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NASA Just Observed City Lights On a Planet 7 Trillion Miles Away!

Voyager・46 minutes read

The James Webb Space Telescope aims to study the universe by capturing sharp photos of celestial objects, already discovering galaxies, black holes, and exoplanets with potential signs of life. Scientists are also exploring the Moon's formation history, the possibility of intelligent life in Earth's past, and the search for a ninth planet beyond Neptune to understand exoplanets, exomoons, and potential habitats for alien life.

Insights

  • The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) aims to surpass the Hubble telescope in capturing sharp photos of celestial objects, focusing on galaxies with stretched visible light into the infrared for comparisons with nearby galaxies.
  • Scientists explore the potential existence of intelligent life in Earth's past, the search for a true ninth planet beyond Neptune, and the study of exomoons around gas giants to understand habitable worlds and the potential for alien life.

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  • What is the James Webb Space Telescope?

    A powerful telescope launched to study celestial objects.

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Summary

00:00

"JWST: Capturing Celestial Objects in Infrared"

  • The James Webb Space Telescope, launched on Christmas Day 2021, aims to surpass the Hubble telescope in capturing sharp photos of celestial objects.
  • The JWST's scientific objective includes studying the formation of the first galaxies by peering into distant regions of the universe, enabled by the billions of years it takes for light to travel.
  • The JWST's Deep Field image, presented on July 11th, 2022, focused on the smax 0723 Galaxy cluster 4.6 billion light years away, magnifying more distant galaxies.
  • The JWST's main targets are galaxies whose visible light has stretched into the infrared, allowing comparisons with nearby galaxies' visible light photos.
  • The JWST's first Deep Field image was captured in hours, revealing numerous galaxies and galaxy clusters acting as magnifying lenses.
  • The JWST discovered auroras on a brown dwarf 13.5 light years away, possibly caused by methane emissions, a phenomenon similar to Earth's auroras.
  • The JWST found a supermassive black hole devouring matter 12.9 billion light years away, indicating rapid consumption and a reddish hue from dust.
  • The JWST detected a quasar-like object, revealing supermassive black holes' growth and interaction with host galaxies in the early universe.
  • The JWST discovered a peculiar question mark-shaped entity near two young stars, possibly distant interacting galaxies, sparking further scientific inquiry.
  • The JWST measured the temperature of Trappist 1B, one of seven Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting a dwarf star 235 trillion miles away, ruling out an atmosphere.

17:15

"Exploring Exoplanets and Interstellar Boundaries"

  • Observations during a whole orbit helped determine the planet's temperature, with the sunlit side reaching 2,182°F and the dark side at 1,112°F.
  • Supersonic winds prevent methane production on the dark side of the planet, indicating wind speeds exceeding 5,000 mph.
  • The JWST turned its camera towards the distant planet K218b, 8 times Earth's size, orbiting a dwarf star 120 light years away.
  • K218b lacks ammonia but has Earth-like chemicals, leading to the concept of "hen exoplanets" with vast oceans and hydrogen-rich atmospheres.
  • The JWST detected dimethyl sulfide (DMS) on K218b, a gas typically produced by life on Earth, hinting at potential life.
  • Voyager 1 entered a new zone at the solar system's frontier, surprising physicists with unexpected complexities.
  • The Voyager missions, launched in 1977, provided crucial data on the solar system, crossing into interstellar space and studying cosmic rays.
  • Voyager 2 observed a thin stream of low-energy particles past the heliopause, while Voyager 1 encountered a region resembling limbo.
  • Both Voyagers recorded magnetic field data, revealing a sharp boundary between solar and interstellar plasma.
  • NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, leaving the solar system, will stop short of the heliosphere's outer border due to power limitations, prompting calls for further interstellar missions.

35:05

Voyager 2: Challenges and Cosmic Exploration

  • Voyager 2 may have been damaged by an energetic particle from space or worn out after 46 years.
  • Scientists are studying cosmic rays and a phenomenon called pressure front 2 around Voyager 1.
  • NASA faced issues with Voyager 2 during a rotation maneuver for magnetic field calibration.
  • Voyager 2's power is limited, generated by degrading radioactive fuel, leading to system shutdowns.
  • Communication with Voyager 2 takes 17 hours for commands to reach and another 17 hours for responses.
  • Engineers worked to restart Voyager 2's instruments, overcoming challenges.
  • Voyager 2 can now resume its mission exploring the gap between stars and collecting data.
  • A study predicts potential responses to signals sent by NASA probes from distant stars.
  • Voyager 2's signals reached stars in 2007, with potential replies expected by 2033.
  • The study suggests that planets near contacted stars could also receive messages from Earth.

51:48

Mysteries of Moon, Planets, and Exomoons

  • Anorthosite, a rock that makes the Moon appear white, was thought to only form from magma, suggesting a catastrophic event in the Moon's formation history.
  • Scientists ponder the existence of intelligent life in Earth's past and the possibility of artifacts from a sophisticated non-human culture existing in Earth's layers.
  • The search for a true ninth planet beyond Neptune, possibly affecting objects outside the solar system, continues despite Pluto's reclassification as a non-planet.
  • Astronomers discover various extrasolar planets, including a brown dwarf with a Venus-like planet, shedding light on planet and moon formation processes.
  • The study of exomoons, particularly around gas giants, is crucial for understanding habitable worlds and the potential for alien life, with challenges in detecting and characterizing these distant celestial bodies.
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