Space news topic and space related news

[Toliman]

Telescope captures most detailed image of any star beyond the sun

Astronomers have imaged the surface and atmosphere of a star that lies 550 light-years from Earth. It is the most detailed image of a star other than our own sun.
Antares is a red supergiant — about 700 times larger than our sun — that lies in the southern constellation of Scorpius.

Using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile, astronomers were able to map the star's surface and measure the motions of its surface material, giving them better insight into how the gases around a red supergiant move.

"Antares is losing material not in a smooth or ordered way," lead author of the paper published in the journal Nature, Keiichi Ohnaka, told CBC News. "But the velocity maps show that it's very clumpy and turbulent and random. We don't know what the mechanism is behind this turbulent motion."


Astronomers have constructed this image of the red supergiant star Antares. This is the most detailed image ever of this object, or any other star apart from the sun:

The image shows two brighter regions, which astronomers believe may be an area that has exposed the warmer gas below the surface of Antares.


Astronomers constructed this map of the motions of material on the surface of Antares. This is the first velocity map (which measure speed of outflowing gas) of any star other than the sun. The red regions show material moving away from us, and the blue regions where the material is approaching. The empty region shows where measurements were not possible:



More here:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/telescope-best-image-star-antares-1.4259308

[Toliman]

Last days of Cassini probe coming...

On Sept. 15, 2017, the Cassini spacecraft will make a fateful plunge into Saturn's atmosphere, ending the mission just one month shy of its 20th launch anniversary.

End of mission timeline (projected times):
https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/grand-finale/cassini-end-of-mission-timeline/

[`Eylan Ayfalulukanä]

They are so concerned they might contaminate a frozen world that they are going to deliberately destroy an operational spacecraft, with perhaps another 20 years of power available from its RTGs. Yet, the Huygens probe sits on the surface of Titan, and will probably sit there for thousands of years.

[Vawmataw]

with perhaps another 20 years of power available from its RTGs

- Reach escape velocity
- Use gravity assist
- Hiya Voyager 3

[BlueHusky2154]

with perhaps another 20 years of power available from its RTGs

- Reach escape velocity
- Use gravity assist
- Hiya Voyager 3

20 years unfortunately isn't long enough to reach Alpha Centauri with current technology.....

[Toliman]

They are so concerned they might contaminate a frozen world that they are going to deliberately destroy an operational spacecraft, with perhaps another 20 years of power available from its RTGs. Yet, the Huygens probe sits on the surface of Titan, and will probably sit there for thousands of years.

Yeah
Similarly was destroyed also Gallileo probe (September 21, 2003) in Jupiter atmosphere (they was concerned they might contaminate a Europa moon... )

[BlueHusky2154]

They are so concerned they might contaminate a frozen world that they are going to deliberately destroy an operational spacecraft, with perhaps another 20 years of power available from its RTGs. Yet, the Huygens probe sits on the surface of Titan, and will probably sit there for thousands of years.

Yeah
Similarly was destroyed also Gallileo probe (September 21, 2003) in Jupiter atmosphere (they was concerned they might contaminate a Europa moon... )

They're doing it just in case there is life on one of Saturn's moons. They just don't want to take any chances.

[Vawmataw]

with perhaps another 20 years of power available from its RTGs

- Reach escape velocity
- Use gravity assist
- Hiya Voyager 3

20 years unfortunately isn't long enough to reach Alpha Centauri with current technology.....

I know, but you'd get more images of the outer solar system. Maybe we could visit a minor planet or two. However I don't know if 20 years of fuel will be enough.

[BlueHusky2154]

True. Uranus and Neptune should be explored as well as their moons. Twenty years of power still isn't enough.

[Toliman]

True. Uranus and Neptune should be explored as well as their moons. Twenty years of power still isn't enough.

Exactly this! Especially Neptune moon Triton deserve detailed explore.

I think that there were plans for two special probe missions to these both panets (like Gallileo probe to Jupiter and Cassini probe to Saturn) but both plans was cancelled for not enough funding ... 

[BlueHusky2154]

Sadly space exploration is just too expensive..

[Toliman]

Sadly space exploration is just too expensive..

True

[BlueHusky2154]

Well, goodbye Cassini. You had a good run at Saturn.
https://www.space.com/38167-cassini-spacecraft-plunges-into-saturn.html

[Toliman]

Yeah, goodbye Cassini.

[BlueHusky2154]

Cassini gave us valuable information about Saturn, its rings, Titan, Enceladus, and its other moons and features.

[Toliman]

Cassini gave us valuable information about Saturn, its rings, Titan, Enceladus, and its other moons and features.

Yeah, and don't forget on landing of Huygens probe on Titan surface.

[BlueHusky2154]

Huygens gave us information about the frozen world of methane lakes and rivers we call Titan. It has the possibility to harbor a new kind of life....

[archaic]

Sadly space exploration is just too expensive..

True

NASA, get in touch. Seriously.

[Toliman]

Meybe new mission for New Horizons after his arrival to Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69 at January 2019 ...

New Horizons After 2014 MU69

If New Horizons can make its flyby of Kuiper Belt Object MU69 at a scant 3500 kilometers, our imagery and other data should be much enhanced over the alternative 10,000 kilometer distance, one being kept in reserve in case pre-encounter observations indicate a substantial debris field or other problems close to the object. But both trajectories, according to principal investigator Alan Stern, have been moved closer following a ten-week study period, and both are closer than the 12,500 kilometers the spacecraft maintained in its flyby of Pluto. ...

... We also get this heartening news: Stern considers the Kuiper Extended Mission of New Horizons to be 'multi-pronged,' with the January 1 flyby of MU69 perhaps the prelude to further operations. New Horizons has sufficient fuel and power to operate until roughly 2035, and the downlink of MU69 data will end in September of 2020. The current extended mission was approved for the period 2016-2021. Will there be another?

More:
https://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=38509

[Vawmataw]

Indeed it would be interesting to use New Horizons for deep Solar System missions.