Latest news with #Earth
France 24
an hour ago
- Science
- France 24
Skimming the Sun, probe sheds light on space weather threats
Captured by the Parker Solar Probe during its closest approach to our star starting on December 24, 2024, the images were recently released by NASA and are expected to deepen our understanding of space weather and help guard against solar threats to Earth. - A historic achievement – "We have been waiting for this moment since the late Fifties," Nour Rawafi, project scientist for the mission at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, told AFP. Previous spacecraft have studied the Sun, but from much farther away. Parker was launched in 2018 and is named after the late physicist Eugene Parker, who in 1958 theorized the existence of the solar wind -- a constant stream of electrically charged particles that fan out through the solar system. The probe recently entered its final orbit where its closest approach takes it to just 3.8 million miles from the Sun's surface -- a milestone first achieved on Christmas Eve 2024 and repeated twice since on an 88-day cycle. To put the proximity in perspective: if the distance between Earth and the Sun measured one foot, Parker would be hovering just half an inch away. Its heat shield was engineered to withstand up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,370 degrees Celsius) -- but to the team's delight, it has only experienced around 2,000F (1090C) so far, revealing the limits of theoretical modeling. Remarkably, the probe's instruments, just a yard (meter) behind the shield, remain at little more than room temperature. - Staring at the Sun – The spacecraft carries a single imager, the Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR), which captured data as Parker plunged through the Sun's corona, or outer atmosphere. Stitched into a seconds-long video, the new images reveal coronal mass ejections (CMEs) -- massive bursts of charged particles that drive space weather -- in high resolution for the first time. "We had multiple CMEs piling up on top of each other, which is what makes them so special," Rawafi said. "It's really amazing to see that dynamic happening there." Such eruptions triggered the widespread auroras seen across much of the world last May, as the Sun reached the peak of its 11-year cycle. Another striking feature is how the solar wind, flowing from the left of the image, traces a structure called the heliospheric current sheet: an invisible boundary where the Sun's magnetic field flips from north to south. It extends through the solar system in the shape of a twirling skirt and is critical to study, as it governs how solar eruptions propagate and how strongly they can affect Earth. - Why it matters – Space weather can have serious consequences, such as overwhelming power grids, disrupting communications, and threatening satellites. As thousands more satellites enter orbit in the coming years, tracking them and avoiding collisions will become increasingly difficult -- especially during solar disturbances, which can cause spacecraft to drift slightly from their intended orbits. Rawafi is particularly excited about what lies ahead, as the Sun heads toward the minimum of its cycle, expected in five to six years. Historically, some of the most extreme space weather events have occurred during this declining phase -- including the infamous Halloween Solar Storms of 2003, which forced astronauts aboard the International Space Station to shelter in a more shielded area. "Capturing some of these big, huge be a dream," he said. Parker still has far more fuel than engineers initially expected and could continue operating for decades -- until its solar panels degrade to the point where they can no longer generate enough power to keep the spacecraft properly oriented. When its mission does finally end, the probe will slowly disintegrate -- becoming, in Rawafi's words, "part of the solar wind itself."
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Science
- Malay Mail
Skimming the Sun, probe sheds light on space weather threats
WASHINGTON, July 16 — Eruptions of plasma piling atop one another, solar wind streaming out in exquisite detail — the closest-ever images of our Sun are a gold mine for scientists. Captured by the Parker Solar Probe during its closest approach to our star starting on December 24, 2024, the images were recently released by Nasa and are expected to deepen our understanding of space weather and help guard against solar threats to Earth. A historic achievement 'We have been waiting for this moment since the late Fifties,' Nour Rawafi, project scientist for the mission at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, told AFP. Previous spacecraft have studied the Sun, but from much farther away. Parker was launched in 2018 and is named after the late physicist Eugene Parker, who in 1958 theorised the existence of the solar wind — a constant stream of electrically charged particles that fan out through the solar system. The probe recently entered its final orbit where its closest approach takes it to just 3.8 million miles from the Sun's surface — a milestone first achieved on Christmas Eve 2024 and repeated twice since on an 88-day cycle. To put the proximity in perspective: if the distance between Earth and the Sun measured one foot, Parker would be hovering just half an inch away. Its heat shield was engineered to withstand up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,370 degrees Celsius) — but to the team's delight, it has only experienced around 2,000F (1090C) so far, revealing the limits of theoretical modelling. Remarkably, the probe's instruments, just a yard (meter) behind the shield, remain at little more than room temperature. Staring at the Sun The spacecraft carries a single imager, the Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR), which captured data as Parker plunged through the Sun's corona, or outer atmosphere. Stitched into a seconds-long video, the new images reveal coronal mass ejections (CMEs) — massive bursts of charged particles that drive space weather — in high resolution for the first time. 'We had multiple CMEs piling up on top of each other, which is what makes them so special,' Rawafi said. 'It's really amazing to see that dynamic happening there.' Such eruptions triggered the widespread auroras seen across much of the world last May, as the Sun reached the peak of its 11-year cycle. Another striking feature is how the solar wind, flowing from the left of the image, traces a structure called the heliospheric current sheet: an invisible boundary where the Sun's magnetic field flips from north to south. It extends through the solar system in the shape of a twirling skirt and is critical to study, as it governs how solar eruptions propagate and how strongly they can affect Earth. Why it matters Space weather can have serious consequences, such as overwhelming power grids, disrupting communications, and threatening satellites. As thousands more satellites enter orbit in the coming years, tracking them and avoiding collisions will become increasingly difficult — especially during solar disturbances, which can cause spacecraft to drift slightly from their intended orbits. Rawafi is particularly excited about what lies ahead, as the Sun heads toward the minimum of its cycle, expected in five to six years. Historically, some of the most extreme space weather events have occurred during this declining phase — including the infamous Halloween Solar Storms of 2003, which forced astronauts aboard the International Space Station to shelter in a more shielded area. 'Capturing some of these big, huge be a dream,' he said. Parker still has far more fuel than engineers initially expected and could continue operating for decades — until its solar panels degrade to the point where they can no longer generate enough power to keep the spacecraft properly oriented. When its mission does finally end, the probe will slowly disintegrate — becoming, in Rawafi's words, 'part of the solar wind itself.' — AFP
News.com.au
an hour ago
- Science
- News.com.au
Skimming the Sun, probe sheds light on space weather threats
Eruptions of plasma piling atop one another, solar wind streaming out in exquisite detail -- the closest-ever images of our Sun are a gold mine for scientists. Captured by the Parker Solar Probe during its closest approach to our star starting on December 24, 2024, the images were recently released by NASA and are expected to deepen our understanding of space weather and help guard against solar threats to Earth. - A historic achievement – "We have been waiting for this moment since the late Fifties," Nour Rawafi, project scientist for the mission at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, told AFP. Previous spacecraft have studied the Sun, but from much farther away. Parker was launched in 2018 and is named after the late physicist Eugene Parker, who in 1958 theorized the existence of the solar wind -- a constant stream of electrically charged particles that fan out through the solar system. The probe recently entered its final orbit where its closest approach takes it to just 3.8 million miles from the Sun's surface -- a milestone first achieved on Christmas Eve 2024 and repeated twice since on an 88-day cycle. To put the proximity in perspective: if the distance between Earth and the Sun measured one foot, Parker would be hovering just half an inch away. Its heat shield was engineered to withstand up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,370 degrees Celsius) -- but to the team's delight, it has only experienced around 2,000F (1090C) so far, revealing the limits of theoretical modeling. Remarkably, the probe's instruments, just a yard (meter) behind the shield, remain at little more than room temperature. - Staring at the Sun – The spacecraft carries a single imager, the Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR), which captured data as Parker plunged through the Sun's corona, or outer atmosphere. Stitched into a seconds-long video, the new images reveal coronal mass ejections (CMEs) -- massive bursts of charged particles that drive space weather -- in high resolution for the first time. "We had multiple CMEs piling up on top of each other, which is what makes them so special," Rawafi said. "It's really amazing to see that dynamic happening there." Such eruptions triggered the widespread auroras seen across much of the world last May, as the Sun reached the peak of its 11-year cycle. Another striking feature is how the solar wind, flowing from the left of the image, traces a structure called the heliospheric current sheet: an invisible boundary where the Sun's magnetic field flips from north to south. It extends through the solar system in the shape of a twirling skirt and is critical to study, as it governs how solar eruptions propagate and how strongly they can affect Earth. - Why it matters – Space weather can have serious consequences, such as overwhelming power grids, disrupting communications, and threatening satellites. As thousands more satellites enter orbit in the coming years, tracking them and avoiding collisions will become increasingly difficult -- especially during solar disturbances, which can cause spacecraft to drift slightly from their intended orbits. Rawafi is particularly excited about what lies ahead, as the Sun heads toward the minimum of its cycle, expected in five to six years. Historically, some of the most extreme space weather events have occurred during this declining phase -- including the infamous Halloween Solar Storms of 2003, which forced astronauts aboard the International Space Station to shelter in a more shielded area. "Capturing some of these big, huge be a dream," he said. Parker still has far more fuel than engineers initially expected and could continue operating for decades -- until its solar panels degrade to the point where they can no longer generate enough power to keep the spacecraft properly oriented. When its mission does finally end, the probe will slowly disintegrate -- becoming, in Rawafi's words, "part of the solar wind itself."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Skimming the Sun, probe sheds light on space weather threats
Eruptions of plasma piling atop one another, solar wind streaming out in exquisite detail -- the closest-ever images of our Sun are a gold mine for scientists. Captured by the Parker Solar Probe during its closest approach to our star starting on December 24, 2024, the images were recently released by NASA and are expected to deepen our understanding of space weather and help guard against solar threats to Earth. - A historic achievement – "We have been waiting for this moment since the late Fifties," Nour Rawafi, project scientist for the mission at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, told AFP. Previous spacecraft have studied the Sun, but from much farther away. Parker was launched in 2018 and is named after the late physicist Eugene Parker, who in 1958 theorized the existence of the solar wind -- a constant stream of electrically charged particles that fan out through the solar system. The probe recently entered its final orbit where its closest approach takes it to just 3.8 million miles from the Sun's surface -- a milestone first achieved on Christmas Eve 2024 and repeated twice since on an 88-day cycle. To put the proximity in perspective: if the distance between Earth and the Sun measured one foot, Parker would be hovering just half an inch away. Its heat shield was engineered to withstand up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,370 degrees Celsius) -- but to the team's delight, it has only experienced around 2,000F (1090C) so far, revealing the limits of theoretical modeling. Remarkably, the probe's instruments, just a yard (meter) behind the shield, remain at little more than room temperature. - Staring at the Sun – The spacecraft carries a single imager, the Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR), which captured data as Parker plunged through the Sun's corona, or outer atmosphere. Stitched into a seconds-long video, the new images reveal coronal mass ejections (CMEs) -- massive bursts of charged particles that drive space weather -- in high resolution for the first time. "We had multiple CMEs piling up on top of each other, which is what makes them so special," Rawafi said. "It's really amazing to see that dynamic happening there." Such eruptions triggered the widespread auroras seen across much of the world last May, as the Sun reached the peak of its 11-year cycle. Another striking feature is how the solar wind, flowing from the left of the image, traces a structure called the heliospheric current sheet: an invisible boundary where the Sun's magnetic field flips from north to south. It extends through the solar system in the shape of a twirling skirt and is critical to study, as it governs how solar eruptions propagate and how strongly they can affect Earth. - Why it matters – Space weather can have serious consequences, such as overwhelming power grids, disrupting communications, and threatening satellites. As thousands more satellites enter orbit in the coming years, tracking them and avoiding collisions will become increasingly difficult -- especially during solar disturbances, which can cause spacecraft to drift slightly from their intended orbits. Rawafi is particularly excited about what lies ahead, as the Sun heads toward the minimum of its cycle, expected in five to six years. Historically, some of the most extreme space weather events have occurred during this declining phase -- including the infamous Halloween Solar Storms of 2003, which forced astronauts aboard the International Space Station to shelter in a more shielded area. "Capturing some of these big, huge be a dream," he said. Parker still has far more fuel than engineers initially expected and could continue operating for decades -- until its solar panels degrade to the point where they can no longer generate enough power to keep the spacecraft properly oriented. When its mission does finally end, the probe will slowly disintegrate -- becoming, in Rawafi's words, "part of the solar wind itself." ia/jgc
Forbes
5 hours ago
- Science
- Forbes
Intelsat Reprising Pivotal Role In Creating A Spacefaring Civilization
Apollo Astronaut Buzz Aldrin and the Lunar Module Eagle during the first human touchdown on the ... More Moon, one of the fantastical scenes transmitted to more than half a billion space aficionados back on Earth by Intelsat. (Photo by NASA/Newsmakers) While mapping out the future for Intelsat, the satellite operator's erudite CEO says the outfit aims to expand its leading-edge role in fostering a spacefaring civilization while pushing forward humanitarian missions in conflict zones across the continents. Boosting humanity's advances in the heavens, while promoting peace on Earth, and satellite transmissions across the two realms, are all directed at co-crafting a pacific space culture that circles the globe, Intelsat CEO Dave Wajsgras tells me across a sweeping interview. A key player in Space Race I, Intelsat is now set to enter into a union with SES, a fellow space-tech titan that has co-ruled the highest rings of orbit, in order to win the new Space Race II against upstarts in the satellite sector. It was Intelsat's world-leading 'Early Bird' satellite that transmitted live footage of the first NASA astronauts to explore the Moon's silver, shadowed craters—to more than 600 million entranced space aficionados around the world—marking a fantastical advance in the space epic that is still unfolding, he says. Humanity's triumph in touching down on this celestial outpost had an incredible, transformative effect on societies across the planet, helped animate a global culture and generated the first sparks for a spacefaring civilization, Wajsgras says. Intelsat's super-satellites stationed in geosynchronous orbit, 36000 kilometers above the Earth, ... More have played a pivotal role in transmitting major scenes from humanity's space odyssey to billions of space fans Bruno Fromont, chief technology officer at Intelsat, adds these first torchbearers for humankind descending on the ancient Moon reshaped the entire Earth. The Apollo Moon landing, Fromont tells me, 'was extraordinary.' 'Space was offering a mirror to our humanity.' On Earth, he says, 'everybody at the same time was watching this and rooting for that same person because it was a human doing something that was impossible.' 'And everybody of every generation and race and wealth was rooted to their TV set to see this.' The launch of NASA's Apollo 11 Moon-bound spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida ... More represented a giant leap in creating a spacefaring civilization (Photo by) And just as Homer played a central role in immortalizing the gods and heroes, voyages and myths of the classical Odyssey, Intelsat's pathbreaking spacecraft heralded the drama of the Apollo aeronauts—who flew like demigods on their surreal space odyssey—to star-struck followers some 380,000 kilometers away. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the first joint mission in orbit between the rival superpowers, the United States and the Russian Soviet Union, marked another leap toward cultivating a globe-spanning space civilization, Wajsgras says. The project was astounding because the two sides were still locked in the decades-long Cold War, between the forces of democracy and communism, that had been playing out across the continents, marked by escalating build-ups of opposing atomic weapons arsenals and brinkmanship that threatened to engulf the world in nuclear flames. The Apollo-Soyuz spacecraft link-up - the first between American and Soviet astronauts in orbit - ... More opened a new space detente between rival superpowers that were engaged in a nuclear arms race back on Earth. Shown here is an artist's illustration of the orbital rendezvous (Photo by NASA/) The out-of-the-blue goal, proposed by scientists, of creating a 'space detente' between Moscow and Washington, despite their terrestrial conflicts, became 'one of the important drivers behind that [Apollo-Soyuz] mission,' Wajsgras says. This docking of the Eastern and Western bloc capsules, as they sped around the planet at 28,000 kilometers per hour, was relayed to well-wishers worldwide by Intelsat. 'This is where you had, you know, millions, tens of millions of people, from around the globe, standing together as one and saying, 'Look what we can do together - it's so much more powerful than what's going on here on Earth,'' Wajsgras tells me during the interview. That initial orbital rendezvous between East and West—lauded by peoples across the planet—served as 'a precursor,' Wajsgras says, to the swiftly expanding space alliance that NASA created with the Russian space agency, along with its European and Japanese counterparts, in building the cosmopolitan International Space Station. He adds that human advances across the celestial sphere—like exploring the Moon and deploying thousands of spacecraft in concentric rings surrounding the globe—along with the creation of the internet and its spread across the surface of the planet, are driving more and more rapid evolution of civilization. Intelsat's path-breaking Early Bird satellite transmitted coverage of the first astronaut landing on ... More the Moon to hundreds of millions of viewers across the continents, helping create a spacefaring civilization that is transforming the Earth (Photo by NASA/) Intelsat has been playing a leading role in both of these globe-changing breakthroughs, with its colossal cutting-edge satellites beaming broadband internet connections to expanding waves of users across the planet, including hotspots that have been decimated by armed conflicts. In a fascinating mission Intelsat's leaders have joined with actor and humanitarian peace activist Forest Whitaker, the satellite giant is providing ten learning centers set up by the trail-blazing Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, across South Sudan and Uganda, with satellite dishes and high-speed internet connections. The Academy Award-winning, utopian Whitaker tells me in an interview that these centers, and their being plugged into the cybersphere, are aimed at engendering a fountainhead of young peace-builders who, as they are transformed into Web-savvy global citizens and mediators, spread social harmony and a cultural renaissance across the region. Intelsat has likewise joined forces with the hyper-tech humanitarian group to bring life-saving internet access to the besieged citizens of Ukraine—across its blitzed cities, campuses and space centers—after cell phone towers and internet infrastructure nationwide were targeted in Russia's never-ending rocket barrages. ' is basically focused on humanitarian missions, and similar to what we're doing with the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative,' Wajsgras says. 'We believe it's important to support these types of missions and these very important types of programs around the world.' 'People in Ukraine need support - they need our help,' he adds. Meanwhile, he says, the crescendo in lofting satellites that can bounce films and music, internet connectivity and images of the cosmos around the world at the speed of light is transforming the very core of civilization. 'The pace of change today,' he says, 'is arguably greater than ever.' CTO Bruno Fromont agrees. The takeoff of a spacefaring culture—boosted by new-generation spacecraft set to return to the Moon, and then to touch down on Mars—and the rush of new satellites into orbit, he says, 'continues to transform the way human civilization evolves.' Intelsat and SES, he predicts, 'will no doubt be a significant part of this evolution.' After their alliance is formalized, the U.S.-headquartered Intelsat and the Luxembourg-based SES will command a fleet of 150-plus exquisite spacecraft, specially designed super-satellites dominating geosynchronous orbit—36000 kilometers above the planet—and medium Earth orbit below. A partnership with OneWeb's constellation in low Earth orbit will enable these allies to face off against NewSpace rivals that will compete to shape the future of satellite operations across the 2020s. With its avant-garde satellites whizzing around the globe, this new alliance is already preparing to transmit footage from the next scenes in humanity's space odyssey, as Allied astronauts start exploring the South Pole of the Moon and set their sights on Mars.
