Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
Astronomers have discovered the largest known cloud of energetic particles surrounding a galaxy cluster—spanning nearly 20 million light-years. A cloud of energetic particles this large has never been observed in this galaxy cluster or any other. The finding challenges long-standing theories about how particles stay energized over time. Instead of being powered by nearby galaxies, this vast region seems to be energized by giant shockwaves and turbulence moving through the hot gas between galaxies. The prior record holder, Abell 2255, spans roughly 16.3 million light-years. Located 5 billion light-years from Earth, PLCK G287.0+32.9 is a massive galaxy cluster that has piqued the interest of astronomers since it was first detected in 2011.
Asteroid 2024 YR4, which was earlier seen as a threat to Earth, now appears to be on a collision course with the moon. Since its discovery last year, the asteroid had caught the attention of the world after it was revealed there was a slim possibility it might hit the Earth in 2032. Experts at NASA have updated the 2024 YR4’s chance of hitting the Moon in 2032 to 4.3 per cent. According to NASA, the asteroid is now too far away to observe with telescopes. Further observations will be conducted in 2028, when the asteroid's orbit around the Sun brings it back closer to Earth. When the asteroid was discovered by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ALERT), it was called ‘city destroyer’ online due to its speed, size, and the possibility of it hitting the Earth.
(Credit: NASA)
NASA is working on building a new digging giant from the Moon. The Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (Rassor) will use big bucket drums to dig into the lunar surface to scoop rocks and soil. These bucket drums will be used on IPEx, NASA's newest Moon-mining robot, to demonstrate even more advanced autonomous excavation capabilities. NASA said that the opposing motion of the drums helps RASSOR grip the surface in low-gravity environments like the Moon or Mars. With this unique capability, RASSOR can traverse the rough surface to dig, load, haul, and dump regolith that could be used in construction or broken down into hydrogen, oxygen, or water, resources critical for sustaining human presence.
Emperor penguin populations in Antarctica have shrunk by almost a quarter as global warming transforms their icy habitat, according to new research that warned the losses were far worse than previously imagined. Scientists monitoring the world's largest penguin species used satellites to assess sixteen colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea and Bellingshausen Sea, representing nearly a third of the global emperor penguin population. Researchers know that climate change is driving the losses but the speed of the declines is a particular cause for alarm. In recent years some colonies have lost all their chicks because the ice has given way beneath them, plunging hatchlings into the sea before they were old enough to cope with the freezing ocean. Additionally, climate change is driving other challenges for the penguins, such as higher rainfall or increasing encroachment from predators.
