For many reasons, 2020 can be a turning point for society and science. Astronomers and space agencies have spent all year managing the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. They also made breakthroughs in new technologies and parted ways with a number of important projects.
This year ushered in a new era of monster-retrieval missions, protests against a telescope, an incredible visit by a dazzling comet and the “great conjunction” of Saturn and Jupiter.
Here’s our look back at the 10 greatest space stories of 2020.
Coronavirus affects space science
The coronavirus pandemic affected many sectors of astronomy and space flight. Universities, space agencies and ongoing projects adapted to cope with the new reality as countries around the world took steps to prevent the spread of the respiratory disease COVID-19. Classrooms turned into virtual, astronomical conferences changed in format, and higher education institutions braced for financial hardship caused by the virus’s effect on the economy.
Social distance measures have affected the field in many ways. Space agencies such as NASA ordered their employees to work from home. Projects such as the Event Horizon Telescope, which took the very first image of a black hole, canceled are observations for 2020. Satellites continued their observations and showed deserted streets and short-term changes to emissions caused by human activity. Social movements such as the protests construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope in Hawaii also stopped to protect the elderly of the community from the disease.
Spacecraft like NASA’s OSIRUS-REx asteroid sample collection mission also had to postpone their main maneuver – the retrieval of material from asteroid Bennu – due to constraints caused by virus-reduction efforts on Earth.
The contagious and deadly nature of the virus was clear to space agencies. On May 6, the head of the Russian manned space flight program died just weeks after testing positive for coronavirus. In late April 2020, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California developed a new fan called VITAL. in response to limited fans for COVID-19 patients.
The iconic Arecibo Observatory collapses
This year, the National Science Foundation (NSF) said goodbye to the iconic Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico after two major cable failures led to the radio telescope collapsing. The 57-year-old structure was once the largest radio dish telescope in the world, and researchers have used its capabilities to make major breakthroughs in astronomy. The Arecibo Observatory also served as a dramatic backdrop for such films as “Contact” and “Goldeneye”.
The facility suffered two cable failures this year and in early December the suspended platform collapsed over the radio dish.
The news about Arecibo’s structural damage and subsequent decommissioning was discouraging also for the local community. Excursions to the Visitor Center are a “rite of passage” for Puerto Rican children.
A boom in the return of samples
A new “Golden Age“of monster retrieval missions is here.
In October 2020, NASAs will have OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid Bennu has successfully stowed pieces of the space rock to bring back to Earth. On December 7, samples from asteroid Ryugu were collected by JAXAs Hayabusa2 mission reached Japanese scientists. A capsule containing the rocky material descended to Australia’s Woomera Prohibited Area on December 5, and the spacecraft returned to the solar system for an extended mission. This spacecraft’s predecessor, Hayabusa, was the first mission to return pieces of an asteroid to Earth.
China’s Change 5 mission also conducted a sampling appointment with the moon in late 2020. The first lunar samples to come to Earth were taken down by NASAs Apollo program.
China is analyzing strange substance on the other side of the moon
Chinese scientists published an analysis of one strange substance they discovered on the other side of the moon. The Yutu 2 rover of China’s Chang’e 4 mission found the gel-like substance in July 2019, and this year Chinese researchers described the material in a new paper.
The glassy substance has a dark green color and looks like breccia, or broken fragments of minerals cemented together. Information about the material was obtained from Yutu 2’s panoramic and hazard avoidance cameras and the rover’s Visible and Near-Infrared Spectrometer (VNIS) instrument. Researchers wrote that the material may have been formed in an impact or a volcanic eruption.
Phosphine on Venus
On September 14, a team of astronomers announced that they had detected the chemical fingerprint of phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus. This compound has been found near microbes on Earth, and some people claimed it could be a biosignature, an indication that perhaps a life form high in the clouds of Venus was able to survive the planet. extreme environment.
Astronomers have detected the chemical signature of phosphine using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii and the Atacama Large Millimeter / submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. The levels of phosphine baffled researchers discovered, because Venus, like Earth, contains many molecules with oxygen, which should quickly destroy phosphine.
Skeptics are wary of making the signs-of-life connection. But the discovery nonetheless fascinated people all over the world.
Solar Orbiter launches into space
In February 2020, a new solar mission from the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA was launched into space. The Solar Orbiter mission is designed to study the sun up close to understand the bubble surrounding the solar system.
The sun affects an area in space called the heliosphere. The solar system is inside, and outside of this area is interstellar space. To understand the heliosphere, Solar Orbiter will closely examine the polar regions of the sun. The mission’s innovative heat shield can withstand temperatures up to 970 degrees Fahrenheit (520 degrees Celsius).
Related: The world’s largest solar telescope produces an unprecedented image of our star
Protests about the thirty meter telescope
Native Hawaiians called kia’i, or protectors, carry on their protests against the construction of the 160-foot-high (49-meter) Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) this year. TMT was formed in 2003 when a non-profit partnership was formed between two California universities and counterparts in Japan, China, India and Canada.
The kia’i encamped to protest the start of construction in the summer of 2019. Maunakea, they claim, is a sacred religious site for native Hawaiians and TMT would be a huge new addition to the top that is already being populated by about a dozen astronomical observatories.
Goodbye, Spitzer Space Telescope
On January 30, NASA’s Spitzer space telescope went offline after more than 16 years of observations of the universe. The mission team placed the spacecraft in permanent hibernation to end the mission; team members believe the spacecraft will eventually disintegrate into a debris field.
Former Spitzer project manager, Suzanne Dodd, said in a Jan. 23 panel on the telescope that it had uncovered a “cornucopia” of cosmic detail.
Spitzer collected data using a technique called spectroscopy. This allowed scientists to study the universe using the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Scientists used infrared data to learn about space dust and particles that don’t shine in visible light like stars, giving them a more complete picture of the universe.
Hello, comet NEOWISE
Comet NEOWISE was discovered in March 2020 by NASA’s NEOWISE mission and blinded Earth’s spectators in the weeks that followed. The ice comet approached the sun closest to the sun on July 3 and survived the encounter, allowing skywatchers to marvel at its impressive tail as it returned to the outer solar system. Comet NEOWISE will not return for 6,800 years.
Not only did the comet make it more beautiful, but its brightness also allowed astronomers to collect high-quality data about the object. NASA officials said that the last comet to put on such an impressive show was Hale-Bopp in 1997.
Related: Great photos of comet NEOWISE from Earth and space
Plus: The Hubble telescope captures a beautiful view of Comet NEOWISE after its spectacular summer sky show
Great combination of Saturn and Jupiter
The last spectacular celestial event of 2020 was the “great combination‘of Saturn and Jupiter on December 21, which was also the date of the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.
Jupiter and Saturn could be seen side by side in the evening sky shortly after sunset. They were separated by only one-tenth of a degree. Their closeness to each other in the sky has not occurred in more than 400 years.
A stunning end to this historic year. A planet SkySat recorded the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn – the closest night-sky pass of the two planets in nearly 800 years. And we’re out on that! Happy Holidays from the Planet team. pic.twitter.com/Is4xQTtaIdDecember 23, 2020
Conjunctions between these two planets happen about once every two decades, when Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn line up through space. Viewers lucky enough to have clear skies when observing the conjunction could also see the twinkle of Jupiter’s Galilean moons.
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