Starsglaxiesspace - SPACE

Dwarf galaxy Kiso 5639

In this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image, a firestorm of star birth is lighting up one end of the dwarf galaxy Kiso 5639.

Kiso 5639 is shaped like a pancake but, because it is tilted edge-on, it resembles a skyrocket, with a brilliant blazing head and a long, star-studded tail. Its appearance earns it a place in the “tadpole” class of galaxies.

The bright pink head is from the glow of hydrogen, lit up by the burst of new stars. The mass of these young stars equals about a million Suns. The stars are grouped into large clusters that formed less than a million years ago.

Stars consist mainly of hydrogen and helium, but cook up heavier elements such as oxygen and carbon. When the stars die, they release their heavy elements and enrich the surrounding gas. In Kiso 5639, the bright gas in the galaxy’s head is more deficient in heavy elements than the rest of the galaxy. Astronomers think that the latest star-formation event was triggered when the galaxy accreted primordial gas from its surroundings, since intergalactic space contains more pristine, hydrogen-rich gas.

Cavities in the gas are due to numerous supernova detonations – like bursts of fireworks in the sky – carving out holes of superheated gas.

The elongated tail, seen stretching away from the galaxy’s head and scattered with bright blue stars, contains at least four distinct star-forming regions. These stars appear to be older than those in the star-forming head.

Wispy filaments, comprising gas and some stars, extend from the main body of the cosmic tadpole.

The observations were taken in February 2015 and July 2015 with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3. Kiso 5639 is 82 million light-years from us and its head is some 2700 light-years across.

Copyright NASA, ESA, D. Elmegreen (Vassar College), B. Elmegreen (IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center), J. Sánchez Almeida, C. Munoz-Tunon & M. Filho (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias), J. Mendez-Abreu (University of St Andrews), J. Gallagher (University of Wisconsin-Madison), M. Rafelski (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) & D. Ceverino (Center for Astronomy at Heidelberg University)

Sensor to monitor orbital debris outside space station

The International Space Station isn’t the only spacecraft orbiting the Earth. In fact, it is accompanied by the Hubble Space Telescope, satellites within the Earth Observing System, and more than 1,000 other operational spacecraft and CubeSats. In addition to spacecraft, bits of orbital debris - human-made objects no longer serving a purpose in space - are also in orbit.

With an estimated more than 100 million pieces of orbital debris measuring smaller than one centimeter currently in Earth’s orbit, they can be too small to track, but many are large enough to cause damage to operational spacecraft.

The space station has orbital debris shields in place to protect from debris less than 1.5 centimeters in size. Larger debris pieces are tracked by ground control, and if needed, the space station thrusters can be used to safely move station away from the debris.

The Space Debris Sensor (SDS) will monitor the small debris environment around the space station for two to three years, recording instances of debris between the sizes of .05mm to.5mm. Objects larger than 3 mm are monitored from the ground. It will launch to station in the trunk of a SpaceX Dragon during a resupply mission no earlier than Dec. 12.

Orbital debris as small as .3mm may pose a danger to human spaceflight and robotic missions.

“Debris this small has the potential to damage exposed thermal protection systems, spacesuits, windows and unshielded sensitive equipment,” said Joseph Hamilton, the project’s principal investigator. “On the space station, it can create sharp edges on handholds along the path of spacewalkers, which can also cause damage to the suits.”

Once it is mounted on the exterior of the Columbus module aboard the space station, the sensor will provide near-real-time impact detection and recording capabilities.

Using a three-layered acoustic system, the SDS characterizes the size, speed, direction and density of these small particles. The first two layers are meant to be penetrated by the debris. This dual-film system provides the time, location and speed of the debris, while the final layer - a Lexan backstop - provides the density of the object.

The first and second layers of the SDS are identical, equipped with acoustic sensors and .075mm wide resistive lines. If a piece of debris damages the first layer, it cuts through one or more of the resistive lines before impacting and going through the second layer. Finally, the debris hits the backstop plate.

Although the backstop won’t be used to return any of the collected samples, combined with the first two layers, it gives researchers valuable data about the debris that impacts the SDS while in orbit.

“The backstop has sensors to measure how hard it is hit to estimate the kinetic energy of the impacting object,” said Hamilton. “By combining this with velocity and size measurements from the first two layers, we hope to calculate the density of the object.”

The acoustic sensors within the first two layers measure the impact time and location using a simple triangulation algorithm. Finally, combining impact timing and location data provides impact and direction measurements of the debris.

Data gathered during the SDS investigation will help researchers map the entire orbital debris population and plan future sensors beyond the space station and low-Earth orbit, where the risk of damage from orbital debris is even higher to spacecraft.

“The orbital debris environment is constantly changing and needs to be continually monitored,” said Hamilton. “While the upper atmosphere causes debris in low orbits to decay, new launches and new events in space will add to the population.”

EBLM J0555-57Ab is the smallest star ever known

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Thank you so much and have a Thresher Shark for the road!!