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Telescopes Team Up to Find Distant Uranus-Sized Planet Through Microlensing
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By NASA
Artist’s concept of a young, newly discovered planet, exposed to observation by a warped debris disk. Credit: Robert Hurt, Caltech-IPAC. The discovery
A huge planet with a long name – IRAS 04125+2902 b – is really just a baby: only 3 million years old. And because such infant worlds are usually hidden inside obscuring disks of debris, it is the youngest planet so far discovered using the dominant method of planet detection.
Key facts
The massive planet, likely still glowing from the heat of its formation, lies in the Taurus Molecular Cloud, an active stellar nursery with hundreds of newborn stars some 430 light-years away. The cloud’s relative closeness makes it a prime target for astronomers. But while the cloud offers deep insight into the formation and evolution of young stars, their planets are usually a closed book to telescopes like TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. These telescopes rely on the “transit method,” watching for the slight dip in starlight when a planet crosses the face of its host star. But such planetary systems must be edge-on, from Earth’s vantage point, for the transit method to work. Very young star systems are surrounded by disks of debris, however, blocking our view of any potentially transiting planets.
A research team has just reported an extraordinary stroke of luck. Somehow, the outer debris disk surrounding this newborn planet, IRAS 04125+2902 b, has been sharply warped, exposing the baby world to extensive transit observations by TESS.
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While the warped outer disk is a great coincidence, it’s also a great mystery. Possible explanations include a migration of the planet itself, moving closer to the star and, in the process, diverging from the orientation of the outer disk – so that, from Earth, the planet’s orbit is edge-on, crossing the face of the star, but the outer disk remains nearly face-on to us. One problem with this idea: Moving a planet so far out of alignment with its parent disk would likely require another (very large) object in this system. None has been detected so far.
The system’s sun happens to have a distant stellar companion, also a possible culprit in the warping of the outer disk. The angle of the orbit of the companion star, however, matches that of the planet and its parent star. Stars and planets tend to take the gravitational path of least resistance, so such an arrangement should push the disk into a closer alignment with the rest of the system – not into a radical departure.
Another way to get a “broken” outer disk, the study authors say, would not involve a companion star at all. Stellar nurseries like the Taurus Molecular Cloud can be densely packed, busy places. Computer simulations show that rains of infalling material from the surrounding star-forming region could be the cause of disk-warping. Neither simulations nor observations have so far settled the question of whether warped or broken disks are common or rare in such regions.
Fun facts
Combining TESS’s transit measurements with another way of observing planets yields more information about the planet itself. We might call this second approach the “wobble” method. The gravity of a planet tugs its star one way, then another, as the orbiting planet makes its way around the star. And that wobble can be detected by changes in the light from the star, picked up by specialized instruments on Earth. Such “radial velocity” measurements of this planet reveal that its mass, or heft, amounts to no more than about a third of our own Jupiter. But the transit data shows the planet’s diameter is about the same. That means the planet has a comparatively low density and, likely, an inflated atmosphere. So this world probably is not a gas giant like Jupiter. Instead, it could well be a planet whose atmosphere will shrink over time. When it finally settles down, it could become a gaseous “mini-Neptune” or even a rocky “super-Earth.” These are the two most common planet types in our galaxy – despite the fact that neither type can be found in our solar system.
The discoverers
A science team led by astronomer Madyson G. Barber of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill published the study, “A giant planet transiting a 3 Myr protostar with a misaligned disk,” in the journal Nature in November 2024.
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By NASA
NASA researchers Guan Yang, Jeff Chen, and their team received the 2024 Innovator of The Year Award at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for their exemplary work on a lidar system enhanced with artificial intelligence and other technologies.
Engineer Jeffrey Chen tests a lidar prototype on the roof of Building 33 at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Chen and his team earned the center’s 2024 Innovator of the Year award for their work on CASALS, a lidar system enhanced with artificial intelligence and other technologies.NASA Like a laser-based version of sonar, lidar and its use in space exploration is not new. But the lidar system Yang and Chen’s team have developed — formally the Concurrent Artificially-intelligent Spectrometry and Adaptive Lidar System (CASALS) — can produce higher resolution data within a smaller space, significantly increasing efficiency compared to current models.
The true revolution in CASALS is a unique combination of related technologies, such as highly efficient laser and receiver designs, wavelength-based, non-mechanical beam steering, multispectral imaging, and the incorporation of artificial intelligence to allow the instrument to make its own decisions while in orbit, instead of waiting for direction from human controllers on the ground.
“Existing 3D-imaging lidars struggle to provide the 2-inch resolution needed by guidance, navigation and control technologies to ensure precise and safe landings essential for future robotic and human exploration missions,” team engineer Jeffrey Chen said in an earlier interview. “Such a system requires 3D hazard-detection lidar and a navigation doppler lidar, and no existing system can perform both functions.”
The CASALS lidar is being developed to study land and ice topography, coastline changes, and other Earth science topics. Future applications in solar system science beyond our planet are already in the works, including space navigation improvements and high-resolution lunar mapping for NASA’s Artemis campaign to return astronauts to the Moon.
An effective and compact lidar system like CASALS could also map rocky planets like Venus or Mars.
NASA leveraged contributions from external Small Business Innovation Research companies such as Axsun Technologies, Freedom Photonics, and Left Hand for laser and optical technology to help make CASALS a reality.
The Internal Research and Development (IRAD) Innovator of The Year award is presented by Goddard’s Office of the Chief Technologist to a person or team within the program with a notable contribution to cutting-edge technology. The CASALS team was presented their award at a technology poster session on Nov. 6, 2024, at NASA Goddard.
By Avery Truman
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
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Last Updated Nov 15, 2024 EditorRob GarnerContactRob Garnerrob.garner@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Diana Oglesby’s love for NASA began long before she started working for the agency. A native of Decatur, Texas, Oglesby knew at the age of eight that she would make NASA her future destination. That dream became a reality when Oglesby joined the agency, first as an intern and later as a NASA full-time employee, marking the beginning of a career that would span over two decades.
From left, Richard Jones, CCP (Commercial Crew Program) deputy program manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston; Steve Stich, program manager for CCP; Dana Hutcherson, CCP deputy program manager at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida; and Diana Oglesby, director, Strategic Integration and Management Division, Space Operations Mission Directorate, pose with the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission flag near the countdown clock at the NASA News Center at the Kennedy on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024.NASA/Cory S Huston Oglesby currently serves as director of the Strategic Integration and Management Division within NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. The division plays a key role in ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of space operations, providing essential business support such as programmatic integration, strategic planning, information technology and cybersecurity leadership, stakeholder outreach, and administrative services.
Before her current role, Oglesby led the business management function for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. She had a front-row seat to history during NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission, which successfully launched astronauts to the International Space Station in the first commercially built and operated American rocket and spacecraft, marking a significant milestone in NASA’s space exploration efforts.
“It was an honor of a lifetime,” she says, reflecting on her role in this historic achievement.
Oglesby’s ability to foster teamwork and genuine care for others has been a hallmark of her career, whether serving in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program or now guiding the Strategic Integration and Management Division.
While reflecting on her new role as division director, Oglesby is most excited about the people. As someone who thrives on diverse activities and complex challenges, she looks forward to the strategic aspects of her role and the opportunity to lead a dynamic team helping to shape NASA’s future.
The future is bright. We are actively building the future now with each choice as part of the agency's strategic planning and transition from current International Space Station operations to the new commercial low Earth orbit destinations.
Diana Oglesby
Director, Strategic Integration and Management Division, Space Operations Mission Directorate
“The future is bright,” said Oglesby. “We are actively building the future now with each choice as part of the agency’s strategic planning and transition from current International Space Station operations to the new commercial low Earth orbit destinations.”
While Oglesby is deeply committed to her work, she also believes in “work-life harmony” rather than a work-life balance, by giving her attention to the sphere of life she is currently in at that moment in time. She remains ever focused on harmonizing between her NASA duties and her life outside of work, including her three children. Oglesby enjoys spending time with her family, baking, crafting, and participating in her local church and various causes to support community needs.
Known for her positive energy, passion, and innovation, Oglesby always seeks ways to improve systems and make a difference in whatever project she is tackling. Her attention to detail and problem-solving approach makes her an invaluable leader at NASA.
NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate maintains a continuous human presence in space for the benefit of people on Earth. The programs within the directorate are the heart of NASA’s space exploration efforts, enabling Artemis, commercial space, science, and other agency missions through communication, launch services, research capabilities, and crew support.
To learn more about NASA’s Space Operation Mission Directorate, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/space-operations
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By NASA
This illustration shows a red, early-universe dwarf galaxy that hosts a rapidly feeding black hole at its center. Using data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory, a team of astronomers have discovered this low-mass supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. It is pulling in matter at a phenomenal rate — over 40 times the theoretical limit. While short lived, this black hole’s “feast” could help astronomers explain how supermassive black holes grew so quickly in the early universe.NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/M. Zamani A rapidly feeding black hole at the center of a dwarf galaxy in the early universe, shown in this artist’s concept, may hold important clues to the evolution of supermassive black holes in general.
Using data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory, a team of astronomers discovered this low-mass supermassive black hole just 1.5 billion years after the big bang. The black hole is pulling in matter at a phenomenal rate — over 40 times the theoretical limit. While short lived, this black hole’s “feast” could help astronomers explain how supermassive black holes grew so quickly in the early universe.
Supermassive black holes exist at the center of most galaxies, and modern telescopes continue to observe them at surprisingly early times in the universe’s evolution. It’s difficult to understand how these black holes were able to grow so big so rapidly. But with the discovery of a low-mass supermassive black hole feasting on material at an extreme rate so soon after the birth of the universe, astronomers now have valuable new insights into the mechanisms of rapidly growing black holes in the early universe.
The black hole, called LID-568, was hidden among thousands of objects in the Chandra X-ray Observatory’s COSMOS legacy survey, a catalog resulting from some 4.6 million Chandra observations. This population of galaxies is very bright in the X-ray light, but invisible in optical and previous near-infrared observations. By following up with Webb, astronomers could use the observatory’s unique infrared sensitivity to detect these faint counterpart emissions, which led to the discovery of the black hole.
The speed and size of these outflows led the team to infer that a substantial fraction of the mass growth of LID-568 may have occurred in a single episode of rapid accretion.
LID-568 appears to be feeding on matter at a rate 40 times its Eddington limit. This limit relates to the maximum amount of light that material surrounding a black hole can emit, as well as how fast it can absorb matter, such that its inward gravitational force and outward pressure generated from the heat of the compressed, infalling matter remain in balance.
These results provide new insights into the formation of supermassive black holes from smaller black hole “seeds,” which current theories suggest arise either from the death of the universe’s first stars (light seeds) or the direct collapse of gas clouds (heavy seeds). Until now, these theories lacked observational confirmation.
The new discovery suggests that “a significant portion of mass growth can occur during a single episode of rapid feeding, regardless of whether the black hole originated from a light or heavy seed,” said International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab astronomer Hyewon Suh, who led the research team.
A paper describing these results (“A super-Eddington-accreting black hole ~1.5 Gyr after the Big Bang observed with JWST”) appears in the journal Nature Astronomy.
About the Missions
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.
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).
Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Learn more about the Chandra X-ray Observatory and its mission here:
https://www.nasa.gov/chandra
https://chandra.si.edu
News Media Contact
Elizabeth Laundau
NASA Headquarters
Washington, DC
202-923-0167
elizabeth.r.landau@nasa.gov
Lane Figueroa
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
256-544-0034
lane.e.figueroa@nasa.gov
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By NASA
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Note: The following article is part of a series highlighting propulsion testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. To access the entire series, please visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/propulsion-powering-space-dreams/.
Contrary to the popular saying, work conducted by the propulsion test team at NASA’s Stennis Space Center is rocket science – and requires all the talent, knowledge, and expertise the term implies.
Rocket science at NASA Stennis, located near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, has helped safely power American space dreams for almost 60 years ago. The accumulated knowledge and skills of the site’s test team continue to benefit NASA and commercial aerospace companies, thanks to new generations of skilled engineers and operators.
“The innovative, can-do attitude started with the founding of the south Mississippi site more than six decades ago,” said NASA Stennis Director John Bailey. “The knowledge, skills, and insight of a versatile team continue supporting NASA’s mission and goals of commercial aerospace companies by routinely conducting successful propulsion testing at NASA Stennis.”
Test team personnel perform facility data review following completion of a liquid oxygen cold-flow activation activity on the E-1 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on March 23, 2016. Activation of the test cell was in preparation for testing L3Harris’ (then known as Aerojet Rocketdyne) AR1 rocket engine pre-burner and main injector. The versatile four-stand E Test Complex includes 12 active test cell positions capable of various component, engine, and stage test activities for NASA and commercial projects. NASA/Stennis Operators at NASA’s High Pressure Gas Facility conduct a critical stress test Oct. 18-19, 2018, to demonstrate the facility’s readiness to support testing of the core stage of NASA’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The High Pressure Gas Facility was critical in producing and delivering gases needed for SLS core stage testing ahead of the successful launch of Artemis I. NASA/Stennis Test control center crews at NASA’s Stennis Space Center’s simulate full operations of core stage testing Dec. 13, 2019, for NASA’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket on the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2). NASA Stennis conducted SLS core stage testing in 2020-21 ahead of the successful Artemis I mission. NASA/Stennis A sitewide stress test at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Dec. 13, 2019, simulates full operations needed during SLS (Space Launch System) core stage testing. The 24-hour exercise involved crews across NASA Stennis, including at the High Pressure Water Facility that provided needed generator power and water flow to the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2) during testing.NASA/Stennis The NASA Stennis team exhibits a depth and breadth of experience and expertise likely unsurpassed anywhere in the world.
The depth is built on decades of propulsion test experience. Veteran team members of today learned from those working during the Apollo era, who overcame various engineering, technical, communications, and mechanical difficulties in testing the Saturn V rocket stages that powered humans to the Moon. During 43 stage firings, the team accumulated an estimated 2,475 years of rocket engine test expertise.
Members of the Apollo test team then joined with new engineers and operators to test main engines that powered 30 years of space shuttle missions. From 1975 to 2009, the team supported main engine development, certification, acceptance, and anomaly testing with over 2,300 hot fires and more than 820,000 seconds of accumulated hot-fire time.
“NASA Stennis is unique because of the proven test operations expertise passed from generation to generation,” said Joe Schuyler, director of the NASA Stennis Engineering and Test Directorate. “It is expertise you can trust to deliver what is needed.”
A member of the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly the A-1 Test Stand) operations team examines the progress of a cold-shock test on May 1, 2014. The test marked a milestone in preparing the stand to test RS-25 rocket engines that will help power NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.NASA/Stennis In addition to depth, the site team also has a breadth of experience that gives it unparalleled versatility and adaptability.
Part of that comes from the nature of the center itself. NASA Stennis is the second largest NASA center in terms of geography, but the civil servant workforce is small. As a result, test team members work on a range of propulsion projects, from testing components on smaller E Test Complex cells to firing large engines and even rocket stages on the heritage Apollo-era stands.
“Our management have put us in a position to be successful,” said NASA engineer Josh Greiner. “They have helped move us onto the test stands and given us a huge share of the responsibility of leading projects early in our career, which provides us the confidence and opportunity to conduct tests.”
In addition, center leaders made a deliberate decision more than a decade ago to return test stand operations to the NASA team. Prior to that time, stand operations were in the hands of contractors under NASA supervision. The shift allowed the civil servant test team to fine-tune its skill set even as it continued to work closely with contractor partners to support both government and commercial aerospace propulsion projects.
An image from October 2022 shows NASA engineers preparing for the next RS-25 engine test series at NASA’s Stennis Space Center by monitoring the reload of propellant tanks to the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly the A-1 Test Stand). RS-25 engines are powered by a mix of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.NASA/Stennis An image from October 2022 shows test team personnel ensuring pressures and flow paths are set properly for liquid oxygen to be transferred to the Fred Haise Test Stand (formerly the A-1 Test Stand), pictured in the background.NASA/Stennis An image from August 2023 shows test team personnel inspecting a pump during an initial chill down activity at the E-3 Test Complex. The versatile four-stand E Test Complex includes 12 active test cell positions capable of various component, engine, and stage test activities for NASA and commercial programs and projects. NASA/Stennis An image from September 2023 shows test team personnel preparing for future SLS (Space Launch System) exploration upper stage testing that will take place on the B-2 side of the Thad Cochran Test Stand. NASA’s new upper stage is being built as a more powerful SLS second stage to send the Orion spacecraft and heavier payloads to deep space. It will fly on the Artemis missions following a series of Green Run tests of its integrated systems at NASA Stennis. The test series will culminate with a hot fire of the four RL10 engines that will power the upper stage.NASA/Stennis An image from September 2023 shows test team personnel preparing for future SLS (Space Launch System) exploration upper stage testing by conducting a liquid hydrogen flow procedure. NASA’s new upper stage is being built as a more powerful SLS second stage to send the Orion spacecraft and heavier payloads to deep space. The upper stage will undergo a series of Green Run tests of its integrated systems on the B-2 side of the Thad Cochran Test Stand at NASA Stennis.NASA/Stennis The evolution and performance of the NASA Stennis team was illustrated in stark fashion in June/July 2018 when a blended team of NASA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Boeing, and Syncom Space Services engineers and operators test fired an AR-22 rocket engine 10 times in a 240-hour period.
The campaign marked the first time a large liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen engine had been tested so often in such a short period of time. The test team overcame a variety of challenges, including a pair of lightning strikes that threatened to derail the entire effort. Following completion of the historic series, a NASA engineer who helped lead the campaign recounted one industry observer who repeatedly characterized the site’s test team as nothing less than a national asset.
The experienced site workforce now tests RS-25 engines and propulsion systems for NASA’s Artemis campaign, including those that will help power Artemis missions to the Moon for scientific discovery and economic benefits. The NASA Stennis team also supports a range of commercial aerospace propulsion test activities, facilitating continued growth in capabilities. For instance, the team now has experience working with oxygen, hydrogen, methane, and kerosene propellants.
“The NASA and contractor workforce at NASA Stennis is second to none when it comes to propulsion testing,” Schuyler said. “Many of the current employees have been involved in rocket engine testing for over 30 years, and newer workers are being trained under these seasoned professionals.”
For information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit:
Stennis Space Center – NASA
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Last Updated Nov 13, 2024 EditorNASA Stennis CommunicationsContactC. Lacy Thompsoncalvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov / (228) 688-3333LocationStennis Space Center Related Terms
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