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By NASA
5 Min Read NASA’s Webb Reveals Distorted Galaxy Forming Cosmic Question Mark
The galaxy cluster MACS-J0417.5-1154. Full image below. Credits:
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, V. Estrada-Carpenter (Saint Mary’s University). It’s 7 billion years ago, and the universe’s heyday of star formation is beginning to slow. What might our Milky Way galaxy have looked like at that time? Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have found clues in the form of a cosmic question mark, the result of a rare alignment across light-years of space.
“We know of only three or four occurrences of similar gravitational lens configurations in the observable universe, which makes this find exciting, as it demonstrates the power of Webb and suggests maybe now we will find more of these,” said astronomer Guillaume Desprez of Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a member of the team presenting the Webb results.
Image A: Lensed Question Mark (NIRCam)
The galaxy cluster MACS-J0417.5-1154 is so massive it is warping the fabric of space-time and distorting the appearance of galaxies behind it, an effect known as gravitational lensing. This natural phenomenon magnifies distant galaxies and can also make them appear in an image multiple times, as NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope saw here. Two distant, interacting galaxies — a face-on spiral and a dusty red galaxy seen from the side — appear multiple times, tracing a familiar shape across the sky. Active star formation, and the face-on galaxy’s remarkably intact spiral shape, indicate that these galaxies’ interaction is just beginning. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, V. Estrada-Carpenter (Saint Mary’s University). While this region has been observed previously with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, the dusty red galaxy that forms the intriguing question-mark shape only came into view with Webb. This is a result of the wavelengths of light that Hubble detects getting trapped in cosmic dust, while longer wavelengths of infrared light are able to pass through and be detected by Webb’s instruments.
Astronomers used both telescopes to observe the galaxy cluster MACS-J0417.5-1154, which acts like a magnifying glass because the cluster is so massive it warps the fabric of space-time. This allows astronomers to see enhanced detail in much more distant galaxies behind the cluster. However, the same gravitational effects that magnify the galaxies also cause distortion, resulting in galaxies that appear smeared across the sky in arcs and even appear multiple times. These optical illusions in space are called gravitational lensing.
The red galaxy revealed by Webb, along with a spiral galaxy it is interacting with that was previously detected by Hubble, are being magnified and distorted in an unusual way, which requires a particular, rare alignment between the distant galaxies, the lens, and the observer — something astronomers call a hyperbolic umbilic gravitational lens. This accounts for the five images of the galaxy pair seen in Webb’s image, four of which trace the top of the question mark. The dot of the question mark is an unrelated galaxy that happens to be in the right place and space-time, from our perspective.
Image B: Hubble and Webb Side by Side
Image Before/After In addition to producing a case study of the Webb NIRISS (Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph) instrument’s ability to detect star formation locations within a galaxy billions of light-years away, the research team also couldn’t resist highlighting the question mark shape. “This is just cool looking. Amazing images like this are why I got into astronomy when I was young,” said astronomer Marcin Sawicki of Saint Mary’s University, one of the lead researchers on the team.
“Knowing when, where, and how star formation occurs within galaxies is crucial to understanding how galaxies have evolved over the history of the universe,” said astronomer Vicente Estrada-Carpenter of Saint Mary’s University, who used both Hubble’s ultraviolet and Webb’s infrared data to show where new stars are forming in the galaxies. The results show that star formation is widespread in both. The spectral data also confirmed that the newfound dusty galaxy is located at the same distance as the face-on spiral galaxy, and they are likely beginning to interact.
“Both galaxies in the Question Mark Pair show active star formation in several compact regions, likely a result of gas from the two galaxies colliding,” said Estrada-Carpenter. “However, neither galaxy’s shape appears too disrupted, so we are probably seeing the beginning of their interaction with each other.”
“These galaxies, seen billions of years ago when star formation was at its peak, are similar to the mass that the Milky Way galaxy would have been at that time. Webb is allowing us to study what the teenage years of our own galaxy would have been like,” said Sawicki.
The Webb images and spectra in this research came from the Canadian NIRISS Unbiased Cluster Survey (CANUCS). The research paper is published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Image C: Wide Field – Lensed Question Mark (NIRCam)
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
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Laura Betz – laura.e.betz@nasa.gov, Rob Gutro – rob.gutro@nasa.gov
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Christine Pulliam – cpulliam@stsci.edu , Leah Ramsey – lramsey@stsci.edu
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
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Last Updated Sep 04, 2024 Editor Stephen Sabia Contact Laura Betz laura.e.betz@nasa.gov Related Terms
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By NASA
A prototype of a robot built to access underwater areas where Antarctic ice shelves meet land is lowered through the ice during a field test north of Alaska in March. JPL is developing the concept, called IceNode, to take melt-rate measurements that would improve the accuracy of sea level rise projections.U.S. Navy/Scott Barnes Conducted through the U.S. Navy Arctic Submarine Laboratory’s biennial Ice Camp, this field test marked IceNode’s first in a polar environment. The team hopes to one day deploy a fleet of the autonomous robots beneath Antarctic ice shelves.U.S. Navy/Scott Barnes Called IceNode, the project envisions a fleet of autonomous robots that would help determine the melt rate of ice shelves.
On a remote patch of the windy, frozen Beaufort Sea north of Alaska, engineers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California huddled together, peering down a narrow hole in a thick layer of sea ice. Below them, a cylindrical robot gathered test science data in the frigid ocean, connected by a tether to the tripod that had lowered it through the borehole.
This test gave engineers a chance to operate their prototype robot in the Arctic. It was also a step toward the ultimate vision for their project, called IceNode: a fleet of autonomous robots that would venture beneath Antarctic ice shelves to help scientists calculate how rapidly the frozen continent is losing ice — and how fast that melting could cause global sea levels to rise.
Warming Waters, Treacherous Terrain
If melted completely, Antarctica’s ice sheet would raise global sea levels by an estimated 200 feet (60 meters). Its fate represents one of the greatest uncertainties in projections of sea level rise. Just as warming air temperatures cause melting at the surface, ice also melts when in contact with warm ocean water circulating below. To improve computer models predicting sea level rise, scientists need more accurate melt rates, particularly beneath ice shelves — miles-long slabs of floating ice that extend from land. Although they don’t add to sea level rise directly, ice shelves crucially slow the flow of ice sheets toward the ocean.
A remote camera captured an IceNode prototype deployed below the frozen surface of Lake Superior, off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, during a field test in 2022. The three thin legs of the robot’s “landing gear” affix the prototype to the icy ceiling.NASA/JPL-Caltech The challenge: The places where scientists want to measure melting are among Earth’s most inaccessible. Specifically, scientists want to target the underwater area known as the “grounding zone,” where floating ice shelves, ocean, and land meet — and to peer deep inside unmapped cavities where ice may be melting the fastest. The treacherous, ever-shifting landscape above is dangerous for humans, and satellites can’t see into these cavities, which are sometimes beneath a mile of ice. IceNode is designed to solve this problem.
“We’ve been pondering how to surmount these technological and logistical challenges for years, and we think we’ve found a way,” said Ian Fenty, a JPL climate scientist and IceNode’s science lead. “The goal is getting data directly at the ice-ocean melting interface, beneath the ice shelf.”
Floating Fleet
Harnessing their expertise in designing robots for space exploration, IceNode’s engineers are developing vehicles about 8 feet (2.4 meters) long and 10 inches (25 centimeters) in diameter, with three-legged “landing gear” that springs out from one end to attach the robot to the underside of the ice. The robots don’t feature any form of propulsion; instead, they would position themselves autonomously with the help of novel software that uses information from models of ocean currents.
JPL’s IceNode project is designed for one of Earth’s most inaccessible locations: underwater cavities deep beneath Antarctic ice shelves. The goal is getting melt-rate data directly at the ice-ocean interface in areas where ice may be melting the fastest. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Released from a borehole or a vessel in the open ocean, the robots would ride those currents on a long journey beneath an ice shelf. Upon reaching their targets, the robots would each drop their ballast and rise to affix themselves to the bottom of the ice. Their sensors would measure how fast warm, salty ocean water is circulating up to melt the ice, and how quickly colder, fresher meltwater is sinking.
The IceNode fleet would operate for up to a year, continuously capturing data, including seasonal fluctuations. Then the robots would detach themselves from the ice, drift back to the open ocean, and transmit their data via satellite.
“These robots are a platform to bring science instruments to the hardest-to-reach locations on Earth,” said Paul Glick, a JPL robotics engineer and IceNode’s principal investigator. “It’s meant to be a safe, comparatively low-cost solution to a difficult problem.”
Arctic Field Test
While there is additional development and testing ahead for IceNode, the work so far has been promising. After previous deployments in California’s Monterey Bay and below the frozen winter surface of Lake Superior, the Beaufort Sea trip in March 2024 offered the first polar test. Air temperatures of minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 45 Celsius) challenged humans and robotic hardware alike.
The test was conducted through the U.S. Navy Arctic Submarine Laboratory’s biennial Ice Camp, a three-week operation that provides researchers a temporary base camp from which to conduct field work in the Arctic environment.
As the prototype descended about 330 feet (100 meters) into the ocean, its instruments gathered salinity, temperature, and flow data. The team also conducted tests to determine adjustments needed to take the robot off-tether in future.
“We’re happy with the progress. The hope is to continue developing prototypes, get them back up to the Arctic for future tests below the sea ice, and eventually see the full fleet deployed underneath Antarctic ice shelves,” Glick said. “This is valuable data that scientists need. Anything that gets us closer to accomplishing that goal is exciting.”
IceNode has been funded through JPL’s internal research and technology development program and its Earth Science and Technology Directorate. JPL is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California.
How NASA’s OMG found ocean waters are melting Greenland News Media Contact
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
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Last Updated Aug 29, 2024 Related Terms
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4 Min Read NASA Seeks Input for Astrobee Free-flying Space Robots
iss069e010815 (May 16, 2023) — UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut and Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi observes a free-flying Astrobee robotic assistant during the testing of its operations for an upcoming student competition to control the robotic devices. Credits: NASA NASA is seeking input from American companies for the operation and use of a system of free-flying robots aboard the International Space Station as the agency continues to foster scientific, educational, and technological developments in low Earth orbit for the benefit of all.
The colorful, cube-shaped robots – named “Bumble,” “Honey,” and “Queen” – are part of the Astrobee system helping astronauts and researchers perform technology demonstrations, scientific research, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities in the unique environment of space since 2018.
“Dozens of institutions collaborate with NASA to use the Astrobee system to test new hardware and software technologies,” said Jose Benavides, project manager for the Astrobee facilities at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, where the system was designed and built. “I’m excited to hear how respondents think Astrobee can continue to advance robotics in space.”
NASA issued a Request for Information to inform strategic planning, inviting industry to provide information to help shape the maturation of robotics in zero gravity to achieve the greatest scientific and exploration value. Responses are due Sept. 27, 2024. To learn more about the Request for Information, visit:
https://sam.gov/opp/7893fe01e7bf4ae69029b5d8915e62c5/view
iss065e389375 (9/20/2021) — NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough poses with the Astrobee robotic free-flyers in support of the Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Robo-Pro Challenge). The Kibo-RPC, allows students to create programs to control Astrobee, a free-flying robot aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The battery-powered robots in the Astrobee system fly around the space station’s modules using electric fans for propulsion and “see” their surroundings using lights, cameras, and other sensors. They have interchangeable “arms” that provide ways for the robots to hold objects or keep steady for tasks requiring stability, and magnets to ensure they stay securely docked when recharging.
Working autonomously, or via remote control by astronauts, flight controllers, or researchers on the ground, the robots can be used to off-load time-consuming tasks. For instance, the robots can work independently or collaboratively to assist with routine chores like space station monitoring, maintenance, inventory, experiment documentation, or moving cargo throughout the station. This allows astronauts more time to tackle complex work that only humans can perform.
Astrobee’s versatile design has allowed thousands of hours of testing on hundreds of microgravity experiments. Many have involved astronauts, but the facility also is regularly used by researchers and student teams across the world competing for the opportunity to run their programs on the robots in space.
Further developing human-robotic technology will pave the way for future crewed and uncrewed spacecraft maintenance and exploration tasks done by robots both off-planet and in deep space"
Jonathan Barlow
Astrobee Project Manager
For example, NASA’s ISAAC (Integrated System for Autonomous and Adaptive Caretaking) project, used the Astrobees to study how robots could assist spacecraft, vehicle systems, and ground operators. The technology could help NASA use robot caretakers for critical spacecraft in the agency’s Moon-to-Mars plans, including the Gateway lunar space station and Mars transit habitat vehicle, especially during the months-long periods when these spacecraft will be uncrewed.
“Our ISAAC work has proved out its technology in a high-fidelity space environment because of the ready availability of the capable Astrobee robots,” said Trey Smith, project manager for ISAAC at NASA Ames.
The project demonstrated using multiple Astrobees to autonomously collect the first robot-generated survey of a spacecraft interior. Other ISAAC firsts include the first use of a robot to locate the source of a sound in space, in collaboration with the Bosch USA SoundSee payload team, and the first time robots navigated between modules of a space station. Future robots could use ISAAC technology to transfer cargo between space vehicles or respond to a time-critical fault like a leak due to a micrometeoroid impact, all without human assistance.
“With Astrobee, we’ve learned about flying multiple robots in space alongside humans,” said Jonathan Barlow, project manager for Astrobee at NASA Ames. “Further developing human-robotic technology will pave the way for future crewed and uncrewed spacecraft maintenance and exploration tasks done by robots both off-planet and in deep space.”
The Astrobee Facility, operated out of NASA’s Ames Research Center, provides a free-flying robotic system for space station research and STEM outreach. NASA’s Game Changing Development Program, part of the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, funded Astrobee. NASA’s International Space Station Utilization Office provides ongoing funding.
iss071e464314 (Aug. 12, 2024) — NASA astronaut and Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps monitors a pair of Astrobee robotic free-flying assistants as they demonstrate autonomous docking maneuvers inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module. The cube-shaped, toaster-sized devices were operating with a connecting interface system, called CLINGERS with an embedded navigation sensor, that may benefit construction in space.View the full article
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By NASA
Learn Home New TEMPO Cosmic Data Story… Astrophysics Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Stories Science Activation Highlights Citizen Science 3 min read
New TEMPO Cosmic Data Story Makes Air Quality Data Publicly Available
On May 30th, 2024, NASA and the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian announced the public release of “high-quality, near real-time air quality data” from NASA’s TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) mission. The NASA Science Activation program’s Cosmic Data Stories team, led by Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, has since released a new “Data Story” – an interactive, digital showcase of new science imagery, including ideas for exploration and scientific highlights shared in a brief video and narrative text – that provides a quick and easy way for the public to visualize this important, large data set from TEMPO.
TEMPO allows unprecedented monitoring of air quality down to neighborhood scales, with its hourly daytime scans over North America. Air pollutants like NO2, produced, for example, by the burning of fossil fuels, can trigger significant health issues, especially among people with pre-existing illnesses such as asthma. The interactive views in the TEMPO Data Story provide public access to the same authentic data that scientists use and invite the public to explore patterns in their local air quality. For example, how do NO2 emissions vary in our area throughout the day and week? What are possible sources of NO2 in our community? How does our air quality compare with that of other communities with similar population densities, or with nearby urban or rural communities? TEMPO’s hyper-localized data will allow communities to make informed decisions and take action to improve their air quality.
The Cosmic Data Story team is grateful to TEMPO scientists, Xiong Liu and Caroline Nowlan, for providing the team with early access to the data and guidance on NO2 phenomena that learners can explore in the data. The TEMPO Data Story, featured on TEMPO’s webpage for the public, adds Earth science data to the portfolio of Cosmic Data Stories that is already making astrophysics data accessible to the public.
TEMPO Team Atmospheric Physicist from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Caroline Nowlan, had this to say: “TEMPO produces data that are really useful for scientists, but are also important for the general public and policy makers. We are thrilled that the Cosmic Data Stories team has made a tool that allows everyone to explore TEMPO data and learn about pollution across North America and in their own communities.”
The Cosmic Data Stories project is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number 80NSSC21M0002 and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn
A view from the TEMPO Data Story, shows TEMPO’s NO2 data overlaid on a map of North America. A large plume of NO2, caused by large wildfires, arcs from Northern California all the way to Idaho. Other “hot spots” of NO2 are seen over cities across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Users can view any available date, as well as explore some featured dates and locations that describe phenomena of interest that are visible in the data. Share
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Last Updated Aug 13, 2024 Editor NASA Science Editorial Team Related Terms
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