NASA’s Special Science Tools for Studying Europa - http://clapway.com/2015/05/27/nasas-special-science-tools-for-studying-europa-234/

NASA is continuing its travel mission of trying to find places elsewhere in space that could be habitable for life like we have on Earth, and will be using some special science tools to study Jupiter’s moon, Europa. NASA plans to send out a spacecraft with these special science tools to learn if Europa could possibly be habitable. After considering numerous projects and taking everything into consideration, these instruments have been chosen as those that will provide the best information that NASA is looking for in its next mission to Europa.

Nine Special Science Tools to Be Used to Take a Look at Europa

NASA will be sending these nine special science tools to travel to Europa to take a look at the moon and carry out experiments:

1. Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding (PIMS) – This example of the special science tools is designed to measure how thick the ice on top of Europa’s ocean is and check the saltiness and how deep the ocean is, as the ice is possibly up to 10 kilometers thick.

2. Interior Characterization of Europa using Magnetometry (ICEMAG) – This example of the special science tools measures the magnetic field on Europa along with the PIMS. It uses multi-frequency electromagnetic sounding, and helps to determine the saltiness, locations and thickness of Europa’s ocean.

3. Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa (MISE) – This tool will do a probe of the makeup of Europa, as well as determine the moon’s dispersal of materials such as organics, ice, salt, and acid hydrates to help figure out the habitability of Europa.

4. Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface (REASON) – Does testing on Europa’s ice crust.

5. Europa Thermal Emission Imaging System (E-THEMIS) – detects heat and does thermal imaging of Europa.

6. MAss SPectrometer for Planetary EXploration/Europa (MASPEX) – Measures Europa’s atmosphere and gets information on any materials thrown out into space.

7. Ultraviolet Spectrograph/Europa (UVS) – Studies the atmosphere of Europa and looks for water plumes.

8. SUrface Dust Mass Analyzer (SUDA) – Measures any particles expelled from the surface of Europa.

9. Europa Imaging System (EIS) – Maps out Europa at a 50-meter resolution and also takes pictures of its surface.

The special science tools will make the study of Europa easier and more productive in NASA’s quest to travel in space to find habitable worlds.

NASA’s Special Science Tools for Studying Europa

NASA Discovers New Galaxy Shines Brightest Yet - http://clapway.com/2015/05/23/nasa-discovers-new-galaxy-shines-brightest-yet123/

On May 21, NASA disclosed the discovery of a hidden galaxy that shone with the light of more than 300 trillion suns. The suns found in this massive galaxy are believed to be the result of a supermassive black hole. The new galaxy has been named an unromantic WISE (for Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) J224607.57-052635.0.

 

Study Lead by Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The lead author of the study of the new galaxy, Chao-Wei Tsai is a part of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab located in Pasadena, California. Tsai believes a black hole is the central source behind these suns. The galaxy evolution can be very intense and the black hole is a part of the process. The light can be formed within the growth of the galaxy’s super massive black hole.

The new galaxy is 12.5 billion years away and was already in existence when the universe was one-tenth of its age now. Most galaxies, if not all of them, are believed to have black holes within the center of their cores. The galaxies we see now may be in the process of actually gorging on the galaxy’s gas.

 

The WISE Telescope Shows Us the New Galaxy

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) was developed to travel in orbit and scan the entire sky using infrared light. When the new galaxy was seen, it was seen in infrared light and not visible light. Astronomers for WISE have been recently discovering a completely new class of objects such as this one, within the galaxy. These galaxies are being referred to as extremely luminous infrared galaxies or ELIRGs. So far, there have been twenty new ELIRGs, including this most luminous one found to date.

 

Effects of Supermassive Black Hole

While material is spiraling down into a black hole, it heats up tremendously and emits huge amounts of light that take millions of years to travel here. People are wondering how the supermassive black hole within WISE became so huge. Because it is 12.5-billion years old, this is how astronomers are seeing it even though the universe itself is only 1.3 billion years old. Researchers believe that the new galaxy was born big, much as a baby elephant is born big. Tsai believes this black hole got bigger due to its sustainable binge, consuming faster than we thought. The slower a black hole is spinning, the more it consumes.

NASA Discovers New Galaxy Shines Brightest Yet