Revealed, Venus has active volcanoes

Scientists have long believed that Venus has volcanoes that are still active. Analyzed data collected by the Venus Express spacecraft, scientists now prove that the second closest planet from the Sun it does have volcanoes.

"We have seen a number of events in which the spots on the surface of Venus suddenly heats up and cools down," said Eugene Shalygin of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research.

The Venus Express orbiter has found the best evidence yet for volcanic activity on Venus. The researchers based their finding on tell-tale hot spots on Venus' surface. Pictured is an artist's impression. (Picture from: http://dailym.ai/1GukaE0)

There are four spots were detected scientists. Previously, scientists have known that itru spot is a region of volcanoes. However, this is the first time scientists succeeded in proving that the spot could experience significant temperature changes.

"It is the most strongest evidence today about volcanism on Venus," said Shalygin as quoted by the Daily Mail on Friday, June 18th, 2015.

Radiating our from the Venusian volcano Ozza Mons (red, center) are thousands of miles of rift zones (purple). Data from the Venus Express spacecraft suggests there are active lava flows in hotspots along the rifts. (Picture from: http://dailym.ai/1GukaE0)

In the spot called "Object A" which covers only about 1 square kilometer, scientists know that the temperature can reach 830 degrees Celsius, much higher than the usual temperature around 480 degrees Celsius.

Results of this study are consistent with other data from Venus Express showing signs of volcanism on Venus recently.

This Infographic provides key pieces of evidence that can be explained by recent volcanic activity on Venus.  Scientists believe Venus' volcanoes covered the planet in a cataclysmic flood of lava around half a billion years ago - and they believe these volcanoes may still be active today. (Picture from: http://dailym.ai/1GukaE0)

In 2010, a number of mountain infrared image taken by Venus Express indicates that lava once flowed from thousands to millions of years ago. A few years later, there was a surge of sulfur in the atmosphere of Venus that could be a clue that an active central volcano.

"Our study shows that Venus, our nearest neighbor, is still active and changed at this time. This step is important to understand the differences in evolutionary history of Earth and Venus," said Shalygin. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | DAILY MAIL]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

Revealed, there is an invisible cloud enveloped the Moon

Our Moon shrouded by clouds. The cloud was not composed of water vapor as on Earth, but rather consists of dust. The cloud was also invisible. The study, published in the Nature journal on Friday, June 18, 2015 revealed that the cloud was apparently derived from the comet debris.

Astronomers say the massive dust cloud increases in density when annual events like the Geminids meteor shower spew shooting stars.. (Picture from: http://dailym.ai/1Rioix2)

"Geminid meteor shower triggered meteor shower on Earth, but it will not trigger the same phenomenon in the Moon," said Mihaly Horanyi, a physicist from the University of Colorado.

"Comet debris that hit the Moon's surface and increase the density of dust for a few days," he said as quoted by the Los Angeles Times, on Thursday, June 17, 2015.

Every day, there are about 100 tons of cosmic dust hit Earth's surface. And the Moon as smaller, only received 5 tons. However, because the Moon has no air, cosmic debris directly hit the surface and cause smaller grievances.

This is a picture of coronal and zodiacal light (CZL) taken with the Clementine spacecraft, when the sun was behind the moon. The white area on the edge of the moon is the CZL, and the bright dot at the top is the planet Venus. (Picture from: http://dailym.ai/1Rioix2)

Horanyi explained, the hit of cosmic debris caused dust on the Moon lifted up to a height of 200 kilometers above the surface. It remained floating because they can not "run away" from the Moon's gravity, and then forming clouds. Furthermore, the dust was falling again into the Moon surface.

The cosmos debris lacing process, dust rising and falling again the ongoing as well as the water cycle on Earth. In the long term, this process can remove traces of astronauts on the lunar surface left by the Apollo 11 mission.

The dust cloud that enveloped the Moon is not spread evenly. There is one side of the Moon that has a greater amount of clouds. The similar cloud was the first found in Jupiter through the observation by the detector of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Galileo spacecraft.

NASA's small moon-orbiting spacecraft Ladee is no more. Flight controllers confirmed today that it crashed into the moon while travelling at speed of 3,600 mph (5,800 kph) - fast enough to be vapourised by the impact. (Picture from: http://dailym.ai/1Rioix2)

In this time the dust cloud was found through observation with the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) in 2013. According to scientists, a cloud of dust that may be present up to the lowest altitude of 500 meters from the surface of the Moon.

With the results of this research, scientists believed that all celestial bodies that do not have the atmospheric, have dust clouds, including the moon of Mars and Jupiter. The impact of it, said Zoltan Sternovsky from the University of Colorado, "you can analyze the surface of celestial bodies without the need to land on its surface." *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | DAILYMAIL]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

Philae back alive and makes a call to Earth

One European's spacecraft last year landed on a comet and then undergo hibernation, suddenly back alive and transmit voice signals to the Earth, as reported by Space.com.

The European Space Agency (ESA) comet lander named Philae, which crash landed to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from the Rosetta spacecraft last November and sends the message for 85 seconds to the Earth through Rosetta on June 13, 2014, says ESA.

An artist illustration of ESA's Philae lander on the Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko surface. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1L1iw3h)

It was the first signal of Philae in the seven months since the spacecraft was silent on Novermber 15 last year after the historic landing on the comet.

"Philae works very well," said Philae project manager Stephan Ulamec of the German Aerospace Center/Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR). "Lander was ready for fully operation."

Philae comet lander is seen by the Rosetta spacecraft in this image captured on Nov. 12, 2014 as Philae headed for its landing on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The probe went silent 60 hours later and reawakened on June 13, 2015. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1dFcTdK)

According to Ulamec, Philae is currently at a temperature of minus 35 degrees Celsius and has 24 watts of power reserve.

During sending data to Earth, Philae has emitted up to 300 packets of data and the most active before the first signal reached Earth on Saturday, said ESA officials..

These images from the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft show the approach of the Philae comet lander (insets) to Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko on Nov. 12, 2015, including views of the probe's bounces on the surface. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1dFcTdK)

"We also have received historical data, so far, although the lander was not able to contact us," said Ulamec.

This European Space Agency image of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko show the five most likely candidates for the final landing spot of the Philae lander after it separated from the Rosetta spacecraft on Nov. 12, 2015. The top left candidate may be the most likely site for Philae. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1dFcTdK)

Philae is solar-powered spacecraft and a half sized washing machine which landed at Comet 67P on November 12, 2014 after the separation from the Rosetta. This spacecraft was shaken two times when its harpoon-shaped anchors system failed avoid the comet's surface.

This spacecraft squashed on the comet's surface. After about 60 hours of battery ran out and undergo hibernation on November 15 of that year.

According to Space.com, over the past seven months the scientists of the Rosetta and Philae mission in Europe expect when the Comet 67P approaches the sun, Philae will be able to receive sunlight so that the system back alive. It seems these expectations come true. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SPACE.COM]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

NASA managed to find the brightest galaxies

Located in the unspoiled wilderness universe, with a distance of 12.5 billion light years from Earth, there is a very bright galaxies. Even being the most sparkling in the universe - at least until now.

Its sparkle brightly more over 300 trillion than the Sun. The galaxy is called WISE J224607.57-052635.0. The existence of these galaxies are known by means of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellites.

Artist's impression of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1QcUQxd)

NASA believes the discovery will change our view of the universe so far. "We are witnessing a phase of the galaxy evolution that is very intense," says NASA in a statement as quoted by News.com.au.

The astronomers team of NASA suspect, a giant black hole is in the middle of the galaxy responsible for the strange phenomenon, the brilliance of the galaxy.

"The giant black hole was pulling gas and materials into the disk around them. As a result, the disc heats up to temperatures of millions of degrees," according to NASA.

Artist's impression of WISE J224607.57-052635.0. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1Kg0I3L)

The material is sucked into the black hole spiral, may be heated in an extraordinary way, and then release large amounts of visible light - ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths. The light is blocked by cloud of dust in the vicinity. When the dust is heated, then emits infrared rays.

Although the existence of a black hole at the galactic core is not new, however, such findings - in the wilds of the cosmos is rare. Because the light from galaxies where black holes are within 12.5 billion light years, astronomers seemed to see the object as if they were in the past.

"The black hole size is billions of times the mass of our Sun, when the new universe there is a tenth of its current age is 13.8 billion years," NASA said. Currently NASA is trying to determine the mass of the black hole at the center.

"Knowing that these objects would reveal their history, as well as other galaxies, it is part of an important and complicated associated universe." The findings are explored in detail in The Astrophysical Journal in May 2015.

The question is, why a black hole could be as big and move fast? The study authors suspect, it may indeed be a black hole of that size at birth.

"Like a big elephant," said Peter Eisenhardt one of the authors of the study from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of NASA in Pasadena, California, USA, as quoted from SPACE.com. "He came from a baby elephant."

However, there is another explanation. "The other way how a black hole grow by it is to keep 'partying', swallow matter and gas around it, faster than what is expected," said Chao-Wei Tsai, the study leader who is also from JPL.

WISE that find the WISE J224607.57-052635.0 in between 19 'extremely luminous infrared galaxies' (ELIRGs). Strong light from the ELIRGs core heats around clouds of dust, which is then emitted infrared radiation which can then be detected by WISE. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | NEWS.COM.AU | SPACE.COM]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

The Moon's birthday revealed

During this time, the process of formation of the Moon is still a mystery. After going through a series of studies, some scientists finally managed to explain the theory behind when the birth of the Moon.

The Moon, our Earth's sattelite. (Picture
from: http://bit.ly/1gwELwn)

When the newborn Earth about 4.5 billion years ago, and had suffered a collision with a Mars-sized space rocks and meteorites layer covering both. Leftover debris from the collision incident is believed that formed the Moon. The researchers also believe that the Moon was born shortly after the Earth.

In the 1970s, there is an explanation of how the birth of the Moon in a presentation entitled 'Giant Impact Hypothesis,' explained that the moon was formed because there was a collision of two 'young' planets, the Earth and the object named Theia, which is also considered to be about the size of Mars. Then the Moon was born from the ruins of the two.

An artist illustration of Earth-Moon formation. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1JDTjce)

According to the presentation, Theia formed along with other planets in the solar system about 4.6 billion years ago then circled the Sun in roughly the same orbit with Earth about 60 degrees ahead or behind the Earth.

Stability in Earth orbit then interrupted because of Theia then grow beyond the maximum limit of 10 percent of the mass of the planet Earth. As a result, the force of gravity makes Theia left orbital position and is approaching the Earth and collide with each other.

According to astronomers, a collision between the Earth and Theia occurred around 4.53 billion last year, or about 30 to 50 million years after the formation of the solar system. However, from recent evidence, indicated that the collisions were happening more slowly, which is 4.48 billion years ago.

Computer simulations of a giant impact. (Picture from: http://1.usa.gov/JHV5Q0)

In the presentation also said that the Theia material is much more contained in the Moon, which is more than 60 percent. However, if viewed from the sampling rocks that taken from Moon, the components showed more similarities with the Earth.

"In terms of composition, Moon and Earth arguably almost like twins," said lead researcher Alessandra Mastrobuono-Battisti, an astrophysicist at the Israel Institute of Technology, as quoted by NBC News.

Then Alessandra and her colleagues made a collision simulation in the early solar system was made up of 85 to 90 protoplanetary where each planet contains 10 percent of Earth's mass. Not only protoplanetary, there are also thousands of tiny objects called planetesimals ie everything has 0.2 percent of the mass of Earth.

From simulations, the team found that the collision could create three to four rocky planets, with the greatest ratio of the mass of the Earth. And about 20-40 percent of the composition in the new planet is very similar to the arrangement that the composition of protoplanetary collision.

"It's very exciting because we can express the novelty of the mystery of the birth of the Moon," says team member Hagai Peretz.

And the Moon is estimated to have 1.6 billion tons of ice water and an abundance of rare elements hidden under the surface. So that a Texas-based energy company had planned to mine the huge reserves of water ice to be converted into rocket fuel in the form of hydrogen and oxygen, which will be sold to their space partner in low Earth orbit. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | JAMES MINSHALL | CNN INDONESIA]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

Turns out the mysterious signal from the "Microwave oven"

Since 1998, an astrophysicist working at the Parkes Observatory, Australia, baffled by a mysterious signal called peryton (jump to article).

Parkes Observatory in Australia, where the mysterious "perytons" were detected. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1PpXYjr)

Many people believe that the signal was coming from the sky, possibly of alien. Meanwhile, the astronomers more believe that the signal was coming from the Earth, but do not know where.

Emily Petroff, a graduate student from Swinburne University in a research paper entitled "Identifying the Source of Perytons at the Parkes Radio Telescope" managed to answer the riddle of the signal.

Instead of coming from outer space or even aliens, it turns out the signal comes from the microwave that commonly used by astronomers to heat food. How Petroff uncover the source of the signal? How did the signal from the microwave can be detected?

Keep closed while in use. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1PpXYjr)

Radio telescope facilities in Australia are in a signal isolated area. A signal from a mobile phone, for example, automatically blocked. Earlier this year, Petroff install monitor interference on the telescope. Surprisingly, peryton increasingly being detected, three times a week.

The signal monitoring with a monitor that shows the peryton has a frequency of 1.4 gigahertz. In between each peryton, there are other signals with a frequency of 2.5 gigahertz.

"It makes us think. What produces 2.5 gigahertz signal?" Petroff said. "The answer for sure is the microwave." However, there are still a mystery. What about the peryton has a frequency of 1.4 gigahertz. Petroff also continue to investigate. Then she discovered that the signal with the frequency coming from the microwave still burning, but the door is opened.

Revealed, the signal was there from the habits of the users who open the door before the microwave finished work. That fact may sound silly. However, as reported by Vox.com, research has now been entered arXiv paper that remains useful.

Astronomers are now trying to solve another mysterious signal believed to be from outer space, called Fast Burst Radio (FRB). Disclosure of peryton because astronomers were able to make a more select signals are obtained. They will not be fooled by the signals coming from the Earth when detecting FRB. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | VOX]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

The largest object found in the area of mysterious universe

Astronomers find giant objects in the universe. The object is supervoid, has a diameter of about 1.8 million light years. Imagine the size, the distance span from Earth to Pluto have only 5.3 hours of light.

A strange empty hole has been found in the universe as taken by Planck telescope. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1HpRvUM)

Istvan Szapudi, an astronomer who led the study at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said that the object of the possibility of "the largest single object ever discovered by man".
The largest object found during Szapudi and the team is studying the phenomenon of "cold spots" in the universe. Areas that have a material 20 per cent and 10,000 fewer galaxies than other areas.

"Cold spots" are areas that are so mysterious, discovered in 2004. Until now astronomers have not been able to describe the origin of these areas as well as its impact on the understanding of the origin of the universe.

The Cold Spot area resides in the constellation Eridanus in the southern galactic hemisphere. The insets show the environment of this anomalous patch of the sky. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1HpRvUM)

In the middle of the decoding of the "cold spot", in one of the studies, Szapudi and his team found the biggest supervoid this. Compared with other parts of the universe are solid, supervoid been likened to a hole.

However, Andras Kovacs of Eotovos Lorand University in Budapest which also involved the study said, "Supervoid not completely empty. They are just very less dense."

"What we found was the largest ever found supervoid. With the combination of size and emptiness, our supervoid very less dense. We estimate that there are only a few supervoid this magnitude in the universe," said Kovacs.

The discovery of this supervoid little shed some light on the mystery of "cold spots". Areas that may be cooler and have fewer galaxies because of the presence of large supervoid at its center.

The existence of supervoid can decipher the mystery of "cold spots" because the universe continues to expand as it is understood today, photons of light would move more slowly when crossing the void.

Along entered supervoid, the kinetic energy of photons of light is converted into potential energy. Imagine the movement of photons of light entering the supervoid like human climbing the hill.

In a universe that is stationary or not fluffy, the light of photons will get more kinetic energy is so out of supervoid. Thus, the speed will be just as fast. Imagine like a man down the mountain.

However, the expanding universe, the scenario is different. Space will be larger so supervoid, if considered as a hill, will be lower when humans descend. Therefore, the speed of light photons will be slower when it came out.

Although it gives a little insight, supervoid only accounted for 10 percent of the anomalies "cold spot". Thus, the findings have not been able to solve the mystery of "cold spots", it added to the list of questions to be answered.

"Now we have to answer how the void was formed. This is a very rare phenomenon," said Roberto Trotta of Imperial College London who was not involved the study as quoted by The Guardian, on Monday, April 20, 2015. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | THE GUARDIAN]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

The farthest planet from Earth discovered

Galaxias, Via Lactea, or Milky Way, where our Earth lied, still a wilderness that has not been revealed by the human's sophistication knowledge today. Not to all the mysteries unfold.

US space agency (National Aeronautics and Space Administration/NASA) has recently discovered the gas planet lied on 13,000 light-years away from Earth. The findings obtained using the Spitzer Space Telescope are used in conjunction with ground-based telescopes, the Poland-based Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) in Chile.

This map of our Milky Way Galaxy shows the location of the gas giant OGLE-2014-BLG-0124Lb and other exoplanets discovered with microlensing. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1J5rJnB)

One light year is equal to 9,460 billion kilometers. With a distance of 13,000 light-years away, the finding became one of the farthest known planets. These findings indicate that Spitzer, from its location in space, can be used to help uncover the puzzle of how the planets spread throughout the Milky Way's spiral shape is flat. Are the planets are concentrated at its center? Or equal to the rim?

This artist’s conception shows OGLE-2014-BLG-0124Lb. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1J5rJnB)

Spitzer is at a distance of 207 million kilometers away from the our Earth. "We do not know if the planets are more likely to be in the galactic bulge or on the dial. That's why such observations it becomes very important," said Jennifer Yee, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts, as quoted from the Spitzer Space Telescope site on Wednesday, April 16, 2015.

Warsaw OGLE Telescope located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile, scanning the sky with a method called microlensing - events that occur when a star passes in front of the other. If the foreground star happens to have planets in orbit around it, the planet could be a trigger point (blip) in the radar screen monitors.

Astronomers using the blip to find and perform the planet characteristics within tens of thousands of light years in the galaxy bulge - where star crossed more often. Meanwhile, the sun is shining on the Earth is on the outskirts of the galaxy. Microlensing technique has so far resulted in 30 findings of the planet. The farthest within 25,000 light years.

"Such experiments have detected the planets around the Sun to which is almost in the center of the Milky Way," said another study author, Andrew Gould of The Ohio State University, Columbus. Microlensing equip more than 1,000 near-Earth planets that have been discovered by the NASA's Kepler mission. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SCI-NEWS.COM]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

Large explosion on the Moon form a new giant crater

A new giant crater formed by a large explosion on the surface of the Moon. The blast was the biggest explosion ever recorded and recorded directly, as quoted on Daily Mail page on Thursday, March 19, 2015.

The Moon is known is always buffeted by cosmic debris, but it turns out the giant crater newly formed was only caused by the collision of cosmic objects the size of a small stone. Astronomers observe objects that exploded when it hit the surface of Mare Imbrium.

NASA's Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter in artist's illustration. (Picture from: http://dailym.ai/1MPHQGT)

When meteoroids strike the Moon, energy will generated the heat which then formed the crater. In addition to creating a large explosion, the object hit it also creates the sparkle of light 10 times brighter than the blow of other objects ever observed by earlier researchers.

Four different mages of a crater formed on the moon, March 17, 2013; each scene is 1837ft (560 metres) wide. The brightest flash occurred on March 17, 2013 with coordinates 20.6°N, 336.1°E. (Picture from: http://dailym.ai/1MPHQGT)

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) reveal details of the recording of the lacing. LROC predicted, the new crater will usually be surrounded by space debris which reflect the spread as far as two or three meters around the crater.

"High Reflectance not only found to exist in the vicinity of the crater, but also in the other three zones," said Mark Robinson, the Professor of School of Earth and Space Exploration and LROC principal investigator.

According to him, not only the giant crater, LROC also identified 225 new crater with a size of 91.5 meters to 43 meters. Also found also 25 thousand small changes in the surface of the Moon. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | DAILYMAIL]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

NASA spacecraft reaches the Ceres

A NASA spaceprobe slipped into orbit around Ceres, a dwarf planet across Mars is believed to be the rest of the formation of the solar system. And Dawn is a spaceprobe of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and became the first spacecraft to reach orbit around the dwarf planet.

Currently Dawn is approximately 61,000 kilometers of Ceres when capturing the gravity of the largest object in the asteroid belt of Mars and Jupiter on Friday, March 6, 2015.

Dawn, a NASA's spaceprobe in an artist illustration. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1AcjFfG)

Mission control at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of NASA in Pasadena, California, receives a signal from the Dawn spacecraft that was in good health and got a boost from its ion engine, as well as the indicators mentioned that Dawn entered orbit as planned.

"Since the discovery in 1801, Ceres is known as planets, and asteroids, and then the dwarf planet," said Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineering and director of the mission at JPL.

Ceres looks from the Dawn spaceprobe on March 1, 2015, a few days before the mission reaches orbit around the dwarf planet that unexplored before. The image was taken from a distance of about 48,000 kilometers. (Picture from:http://bit.ly/1C0DIlY)

"Now, after traveling 3.1 billion miles (4.9 billion kilometers) and 7.5 years, Dawn calls Ceres as home," he said as quoted by NASA's official website. In addition to becoming the first spacecraft to visit Ceres, Dawn is also the first mission goes into the orbits of two extraterrestrial targets.

During 2011 to 2012, the spacecraft was to explore the giant asteroid Vesta, transmit new knowledge and thousands of images of distant worlds. Ceres and Vesta are the two of the largest occupants in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter in our solar system.

Latest pictures received from the spacecraft's, which was taken on March 1, 2015, shows Ceres as crescent, mostly in shadow. When Dawn emerged from the dark side of Ceres, the plane will send sharper pictures. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SPACEDAILY]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

A story about the most unique Earth sattelite

The assumption that the Moon is the only natural satellite of Earth was wrong. The planet where humans live surrounded by many small celestial bodies which often have not common orbit with a unique trajectory.

Duncan Forgan, Research Fellow at the University of Saint Andrew, in his article in The Conversation on Tuesday, February 25, 2015 outlines that the 3735 Cruithne is the most unique Earth's natural satellite. It was often also called near-earth asteroids.

A representation of Cruithne’s strange orbit around the Sun. Cruithne scuttles around the inner solar system in what’s called a ‘horseshoe’ orbit. This could provide an ideal testing ground for our understanding of how the solar system evolves under gravity. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1EcvOYq)

Unlike natural satellites in general which orbiting the planets with elliptical trajectory, this celestial bodies which were found in 2007 has an uncommon orbit with the horseshoe-shaped path. And 3735 Cruithne often called 'quasi-orbital satellite'.

The illustration orbit of 3735 Cruithne. Yellow line shows the orbit of 3735 Cruithne that has cashew shaped. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1EcvOYq)

With a horseshoe-shaped orbit, the celestial body whose has a diameter about 5 kilometers can move closer to the Earth, spinning, and then moving away. Furthermore, objects can come close to Earth again from the other side.

The distance of 3735 Cruithne to the Earth really varied. Sometimes very close. However, this object can also be moved very far until it is closer to the Mars and Venus.

What is unique, in the process to orbits the Earth, the satellite reaches the yearly closest distance to Earth in each November crosses a lot of circular paths that looks like a ring or there is also mention as cashews.

Together with the Earth, 3735 Cruithne around the Sun every year. However, the satellite took 800 years to circling the Earth crosses the intricate circular path. That's unique, isn't it?

Can humans landed in 3735 Cruithne like already done when human landed on the Moon? It can be. However, landing on a small object was full of challenges, such as the first landing on the comet of 2014 ago. If successful, it is really an achievement.

Although small, when hitting the Earth, 3735 Cruithne could trigger mass extinctions such as the age of dinosaurs. But not to worry, the object that moving at orbital speed of 27.6 km/sec will not hit the Earth.

Forgan said the satellite that discovered by Duncan Waldron, will reach its closest distance to the Earth in the next 2,750 years. Meanwhile, 8,000 years ago, the satellite approached the Venus.

According to Forgan, many things can be learned from the 3735 Cruithne. Small celestial bodies that could be a clue formation of the solar system as well as its massive objects. During this time, scientists thought that the giant object is a combination of small objects.

The satellite which are rotate every 27.31 hours, in the future could also be one of human training place to land on an asteroid. If successful, one that can be done is to harvest the rare minerals to support the development of human technology. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | DAVE RENEKE'S WORLD OF SPACE AND ASTRONOMY]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.

Supermassive Black Hole found

The universe is a mystery without limit, which always includes a new surprise for humans. This is one of them: astronomers have recently discovered the largest black holes and the brightest ever known so far.

An artist's illustration of a monster supermassive black hole at the heart of a quasar in the distant universe. Scientists say the newfound black hole SDSS J010013.02+280225.8 is the largest and brightest ever found. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1BE93fy)

'Monster' black hole has the mass about 12 billion times of the Sun and and is already very old. The origins of the black hole can be traced since the Universe was less than 1 billion years (or rather 875 million years).

Meanwhile, the science of human beings estimated the universe was 13.8 billion years old. The researchers say, is still a mystery why a black hole could grow to be as big as it was, in a relatively short time after the 'dawn' appearance of the universe. Black holes are believed to be in the middle or center of most (if not to say all) galaxies.

Previously, the biggest black holes ever found to have 10 billion times the mass of the sun. For comparison, the black hole in the center of the Milky Way (called Sagittarius A) estimated 'only' has a mass of 4 million to 5 million times the sun.

The black hole is a concentration of mass large enough to produce a very large gravitational force. In fact, even light can not escape from the strength of its tremendous power.

However, unlike the name suggests, the black hole is an object which is often light. Therefore, it is surrounded by a feature known as the accretion disks which are formed from gas and hot dust are and emit light like swirling into a black hole.

Astronomers suspect, quasars (the brightest object in the universe) contains a supermassive black hole that releases light in very exceptional to imagine when they turn up and rip the stars. Astronomers recently discovered 40 quasars. Which each have 1 black hole with a size of about 1 billion times the mass of the sun.

The newfound quasar SDSS J0100+2802 has the most massive black hole and the highest luminosity among all known distant quasars, as shown in this comparison chart of the black hole's mass and brightness. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1DYVWpI)

Newly discovered monster black hole has a distance about 12.8 billion light years from Earth. Supermassive black hole that is technically called SDSS J010013.02+280225.8 or abbreviated J0100+2802, is not only the most massive quasars ever seen from the early days of the universe, but also the brightest. Its sparkle approximately 429 trillion times the sun. Even 7 times more shining than the most distant quasars today.

So, what are the benefits of these findings?

Previously it was believed, that the black holes thought to hold the secrets of the universe to key travel through time? It also has a horror reputation: touted as the 'doomsday trigger'.

"The findings are very surprising because presenting a serious challenge to the theory of the growth of black holes in the early days of the universe," said the study author Xue-Bing Wu, an astrophysicist from Peking University, Beijing, as was quoted of ScienceDaily on Thursday, February 26, 2015.

Accretion disc limit the speed of growth of modern black holes. First, when the gas and dust in the disk approaches the black hole, so the buildup will be slowing down another material being sucked into it. Later, when more material accumulates, it will heat up and emit radiation that makes the dust and gas went away from the black hole.

So far, scientists doesn't have a satisfactory theory to explain why supermassive objects can be formed in the early formation of the universe. "That takes a special way to grow a black hole quickly, or there must be a large seeds," said Wu.

Researchers underlined that the light of the newly discovered black holes could help provide clues about the dark corners of far cosmos. Like when the quasar light shining toward Earth, passing through the intergalactic gas that gave color.

In summarizing, how the intergalactic gas affects the spectrum of the quasar's light, scientists can deduce the elements that make up the gas. That knowledge, in turn, can provide insights into the process of star formation that started shortly after the Big Bang.

"The quasar is one of the brightest in the early universe. As a lighthouse, it will give us a chance to use it as a tool to study the structure of the dark cosmic, in the wilds of the universe," said Wu.  As for detailed description of the invention described by scientists in the Nature scientific journal on February 26, 2015 edition. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SPACE.COM | SCIENCEDAILY]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.