Month: June 2024

Rayos X en el firmamento

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NASA/NICER Esta imagen de todo el cielo muestra 22 meses de datos de rayos X registrados por la carga útil del Explorador de la Composición Interior de las Estrellas de Neutrones (NICER, por sus siglas en inglés) de la NASA —que viaja a bordo de la Estación Espacial Internacional— durante sus barridos nocturnos entre los diferentes objetivos a los que apunta. Las principales metas de NICER requieren que esté apunte hacia las fuentes de energía cósmica y siga su recorrido, a medida que la estación espacial hace su órbita alrededor de la Tierra…

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China’s space plane releases another mystery object into orbit

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China’s reusable space plane has released another unknown object into Earth’s orbit.  The experimental orbital plane, named Shenlong, which means “divine dragon” in Chinese, has been in orbit for 168 days. Space activity tracker Jonathan McDowell first spotted the spacecraft’s recent activity on May 24. The new object has since been cataloged as 59884 (International designator 2023-195G) by the U.S. Space Force space domain awareness teams, SpaceNews reported.  “This object could be a subsatellite deployment, or it could be a piece of hardware ejected prior to end of mission and…

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Watch China’s Chang’e 6 probe land on far side of the moon in dramatic video

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China’s lunar sample collection mission Chang’e 6 has made history by successfully touching down on the far side of the moon, and it even sent back a stunning video of its landing. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) probe arrived at the moon on Sunday (June 2_ at 6:23 a.m. Beijing Time, which was 6:23 p.m. on Saturday (June 1) EDT (2223 UTC). The video footage was filmed by the Chang’e-6 lander’s landing camera. It shows the spacecraft’s close approach to the lunar surface as well as its touchdown. The…

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The secrets of supernovas might be locked in moon dust

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The secrets of the supernova star explosions could be hidden in dust scattered across the moon — and a team of scientists from the China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE) has devised a new way of unlocking those stellar death clues. The research could help scientists obtain a clearer picture of how stars die and provide material for the next generation of stars, planets, moons, and sometimes even life — at least, when it comes to Earth.  The technique hinges on the improved detection of a rare iron isotope found…

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