A few hours ago the Solar Orbiter space probe blasted off atop an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral. After about 53 minutes, it successfully separated from the rocket’s last stage and began the long journey that will take it up to about 42 million kilometers from the Sun. A little later it deployed its solar panels and started communicating with the mission control center.
An article published in the “Journal of Geophysical Research” reports a study on the dwarf planet Pluto and in particular on the heart-shaped region called Tombaugh Regio and its influence on global atmospheric circulation. A team of researchers coordinated by NASA’s Ames Research Center used data collected by the New Horizons space probe to specifically study nitrogen circulation and its cycle appropriately compared to a heart beat. This is another confirmation that Pluto is an active small world despite its small size and thin atmosphere.
A little while ago astronauts Luca Parmitano and Christina Koch and cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov returned to Earth on the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft, that landed in Kazakhstan. Parmitano and Skvortsov spent a bit more than 6 months on the International Space Station, where they arrived on July 20, 2019 as part of Expedition 60, while Christina Koch arrived on March 15, 2019 as part of Expedition 59 and accomplished a long mission.
An article published in the journal “Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society” reports the results of the study of molecular gas outflows in twelve massive galaxies at the center of galaxy clusters. A team of researchers analyzed data collected with the ALMA radio telescope to conduct this study finding that the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) of the observed galaxies cause periodic energy outbursts in the form of radiation or as jets of particles that move at speeds close to the speed of light. The energy releases cause gas outflows which can be pushed even beyond the galaxy borders. This mechanism limits the approach of the gas to the central supermassive black hole, decreasing the outbursts in what’s called a feedback. The researchers are especially studying the consequences on star formation and the possibility that a galaxy might become quenching.
An article published in the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics” reports a study of the galaxy known as Fornax A or as NGC 1316. A team of researchers led by Filippo Maccagni of the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics, Cagliari, used data collected by five different telescopes to find evidence of repeated nuclear activity that formed what were called radio lobes, gigantic plasma halos invisible at optical frequencies but bright at radio frequencies. For this reason, the MeerKat radio telescope was crucial in obtaining the best observations ever obtained by Fornax A.
