Free Astronomy Magazine May-June 2021
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cover EN.qxp_l'astrofilo 28/04/2021 16:52 Page 1 THE FREE MULTIMEDIA MAGAZINE THAT KEEPS YOU UPDATED ON WHAT IS HAPPENING IN SPACE Bi-monthly magazine of scientific and technical information ✶ May-June 2021 IInnggeennuuiittyy’’ss ffiirrsstt fflliigghhtt Magnetic fields at the edge of M87’s black hole imaged Solar System’s most distant known object confirmed • The earliest supermassive black hole and quasar in the Universe • New atmosphere forming on a rocky exoplanet • Shining a new light on dark energy • How to measure the relativistic jet of M87 • Six-exoplanet system challenges theories of how planets form www.astropublishing.com ✶✶www.facebook.com/astropublishing [email protected] colophon EN_l'astrofilo 28/04/2021 16:53 Page 2 Science in School aims to promote inspir- ing science teaching by encouraging communica- tion between teachers, scientists, and everyone else involved in European sci- ence education. Science in School is published by EIROforum, a collaboration between eight European intergovernmen- tal scientific research organisations, of which ESO is a member. The journal addresses science teaching both across Europe and across disciplines: highlighting the best in teaching and cutting-edge research. Read more about Science in School at: http://www.scienceinschool.org/ colophon EN_l'astrofilo 28/04/2021 16:53 Page 3 Ingenuity’s first flight BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF SCIENTIFIC 4 AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION FREELY AVAILABLE THROUGH THE INTERNET Magnetic fields at the edge of M87’s black May-June 2021 12 hole imaged The earliest supermassive black hole and quasar 16 in the Universe New atmosphere forming on a rocky 20 exoplanet A distant galaxy dies as astronomers 24 watch English edition of the magazine lA’ STROFILO Shining a new light on dark 26 energy Editor in chief Michele Ferrara Scientific advisor Prof. Enrico Maria Corsini How to measure the relativistic jet Publisher 30 of M87 Astro Publishing di Pirlo L. Via Bonomelli, 106 25049 Iseo - BS - ITALY email [email protected] Internet Service Provider Most distant quasar with powerful radio Aruba S.p.A. jets discovered Via San Clemente, 53 36 24036 Ponte San Pietro - BG - ITALY Copyright All material in this magazine is, unless otherwise stated, property of Astro Hubble pinpoints supernova Publishing di Pirlo L. or included with permission of its author. Reproduction 38 blast or retransmission of the materials, in whole or in part, in any manner, with- out the prior written consent of the copyright holder, is a violation of copy- right law. A single copy of the materi- Six-exoplanet system challenges theories als available through this course may be made, solely for personal, noncom- 42 of how planets form mercial use. Users may not distribute such copies to others, whether or not in electronic form, whether or not for a charge or other consideration, with- out prior written consent of the copy- Doubling the number of known right holder of the materials. The publisher makes available itself with 46 gravitational lenses having rights for possible not charac- terized iconographic sources. Advertising - Administration Astro Publishing di Pirlo L. Solar System’s most distant known object Via Bonomelli, 106 25049 Iseo - BS - ITALY 50 confirmed email [email protected] magazine EN_Free Astronomy Magazine 28/04/2021 16:51 Page 4 4 ASTRO PUBLISHING Ingenuity’s first flight by Damian G. Allis NASA Solar System Ambassador or 39 seconds this past April Flight by humans has a long history n the background, a frame of the th 19 , the Mars 2020 mission’s In- here on Earth. A cave painting on I first video of NASA’s Ingenuity Fgenuity helicopter performed Muna Island in Indonesia that dates Mars helicopter in flight. [NASA/JPL- the first demonstration of con- back to at least 9,000 B.C. depicts a Caltech/ASU/MSSS] trolled, powered flight on another kaghati, a kite whose design is still planet, including a 30-second hover in use today by the island commu- simple flight to controlled, powered three meters above where the Per- nities. Human flight also has a long, flight began on December 17, 1903 severance rover had deployed it on if sporadic, history, with recorded outside of Kitty Hawk, North Car- April 3rd. This first demonstration, human flight by attachment to a olina, with the 12-second flight of recorded by both Ingenuity and Per- kite dating back nearly two millen- the Wright Flyer by Orville Wright. severance, is the first step in dra- nia in China, and a first human lift With this first demonstration, and matically changing how we explore by hot air balloon recorded on Octo- additional flights by both Orville the red planet and beyond. ber 19th, 1783 in Paris. The leap from and Wilbur Wright, the force of MAY-JUNE 2021 magazine EN_Free Astronomy Magazine 28/04/2021 16:51 Page 5 ASTRO PUBLISHING 5 his animation shows T each step of the Inge- nuity helicopter deploy- ing from the belly of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover from March 26 to April 3, 2021. The final image shows the helicopter on the ground after the rover drove about 13 feet (4 meters) away. [NASA/JPL-Caltech] he Ingenuity Mars T Helicopter’s carbon fiber blades can be seen in this video taken by the Mastcam- Z instrument aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover on April 8, 2021, the 48th Martian day, or sol, of the mis- sion. The four blades are arranged into two 4-foot-long (1.2-meter- long) counter-rotating rotors that can spin at roughly 2,400 rpm. The video shows the blades performing a wiggle test before the actual spin-up to ensure they were working properly. [NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU] ASA’s Ingenuity helicopter does a slow spin test of its blades on N April 8, 2021, the 48th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. This image was captured by the Mastcam-Z on NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. [NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU] MAY-JUNE 2021 magazine EN_Free Astronomy Magazine 28/04/2021 16:51 Page 6 6 ASTRO PUBLISHING of supporting 30 minutes or more of with a sufficiently thick atmosphere. embers of NASA’s Ingenuity M helicopter team in the Space flight are both affordable and com- For Ingenuity, successful operation Flight Operations Facility at NASA’s monplace. The Ingenuity helicopter requires a delicate balance of weight, Jet Propulsion Laboratory prepare to extends drone capabilities on Earth battery size, internal heating, and receive the data downlink showing to Mars and to any other planets propeller design to work at a surface whether the helicopter completed its first flight on April 19, 2021. [NASA/JPL-Caltech] wind – or the lack thereof – was no longer the factor determining where a vehicle could go. Fast-forward to 2021, and remote- controlled drones with built-in hi- def cameras and batteries capable n this video captured by NASA’s I Perseverance rover, the agency's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter took the first powered, controlled flight on another planet on April 19, 2021. [NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS] MAY-JUNE 2021 magazine EN_Free Astronomy Magazine 28/04/2021 16:51 Page 7 ASTRO PUBLISHING 7 ASA’s Ingenuity N Mars Helicopter achieves powered, con- trolled flight for the first time on another planet, hovering for several sec- onds before touching back down on April 19, 2021. The image was taken by the left Naviga- tion Camera, or Navcam, aboard the agency’s Per- severance Mars rover from a distance of 210 feet (64 meters). [NASA/JPL-Caltech] atmospheric pressure less than 1% that on Earth and to survive temperatures as low as -130°F (-90°C). The Perseverance landing and the Mars 2020 Mis- sion were covered in de- tail in the March-April issue of this on Mars as has been implemented next set of driving coordinates, or by magazine. We mentioned then that here on Earth for centuries. the rovers having the ability to ana- an aerial vehicle on Mars was a solu- The planning of Martian rover jour- lyze and adjust headings and dis- tion to many issues that have com- neys has occurred either by humans tances near-autonomously. In both plicated our exploration of the red receiving data about the local envi- cases, this planning can only be in- planet, providing the same solution ronment and programming in the formed by as far as the onboard cam- embers of NASA’s M Ingenuity helicopter team in the Space Flight Operations Facility at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory react to data showing that the helicop- ter completed its first flight on April 19, 2021. [NASA/JPL-Caltech] eras could see. The combi- nation of slow speed, need for planning the path for- ward from a limited visual range, and the wealth of measurement and collec- tion being performed all were contributing reasons why the Opportunity rover, over 14 years of operation, only traveled 28 miles (45 km) from its landing site. MAY-JUNE 2021 magazine EN_Free Astronomy Magazine 28/04/2021 16:51 Page 8 8 ASTRO PUBLISHING ASA’s Ingenuity helicopter can be N seen here taking off, hovering and then landing on the Martian sur- face on April 19, 2021. The Mastcam-Z imager aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover shot video of the heli- copter’s flight. The video is presented here in side-by-side formats that have both been enhanced to show a dust plume swirling during takeoff and again on landing. The view on the left uses motion filtering to show where dust was detected during liftoff and landing and the view on the right is enhanced with the motion filtering. Scientists use this image processing to detect dust devils as they pass by Mars rovers.