxel, an associate professor of physics at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, who led the simulation campaign. “This is the largest, deepest, most realistic synthetic survey of a mock universe available today.”

Ice Delays New Glenn Rocket Launch and Firefly Heads to the Moon

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Blue Origin

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket launch was pushed off again earlier today when ice was found building up on one of the lines related to the hydraulic systems.

At 3:09 a.m. EST, Blue Origin stated:

We’re standing down on today’s launch attempt to troubleshoot a vehicle subsystem issue that will take us beyond our launch window. We’re reviewing opportunities for our next launch attempt.

As a result, the new launch date is set for Thursday, January 16.

In the meantime, watch for the launch on Wednesday of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission One as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. This mission will deliver 10 science and technology payloads to the Moon, including

  • testing regolith sample collection,
  • Global Navigation Satellite System abilities,
  • radiation tolerant computing, and
  • lunar dust mitigation. 

Firefly Aerospace notes:

Blue Ghost will spend approximately 45 days in transit to the Moon, allowing ample time to conduct health checks on each subsystem and begin payload science. Blue Ghost will then land in Mare Crisium and operate payloads for a complete lunar day (about 14 Earth days). Following payload operations, Blue Ghost will capture imagery of the lunar sunset and provide critical data on how lunar regolith reacts to solar influences during lunar dusk conditions. The lander will then operate for several hours into the lunar night.

Image (Credit): Blue Ghost Mission One schedule. (Firefly Aerospace)

Movie: Star Trek: Section 31

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Paramount

While we await the return of the series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a new Star Trek film will premiere later this month, and this time it focuses on the dark side of the Federation.

On January 24, Star Trek: Section 31 will premiere on Paramount+. If you anything about Emperor Philippa Georgiou from the television series Star Trek: Discovery, you will know she came from a mirror universe and found her home in the United Federation of Planets’ black ops division where she thrived. Later in that series, she was sent to another timeline and disappeared from the show. Well, she is back, this time running a night club.

The trailer for the new film promised plenty of action, as well as the trademark humor that follows Philippa Georgiou. She was one of the brighter spots in the Discovery series, where everyone else was usually too stressed out to have any fun.

The idea of another film or series involving the secret Section 31 has been rolling around for some time now. While a new series may have been preferable, a film is better than nothing. Moreover, maybe it will lead to more.

Just expect some fireworks from Trekkies because the film plays with the Star Trek timeline and emphasizes the dark side of the United Federation of Planets. I am not so concerned about the timeline since that was destroyed sometime ago when the films were rebooted, but the critics may have a point about the focus on the dark side. That said, we have at least two more seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to look forward to with its hopeful vision for the Federation.

I am okay with the balance. We all need some escapism, but we cannot banish the real world forever. It will leak in one way or another.

Space Quote: Naming the First Space Shuttle

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Image (Credit): Space shuttle Enterprise. (NASA)

“NASA has received hundreds of thousands of letter from the space-oriented “Star Trek” group asking that the name “Enterprise” be given to the craft. This group comprises millions of individuals who are deeply interested in our space program.”

-Statement in a September 3, 1976 letter to President Richard Nixon from the Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Affairs regarding the naming of the nation’s first space shuttle. If they space shuttle had been delayed until after 1977, maybe the “Millennium Falcon” would have been on the list of top names as well.

Space Stories: Aliens Using Black Holes, Fire Approaches JPL, and New Approaches for the Mars Sample

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—Universe Today: “Scientists Propose New Method to Detect Alien Civilizations via Black Holes“

A new paper looks at another way we might be able to detect advanced civilizations, and at its center is the need for energy. The more advanced a civilization becomes, the greater their need for energy and one of the most efficient ways, according to current theories, is to harness the energy from an actively feeding black hole. The paper suggests a civilization feeding matter into a black hole could harvest energy from it; more excitingly perhaps, the process could be detectable within 17,000 light years.

—LA Times: “Firefighters Battle to Protect NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mt. Wilson“

Officials said they are making progress in protecting two key institutions from the Eaton fire. Don Fregulia, an operations section chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which has joined in the Eaton fire response, said that efforts to protect Mt. Wilson had proved successful and he expected that to remain the case. “We’re actively engaged there, and so far, no loss to any values at risk at Mt. Wilson,” Fregulia said. “We’re feeling good about what we have to do up there tonight to keep that site secure.” He said the fire had also spread close to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, but he said that’s a priority and crews were “making good progress there as well.”

—NASA: “NASA to Explore Two Landing Options for Returning Samples from Mars“

To maximize chances of successfully bringing the first Martian rock and sediment samples to Earth for the benefit of humanity, NASA announced Tuesday a new approach to its Mars Sample Return Program. The agency will simultaneously pursue two landing architectures, or strategic plans, during formulation, encouraging competition and innovation, as well as cost and schedule savings. NASA plans to later select a single path forward for the program, which aims to better understand the mysteries of the universe, and to help determine whether the Red Planet ever hosted life. NASA is expected to confirm the program – and its design – in the second half of 2026.