Our galaxy can breathe easy: Milky Way may not collide with Andromeda, says new research

The study still indicates a small chance, around 2 per cent, of a direct collision between Milky Way and Andromeda in 4 to 5 billion years. However, humanity will have long ceased to exist by then read more
Recent research based on data from the Hubble and ESA's Gaia space telescopes has cast doubts over the long-standing prediction about the collision and merger of the Milky Way with the Andromeda galaxy.
The findings suggest that this event is far less certain than previously believed by astronomers and experts.
Only 50% chance of collision in next 10 bn years
By carefully considering uncertainties in current measurements and including the gravitational effects of nearby galaxies (the Large Magellanic Cloud, which is a massive satellite galaxy currently merging with the Milky Way, and M33, or the Triangulum Galaxy, which orbits Andromeda), researchers discovered that in approximately half of their Monte-Carlo simulations, the Milky Way and Andromeda do not merge within the next 10 billion years.
This means there is only about a 50 per cent chance of the two galaxies merging in the next 10 billion years.
The galaxy images provided illustrate three potential scenarios for encounters between the Milky Way and Andromeda.
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In the top left panel, a wide-field Digitised Sky Survey (DSS) image of galaxies M81 and M82 exemplifies the Milky Way and Andromeda passing each other at large distances.
The top right panel shows NGC 6786, a pair of interacting galaxies exhibiting signs of tidal disturbances after a close encounter.
The bottom panel displays NGC 520, depicting two galaxies actively merging in a cosmic collision.
Animations predicting the collision of these two galaxies in about 4 billion years, followed by their merger 2 billion years later, do not account for uncertainties in various measured parameters.
Only 2% chance of direct collision in 5 bn years
The study still indicates a small chance, around 2 per cent, of a direct collision between the galaxies in 4 to 5 billion years.
However, humanity will have long ceased to exist by then, as the Sun will have rendered Earth uninhabitable in roughly 1 billion years.
This differs from previous analysis, which claimed the two galaxies would collide and create cosmic fireworks because they are moving towards each other at a pace of 2,24,000 miles per hour.

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Indian Express

3 days ago

• Indian Express

How scientists created an ‘artificial' total solar eclipse to unlock the Sun's secrets

The sun's corona (or outer atmosphere) has proved a difficult subject for solar scientists on Earth to study, appearing only in a total solar eclipse. This phenomenon, occurring once in around 18 months, was their only opportunity to observe parts of the corona. However, with Proba-3's recent mission, research can advance at a much quicker pace. The European Space Agency (ESA) on June 16, announced that the Proba-3 mission had created an 'artificial total solar eclipse' in orbit. This was achieved as the mission's two spacecraft – the Coronagraph and the Occulter – flew in formation 150 metres apart, and aligned so that the Occulter's disc covered the sun's disc, casting a shadow onto the Coronagraph's optical instrument. 'I was absolutely thrilled to see the images, especially since we got them on the first try,' Andrei Zhukov, principal investigator for ASPIICS at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, said in a statement. The mission was launched in December 2024. It involved sending both satellites into the solar orbit. In March this year, both spacecraft flew 150 metres apart, in formation up to to a millimetre's precision, without control from the Earth for several hours. When creating the artificial solar eclipse, the satellites aligned in formation based on the position of the Sun. Then, Occulter's 1.4-metre large disc would be used to block the sun's disc. This would cast a shadow of approximately 8 centimetre, across the Coronagraph's optical instruments, positioned behind the Occulter. Thanks to the precision, these instruments were able to provide the images of the corona. 'Our 'artificial eclipse' images are comparable with those taken during a natural eclipse. The difference is that we can create our eclipse once every 19.6-hour orbit, while total solar eclipses only occur naturally around once, very rarely twice a year. On top of that, natural total eclipses only last a few minutes, while Proba-3 can hold its artificial eclipse for up to 6 hours,' Zhukov explained. This mission could prove crucial for solar scientists, with previously unseen angles of the elusive corona becoming available for study. One benefit could be the study of solar wind, described by the ESA as 'the continuous flow of matter from the Sun into outer space.' Driven by the corona, these winds usually consist of charged particles, and constantly rain down upon the Earth as well. However, this can be interrupted by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), or solar storms. This subsequently affects space weather, which in turn can affect Earth's power grids, communication systems, and satellite operations. With the data from the Proba-3 mission and any subsequent missions focused on corona imaging, solar scientists can be better prepared for the potential threat of a severe solar storm – which NASA describes as 'a sudden explosion of particles, energy, magnetic fields, and material blasted into the solar system by the Sun'. Another question that Proba-3 would be able to solve is how the corona, which extends millions of miles across space, but still reaches temperatures above a million degrees Celsius, burns much hotter than the surface. To understand the reasoning, Proba-3 is attempting to study the corona at a minimal distance from the sun's surface. Due to the quality of the equipment, fewer stray rays would hit the detector, more details would be captured, and fainter features would be detected as compared to a traditional coronagraph. 'Current coronagraphs are no match for Proba-3, which will observe the Sun's corona down almost to the edge of the solar surface. So far, this was only possible during natural solar eclipses,' Jorge Amaya, Space Weather Modelling Coordinator at ESA, said in the ESA release. Alongside the key data provided by Proba-3, its precision flying in formation also paved the way for future missions, such as the ESA's Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), scheduled to launch in 2035. This mission will contain three identical spacecraft, arranged in an equilateral triangle formation, trailing behind the Earth in its orbit around the Sun. The mission is scheduled to last two years, aiming to capture images of the corona for further study, and then re-enter the Earth's atmosphere five years post-launch, as per the ESA. (This article has been curated by Purv Ashar, who is an intern with The Indian Express)

Time of India

5 days ago

• Time of India

ESA reveals the first stunning images of an artificial solar eclipse created by Proba-3 satellites

The European Space Agency 's Proba-3 mission has achieved a major milestone by capturing its first images of the Sun's faint outer atmosphere, known as the solar corona. This was made possible by two spacecraft flying in precise formation to create the world's first artificial solar eclipse in space . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now One satellite blocked the Sun's bright disk, allowing the second to image the hidden corona in exceptional detail. This innovative approach overcomes the limitations of ground-based observations and natural eclipses. The images offer valuable insights into solar activity, space weather, and the Sun's influence on Earth, marking a new era in solar research. Proba-3 creates first artificial solar eclipse in space Proba-3 is made up of two spacecraft, the Coronagraph and the Occulter, that fly 150 metres separated in perfect synchrony. In March, the mission achieved a first ever in space: the satellites kept their alignment to within a millimetre for several hours without any intervention from ground control. This unprecedented precision is made possible by sophisticated onboard navigation and position systems, enabling the Occulter to project a perfectly aligned shadow onto the instrument of the Coronagraph, ASPIICS. During these formation-flying exercises, the 1.4-meter disk on the Occulter spacecraft eclipses the Sun's brilliant surface so that the Coronagraph's ASPIICS instrument can study the solar corona in detail. The 8 cm wide shadow on ASPIICS is all that results, but it provides a clean, unbroken view of the outer atmosphere of the Sun. Built under the leadership of ESA by a consortium led by Belgium's Centre Spatial de Liège, ASPIICS takes corona pictures without the solar glare due to its 5 cm aperture being carefully shielded. Source: ESA Proba-3's early images offer new insights into solar storms It is necessary to understand the corona in order to study solar wind and coronal mass ejections (CMEs)—great solar particle blasts that can interrupt Earth's communications, navigation systems, and power grids, as evidenced by a powerful geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The first ASPIICS pictures already suggest that the mission may bring new understanding of these lively solar phenomena. Dietmar Pilz, ESA's Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality, stressed that several of the technologies used in Proba-3 were created under the umbrella of ESA's General Support Technology Programme. "This is the world's first precision formation flying mission," stated Pilz, "and these marvelous images prove the feasibility of our technological innovation." Source: ESA Why the sun's outer layer is hotter than its surface: Proba-3 looks for answers One of the Sun's biggest secrets is how its corona is millions of degrees hotter than its surface. ASPIICS will investigate this temperature paradox by imaging regions very near the Sun with little stray light, detecting even the slightest structures. Project scientist Joe Zender says by using ASPIICS data along with onboard readings from instruments such as DARA (Digital Absolute Radiometer) and 3DEES (3D Energetic Electron Spectrometer), some of solar science's oldest mysteries will be solved. Proba-3 achieves first eclipse on first attempt, marking a new era in solar observation The first successful eclipse observation for the mission was on the first try. "I was really excited to see the images," stated Andrei Zhukov, ASPIICS Principal Investigator at the Royal Observatory of Belgium. 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Its high-resolution images enable scientists to enhance computer simulations of solar eclipses used for research on solar weather. These observations are way beyond the capabilities of today's coronagraphs," said ESA's Space Weather Modelling Coordinator Jorge Amaya. The new information is fed into models such as COCONUT, created at KU Leuven, which are part of ESA's Virtual Space Weather Modelling Centre (VSWMC). These provide together the means to predict and prepare for solar impacts on our planet. About the Proba-3 mission Proba-3 is an ESA-led mission built by a consortium of more than 29 companies in 14 different countries, led by Sener (Spain) and with prominent roles being undertaken by GMV, Airbus Defence and Space, Redwire Space, and Spacebel. The mission was launched on 5 December 2024 onboard a PSLV-XL rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. Also Read |

First Post

5 days ago

• First Post

How 2 European satellites created the first artificial solar eclipse

A pair of European satellites, named Occulter and Coronagraph, have created an artificial total solar eclipse in space by flying in a precise formation. This mission, titled Proba-3, will provide scientists with information to better understand the sun and its corona read more This image provided by the European Space Agency shows the Sun's corona captured by the Proba-3 pair of spacecraft, in the visible light spectrum, with the hair-like structures revealed using a specialised image processing algorithm. AP Solar eclipses are rare astronomical marvels. But it seems that won't be the case anymore. Two European satellites created an artificial total solar eclipse in space by flying in precise and fancy formation, providing hours of on-demand totality for scientists. Wait what! The European Space Agency (ESA) released the eclipse pictures at the Paris Air Show on Monday (June 16). All about the 'artificial total solar eclipse' But how was it made possible? Flying 492 feet (150 metres) apart, one satellite blocked the sun like the moon does during a natural total solar eclipse as the other aimed its telescope at the corona, the sun's outer atmosphere that forms a crown or halo of light. In this experiment, one of the satellites, called the Occulter, carried a 1.4-metre-wide carbon fibre and plastic disc, which blocked out the sun's light for the second satellite, the Coronagraph, which was equipped with a camera and scientific instruments. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to Associated Press, it was an intricate, prolonged dance requiring extreme precision by the cube-shaped spacecraft, less than five feet (1.5 meters) in size. The flying accuracy needed to be within a mere millimetre, the thickness of a fingernail. This $210 million mission, dubbed Proba 3, has generated 10 successful solar eclipses so far during the ongoing checkout phase. The longest eclipse lasted five hours, said the Royal Observatory of Belgium's Andrei Zhukov, the lead scientist for the orbiting corona-observing telescope. He and his team are aiming for a wondrous six hours of totality per eclipse once scientific observations begin in July. This image provided by the European Space Agency depicts the two spacecraft of the Proba-3 mission aligning to create an eclipse to capture a coronagraph in space. AP Why this is significant For scientists, this is a thrilling result. Zhukov said, 'We almost couldn't believe our eyes. This was the first try, and it worked. It was so incredible.' He added that what makes this experiment even more significant is that in past attempts the sun-blocking disc was always on the same spacecraft as the corona-observing telescope. However, this time the sun-shrouding disk and telescope are on two different satellites and therefore far apart. This will allow scientists a better look at the part of the corona closest to the limb of the sun. Now, Zhukov anticipates an average of two solar eclipses per week being produced for a total of nearly 200 during the two-year mission, yielding more than 1,000 hours of totality. That will be a scientific bonanza since full solar eclipses produce just a few minutes of totality when the moon lines up perfectly between Earth and the sun — on average just once every 18 months. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The sun continues to mystify scientists, especially its corona, which is hotter than the solar surface. Coronal mass ejections result in billions of tonnes of plasma and magnetic fields being hurled out into space. Geomagnetic storms can result, disrupting power and communication while lighting up the night sky with auroras in unexpected locales. Damien Galano at ESA was quoted as telling New Scientist, 'These images will improve our understanding of the sun's corona physics as well as help us to better understand the solar wind and coronal mass ejections, which affect space weather.' With inputs from Associated Press