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Time of India
07-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Earth's largest camera will sweep the sky like never before
The LSST Camera A top a mountain in Chile, where the days are dry and nights are clear, a team of scientists and engineers is preparing for one of the most important astronomical missions in recent times. Among them is Kshitija Kelkar , whose life has taken an interesting turn. Twenty years ago in Pune, the city she's originally from, Kelkar sent a photo of a lunar eclipse she had taken with a digital camera to Sky and Telescope , a popular astronomy magazine. The publication accepted the photo and released it on its website under 'Photo of the Week'. Inspired, Kelkar would turn astronomy into a career, and after degrees from Fergusson College, Pune University, University of Nottingham and doctoral work on how galaxies transform in their clusters, she arrived in Chile on a grant to use telescopes for her research. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Providers are furious: Internet access without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo Today, years after that photo she took on a tiny camera, she's an observing specialist at the Vera C Rubin Observatory, looking at the sky through the largest digital camera ever assembled. On June 23, that camera released a set of photos that stunned astronomers. Caught in unprecedented detail were galaxy clusters, distant stars and nebulae. In one photo, the camera — the size of a car with a resolution of 3.2 gigapixels — snapped a nebula around 4,000 light years away. The Rubin observatory could even save Earth. In May, within just 10 hours, it found 2,104 previously undetected asteroids. Since its telescope takes images in quick succession, it's able to catch moving objects from the crowd of stars in the background that tend to stay in place. If even one space rock is headed our way, chances are first alerts would come from Rubin. Humanity does have other powerful telescopes. There's James Webb , for instance, 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth with its own very dark sky. But it's mainly for zooming into specific targets. There's James Webb's predecessor, Hubble, currently in orbit over 500km above Earth. In 1995, it took Hubble nearly a week of long exposure to generate the now-famous Hubble Deep Field image, which showed about 3,000 very distant galaxies. The Rubin Observatory, during its first test run in April, generated an image that revealed 10 million galaxies, in a matter of hours. Part of the reason why it could do that is its very mission. Unlike James Webb and Hubble, which take in small parts of the sky, Rubin is a survey telescope, which means it shows the entire big picture, not specific objects. An image it takes covers a swathe of sky equivalent to 40 full moons — Webb's cameras show a size lesser than a full moon. A single photo from Rubin is so large, one would need 400 ultra-HD TV screens to see it in its full glory. Large is ideal, given Rubin's purpose. Its primary optical instrument, named Simonyi Survey Telescope, is set to embark on a 10-year project called the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), to map the visible sky in extraordinary detail. The telescope is more than 300 tonnes of steel and glass, which is regularly cleaned using CO 2 . Over the next decade, this telescope and the giant LSST camera will take photos of the southern hemisphere sky, every 3-4 nights, to create the largest time-lapse film of the Universe ever made. Why time-lapse? Imagine you're on the terrace of your building with a camera pointed at your neighbourhood. Time-lapse would reveal the windows that opened, the lights that came on, the cars and curtains that moved and the doors that opened. Rubin observatory will do that to the Universe, find new objects and previously unknown interactions between them. 'We're going to be continuously taking 30-second images all night in different filters,' said Kelkar. 'And since we'll be observing the night sky every 30 seconds, in two back-to-back images of 15 seconds each, we'll catch any object that has changed its position or brightness.' These objects may be stars, asteroids, unnamed comets and even potential sources of gravitational waves. This is where Kelkar said it would be unfair to compare Earth's telescopes — they're meant to complement each other, not compete. Scientists, amateur astronomers and space enthusiasts the world over can sink their teeth into this data. 'People once thought the Earth was at the centre of the system. But then someone came along and said 'no, it's the Sun'. Similarly, we may find something absolutely mind-boggling, even evidence of life elsewhere,' Arvind Paranjpye, director of Nehru Planetarium in Mumbai, said. Kelkar has been at Rubin for over a year, living in the town of La Serena — a twohour drive away. Her commute to work is through scenic valleys and along the 'El Camino de las Estrellas', or the 'Route to the Stars', because of the number of astronomical observatories along the way. The route also needs light discipline, which means those driving there after dark cannot really use full-beam headlights. 'We usually have our hazard lights up,' said Kelkar. At the observatory, work begins shortly before sunset. After a check of all systems, by Kelkar and the rest of the observing specialists, they open Rubin's massive dome for night operations. The observatory's placement atop the Cerro Pachón mountain puts it well above the localised turbulent layer where warm air mixes with cooler air from above, offering a clear view of the stars. Right now, trials are on as crews perform final checks before Rubin, 20 years in the making with $800 million in construction costs, formally begins its survey later in 2025. The Legacy Survey of Space and Time will be of unprecedented scale. Remember that image Rubin released of 10 million galaxies? Well, they make up just 0.05% of nearly 20 billion galaxies the observatory will have imaged when LSST ends in a decade. Rubin may see millions of distant stars ending in supernovae and into new reaches of our own Milky Way galaxy. Some 10 million alerts to scientists are expected from the observatory every night — whenever a change is detected in the series of photos it takes. Software will automatically compare new images with the stack of older ones. If an object has moved in those photos, flashed, exploded or streaked past, the software will detect the changes and dispatch an alert, all within minutes. There's no other telescope that can do these things — detect real-time changes in the immediate sky and flashes of light from distant objects, and at such scale. In just one year, Rubin observatory will have detected more asteroids than all other telescopes combined. There's more. The Simonyi Survey Telescope, set up on a special mount, is also fast. It can quickly swivel from one wide area of sky to another — within five seconds. Nothing will miss this allseeing eye. Kelkar said word has already been sent out to experts worldwide to investigate the 2,104 newly detected asteroids. 'The telescope will be a game-changer,' she added, 'because we're giving a common dataset for all kinds of science at once. We don't need specialised observations. It's one data for all.' Kelkar was in the control room at La Serena when the first images landed. 'Twenty years of people's professional lives had come down to that moment. We're about to make a 10-year movie of the night sky, with the fastest telescope and the biggest camera ever made. It's going to be fantastic,' she said. LAST WEEK ' S QUICK QUIZ Question on June 30: Challenging the belief that oxygen is produced only through photosynthesis, scientists have found polymetallic nodules deep in the ocean producing oxygen. What's this oxygen called? Answer: It's called 'dark' oxygen Earth's Largest Camera Will Sweep The Sky Like Never Before
The Citizen
07-05-2025
- Science
- The Citizen
Planetary Defense Conference to focus' on Earth's safety
'While the goal of planetary defence is to prevent asteroids from reaching our planet, this gathering goes far beyond technical assessments.' There were robust discussions and increasing attention paid to near-Earth objects (NEOs), which are becoming more closely monitored due to their potential threats. South Africa is hosting the 9th International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) Planetary Defense Conference in Stellenbosch from 5 to 9 May 2025. The week-long conference brings together scientists, engineers, policymakers and industry leaders from around the globe to discuss the protection of the planet from hazardous near-Earth objects like asteroids or comets. Near-earth objects Last month, Earth was given the all-clear from a possible impact by the asteroid 2024 YR4 in 2032. However, a second target has been looming. With recent observations, the odds of this object hitting the Moon instead have climbed to about 3.8%—the highest odds ever for a lunar impact by any natural body, according to Sky and Telescope. ALSO READ: 'A meteor or bolide likely hit the Eastern Cape' – Expert [VIDEO] Earths defence Dr Sias Mostert, director at SCS Space, acting African Regional Secretary of the IAA and co-chair of the local organising committee for the conference, said the event is 'a unique intersection of disciplines – where space meets Earth, and where science, technology, and society converge'. 'While the goal of planetary defence is to prevent asteroids from reaching our planet, this gathering goes far beyond technical assessments … The Planetary Defense Conference is more than a scientific event. It reminds us that space safety is a shared global responsibility. 'The 2025 conference stands as a symbol of our collective commitment to ensuring that space remains accessible, safe and beneficial for all humankind,' Mostert said. SA contribution Delivering the opening remarks, Humbulani Mudau, CEO of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), an entity of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, underscored the four key pillars of planetary defence. This includes detection, coordinated international response, public awareness and preparedness, and effective mitigation strategies. Mudau recognised the roles played by the International Asteroid Warning Network and the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group. 'South Africa, and indeed the continent at large, has localised excellence in astronautics, and although we may have limited resources, we hope to contribute extensively to this global effort.' Local ecosystem Mostert praised the local ecosystem's evolution over the past 35 years and its growing footprint on global missions such as the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission and NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). He mentioned the Gecko camera, developed in Stellenbosch, which captured the final image of the asteroid Dimorphos in 2022 before the historic DART impact. As the conference continues, the world watches with great interest as discussions unfold around planetary defence simulations, deflection technologies, policy coordination and public preparedness, highlighting the importance of cooperative action in the face of cosmic risks. ALSO READ: Anyone out there? Astronomers find signs of life on distant planet
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Buresh Blog: Average date for last freeze...January numbers...Severe weather awareness...Night skies
You can become a part of the First Alert Neighborhood Weather Network. Scan below &/or click * here *: After a very cold January, it's spring fever for the first couple of weeks of February. January was the 9th coldest on record for Jacksonville... & the 8th wettest. Which begs the question 'Is Winter Over??' The short answer is probably not. Though as of this writing, no cold air is in sight for NE Fl./SE Ga. through at least Valentine's Day. But if history is any indication - not to mention what looks to be the evolving weather pattern over the U.S. Lower 48 - don't get too eager to begin gardening. The average last freeze for most inland areas of NE Fl. & SE Ga. is Feb. 20th or later & is Feb. 25th for inland Duval Co. For Jacksonville since 2022, the first 80s occurred in January but temps. as cold as the 30s - including inland frost - occurred well into March. And the latest freeze on record at JIA is April 8, 2007 (31 degrees). The week of Feb. 3rd is 'Severe Weather Awareness Week' - more info. * here * from the Florida Division of Emergency Management. February night skies courtesy 'Sky and Telescope': Feb. 6 (evening): The Moon, one day past first quarter, is 5° above Jupiter, with Aldebaran anchoring a ragged line. Feb. 9 (dusk): Look east to see the waxing gibbous Moon, Mars, and Pollux forming a flat isosceles triangle in Gemini. Feb. 12 (evening): The full Moon and Regulus, Leo's brightest star, rise in the east with a mere 1½° between them. Feb. 17 (morning): Face south to see the waning gibbous Moon 1° right of Spica, Virgo's lucida. Feb. 21 (morning): The waning crescent Moon accompanies Antares, the fiery heart of the Scorpion, as they rise above the southeastern horizon separated by only 1°. Feb. 24 (dusk): Look low in the west 30 to 45 minutes after sunset to spot Mercury and Saturn less than 1½° apart. You'll need a clear, long view to the horizon. Feb. 28 (dusk): The thinnest sliver of the Moon, just past new, is 3° below Mercury low in the west-southwest. You'll need binoculars to spot the lunar crescent. Venus blazes above them. Moon Phases First Quarter February 5 3:02 a.m. EST Full Moon February 12 8:53 a.m. EST (Snow Moon) Last Quarter February 20 12:33 p.m. EST New Moon February 27 7:45 p.m. EST
