First look: Rubin Observatory's images reveal universe like never before
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory released its first images, showcasing millions of galaxies. The images are also expected to reveal thousands of previously unknown space objects.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Earth's satellites at risk if asteroid smashes into Moon: study
If a huge asteroid smashes into the Moon in 2032, the gigantic explosion would send debris streaming towards Earth that would threaten satellites and create a spectacular meteor shower, according to researchers. Earlier this year there were briefly fears that the 60-metre-wide (200-foot-wide) asteroid called 2024 YR4, which is big enough to level a city, would strike Earth on December 22, 2032. It was given the highest chance -- 3.1 percent -- of hitting our home planet that scientists have ever measured for such a giant space rock. Subsequent observations from telescopes definitively ruled out a direct hit on Earth. However, the odds that it will crash into the Moon have risen to 4.3 percent, according to data from the James Webb space telescope in May. A new preprint study, which has not been peer-reviewed, is the first to estimate how such a collision could affect Earth. It would be the largest asteroid to hit the Moon in around 5,000 years, lead study author Paul Wiegert of Canada's University of Western Ontario told AFP. The impact would be "comparable to a large nuclear explosion in terms of the amount of energy released", he added. Up to 100 million kilograms (220 million pounds) of material would shoot out from the Moon's surface, according to a series of simulations run by the researchers. If the asteroid hit the side of the Moon facing Earth -- which is roughly a 50-percent chance -- up to 10 percent of this debris could be pulled in by Earth's gravity over the following days, they said. - 'Like a bullet' - Earth's atmosphere would protect the surface from the millimetre- to centimetre-sized lunar rocks, Weigert said. 0.04-2.54 But these meteors could be capable of destroying some satellites -- and there are expected to be a lot more of those orbiting the planet by 2032. "A centimetre-sized rock travelling at tens of thousands of metres per second is a lot like a bullet," Wiegert said. In the days after the impact, there could be more than 1,000 times the normal number of meteors threatening Earth's satellites, he added. Meanwhile, those of us on the ground would be treated to a "spectacular" meteor shower lighting up the night sky, the study said. But the current odds of a direct hit on the near side of the Moon remain at just two percent, Wiegert emphasised. The asteroid is not expected to be visible again until 2028, so the world will have to wait to find out more. If a direct hit is eventually found to be likely, humanity probably has enough time to plan a mission to spare the Moon. "I'm sure it will be considered," Wiegert said. The asteroid is half as wide and has 10 percent of the mass of Dimorphos, which NASA's DART mission smashed into in 2022, successfully changing its trajectory. If 2024 YR4 is on a collision course with the Moon, it would be "a good target" for another test of our planetary defences, Wiegert said. But if not, trying to deflect something zooming so close to Earth could be a little "dangerous", he added. The preprint study, which published on the arXiv database last week, has been submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters. dl/gil
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
This Powerful Telescope Quickly Found 1,200 New Asteroids
More than a million asteroids, some of them potential threats to Earth. Asteroids with tails like comets. Interstellar objects that happen to be swinging by our sun. (Could they be alien spaceships?) More distant worlds including, perhaps, a ninth planet, which could fill in the story of our solar system's turbulent youth. Those are some of the discoveries that the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile is expected to make in the cosmic neighborhood that is our solar system. (Maybe not the alien spaceships.) 'I think that we're going to completely transform our view of the solar system and rewrite that textbook over the next few years.' said Meg Schwamb, a planetary scientist at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland. Rubin's scans of the night sky will also help make Earth a safer place, spotting potentially dangerous asteroids that have so far eluded detection. Most asteroids are found in the belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. But some of those space rocks have been deflected onto paths that could cross paths with our planet. Astronomers are certain that there is nothing the size of the six-mile-wide asteroid that killed the dinosaurs that poses a danger of colliding with Earth anytime soon. But for smaller asteroids, they are not so certain. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Get a first look of 1st cosmic images from Vera C. Rubin Observatory: Watch live
Stargazers are about to get a glimpse of the universe like never before when the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory unveils its first images. The powerful observatory under construction for years in Chile is set to spend the next decade exploring the mysteries of the cosmos in unprecedented detail. And on Monday, June 23, the operators of the groundbreaking telescope are going to release images to the public showing just exactly what the instrument can do. The National Science Foundation, which jointly funds and operates the observatory with the Department of Energy's Office of Science, has so far only released a handful of images and a brief video of the telescope in action. More images and video are on the way, all showcasing what the largest camera ever built has captured within just hours of beginning its observations. Here's what to know about the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, and how to watch live as the first images it captured are released to the public. Named for famous astronomer Vera Rubin, the observatory is perched on a mountain in northern Chile in the foothills of the Andes. Astronomers say the location is both high and dry enough to provide clear skies for observing the universe. For the next 10 years, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will observe and collect data on the southern night sky. By recording the entire sky once every few nights, the observatory will eventually create a time-lapse record serving as "the largest astronomical movie of all time," according to its website. Plenty of cosmic wonders are expected to be revealed by the telescope, including thousands of previously unseen asteroids and millions of distant stars and galaxies. "With Rubin data we will gain a better understanding of our Universe, delve into the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter, and reveal answers to questions we have yet to imagine," the website states. The first spectacular images the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has captured are expected to be released at 11 a.m. ET Monday, June 23, 2025. The National Science Foundation and Department of Energy will host a full reveal event streaming on the agency's YouTube channel. Live watch parties are also taking place all over the world. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vera C. Rubin Observatory prepares to unveil cosmos: How to watch live
